I think there is an experience common to every believer who wants to follow the Lord as a disciple. There will be times when he thinks he is unworthy. He will think that his sin is just too great. Even though the believer knows he has eternal life, he thinks there is no way the Lord wants him as a disciple. God’s grace is not big enough for that.
Whenever I have such thoughts, it helps me to think about the nation of Israel at Sinai. God had been so good to them, bringing them out of Egypt with His mighty hand. They saw an unbelievable theophany at that mountain. Moses went up to receive the covenant that this powerful and merciful God would make with the nation. They were the most blessed nation in the history of the world.
We know what happened. While Moses was gone, they made an idol and worshipped it. They gave thanks to this idol for all the things God had done for them. When Moses saw what they had done, he burned the idol, “ground it to powder and… scattered it on the water and made the [people] drink it” (Exod 32:20). Their “god” would be eliminated in their human waste. That was how great their man-made God was: It would be flushed down the toilet.
These people did not deserve God’s grace.
But they received it. Moses interceded for them. The Lord forgave them and promised that He would lead them into the Promised Land. They would still be His people (Exod 33:13-17). He renewed the covenant with the people (Exod 34:10-27).
Wow! I am not a good person, but I will not be falsely humble, at least on this occasion. When I read that account, I cannot help but think, I’m bad, but I’m not that bad. It is encouraging to see that even that group of people experienced God’s grace. I realize that there is hope for me.
The Jews in the wilderness were grateful for Moses. They deserved to die. None of them could expect that the Lord would be as gracious to them as He was. But God is merciful. Moses, their representative, appealed to that mercy on their behalf. The Lord extended unbelievable grace.
What about us? Who is our Representative? It is Christ, and when we sin, He intercedes for us. John says, “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous” (1 John 2:1).
God poured out His grace on the undeserving Jews at Sinai. He did so because of who He is. After He forgave His people at Sinai, He made a statement describing Himself: “The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth” (Exod 34:6). Moses appealed to Him on behalf of the people, and He administered grace and mercy.
We serve the same God. As great as Moses was, our Mediator is greater still. When we blow it—and there will be times when we do—we know that if we go to the Lord, we will receive an abundance of grace. John put it this way, when He spoke of Christ: “And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:16-17).
If the people at Sinai received grace under the leadership of Moses, I know I will receive grace with Christ as my Advocate. I have a better Advocate. Because of Him, I will receive grace piled on top of grace. And while I am bad, I am not as bad as those folks (at least most of the time).
