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Deuteronomy 9:1-10:11 Do You Learn From Your Mistakes?
Deuteronomy chapter 9 starting verse 1. Hear the word of the Lord. Here o Israel you are to cross over the Jordan today to go into dispossessed nations greater and mightier than yourselves. Cities great and fortified up to heaven a people great and tall the sons of the Anakim whom you know.
And of whom you have heard it said who can stand before the sons of Anak? Know therefore today that he who goes over before you as a consuming fire is the Lord your God. He will destroy them and subdue them before you so you shall drive them out and make them perish quickly as the Lord has promised.
You do not say in your heart after the Lord your God has thrust you out before you. It is because of my righteousness that the Lord has brought me in to possess this land. Whereas it is because of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is driving them out before you.
Not because of your righteousness or the uprightness of your heart. Are you going in to possess their land but because of the wickedness of those of these nations the Lord your God is driving them out from before you and That he may confirm the word that the Lord swore to your father's to Abraham to Isaac and to Jacob.
Know therefore that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land to possess because of your righteousness. For you are a stubborn people. Remember and do not forget how you provoke the Lord your God To wrath and the wilderness from the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place.
You have been rebellious against the Lord even at Horeb. You provoke the Lord to wrath and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you. When I went up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone the tablets of the covenant that the Lord made with you.
I remained on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water and the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone written with the finger of God and on Them were all the words that the Lord has spoken with you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly and at the end of 40 days and 40 nights the Lord gave me the two tablets of stone the tablets of the covenant.
Then the Lord said to me arise. Go down quickly from here for your people whom you have brought from Egypt have acted corruptly. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made themselves a metal image.
Further more the Lord said to me I have seen this people and behold it is a stubborn people. Let me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven and I will make of you a nation mightier and greater than day.
So I turned and came down from the mountain and the mountain was burning with fire and the two tablets of the Covenant were in my two hands and I looked and behold you had sinned against the Lord your God.
You had made yourselves a golden calf. You had turned aside quickly from the way that the Lord had commanded you. So I took hold of the two tablets and threw them out of my two hands and broke them before your eyes.
Then I lay prostrate before the Lord is before 40 days and 40 nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water. Because of all the sin that you had committed and doing what was evil in the sight of the Lord to provoke him to anger.
For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord bore against you so that he was ready to destroy you. But the Lord listened to me that time also and the Lord was so angry with Aaron that he was ready to destroy him and I prayed for Aaron also at the same time.
Then I took the sinful thing the calf that you had made and Burned it with fire and crushed it grinding it very small until it was as fine as dust. And I threw the dust of it into the brook that ran down from the mountain at Taraba also and at Masa and it Kibroth hot of a you provoked the Lord to wrath.
And when the Lord sent you from Kedesh Barnea saying go up and take Possession of the land that I have given you then you rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God and did not believe him.
Or obey his voice. You have been rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you. So I lay prostrate before the Lord for these 40 days and 40 nights. Because the Lord had said he would destroy you and I prayed to the Lord.
Oh Lord God. Do not destroy your people and your heritage whom you have redeemed through your greatness. Whom you have brought out of Egypt with a mighty hand. Remember your servants Abraham Isaac and Jacob do not regard the stubbornness of this people or their wickedness or their sin.
Lest the land from which you brought us say. Because the Lord was not able to bring them into the land that he promised them and because he hated them He brought them out to put them to death in the wilderness for they are your people and your heritage whom you brought up By your great power and by your outstretched arm.
At that time the Lord said to me cut for yourself two tablets of stone like the first and Come up to me on the mountain and make an arc of wood. And I will write on the tablets the words that were on the first tablets that you broke and you shall put them in the.
Arc.
So I made an arc of acacia wood and cut two tablets of stone like the first and went up the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. And he wrote on the Tablets in the same writing as before the ten Commandments that the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain out of the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly and the Lord gave them to me.
Then I turned and came down from the mountain and put The tablets in the arc that I had made. And there they are as the Lord commanded me. The people of Israel journeyed from Baroth been jock on to Mosara.
Then Aaron died and there he was buried in. His son Eliezer ministered as priests in his place. From there they journeyed to good God and from go-go-da to just batha a land with brooks of water. At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the arc of the Covenant of the Lord to stand before the Lord to minister to him and to bless his name to this day.
