Our Need for a Mediator
Open Your Bible
Exodus 32:1-14, Exodus 32:30-35, Acts 7:37-43, Jeremiah 31:31-34
BY Erin Davis
Let’s face it, when the Lord called the Israelites “stiff-necked,” He was being kind.
On their best days, they were whiney, rebellious, fearful, and contentious. And this particular day we’re reading about was definitely not one of their best.
With metal they’d pillaged from their enemies (Exodus 12:35), they fashioned a statue of a calf and convinced themselves that the idol was the Lord Himself, the one who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt.
It’s okay to shake your head. Their error was preposterous. In hindsight, I suppose it’s obvious that rebellion against a loving and sovereign God always is. No wonder God declared, “Now leave me alone, so that my anger can burn against them and I can destroy them” (32:10).
This was the nation that had seen God send plagues to torment their oppressors. These were the ones who had walked across the Red Sea on dry ground. These were God’s chosen people, those who had tasted the manna He’d rained from heaven. And still, as soon as their leader was out of earshot, they turned their adoration toward a weaker god—one who could never save them. God’s wrath was surely justified.
God is holy.
His people were unholy.
He is generous.
They were greedy.
He is faithful.
They were faithless.
He showcased His power.
They bowed before a powerless statue instead.
We’ve all bowed before the wrong altars. Who will plead our cause? We cannot shake our sin nature. Who will defend our case? We are the rebellious children of a holy, holy, holy God. Who will stay His hand?
This moment in Israel’s history allows us to peek at the glory of the gospel. In pleading with the Lord to spare the Israelites, Moses was pointing forward to Christ, who right now—right this very minute—is our advocate, standing between our sin and the punishment we rightly deserve (Romans 8:34). We remain God’s beloved, yet rebellious, children—our hearts ever turning toward all that glitters. Even so, God’s wrath is stayed because there is One who pleads for us even now.
59 thoughts on "Our Need for a Mediator"
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Thank you Lord for your mercy and faithful love ♥️. We are undeserving and forever grateful!
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Thankful that Jesus is our mediator.
My perfectionist nature and longing to be liked by those around has become a golden calf in my life. Striving and worrying leads me away from God, until I’m on my knees in need of mercy and help from Him. But nothing can separate me from his forever love. -
As I was reading through these passages what came to my mind is Aaron. He wasn’t a very good helper to Moses was he? It’s of great importance that we prayerfully consider our leadership teams wisely. And that they are convicted of the same beliefs.
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I just have to roll my eyes at how impatient I am with a God who literally parted seas, sacrificed His Son, & worked miracles in and around my life. When my prayers aren’t answered on my timeline, I should remember the faith of Moses, not of Aaron.
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Every time I read this passage or watch the movie the 10 Commandments I am always amazed at how inpatient people can become. They could just waited for Moses to come back but no, instead they lost their patients and built their own idol to worship. Maybe about an hour later everything would’ve been different for all of them.
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I look forward to reading these passages after a very long and tiring day and knowing that there is an amazing community of women here is so comforting! So happy to be here!!
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