And the Lord changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.” vs. 14
Exodus 32:11-14
According to this story recounted in Exodus, Moses was able to convince the Lord to change his mind and abandon his plan to destroy the Hebrews at Mount Sinai. All it took was a reminder that such an action would diminish the Lord’s reputation among the Egyptians. People have wondered about these verses through the centuries. Is it true that the mind of God can be changed by the clever manipulative prayers of humans? Obviously, the Hebrews believed that it could happen. It was the only way to explain how Israel had survived its dalliance with idolatry. Many times, in its history, the nation had crossed the line of obedience and did things deserving punishment. Yet somehow the people had escaped God’s wrath–surely it must have been because God’s mind was changed! That kind of thinking is not unusual even for us. Because we know that there are consequences for corrupt and dissolute behaviors, we’re not surprised that our screw-ups get us in trouble. But sometimes that’s not what happens. We can know in our hearts that we have done wrong, and may even be bracing ourselves for well-deserved punishment, and then, nothing happens! We don’t get what we’ve deserved! Could it be that God’s mind was changed?
Thought for the Day: When’s a time I “got away” with bad behavior?
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