![]() There is nothing in the text to suggest that God’s anger was overdone for mere effect no suggestion that God’s threat was a bluff intended to secure a hasty repentance. Both God and Moses appear to be behaving straightforwardly. Asking “what if” serves little theological purpose. It seems important first of all to say that there is not much point in wrestling with alternative hypothetical scenarios posed by such questions. “This story explores the mystery about prayer in general and intercession in particular, and raises questions: Was God really serious in this declared threat? If Moses had not interceded, would God have carried out the destruction of Israel? If God was not really planning to destroy the people (10:10b), did God only “pretend” to listen to Moses’ prayer? Did Moses actually change God’s mind? Does God change his mind based on human input? Tim quotes from biblical scholar Christopher Wright's commentary on Deuteronomy: Tim says this story has puzzled all Bible readers over thousands of years. God says he wants to destroy Israel, but then it seems as though God changes his mind after Moses implored him to reconsider. ![]() Tim points out a strange detail of the story. Moses represents Israel to God and he represents God to Israel. In part two (09:45-21:20), the guys talk about the story of the golden calf in Exodus 32. Tim says that Moses' story should be creating a role, an expectation that the world would be a better place if there were more Moses-like characters who are intimately tied with Yahweh. They are the two people who get the most page length in the Old Testament. Tim points out that in the Old Testament, the two most important personal portraits to understand are David and Moses. Understanding how God interacted with Israel through Moses is key to understanding this important theme in the Bible. In part one (00:00-09:45), the guys review the idea that God primarily interacts with the world through a human mediator. In this episode, the guys discuss one of the strangest stories in the Bible: Israel and the golden calf in Exodus 32. This episode continues our series on the development of the character of God in the Bible. ![]()
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