Exodus 32:25-35

²⁵ And when Moses saw that the people had lost control of themselves (for Aaron had let them lose control, so that those standing with them gossiped), ²⁶ then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who belongs to the LORD? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. ²⁷ And he said to them, “This is what the LORD God of Israel says: ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his friend and his neighbor.'” ²⁸ And the sons of Levi did what Moses said. And among the people that day about three thousand men were killed. ²⁹ And Moses said, “Today you have shown yourselves committed to the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you[1] this day.” ³⁰ The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” ³¹ So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Now, this people have sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. ³² But now, if you will forgive their sin- but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” ³³ But the LORD said to Moses, “I will blot out of my book the one who has sinned against me,. ³⁴ But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; see, my angel will go before you. But on the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.” ³⁵ Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.

perhaps I can make atonement

This horrible day in the existence of God’s people would forever settle the place of the Levites as his chosen priests among their countrymen. It would also show Moses the extent to which God was willing to forgive the sins of the nation as a whole due to his intercession. Moses thought he could appeal to God to forgive the entire nation of their part in the golden calf incident. He learned that he could not. There could be no general atonement for that apostasy. Instead, the LORD told Moses “I will blot out of my book the one who has sinned against me.” In other words, no. The LORD was going to punish the guilty nation with a plague.

The LORD did not rebuke Moses for trying to intercede to save his people. The picture we get is that the LORD was pleased that Moses tried. But we also get a picture of a God who says “for this sin, there must be punishment.” God is a God of forgiveness, and we are all grateful for that, because we all need his forgiveness. But judgment day is coming, and it is real. Christ went to the cross because the LORD could not ignore our sins. For those who reject Christ, judgment is coming, and there will be no forgiveness. The LORD will blot their names out of his book.

LORD, help us to reach the lost around us. They need to hear the gospel message of forgiveness in Christ before it is too late.

[1] plural.