A few verses from Exodus 32 struck me today:
On the next day Moses said to the people, “You yourselves have committed a great sin; and now I am going up to the LORD, perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Then Moses returned to the LORD, and said, “Alas, this people has committed a great sin, and they have made a god of gold for themselves. But now, if You will, forgive their sin–and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” (32:30-32)
Moses had been up on the mountain, literally in the presence of God. Meanwhile, his people were down below creating and worshipping an idol. Yet when their sin is discovered, Moses does something that absolutely amazed me: he placed himself in between God and the people and interceded for them.
I think this goes completely against everything our society teaches us. Nowadays if someone around us fails at something (whether it be a project at work or school or someone on a ministry team), we are preconditioned to separate ourselves from that person lest we be considered failures as well. We see this everyday in politics (notice how all 100 Senators claim to have been against the war in Iraq despite the fact that the Senate gave it almost unanimous approval), and I think if we look close enough, we’ll see it in the rest of society, in the Church, and even in ourselves.
This predisposition goes against the Biblical example of a Godly man, however. Moses, Daniel, and Jesus (to name three) all took the guilt of their people upon themselves and pleaded with God for forgiveness. When Moses tells God, “forgive their sin–and if not, please blot me out from Your book which You have written!” what he is saying is, “If you aren’t going to forgive my people, then I’d rather be dead!” This is much different from the prevailing American attitude of “I’d rather be dead then have someone associate me with this failure!”
Are we willing to put the spiritual lives of those around us ahead of our own well-being? Are we willing to stand with those who are faltering and help bring them back into fellowship with God? Are we willing to plead with God for those who have yet to call on him for salvation?
May we be people who are not afraid to put ourselves at risk for the good of others.