And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation. And Moses besought the Lord his God, and said, Lord, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. (Exodus 32:7-14)
Exodus 32 begins with God informing Moses that He had seen the Israelites' sin. Almost as soon as they were freed from Egypt, they quickly abandoned everything they knew about God and created an idol, saying that their deliverance from Egypt came from a gold calf.
The Lord’s response was one of righteous anger. He called the Israelites stiffnecked, indicating their stubbornness and unwillingness to follow His ways. God told Moses that He would wipe out the people and start over again, but Moses interceded. Moses’ prayer was not just that the people would survive but that they would honor God’s name. Moses’ intercession saved the Israelites from destruction. There is power in praying for others and going to God on their behalf, even when they have made bad decisions.
Practical Application
Be willing to intercede for those who have turned away from God. Your prayers can help deliver them from destruction and restore them to the right relationship with Him.