Exodus 32:31-32 And Moses returned to the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.… I. We are to inquire TO WHAT BOOK MOSES REFERS IN THE TEXT. He says to God, "Blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written." I would observe that Moses could not mean the book of God's remembrance. The prophet Malachi speaks of such a book. Moses must have known that there was not only a moral, but a natural impossibility of God's blotting his name out of the book of His remembrance. God cannot cease to remember any more than He can cease to exist. And there is another book of God, often mentioned in Scripture, which is called the book of life, and contains the names of all whom He designs to save from the wrath to come, and admit to heaven. It plainly appears by God's answer to Moses, that this is the book he meant. II. WHAT WAS THE IMPORT OF HIS REQUEST, WHEN HE SAID TO GOD, "Yet now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written." Here are two things requested, and both conditionally. Moses prays, if it were consistent with the will of God, that He would pardon the sin of His people in making the golden calf. "Now if Thou wilt, forgive their sin." He prayed for the exercise of pardoning mercy towards the people conditionally, because God had seemed to intimate that He intended to destroy them, by saying, "Let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them." Moses had reason to fear that God would, at all events, withhold His pardoning mercy. And therefore to render his intercession more prevalent, and to express his most ardent desire for their forgiveness, he prays again conditionally: "And if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book which Thou hast written." This was implicitly saying, "O Lord, since Thou hast proposed to spare me and destroy Thy people, I pray that Thou wouldest rather blot me out of the book of life, and spare them. If Thy glory require that either they or I must be destroyed, I pray Thee spare them and destroy me. Their salvation is unspeakably more important than mine; and I am willing to give up my salvation, if it might be a means, or occasion, of preventing their final ruin." III. WHETHER THIS PETITION OF MOSES, TAKEN IN THE SENSE IN WHICH IT HAS BEEN EXPLAINED, IS A PROPER ONE. 1. It appears to have been perfectly acceptable to God. He did not rebuke him for a rash request, but, on the other hand, plainly intimated that He was highly pleased with his noble, disinterested desire. And since God did not condemn it, we may safely conclude that it was highly acceptable in His sight. 2. It was perfectly agreeable to the dictates of reason and conscience, that Moses should have been willing to give up all his own personal interests, to promote the glory of God and the future and eternal good of his nation. He supposed that the glory of God was greatly concerned in the preservation of His people from deserved destruction; and he plead this as the most powerful argument to move God to forgive and spare them. 3. The petition of Moses was agreeable to the very law of love. God requires all men to love Him with all their heart, and their neighbour as themselves. 4. The request of Moses was perfectly agreeable to the spirit which Christ uniformly expressed through the whole course of His life on earth. He always gave up a less good of His own for a greater good of others. 5. That the prayer of Moses was proper, because it was agreeable to the prayers and practice of other good men. Paul said, "My heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved." Yea, he did solemnly declare, "I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh."Improvement: 1. If the prayer of Moses in the text was proper and acceptable to God, then true love to God and man is, strictly speaking, disinterested love. Moses expressed a love which was not only without interest but contrary to interest. 2. If the conditional prayer of Moses was proper, then it is impossible to carry the duty of disinterested benevolence too far. 3. If the prayer of Moses was proper, then none ought to be willing to be lost, only conditionally. 4. If the prayer of Moses was proper and sincere, then those who possess his spirit are the best friends of sinners. 5. If the prayer of Moses was proper and sincere, then none can pray sincerely for any good without being willing to do whatever is necessary on their part to obtain it. 6. If the conditional prayer of Moses was proper and acceptable to God, then the prayers of the people of God are always heard and answered. It is their wisdom as well as their duty always to pray conditionally and submissively; for then they may be assured that their prayers will be graciously answered. 7. If the conditional prayer of Moses was acceptable to God, then the prayers of sinners are always sinful and unacceptable to God. They are not willing to be denied on account of God's glory. (N. Emmons, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. |
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