Book of The Living vs Lambs Book of Life

Moses’ Intercession After the Golden Calf

Verse 30, now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, you have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord. Perhaps I can make atonement for your sin. Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, oh, these people have committed a great sin and have made for themselves a God of gold.

Yet now, if you will forgive their sin, he said, but if not, I pray blot me out of your book, which you have written. I mean, that really tells you how much Moses, he loved God, he loved God's promises.

He really did care for the people. That's what makes a good leader, that they actually care for the people. And they're willing to die for the people, not manipulate the people to somehow serve their interests.

The Book of the Living and the Lamb’s Book of Life

Now, what about this book? We'll close with this idea of the book. He says, I pray blot me out of your book. Well, in the New Testament, you might remember in the book of Revelation that it mentions the Lamb's book of life.

Some people might assume that that's what it's talking about. I don't believe that's what it's talking about at all. I believe this is almost certainly a reference to the book of the living. Yes. That's mentioned in Proverbs or excuse me, Psalm 69, 28.

So in the New Testament, the Lamb's book of life, as I understand it, deals with eternal life. So if you're saved, if you have eternal life, you are in the Lamb's book of life. That's the book in the New Testament.

This Old Testament, the book of the living is just whether or not you're alive or dead. I think it's God's tally sheet. Yeah, so what's Moses saying? Blot me out, send me to hell for all eternity. I don't think that's what he had in mind.

He's saying, Lord, kill me. Because he mentions atonement a few verses earlier. So here he is as the type of Christ willing to die on behalf of God's covenant people. So I am willing to lay down my life for them.

And then the chapter ends with verse 35. So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf, which Aaron made.