LESSON ELEVEN
The Idolatry of Israel and the Heart of God
God liberates Israel in three movements. He delivers them from slavery, brings them into a covenant relationship, and gives instructions to build a tabernacle (a portable tent) in order for his presence to dwell with them. This shows us that God delivers his people in order to dwell with them. Redemption is for relationship.
But Israel’s persistent rebellion creates a problem. How can this holy God dwell with such a rebellious people? God’s nature provides the answer: he reveals to Moses his “glory”—his radiance, his beauty, his weighty personal presence—by announcing that he is a “God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”
But there is a tension here. He is also a God of justice, for he “will by no means clear the guilty.” How will this tension be resolved? How will he show mercy to sinners without compromising his justice? We will need to keep this question in mind throughout the rest of the Old Testament story. The tension will ultimately find resolution in only one place: at the cross, where God shows mercy to sinners while upholding his justice by punishing our sin in Christ.