Sunday School - May 28 2023

Exodus 32:14, “The Lord changed His mind…”

Exodus 32:9–14 NASB95

9 The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 10 “Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.” 11 Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 “Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. 13 “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people.

v. 9, the people of Israel were obstinate

v. 10, the Lord says, “Now then let Me alone,” so that His anger would destroy the Israelites; God would then start over with Moses

If this was a disingenuous threat (something that God really wasn’t going to do), was it a dishonest offer to Moses (something He wasn’t really offering)?

v. 11-13, Moses intercedes/prays for Israel

(v. 11, You rescued them from Egypt, what’s the point?)

(v. 12, Egyptians will dishonor You, what about your glory?)

(v. 13, remember Your promise and Your character, what about the promise You swore by Yourself?)

Moses’s intercession was about God’s rescue, God’s glory, and God’s promise/character

It wasn’t about Israel.

And it wasn’t about Moses.

v. 14, so the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people

Moses’ prayer caused God to change His mind.

2 Chronicles 7:13–14 NASB95

13 “If I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or if I command the locust to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among My people, 14 and My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

MacArthur Study Bible NASB Commentary

32:14 the LORD changed His mind about the harm. Moses’ appeal for God to change His mind, to relent, succeeded because God had only threatened judgment, not decreed it. A divine intention is not an unchangeable divine decree. Decrees or sworn declarations (cf. Ge 22:16–18; Ps 110:4) or categorical statements of not changing or relenting (cf. Jer 4:28; Eze 24:14; Zec 8:14, 15) are unconditional and bind the speaker to the stated course of action regardless of the circumstances or reactions of the listeners. Intentions retain a conditional element and do not necessarily bind the speaker to a stated course of action (cf. Jer 15:6; 18:8–10; 26:3, 13, 19; Joel 2:13; Jon 3:9, 10; 4:2).

CSB Apologetics Study Bible Chapter 31

How, then, should we understand God’s “relenting”? For one thing, God states as a general policy in Jeremiah 18:5–10 that if he announces judgment and people repent, he will relent; he will do the same if he pronounces blessing and people do evil. In other words, relenting is part of God’s unchanging plan

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 32

32:10–14 Moses responds to the Lord’s statement about destroying the people and making a nation out of him (v. 10), appealing to God’s own reputation among the Gentiles (whom God intends to bless through Israel, cf. 19:6; Gen. 12:2–3) and his promises to Abraham (Ex. 32:11–13). Moses’ intercession on behalf of the people results in the Lord’s relenting from consuming them entirely (v. 14; see also Num. 14:12–21). However, Moses himself will be a means of judgment on some of the people (Ex. 32:26–29), and the Lord will judge them further through a plague (v. 35).

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 32

32:14 Yahweh relented Repentant intercession elsewhere convinces Yahweh to turn away from punishment completely or lessen its severity (compare 2 Sam 24:10–25; Jonah 3:6–10; see note on Exod 32:31–35).