Therefore Levi has no portion or inheritance with his brothers. The Lord is his inheritance as the Lord your God said to him. I myself stayed on the mountain as at the first time 40 days and 40 nights.
And the Lord listened to me this time.
Also.
The Lord was unwilling to destroy you and the Lord said to me arise Go on your journey at the head of the people so that they may go in in and possess the land Which I swore to their fathers to give them And the Lord had his blessings to the reading of his Holy Word.
I'll never do that again you ever say that and Then you're back to doing whatever it is. You said you'd never do again. Maybe eating that whole carton of ice cream texting while driving arguing online.
Buying stuff you don't really need online.
Being late.
Maybe hitting the snooze alarm on in the morning. You reached the point where you resolved to stop before you finish the carton of ice cream or or to not look. You resolved to not look at the phone while you're driving or To let some ignorant person on Facebook go unanswered or you've resolved you'll not click on that thing on Amazon.
Or.
You'll you'll finally start to take into account all the little things that you have to do to leave and arrive on time.
You resolved to not try to snatch that extra five to ten minutes of sleep in the morning.
But.
What happens next time all the ice cream just tastes so good. You can't stop. You think well you think a quick text won't be too dangerous while you're driving and that's smart I like on Facebook. He needs to be answered back to or that that thing is on sale.
Right on Amazon. You can get it right now. You think well, I have plenty of time to make to make it to my destination. Even though I haven't started to get ready yet. Or this bed is so comfy. I'm so sleepy.
I don't want to get up now just five more minutes or hurt. And then you realize to quote that lofty famous theologian Britney Spears. Oops, I did it again. The question is do you learn from your mistakes?
Do you realize that unless you change something that you're going to keep making the same mistake? So you resolve to make a change maybe you. Maybe like me you buy a smaller carton of ice cream. So if you finish it, you know, it's only like a cup or a pint.
It's really no big deal. So if you you know. You're not gonna get too fat off of that. Unless you eat one every day and then you're back to where you started you put maybe you put your phone in a driving mode but they have it it doesn't receive text while you drive or disable some social media or.
You put your credit cards away like one person who froze their credit cards and blocks of ice. So in the time it took them to melt the ice, you know. They could have time to think whether they they really wanted to buy this thing or you just got to change your mindset.
So, you know, you know if you got to get somewhere in 15 minutes, you know. You got to start to leave in half an hour give a half hour time all the little things you got to do to get Out the door or maybe you put the alarm.
It's what I used to do I was in college get up at 515 every morning put the alarm across the room. So what you have to get up and walk across the room to turn it off and then you're up. Do you do you learn from your mistakes and make changes to ensure that you won't make them again.
Maybe the big lesson though is not about the ice cream. It is just so good or the texting or your need for more sleep. Maybe it's something about you. About what you're made of. About what your weaknesses are why you're prone to make those mistakes over and over again.
Maybe your mistake is you haven't learned about yourself yet. Do you learn from your mistakes? Well, I hope so here in Deuteronomy chapter 9 and 10 here. We see that Israel is challenged to learn from its mistakes before they can go forward before we can go forward they we Need to learn from our mistakes and we see that here in four parts.
And first where they are. Second the wrong lessons they might learn and third the right lessons they should learn and.
Finally.
Let's review. Let's review our mistakes.
First.
Where are you now? Here they are on the verge of the promised land technically. They're already really in it because that part of the land just east of the Jordan River where they are camp now It becomes part of the promised land.
So they're. They're on the edge of it. They're within it's begun, but it's not. They don't have the whole thing yet. They're supposed to cross over the Jordan soon next. It says today in verse 1 you today you'll cross over but I think the word Should be translated as at this time.
This is the time for us to win. This is the now we have arrived now. Moses is saying at the time for you to cross over and invade the land. All the preparation is over every stage before is Over. Now is the time to get the land.
Of course.
They need to be careful that they don't make the same mistakes that their parents did a generation earlier when they were supposed to invade the.
Land.
That is they refuse to obey they refuse to believe that they could do it and so they Didn't do it. About 40 years earlier when the twelve spies returned and reported how big the people were. The cow big, you know, there's Canaanites were many of them.
