Thursday after Judica (Passion) Sunday
Posted on March 30, 2023 by under
Scripture: Exodus 32:30-34 (NKJV)
32:30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”
33 And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. 34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”
Devotion
God makes and sustains all things. He is the one who establishes the terms and boundaries for what is true and right. Moses had good intentions in seeking to make atonement for the sins of the people, but the Lord declared that atonement, judgment, and punishment would happen according to His divine will, not according to the efforts of Moses.
Man’s efforts are empty and pointless if they are not conformed to God’s Word and will. That is why He gives us His Commandments and the rest of His teachings in the Scriptures. His Spirit brings us to the right knowledge, understanding, and proper disposition to obey His will. But there will still be times when the weakness of our sinful flesh confuses the matter. That is why He also works humility in us by His Spirit, and we are made to know our place as servants, to repent, and to receive both correction and Absolution.
Our Lord Jesus Christ never made any of the mistakes that Moses did. He submitted to the will of the Father perfectly. He was the one who could truly make atonement for the people, but even as He taught and led in faithfulness, He exemplified humility and service. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus explains that those who neglect the will of the Lord are dismissed as lawless (Matt. 7:21-23). John’s Gospel shows many examples of our Savior directing the faithful to the will of the Father. It is no wonder that our Lord teaches us to pray, “Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done”!
Prayer: We beseech Thee, Almighty God, mercifully to look upon Thy people, that by Thy great goodness they may be governed and preserved evermore, both in body and soul; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Collect for the Season of Lent
Almighty and Everlasting God, Who hatest nothing that Thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all those who are penitent: Create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of Thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
