Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The text on which this morning's message is based comes from our Old Testament lesson (Genesis 32) read earlier.

In hindsight we look at the Israelites and are amazed at their quick abandonment of their LORD, Yahweh their God. The LORD, Yahweh, had, only a few short weeks earlier, performed the greatest saving miracle of all time to that date. He had brought His people out of Egypt through plaguing the Pharaoh and his Egyptians. This saving act culminated in bringing his people miraculously through the parted waters of the Red Sea, and then using those same waters to drown the enemies who were still seeking to kill His chosen people. The most powerful military force of its time, the army of Egypt, was completely destroyed, and the Israelites had never even fired an arrow to defend themselves. Their rescue came completely by the mighty arm of their God. And they had not even approached this God on their own. He came to them, through His servants Moses and Aaron, and told them He was going to save Israel because He had promised their ancestors He would do so.

In hindsight we look back and are shocked at their response. Instead of turning to the LORD with full faith and trust, they begin complaining. "We don't have enough to eat." "We don't have enough to drink."

Instead of going to this LORD in humble thanks and prayer, they whine and complain. God actually does answer their complaining with sweet water and manna and quail.

In hindsight we look back and are shocked at their response. Moses, their miraculous intercessor, goes up to the mountain to receive further instructions from the LORD Yahweh. He's up there quite a long time, receiving the 10 Commandments written in stone with God's finger. But while Moses is gone the people become impatient. They don't have God's visible spokesperson with them daily. Granted, they have a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night right there with them, but that is not enough to know God's presence for them. They want to create their own visible image. They want an idol, a golden calf, a representation of an Egyptian god, a symbol of power and sexuality. No doubt the Israelites had often seen the wild celebrations in Egypt connected with the "so-called" worship of this God. This was just what they wanted! (Wendland, 1992).

In hindsight we look back and are disgusted by their response. We watch Charlton Heston and other Moses-movie figures, hands raised in the air with the 10 Commandment stones held over his head, and inside we shout "Throw the book at them, Moses. Give them what they deserve!" In the old movie there is an explosion as the tablets strike and burn the golden idol. Moses is angry. Even more so, the LORD is angry. In our text we learn He has decided, in His righteous anger, that this stiff-necked people is worthy only of destruction. And He is just in doing so. These people had just witnessed not just a great God, but a great Savior. They were now the recipients of such great promises. But they had turned, quickly, fully away from Him. They wanted to create their own God and control him in whatever way they saw fit. Put yourself in Moses' position. God has just told you "Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." Put yourself in Moses' position. How would we have responded? Would you have said "Well, OK, seems a little harsh, but you're God! You know everything. You know what is best." Or would you have said "OK, God, great idea. I'm sure that my sons and daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren will be more deserving of your blessings than this rabble. How could you have ever thought that these people would be a good chosen people?" Put yourself in Moses' position. What would your natural human response have been? I'm ashamed to admit that my reaction likely would have been one of the two I just said.

But notice Moses' response. He pleads for them. Moses doesn't say "give them just one more chance. They'll do better next time." He doesn't base his pleading for them in the goodness of the people, or a hope that they will be more deserving in the future. He doesn't say "They're not really that stiff-necked God." Notice Moses' response. He pleads on the basis of God's own character. He recalls God's salvation of these people: "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?

Moses appeals to the LORD's good, saving reputation. "Why should the Egyptians say, 'It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth'?" Moses' doesn't fall back and punt. Moses knows God is omniscient, that is, He knows all. Moses knows the Lord is just, fair in meting out punishment.

But Moses' doesn't plead to God as some sort of omniscient, impersonal compute-like judge. No, Moses recalls God's very personal promises. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever'".

It was a blessing for the Israelites that they had an advocate and defender like Moses. Because of Moses' personal intervention, the LORD changed His mind! Moses knew God was a saving, promising God full of lovingkindness. Moses simply reminded the Lord about Himself, using the Lord's own words to do so. Wow! Wouldn't it be great to have an advocate and defender like that before God for you?

You do! You have an advocate and guide, a mediator that is better than Moses. Your mediator is not standing on a mountain in the Sinai Peninsula, but is seated in heaven at the right hand of God (Hebrews 10). Your mediator is the New Moses, the Son of this omniscient, just, saving, promising God, God Himself, Jesus Christ. The Lord saved His people of Old by bringing them through the waters of the Red Sea and drowning their enemies. Jesus Christ is our Saving One, who brought each of us through the waters of Baptism, and drowns our enemies, our sins and evil lusts through daily repentance and remembering those Baptismal waters. The Lord sustained His people of Old through sending miraculous manna, bread from heaven. Jesus Christ sustains us by being our Bread from heaven, our Bread of Life. Moses went to the mountain to receive the Word of the Lord. Jesus Christ is our final Word, the final and ultimate answer to God's righteous and just anger toward sin.

Later in this chapter, Moses even offers himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the people. He says "But now, please forgive their sin-- but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written." But no mere man, even Moses is able to make such a sacrifice for human sin. But 1300 years later, someone did come who could make that sacrifice. Hebrews 9: 26b But now (Christ) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 10: 9 (Christ said to His Father) said, "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He sets aside the first (covenant) to establish the second. 10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

The Lord saved His people of old and established a first covenant, a set of promises for them. He gave them Moses, who interceded for them, and brought them God's Word. Moses led God's people to the Promised Land, a land flowing with milk and honey and God's blessings. Jesus, through his death and resurrection, leads us into God's eternal Promised Land. He has gone there to prepare a place for us. We too often are like the Israelites, being impatient with God, not waiting for Jesus' return. But even as we plead to Him for patience, we can know that He is there at the right hand of his Father (Hebrews 10: 12), interceding for us, imploring Him for our forgiveness.

Let us pray: Heavenly Father, gracious God, forgive us when we are impatient with you or try to form you into an image of our own creation. We plead for your mercy, for the sake of our intercessor, whom you sent to us, your own Son Jesus Christ. Grant us forgiveness, peace, patience and faithfulness to follow Him always. Amen.