Anyway, how well fortified their cities were. They believed that they would be destroyed If they did what the Lord was telling them. That was their mistake then.
Now.
Will they learn from their mistakes? It's interesting to me. I think that rather Compare this to our approach what we would want to do if we're preparing Israel to second chance to go take the promised land Compared to what we do.
What Moses here does is the opposite, you know rather than Talking down the Canaanites. Yeah, they're really not so tough. Yeah, they looked at their they looked up but they're not really that tough. Their walls really aren't so high.
Their military is not so great. They can they can be beaten. Don't worry about them. Or Rather than talk down the Canaanites or talk up their own abilities, you know, you've got this.
Here.
Moses does the opposite notice in verse 1. They are greater and mightier than you. I don't know if in the military. You probably don't do that before a battle. Do you go into battle? Our enemy is stronger than we are.
Yeah, this is face it they have us outmatched. You probably don't go into battle with its top with a speech like that from your commanding officer. Yeah, but that's what Moses is here doing. They're superior to us.
This is the fact they are in verse 2 great and tall. Some of them are the because the Anakim Sons of Anak like like Goliath that David will later meet. Everyone said about them who could stand before the sons of Anak.
Certainly not you Israelites. Now at first given our assumptions. Today about how you prepare yourself for some endeavor. There's conflict and gotta have a positive attitude, right. Your attitude determines your altitude.
I think every public school in America has got to have that on a poster somewhere. Self-esteem and so on. This looks like the exact wrong thing to say. You know, you should be we would we would tell Moses Moses what's wrong with you?
You should be puffing the Israelites up giving them a pep talk, you know. Like a coach before the big game now go out there and show those Anakim what you're made of. Catted here here Moses. That's the opposite.
He reminds them the Canaanites. They're too strong for you. They're greater than you are. They're tougher than you are. Why?
Why does he do that?
Won't they won't that. Prepare them to make the same mistake. They made a generation before just be too intimidated to obey.
No.
Because their mistake earlier Wasn't that they didn't believe in themselves enough. That wasn't their mistake. It was it wasn't a lack of self-esteem of faith in themselves. It was a lack of faith in the Lord.
So here he doesn't talk down the Canaanites. So they think they can they can take them. We can take those people easily or he doesn't talk up their own abilities so that they're self-confident. He talks up Faith in the Lord.
Their mistake before Was not believing in the Lord.
Not.
Not believing in themselves. So after two verses of reminding the Israelites of the Canaanites really are greater and mightier than you Moses says in verse 3 no, therefore. Because you're called to dispossess them.
Anyway, that he who goes before you. Notice the Lord is it just with them in the previous couple chapters? He's reminded Israel that the Lord is with you. But now here he's he's the one who has gone before them and He is a consuming fire.
Here's where is the book of Hebrews tells us that our God is a consuming fire. He goes before you like. There's another military illusion like a bomber dropping loads of napalm on the enemy it burns them up.
The Lord is a consuming fire who is going before you. Preparing your way. No because because your mistake before was not enough faith in the Lord know That he will he will destroy the enemy. He will subdue them the result at the end of verse 3.
You shall drive them out and make them perish quickly not because of you. Because what the Lord's is going to do now now. Where are we at? What were they at? They're on the verge of the promised land to cross over and take it.
Where are we at? Well now where we're at. We know that our real enemies are spiritual. We wrestle not with flesh and blood. They are cosmic powers over this present darkness. They're the world the flesh.
That's our own sinful nature and the devil and they are indeed like here. Those enemies are Greater and mightier than we are. We're outmatched. By the left to ourselves. Anyway, if we think that what we need to overcome sin.
It's just a psych ourselves up. You know more self-confidence tell ourselves you were more than conquerors. Just by ourselves leaving out the through Christ part. Or that we can overcome the world just by our own good judgment.
We can out think them just by our own philosophy. Rather than renewing our minds with the Word of God or that we can walk in the flesh. That is walking our own abilities and still have victory over the flesh.
Or that we can overcome the devil just by our own willpower. If that's what we think. We've made a mistake and we'll keep making the same mistake until we learn that our enemies are Greater and mightier than we are.
