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Portion 63

Golden Text: Exodus 32-34.
Readings for the week:

Day 1: Exodus 32

Day 2: Exodus 33-34

Day 3: Hosea 10-11

Day 4: Matthew 4

Day 5: Romans 11:25-36

Day 6: Romans 10

I- The cynicism of betrayal of God.

Interestingly, while God was instructing Moses on the mountain to make the people a holy nation, they were planning to do idolatry. As we read verse 8 and compare it with Ex 20:3-4 we will see that the people did the exact opposite of everything God had commanded them so far.

It should be remembered that those garments that the Israelites had were given by the Egyptians when they left, but not by the will or spontaneity of the Egyptians, but because God told them how they should pay off the debts to them. In other words, they owed it to God to have those garments.

II- God is in control of everything.

When Moses tells God to remember the promise he had made to Israel, it is not because from that moment on he would reflect on what he had said, but because with this God was allow-ing Moses to reflect on something more elementary so that he would walk by his side: “God would not destroy Israel because he had made a promise and everything he promises is fulfilled, and not because this would be proof that God does not know what will happen in the future, nor does He have control of human affairs.

This is what Paul reflected on when he wrote to the Romans in chapters 10-11, realizing that Israel would be saved at some point despite their present rebellion, because the Lord had promised it.

And this is evidenced by what happened next, because the only thing that protected the people of Israel at this moment when they deserved to be destroyed was not the attitude of Mo-ses, nor that of Aaron, but only the love and grace of God acted in their favor.

III- In God even the sinner has hope.

In this narrative we see an order:
– The commandment came on how to make the tabernacle.
– Then came the sin of the calf.
– And finally, was the construction of the tabernacle.

From this it can be learned that no matter how bad an attitude or sin may be, there will al-ways be an opportunity to change things in the Lord. In God there is no failure, there will always be through Him the opportunity to correct mistakes.

Questions:

1.- Some interpreters believe that those who sinned here are people from other nations who had gone out with Israel from Egypt. What is your interpretation of this?

2.- Why do you think Moses is not trying to justify the people?

3.- What do you think Moses could learn from this as a leader of God’s people?

Under Construction..

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