"Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened."

You might've heard someone say before that the difference between God in the Old and New Testaments is that, after Jesus, he suddenly has grace, as though he's a dad who was softened by the birth of a child. But God does not change like that. God as we see him in the Old Testament is just as full of grace as Jesus was - different revelations, but same God. The question is merely, do we have eyes to see it?

God's graciousness is on most vibrant display after audacious levels of human betrayal, and we see one such moment when the nation of Israel is newly freed from Egypt's oppression. God invites Israel to officially be his people, united with him in a covenant relationship. They will be his people, and he will be their God.

Moses goes up Mount Sinai to make it official and receive the terms of the covenant from God - kind of like marriage vows. Unfortunately, Moses takes a while, and the people get antsy. While they wait, they convince the high priest, Aaron, to help them create an idol to worship: the golden calf. This idolatry made God angry and jealous for his people's devotion and affection. So he tells Moses he's through - that he's going to destroy them and start over with someone else. What happens next, however, is both shocking and moving.

Moses intercedes for the people. He reminds God of his own character, of what God had done for this people so far, of his reputation among the nations, and of his oath to their forefathers. And incredibly, the Lord listens to Moses. Our verse today says, "Then the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened." It's as though Moses reminds God of his graciousness, and God, quite simply, says: You're right. That is who I am.

And so the origins of our faith are rooted in this picture of the Lord meeting betrayal with his incomprehensible grace. Romans 3:23 reminds us that the wages of Israel's sin should have been death. Instead, God works through the leadership of Moses, the faithful action of a few, and the opportunity for repentance to bring his people back into right relationship with him. And, if we're paying attention, we may see this same gracious pattern in our own lives, too.

• God provides a Godly leader. Rarely does God leave us to navigate our sin struggles alone. Moses sacrificially interceded for the people, asking God to take his life instead of carrying out justice on this rebellious people (Ex. 32:32). First, what a picture of Jesus! But also, consider what Godly leaders the Lord has put in your life to help guide you through temptation and sin struggles. Maybe it was a parent, extended family, a church leader, a teacher, a family friend, a mentor, a coach...who did God put in place to not only lead you, but to intercede on your behalf, as Moses did for Israel? By God's grace, who still stands in the gap for you today?

• God provides a way out. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that, when you are tempted to sin, God will "provide a way out so that you can endure it." For the Israelites, he invited the faithful to choose a way out by bringing God's justice on those who were uninterested in repentance (Ex. 32:26-29). The Levites took this grace extended, and God would bless them down the road for their faithfulness (Ex. 32:29). Where has God provided a way out for you in your sin? Through Jesus we have the ultimate way out of sin's clutches, but God also provides us smaller grace gifts as we face temptation to help us choose his way of life. How is he inviting you to choose to return to him in faith rather than continue to revel in your sin as the Israelites did?

• God provides an invitation to repentance. Repentance isn't only about turning from sin, it's also about choosing to walk into a better way. The people turned back to the Lord first by laying down the remnants of their pagan worship (33:5-6), and then God invites them to continue in that new trajectory repentance provides by making them a second copy of the Law after the first was broken, literally and metaphorically (Ex. 34:1). The invitation is clear: will they take this second chance to obey what was initially shattered? Where is God inviting you to walk into repentance and a better way forward in your own life?

Praise God that he works to bring us back to him, not just to punish us for our mistakes. In the face of our betrayal, God's persistent grace responds with an outstretched hand, a way out of sin, and an invitation to his better way, for Israel then and for us today.

Father, I praise you, my unchanging, gracious God! I'm so thankful for your consistent character that clothes me in grace when my betrayal deserves death. Thank you, Jesus, for your work on the cross that made it possible for me to experience God's grace in a personal way. Help me to see the truth of your gracious character in the witness of Scripture and in the details of my own life today, that I might give you all the praise and glory for every good gift. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.