"Get away from among this congregation, that I may consume them instantly." Then they fell on their faces.Very bad couple of days for the people of Israel. Twice in as many days, God wants to totally destroy them, and start over with just Moses and Aaron. To many, perhaps even most of us, that would be two strikes, and they've already had several. We'd understand perfectly if God just decided to wipe the slate clean, and start over like a small-scale Noah. However, he doesn't do that, and it seems to be for one reason.
God tells Moses and Aaron to clear out both times, and both times they disobey. That's the other thing that caught my attention. God gives them very specific orders, and they don't even seem to consider obeying either time. This especially sets them apart from many of the patriarchs in Genesis, who were commended for their obedience to God, even when it doesn't make sense, like Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac. Instead, here Moses and Aaron disobey God, and intercede on behalf of the people. Does this still happen today, where we are told something by God and are supposed to challenge him? I don't have an answer to that question, but it sure makes me wonder what the correct circumstances might be for us.
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