Essentials for Repentance and Renewal - Exodus Chapter 33

Sin separates a person from God. God is holy, pure, and righteous; therefore, God can have nothing to do with sin. He has to judge and condemn sin. His holy nature demands it. But even more than this, God is love; He is merciful and gracious. God has to exercise His love toward man. Therefore, God has to execute justice on behalf of all who have been hurt and wronged by other people.This was the experience of the Israelites. They had just sinned, broken their commitment to God, disobeyed and rejected God. They had broken the Ten Commandments; consequently the judgment of God was about to fall upon Israel. But Moses had gone before God in behalf of Israel: he had prayed and prayed, asking God to forgive Israel. This chapter in Exodus shows Moses still before God, still seeking God to forgive and restore His people into His favour.