They just are we can't beat them on our on our own. And we don't need to talk ourselves up and we don't need to talk our enemies down. We need to believe the Lord. Believe what he has done. That Jesus has Overcome the world.
That he has gone before us. He's the firstborn from the dead. He's risen from the dead. That our flesh was crucified with him. That he's given us authority to tread on Demonic snakes and scorpions and nothing will hurt us.
We believe in him not ourselves. Who are we at now? Well, we two are on the verge of the promised land. The enemies are greater and mightier than we. Your sin is more than you can handle. So we've got a common saying out there of the the popular religion.
God will never give you more than you can handle. Oh, that's totally false. It's holy totally false. He's already given you more than you can handle. In fact, he's trying to teach you a lesson from that that this is your enemies are greater and mightier than you are.
You cannot handle them. Death can't be overcome by positive thinking. You know, you just can't. You're just not gonna live forever because you. You you say the right mottos and wake up every morning with a cheery attitude.
It doesn't work that way just believing in yourselves. Don't make the mistake that you can defeat sin and get the promises of God. Get that is get heaven by just more willpower. More religion more of what comes from you.
If you keep making that mistake, well, you'll keep failing instead of believing in yourself. Believe in the Lord. That he has gone before you that he is a consuming fire who is right now destroying all your enemies.
That's where we are. We're behind the Lord. Who has gone before us? Do you learn from your mistakes. Well, some people learn the wrong lesson from their mistakes. Someone had a cat they learned the lesson that all the good treats come from the fridge.
And so learn to and whenever one anyone open the fridge step inside the fridge. When the and the the owner decided to teach the cat a lesson by quickly closing the door on the cat's nose. And the cat learned the lesson to quickly jump in the fridge.
It's a wrong lesson here beginning of verse 4. They are told to learn the right lesson from their upcoming conquest like last week in chapter 8. Remember where they are warned that they will get rich.
They're gonna go in that land. They can live a comfortable life they're gonna be prosperous and. Then they're gonna think well, look what I've done. Look what I've earned. I like the Puritans who came to America to worship God biblically and along the way they became prosperous as they said Godliness beget prosperity and the daughter devoured the mother.
So they were warned when you're comfortable when you have your family you have the nice house and the money is rolling in. Don't learn the lesson from that in chapter 8 verse 17 that my power my hard work my discipline.
My smarts my business ability gave me all this. That's the wrong lesson. He says there in chapter 8. Here in this chapter he takes that a step further. Maybe they won't learn the lesson that their power their power did it that that was the secret that gave them the victory.
They're going to they're going to be victorious over the Canaanites. Okay, maybe they won't say to themselves. Well my ability they were greater and mightier than me. It wasn't my ability my our military might that did it that gave us his promised land and then the comfortable life that comes from it.
Instead don't think I'll think it was their morality. It was their religion because with that. That they won God's support. They won his blessing. That's how they got God to go before them as a consuming fire.
And so that's how they get the promised land. They were just great people. They were moral and they were religious. They did the right rituals and God you're saying Don't think that. That's the wrong lesson.
So they're warned when they've conquered the nation's there. We're indeed greater and mightier than them don't conclude in verse 4. It is because of my Righteousness the Lord rewarded me. Because I'm moral because I'm religious I kept the rules.
So I earned his blessings. I earned his heaven. I earned all the good stuff that he has given me. The wrong lesson in chapter 8 is trusted my natural ability trusted what I bring in my own hands what I've earned.
I earned this prosperity. Well, that's obvious arrogance. The second here in chapter 9 is more pernicious. Because it can be disguised as trust in the Lord because it mentions the Lord the Lord gave me this promised land.
Well, that sounds very pious, doesn't it? But it's still really trusted oneself in our morality because it goes on the Lord gave us this promised land because. This is what they're gonna be tempted to think because we kept the rules.
We did the right religion something in our hands we brought. To earn his blessings our actions earned from the Lord this blessing it assumes that God is like God's like a machine like a vending machine.
He's a blessing and curtain cursing machine and like a vending machine, you know, if you put in the right coins. Out comes the drink or whatever snack you want and so with God if you put in the put in the right morality.
Put in the right rituals the right religion you keep the rules you go to church you get baptized. So forth that out comes from God. The blessings you want and if someone puts in the wrong rituals, well they get a curse.
It's like that the rock they put in the wrong morality. They get they get punished. They that's many people's attitude how God works. But here Moses says don't learn the wrong lesson about God don't say I got this because of my righteousness because I earned a Right relationship with God and therefore he gave me these blessings.
I kept his rules. So he he was a consuming fire that went before me and gave us the victory. No again in verse 5. It's not because of your righteousness. It's because Of his grace. It's because he made a covenant at the end of verse 5 to Abraham Isaac and Jacob.
To assemble people gather people like the stars in the sky from every nation to bless them. Why are you among the blessed? It's because of your righteousness. Is that the lesson you've learned because of your ritual that you've done your baptism your church attendance no.
He's warning us against that don't learn that lesson. Not because of your goodness or your religion is what it's not what sets you apart. It's not because you forced him to take you as one of his. Because of how right you were Compared to everyone else how maybe how right in your rituals how right in your life?
No, you can't manipulate him with right behavior or right doctrine or the right prayer or the right sacraments. You can't earn his blessings now. You could earn his judgment by giving in to sin like these Canaanites, but you can't get his life.
The promised land a new heaven and a new earth salvation by just being better than other people. Everyone who is condemned like these Canaanites.
Earns it.
Everyone who was saved like these Israelites is given it as a gift is grace. The wrong lesson from their condemnation and your salvation is That your morality Your religion earned it. That's the wrong lesson.
The right lesson is that nothing in your hands you bring but only to the cross of Christ. You should cling. Do you learn from your mistakes? One mistake is to think that you know, we've earned it. We've earned salvation.
We've earned God's blessings because we're right and others aren't. Have you learned the right lesson from that mistake? They are listed. The right lessons are listed in verses 6 7. No, therefore. Was he saying first don't think those wrong lessons verse 6.
Instead learn these right lessons know this. Because the wrong lesson is the salvation is earned by you being right. So learn the right lesson of how.
Unright.
You are.
You.
Are stubborn. You tend to be stuck in the same mistakes the same sins. Sometimes maybe you're so stuck in them. You won't even recognize they are mistakes or sins. One of them is that you believe in yourself rather than the Lord.
If you've been making that mistake that your salvation you've been making the mistake the mistake that salvation comes from you being better than others. The first right lesson you need to learn Is about your own sinfulness to get a feel for your own depravity.
Not simply that you've been falling and just a few mistakes over and over again, but of why? You fall into those sins. It's because you're stubborn. You're prone to be unteachable just to cling to your old ways.
Even when they keep producing the same bad fruit keep making the same Bad mistakes over and over again. Remember how in verse 7 you provoke the Lord who was a consuming fire. You wouldn't want to provoke a consuming fire.
But remember how you provoke him to anger how on this pilgrimage to the promised land you keep making the same mistakes. If you've been congratulating yourself for your blessings. You say it's because of me.
I was I'm right. I had the right doctorate or other right religion. Yeah, that's how I got salvation. Then you have been making the mistake of forgetting Who you really are. The second lesson you need to learn the right lesson.
Remember.
The Lord's mercy. Learn the lesson that your relationship with the Lord that right relationship that he has put you in righteousness the promised land He's already begun to bring you into salvation glorification.
Learn that that is a gracious.
Gift.
It's not because you're better than other people or because of anything you've done. It's because he made a covenant a commitment to you from eternity past. Looking into the future seeing you and he committed to himself.
I will save him. I will save her. I will bless them and give them a life. So great. They can't even imagine it this side of the river. Why did he do that for us? Well like earlier in chapter 7 The Lord loves us.
Because he loves us. It's not because of anything about us, it's what the Old Testament calls steadfast love what we call amazing grace. Learn the lesson that that is. Where your blessings come from? So let's review from chapter 9 verse 8 to chapter 10 verse 11.
Let's review. Do you learn from your mistakes? Repetition is the mother of learning they we need to learn the right lessons not learn the wrong ones. So let's review. Maybe a review what you've heard before but maybe it hasn't really sucked in yet so that you you haven't yet really learned it.
When I was a teaching assistant at the University of Chicago part of my job was to review. The main points that the professor had taught so that the students would be ready for the test. Let's review what the professor had lectured on.
