"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Monday, 5 September 2016 with Scripture: Exodus 32:7-14

"The God Pause Daily Devotional" from The Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States for Monday, 5 September 2016
with Scripture: Exodus 32:7-14
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Exodus 32:7 Adonai said to Moshe, “Go down! Hurry! Your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have become corrupt! 8 So quickly they have turned aside from the way I ordered them to follow! They have cast a metal statue of a calf, worshipped it, sacrificed to it and said, ‘Isra’el! Here is your god, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9 Adonai continued speaking to Moshe: “I have been watching these people; and you can see how stiffnecked they are. 10 Now leave me alone, so that my anger can blaze against them, and I can put an end to them! I will make a great nation out of you instead.”
11 Moshe pleaded with Adonai his God. He said, “Adonai, why must your anger blaze against your own people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a strong hand? 12 Why let the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intentions that he led them out, to slaughter them in the hills and wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger! Relent! Don’t bring such disaster on your people! 13 Remember Avraham, Yitz’chak and Isra’el, your servants, to whom you swore by your very self. You promised them, ‘I will make your descendants as many as the stars in the sky; and I will give all this land I have spoken about to your descendants; and they will possess it forever.’” 14 Adonai then changed his mind about the disaster he had planned for his people.[Complete Jewish Bible]
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One day our new puppy got into some papers on the desk. I had left her unconfined, and when I got home, she was in her kennel and bits of important papers were on the floor. My husband didn't need to say, "She is your dog!"
The Israelites got lost, confused and had made a mess of things. And then there was the wrath of God. God's anger, we are told, burned hot! As Moses received the heat of God's anger, he remained calm enough to remind God, "These are your people, Oh God! How would this look to the other peoples of the world?"
To those who believe that God's mind is never changed, we have these words, "And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people." As Moses so carefully reminded God, they were God's people, God's people even when they were lost and wrong and rotten. And after being reminded, God changed God's mind. That was not just good news for them.
Loving God, thank you that we do not receive what we deserve from your hand, but instead we receive grace upon grace. Amen.
Peggy Paugh Leuzinger, '88
Rivers of Faith Lutheran Parish, Livingston and Wilsall, Mont. 
Exodus 32:7 The Lord said to Moses, "Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely;
8 they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a 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 The Lord said to Moses, "I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are.
10 Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation."
11 But Moses implored the Lord his God, and said, "O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
12 Why should the Egyptians say, "It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, "I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.' "
14 And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.[New Revised Standard Version]
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