This is an inspiring chapter. It hadn't occurred to me that by not 'giving in', Jesus would actually have undergone stonger temptation than we ever do.
The revelation through Christ of God's "sympathy with our weaknesses" (Hebrews 4:15) did not mean God had changed His attitude towards us. In His very first words and decisions with Adam, Eve and Cain, He dealt with what had gone wrong compassionately and positively, and never distanced Himself from them. At the end of Israel's 40 years in the desert, Moses told them: "There you saw how the Lord your God carried you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went until you reached this place" (Deuteronomy 1:31).
Reading the exodus of Israel from Egypt takes us deeply into the heart of God and equally deeply into our human condition. God makes it so clear that He is acting purely out of His love, without any regard for Israel's 'worthiness': "The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were greater than other peoples, for you were the least of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers, that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharoah king of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). On the other hand, He is only able to walk intimately with a very few of them: Moses, particularly. Why was it possible for Moses? What had happened to him? After all, he was a man like us, who could and did sin - very seriously. We ask the same questions later about David. Moses and David and Paul - all murderers, all so intimate with God. Of the people of Israel as a whole, "... they stayed at a distance and said to Moses: Speak to us yourself and we will listen. But do not have God speak to us or we will die" (Exodus 20:19-19). Even when Moses assures them that God means no ill-will towards them by His volcanic exhibition, they do not believe him - or God. In the end, after the awful event of the golden calf, we read some of the saddest words in the whole Bible: "Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way. When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no-one put on any ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses: Tell the Israelites: You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you" (Exodus 33:3-5).
It seems that there was a fatal flaw in the people which meant God's Presence was dangerous to them, despite God's perfect love towards them. Why wasn't it dangerous for Moses? All alike were sinners.
From the actions God then took, across the whole sweep of Israel's history, one thing is clear: He remains wholly focussed upon saving mankind. Those, like Moses and David, who realised this and realised all their sins were forgiveable and forgotten in God's ocean of grace and love, stepped right into His Presence and Kingdom. Those who for whatever reason couldn't do that, were still "carried, as a father carries his son". We shall never skewer in words the mystery of how the Cross does its work; but as Jesus said: "By its fruit you will recognise it" (Matthew 7:20). The fruit of the Cross is millions of people being able, as they never could before, to trust God's grace, forgiveness, love and personal choice and delight in them - and join Moses, David and Jesus in God's Kingdom.
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