I made the test and so I actually wrote up the test and so I I Reviewed what would be on the test if everyone learned all the students that they had learned what we had reviewed. They would all get an A.
Instead despite the review the average grade was 78 a high C. We need to learn from our mistakes and review until we do. Let's review the giving of the Ten Commandments. They're gonna be tempted we're going to be tempted to credit ourselves for God's blessings.
It is that the lesson that we've learned that we're blessed because we're better. Really? Is that it? Is that the lesson you've gotten?
If so.
Let's review. You know Moses spent 40 days and 40 nights in prayer on Mount Horeb also called Sinai. Getting two tablets of stone written with the finger of God. He says tablets of the Covenant. He calls them in verse 11.
God had made it had made a covenant. With them. He's made a covenant with you. Now here's what you are to do in response to that. You keep the Ten Commandments. The Lord told Moses to go back down to the people because they have acted corruptly.
Keep in mind keep in mind though the context of this remember. These are the people who are going to be tempted to say because of my righteousness. The Lord has given us these blessings. They've acted corruptly.
Review that they made a mental image an idol. The Lord says in verse 13 That they're stubborn. They don't learn from their mistakes. So in verse 14, the Lord says let me alone that I might destroy them.
He threatened to blot out their name so that Israel would be no more remembered than any of the other. Many little nations that are destroyed in the Bible that we you know, have a hard time pronouncing their their names.
Israel could have ended up like that. The Lord offers to start all over with Moses. Do you think you're entering the promised land going to heaven? That's what we might call it having eternal life. Because you're more righteous than others.
Is that the lesson that you've gotten by coming to church by following the Lord by by faith? Well, let's review review your own life.
Review your own.
Propensity to sin like Paul in Romans 7. You'll see the sin that still clings so closely. And see in Romans chapter 7 verse 18. Nothing good dwells in me and cry out Wretched man that I am who will deliver me from this body of death.
Do you think you're getting a promised land getting glory? Because you're better than average. Well, let's review here. Review the golden calf. Moses is away. Look just a little over a month. You know 40 days.
A little over a month. And they revert back. Quickly to idolatry. Twice Moses used the term quickly quickly you reverted to that. And just a little over a month. That's what you're made of. And you think you're more righteous than everyone else.
Moses comes down from the mountain mountains burning with fire comes down with two tablets in his arms. And he sees the sin. He sees that golden calf. And these people. These people who are going to learn the wrong lesson.
That they are more that they got God's blessings because they are more righteous than everyone else. These people so quickly. Turned away from the Lord.
So.
Since these people broke the law Moses broke the tablets to teach them the right lesson. That they are lawbreakers. Now, why didn't the Lord destroy them then? Why has it the Lord destroyed you for your sins.
Is it because they because we are more righteous? Is that the lesson we've gotten? No, because they because we Have an intercessor now for them. It was Moses. He goes back up to pray for another 40 days and 40 nights interceding for them four times.
In this passage He reminds them of how he went up there and he interceded for them after God had said let me let me alone I'll destroy them. Moses went and interceded for them. They had an intercessor.
We have an intercessor and Hebrews chapter 7 verse 25 says Christ always lives to make intercession.
For us.
So justice here our lawgiver is our intercessor the same one who tells us how to live Intercedes for us to the father when we fail. He gives he takes away our intercessor takes away God's anger at us for our sins.
Our lawgiver is Our intercessor and greater than Moses our Savior. Are you tempted to thank yourself for your blessings now for being righteous? That's why God's given me all this good things. He's given me because I'm you know I got baptized and I go to church all that.
To think it must come from something that you bring to the Lord in your hands you hand it to the Lord. Here's my religion Lord, and he just he is just so pleased with that. He gives you blessings back.
Is that what you was that the lesson you've learned?
If so, let's review.
Like here Moses feared in verse 19 that the wrath of God would destroy the people so he interceded he prayed for them. Now today many tell us that we don't need to fear the anger of the Lord the anger and hot displeasure of the Lord.
Because because they tell us well God's not like that. Well, they'll never learn the right lesson that God has demands and they are in his law. But we can't meet them. We haven't met them. And so it's not the labor of our hands that can fulfill his laws demands.
