God condescended to remit the punishment of their iniquity —
[At the very first intercession of Moses, God repented of the evil which he had thought to do unto his people d ; and, in answer to the last, he renewed his commission to Moses to lead them to the promised land : and, though he withdrew himself from them in a measure, he commanded a created angel to guide them in the way e. He declared indeed, that, if by a continuance of their rebellions they compelled him to punish them, he would then visit for this sin together with the rest; but, if they were truly penitent, and observant of Ins will in future, he would remember it against them no more.
What an amazing view does this give us of the condescension of God, and the efficacy of fervent prayer ! The prayer of one single person availed for the procuring of pardon for two mil- lions of people, and for Aaron at their head, notwithstanding the peculiar enormity of his sin f : yea, it prevailed at a time when God was so incensed against them as to forbid any inter- cession in their behalf, and to declare that he would " blot out their name from under heaven." Surely the remembrance of this single instance is sufficient to encourage all the world to implore mercy for themselves, and to make continual intercession also for others.]
He declared, however, that at his future tribunal justice should be strictly administered to all —
[Rewards and punishments are often national in this world, and consequently partial : sometimes the innocent are involved in the punishment of the guilty; and sometimes the guilty escape without any punishment at all. But at God's tribunal in the last day no such inequalities will be found : there every one will answer for his own personal transgressions, and stand or fall according to his own personal conduct : " The wicked will go into everlasting punishment ; but the righteous into life eternal." Multitudes in that day will be found, who, in name and profession, were the Lord's people : but, inasmuch as they " had only a name to live, and were really dead," God will blot them out of his book, and disclaim all relation to them or regard for them. Solemn indeed, and most worthy to be impressed upon our minds, is this declaration of God: it relates, not to that people only, but to all that dwell upon the face of the whole earth. Intercession may prevail in this world for the averting of temporal judgments even from the impenitent: but, in reference to the eternal world, nothing will prevail but
d ver. 14. e Compare ver. 34. with ch. xxxiii. 2, 3.
f Deut. ix. 20. Read that whole chapter.