BaptistWay Bible Series for May 29: Moses: Seeking good for undeserving people

Justice is a word that strikes a chord within most people, especially Americans. We have a natural desire to see justice carried out. Of course, everyone seems to have a different definition of justice and how justice should be carried out.

Consider the current event of the killing of Osama Bin Laden. There are those who are debating whether the justice he received was appropriate, and there are those who do not feel justice was served at all. This is the world we live in, and the reality is that because of sin, we will never experience true justice until Christ returns.

We should have a strong desire for justice. In fact, God calls us to seek justice in the world; however, this cannot come at the expense of redemption. The desire for justice must never overshadow the need for redemption. As Christians, we should seek both justice and redemption. This means there will be no easy answers, and we will constantly struggle with  sin and the consequences of sin in the world today.  

In Exodus 32, Moses is faced with a situation that stretches the limits of trying to balance justice and redemption. This narrative involves the interaction between God and Moses in the aftermath of the golden calf incident.

God clearly was upset at the people and was at the point of starting over because of the disobedience and sinfulness of the people. This is risky and should be done with great care, but put yourself in God’s shoes for a moment.  

God had just taken drastic and miraculous measures to rescue the people out of slavery. He had answered their prayers for deliverance from the oppression of the Egyptians. The Israelites had witnessed the plagues and seen firsthand the awesomeness of God. They had experienced God’s miracle of parting the Red Sea and protecting them from the Egyptian army. They had eaten the manna and drank the water God had supernaturally provided for them in the wilderness. Forty days before the golden calf incident, they had proclaimed their devotion to God and said they would do whatever he asked. Then, God looked down and saw them not only worshipping a golden calf, but claiming the god of the golden calf was the one who brought them out of Egypt. Are these really the people who God can use to show the world his love?

The disrespect and sinfulness of the Israelites enraged the God who had gone to such great lengths to establish a relationship with them. God was close to exacting his justice on these people and blotting them out of his book. His would have been perfect justice, but would there have been redemption? Moses’ conversation with God shows there is a balance between justice and redemption.

Moses stood up for the people even though they did not deserve to be defended. Their actions said they had turned their back on God and wanted to follow their own gods.

My natural reaction to this is to give them what they want and allow them to follow their self-made gods to death and destruction. Moses modeled a different response. Moses sought redemption in the face of blatant sin. The Israelites willingly choose to disregard God and yet Moses still stood up for them.

Please understand that this could not have been easy for Moses. In fact, Moses was enraged at the people’s actions as well, and he carried out a severe punishment in response to the people’s sinfulness. Even through enacting the consequences of the sinfulness of the people, Moses was standing up for the redemption of the people. He chose to defend people who had turned their back on him and God for the sake of redemption.

Today, I am afraid that many Christians have become cynical and apathetic to the sinfulness of people. The easy answer is to say let justice roll like a river and step back and let the consequences of sin destroy those who have chosen to live in that sin.

How many times do we as the church complain about certain groups of people who have chosen to live lifestyles of sin? The consequences of sin are real and deserved, but does that mean we as Christians should be content to just sit back and let sinful people become so covered with their sin that they may never have an opportunity for redemption?

Moses gives us a great example of doing the unexpected. He understood the need for justice, but was willing to go to great lengths to bring about redemption. In fact, Moses was willing to take God’s punishment for the people. Remember, these are the people who turned their back on Moses as well as God, but Moses still was willing to stand up for them.

I have to think that Moses must have been thinking about the redemption he had experienced in his life when he stood up for the Israelites. Moses had murdered an Egyptian and argued with God about his calling and yet God still was faithful to him. When we are honest about the sin within our own lives, we may find the task of standing up for other sinful people a little easier. What if no one stood up for us when we were living in our sin? Where would we be without the redemption of Christ?

Christians always should seek justice and, at the same time, redemption. We have a tough calling. I would much rather pronounce people sinful and let them live with the consequences. The reality is, I am just as sinful as anyone else, but I have experienced redemption in Jesus Christ. I hope we can be more like Moses and seek redemption for people who do not deserve to be defended.