That our work for sin could not atone.
If that's so.
Who must save. Who alone?
Well Moses knew that our God is a consuming fire so he interceded for Israel and for his own brother Aaron and then He destroyed this sinful thing. He destroyed that idol, you know, if you're not learning from your mistakes.
You need to destroy those things that make you fall. Then these people who will be tempted to think that the Lord blessed him for the righteous think of that. They're gonna be tempted to think God gave me all these blessings this promised land because I were just so righteous.
It says Moses says over and over again you provoked the Lord to wrath in verse 22 then they didn't obey the first command 40 years earlier to take the land because they didn't believe the Lord. They were stubborn and rebellious never learning from their mistakes never learning first That they're stubborn and rebellious and so Moses prayed for them in verse versus starting verse 29 and onward their lawgiver.
Like ours was their intercessor and he pleaded for them. Notice that prayer starting in verse 29. He pleads for them. You know, not just because these are great people they didn't mean what they did there.
You should save them because of all the all that they can bring for you. No, he pleaded with the Lord on the basis of Not anything that they could give to God but on the basis of God's glory. He pleads with God, you know.
If you destroy them. The unbelievers pretty good the Egyptians are the unbelievers will think the Lord just wasn't able to save them. He didn't have the ability. It was beyond God's capacity to save these people.
So we had to destroy them. So what that happens. God will be dishonored if he destroys Israel now, that's the way Moses is is appealing to the Lord. He's thinking about what glorifies.
The Lord.
Do you make the mistake of? Only praying on the basis of what makes you happy. This will make me happy this blessing this thing I want. So that's why you pray for so make you come up me comfortable if I get this this is my heart's my heart's desire.
Learn from that. And start praying For the Lord to be glorified. Do you think that your salvation your blessings your eternal life is? Because you're you're just better than others. It's about your glory.
You haven't been learning from your mistakes. Let's review a little more in chapter 10. Moses remade the tablets had Israel make a container the ark. He calls it the Ark of the Covenant and God wrote again the law on those tablets and Moses put them in that Ark of the Covenant so that it would be.
The law there stored in the Ark of the Covenant would be constantly reminding the people of the laws that they had disobeyed so they wouldn't think They had earned God's blessings, but just by being so righteous the law would be there telling the people to learn from your mistakes.
That's why we that's why we read the Bible. So I come to hear it preached so we remember That it wasn't our righteousness that earned God's favor. So we'll learn. Not to make that mistake again. Do you learn from your mistakes?
Well Israel had 40 years of wandering around just. Probably not much to do but review their mistakes. Reminded that with every footstep in the hot sand that they had made the mistake of not trusting the Lord verses 6 to 9.
Review some of the places they they went some hard to pronounce places and how Aaron who had been spared eventually died and was replaced how they had. Now they have a whole tribe of Priests and intercessors in verse 8 to stand before the Lord to minister to him and to bless his name.
Moses reminds them by repeating because repetition to the mother of learning. That he interceded for them. For 40 days fasting and so the Lord listened to him. The Lord was unwilling to destroy you in verse 10.
So finally the Lord let Moses.
Lead them.
To the verge of the promised land. Their lawgiver was their intercessor. Our lawgiver and Intercessor is our our Savior who goes before us and takes us in to the promised land. Do you think your salvation your promised land Comes because you're better than others.
Is that the lesson you've learned? Well, that's a mistake. Learn from it. Learn that just like these people. You're stubborn Falling again and again into the same sins.
Learn.
Like these people. You're rebellious. You're resistant to the kingdom to the rule of God. Learn from your mistakes. Learn that Paul was right. That nothing good dwells in us and that we should cry out.
Wretched man that I am.
Who will deliver me from this body of death?
Who must save?
Who alone?
Don't listen to those today. Who tell us just to talk up ourselves? Our self-confidence. Talk down our enemies our sin. We can overcome it the right attitude. No, don't. Believe in yourself. Don't look to yourself.
To your work to your religion. Even if your zeal for religion could no respite. No, even if your tears. You know trying to teach yourself to learn from your mistakes, even if your tears could forever flow all of that.
For sin could not atone.
He.
Your intercessor your Savior Jesus Christ who will deliver you He must save and He alone.