We are in chapter thirty-three of Exodus with our word for today. כָּלָה stop, come to an end, be finished, completed, vanish, fade away, perish. It is used 208 times in the Old Testament, twice in our chapter. Our word is used in the sense to do away with, cause the destruction or undoing of. A good example is when Korah rebelled against God and the leadership put in place. This made God angry enough to destroy those who rebelled. And another example in the same chapter of God’s reaction to the people’s complaining about God carrying out the consequences of Korah’s rebellion. Numbers 16:20-24, 31-33, 41-45 “Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that וַאַכַלֶּ֥ה I may consume them in a moment.” … But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and against Aaron, saying, “You have killed the people of the Lord.” ... the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “Get away from the midst of this congregation, that וַאֲכַלֶּ֥ה I may consume them in a moment.” This anger and wrath over sin that moves God to want to destroy the sinner is exactly how our word is used both times in our chapter. Exodus 33:3-6 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest אֲכֶלְךָ֖ I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.” When the people heard this disastrous word, they mourned, and no one put on his ornaments. For the Lord had said to Moses, “Say to the people of Israel, ‘You are a stiff-necked people; if for a single moment I should go up among you, וְכִלִּיתִ֑יךָ I would consume you. So now take off your ornaments, that I may know what to do with you.’” Therefore the people of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments, from Mount Horeb onward. Did you pick up on God’s tone surrounding our word? “in a single moment” shows that God is furious with the people. Also the phrase “now take off your ornaments” in other words this is not a time to act all religious or celebratory. As well as the phrase “that I may know what to do with you” God is so angry he needs time away from them. In the chapter before we find our word used twice when God and Moses talk about these stiff necked people. Exodus 32:10-12 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them וַאֲכַלֵּ֑ם and I may consume them ... Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains וּ֨לְכַלֹּתָ֔ם and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. As we have already looked at in previous days the fact that God hears Moses prayers of intercession for the people and he forgives them relenting from destroying them. But our word reminds us that we don’t want to take lightly God’s anger and wrath because of sin. It helps us understand God’s protective heart for us and how deadly and dangerous sin is. This reminds me of how God turns his anger and wrath away from us because of our sin. The New Testament word for this is propitiation or some translations say sacrifice of atonement. The idea is that Jesus death on the cross takes my place as the object of God’s wrath and anger to be burned off on instead of me. Hebrews 2:17 so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 1 John 2:2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. If we are outside of Christ, then all we have to look forward to is God’s wrath. Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him. I’ll close with this great passage showing us God’s motive for doing this. 1 John 4:10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved
