What is Moses asking God for in his prayer in this passage?

Moses is asking God not to destroy Israel after their sin with the golden calf. He appeals to God in a very personal way, calling Him “his God,” and then gives reasons. He asks why God’s wrath should burn against “thy people,” whom God brought out of Egypt with great power. He is concerned that the Egyptians would misunderstand God’s actions and think He rescued Israel only to kill them. Moses also asks God to remember His sworn promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel to multiply their descendants and give them the land forever.

Why does Moses mention the Egyptians when he prays?

Moses mentions the Egyptians because he cares about God’s honor in the eyes of other nations. If God destroyed Israel in the wilderness, the Egyptians could say that God brought them out of Egypt “for mischief,” only to kill them in the mountains and wipe them out. That would make people think badly of God’s name and forget His mercy and power in saving Israel. Moses uses this as an argument in prayer, asking God to act in a way that shows His faithful character and keeps His glory clear before His enemies.

What does it mean that the Lord “repented of the evil” He thought to do?

The wording here can sound confusing, because God does not change His mind like people do. In this passage, the phrase means that God chose not to carry out the judgment He had said He would bring. He had threatened to consume the people, and after Moses’ plea, He turned from that announced course. From our human point of view, it looks like a change, so the Bible speaks in everyday language. God’s character and purpose do not shift, but He can change how He deals with people, showing mercy instead of the punishment they deserve.

Why does Moses remind God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel?

Moses reminds God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel because God had made firm promises to them and even swore by Himself. God had said He would multiply their descendants like the stars of heaven and give their offspring the land to inherit forever. Moses is not using the patriarchs as if they could speak for him. Instead, he is holding on to God’s own word, asking God to act according to the covenant He had already made. If the people were destroyed, it would look like those promises had failed, so Moses pleads on the basis of what God has already said.

What are the stone tables of testimony that Moses carries down?

The tables of testimony are two stone tablets that God made and gave to Moses. They hold the law, showing God’s will for His people. The passage says the tablets were “the work of God,” and the writing on them was “the writing of God, graven upon the tables.” This means the stones themselves and the engraved words were from God, not the work of human hands. They were written on both sides, showing the fullness and completeness of what God had commanded, and reminding Israel that the covenant they had just broken was holy and came directly from God.

Why did Joshua think there was a noise of war in the camp?

Joshua had been waiting partway up the mountain and did not yet know about the golden calf. When he hears loud noise from the camp, it sounds to him like the shouting that happens in a battle. He thinks it could be either the cry of those winning or the cry of those being defeated. As a leader and warrior, that is how he reads the sound. Moses, who already knows the people’s sin, explains that it is not the voice of victory or defeat, but the noise of people singing in their sinful celebration around the idol.

What does this passage show about the power of prayer and intercession?

This passage shows that honest, humble prayer can be very weighty. Moses does not deny the people’s sin, but he comes to God and pleads for them. He cares about God’s glory, about how other nations speak of God, and about God’s own promises. God listens and turns from the judgment He had spoken of. This does not mean God is weak or unsure, but that He welcomes real pleading from His servants. It encourages us to pray for others, to bring God’s promises back to Him, and to trust that He delights to show mercy.

What does this passage teach about God’s character toward His sinful people?

The passage shows both God’s holiness and His mercy. God’s wrath against Israel’s sin is real and deserved, because they have quickly turned aside to idolatry after great kindness from Him. At the same time, God listens when Moses prays and appeals to His name and promises. God does not carry out the destruction He had threatened, but turns from that judgment. The tablets in Moses’ hands remind us that God’s law is pure and from Him, yet He is also ready to forgive when approached through a mediator who cares for His people and His honor.

Exod.32.11

Exodus 32:11

KJV

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?

Moses’ Entreaty

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.

¶ And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

Cross References

No cross references available for this verse.