A Leader Stands In The Gap For His People

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Exodus 32:7-14

7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”
11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

 
 

Moses is up on the mountain with the Lord; meanwhile the people are brazenly committing idolatry below.

The Lord tells Moses what has happened and declares His intention to destroy the people and start over again with just Moses himself.

Moses, however, pleads with the Lord to spare the people and remember His commitment to Abraham.

The Lord has brought Moses into the problem—how do you remain faithful to sinful people? I think in some ways Moses here passes the test—rather than abandon the Israelites and take the Lord’s offer to strike out on his own, Moses commits himself to the people. He has grown so much since his early days leading the people in Egypt!

As we shall see, Aaron is a model of weak, cowardly leadership, whereas Moses shows us what godly leadership is like—a leader sacrifices himself on behalf of his people.