Just pondering some thoughts about anger

I keep thinking about the passage I read several weeks ago from Exodus 32 in my morning reading. Every year, this one gets me thinking and I don’t remember ever chatting about it with you all. If I have…indulge me.

In Exodus 32, Moses has been on the mountain with God for quite a long while. God has given him instructions for the building of the Tabernacle and all the plans for who would do what, plus He has written the 10 Commandments on two stone tablets.

Meanwhile, down in the camp, the people are bored and wondering where Moses went and if he is even still alive. They talk to Aaron and decide to melt down their gold and have him fashion a new god, somewhat like the gods of the Egyptians.

Aaron complies, and then seemingly as an afterthought, suggests the following day they have a feast dedicated to the LORD.

The people gather and sacrifices are offered to God, apparently under the shadow of this new “calf god” and then all hell breaks loose…literally….and they party heartily in anything but obedience to God.

Back on the mountain, God tells Moses that then need to wrap up their session because He knew what was going on down below. He tells Moses that the Israelites are “stiff-necked” and have turned away from Him and He is pretty mad. In fact, He tells Moses that He is ready to just scrap the whole sordid lot of them and start over by building a new nation through Moses.

Moses immediately, perhaps even as he held those heavy stone tablets, begins to intercede mightily on behalf of the wayward children of Israel. He defends them and the plan God had and God relents. Moses and Joshua start back down the mountain. While God has apprised Moses of the calf, the partying and all of that, Joshua is blissfully ignorant.

He mentions that he can hear shouting and it sounds like there is a war going on. Ironically, there is…but its spiritual. Moses fills him in that it is not war but a huge moral rebellion against God. As he approaches the camp and takes in on that God already knew was going on, he totally loses it and throws the two stone tablets down.

The tablets shatter and he grinds the calf into powder, scatters it on water and makes the whole nation drink it. Now Aaron tries to intercede for the people and make excuses for himself and his part in the whole fiasco.

Moses calls out for anyone who is for the Lord to assemble and all the Levites came to his aid. They arm themselves with swords and the result is that 3,000 are killed. The next day, Moses disciplines the survivors and then heads back up the mountain to seek atonement for their sin.

There is something about this whole scene that gives me pause every time. Something about Moses, trying to get God to calm down and then having his own anger burn against the people.

I think about how when one of our children does something wrong and another authority figure becomes so angry. Maybe it is a teacher or coach or the other parent. The rage is rising in one as the “Moses” parent intercedes on behalf of the wayward child. But then, the defending parent is impacted head on with the infraction and ends up just as, if not more, angry.

And we are talking about God here. Not an imperfect parent. So I am fascinated by the whole image of what happened here. I know Moses was privy to deep conversations with God and they partnered in the whole escape from Egypt and wilderness trek in a special way.

It makes me wonder if God, in His anger, was trying to get Moses to see how very serious He was about this obedience thing. God’s solution was to wipe out everyone, Moses gave them the opportunity to choose life or death.

I feel God was honing Moses’ leadership skills as much as he was seeking to deal effectively with the rebellious hearts of HIs people.

Much to ponder. No real answers. But the next time you defend someone and then unleash your wrath on that one that you were trying so hard to protect, remember this. Remember this passage and reflect on how human Moses was as he was called to do great things with God’s help and guidance. Picture him as a real, flesh and blood man with the same basic nature as yours and mine.

Then do as I do and marvel at the patience and love and mercy of our God to deal with us daily and never give up.

Blessings friends <3

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