Mosss finds himself in an awkward position. He is trying to calm God down.
God is mad that the Hebrews have already forgotten the mighty ways he has defeated the Pharaoh and rescued them from Egypt. In an moment of anxiety, they turn to another god.
God is so mad that he is about to destroy the enitre camp. And in this moment, Moses rises to the occasion as a leader - he comes to his people's defense.
He appeals to God's glory - his own reputation. He says to God, "calm down. Did you bring these people all this way just to destroy them? Think of what the Egyptians are going to say about you?"
And he appeals to God's faithfulness - the promises he has made to the Hebrews' ancestors.
And God's anger subsides.
Again, the historian doesn't seem to be concerned with our questions of God's temper, his need for Moses' counsel, his flip-flop decision making. Instead, he seems only in showing us Moses' growing compassion for the Hebrews, and God's sense of his own faithfulness and name.
Write
Think about your faith story: how have you experienced God's anger, and his desire to be true to his own name?
Presently, how do you need God to be faithful, and to be true to his promises to you?
Who do you know is in need of God to be true to his name and promises?
Pray
What
is God saying to you today? What's Good News to you?
Talk to God about the times when you have feared his anger, and when you have need God to be true to his name and his promises. Thank God for the ways he always forgives you, and makes a way for you to come back under his care and protection.
Pray about the relationships and situations where you need God to be true to his name and his promises. Ask God for the wisdom and support to trust him and wait for him to make his presence felt.
Pray for your friend who is in need of God to be true to his name and his promises. Pray for the wisdom and opportunity to come along side them and wait with them for God to make his presence felt.
Pray for an experience of God's love, grace and mercy in the way he is always true to his name and his promises in the ways he loves and cares for you.