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“And the Lord said unto Moses…thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves” (Exodus 32:7).
“Now therefore, I [Moses] pray Thee…that I may find grace in Thy sight: and consider that this nation is Thy people” (Exodus 33:13).
When the people of Israel had made a golden calf to worship, the Lord was very angry with them. He then tested Moses by referring to them as “thy people,” and told Moses to let Him destroy them all. To replace them, the Lord said that He would make of Moses a great nation (see Exodus 32:10). It was a tempting offer, for what the people had done was very serious.
But Moses had spent time in the Lord’s presence, and he had the heart of the Lord towards the people. Also, he had the Lord’s honor and glory before him, and not the pride that would have wanted himself to be made a great nation. He continually reminded the Lord that they were His people, and that it was His power that had brought them out of Egypt. The Lord knew that Moses would react like this, and it was what His own heart wanted too. Then the Lord did not destroy the people, but forgave them, and told Moses to go ahead and lead them into the land of Canaan.
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