“But Moses begged the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?” … And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people."
(Exodus 32:11,14) 

 -Exodus 32:7-11, 13-14

In this passage, Moses is interceding with God on behalf of the Israelites when God intended to destroy them because of their infidelity to him. They had become impatient with God during the long journey through the desert and, in their stiff-neckedness, had decided to take matters into their own hands. They built an idol for themselves and worshipped it. God was hurt by this infidelity.

Sometimes in life, we have to confront our own stiff-neckedness. We know that we all have our own weaknesses, insecurities, and bad habits. These can prevent us from serving God in freedom, and sometimes they can really hurt those around us. To become aware of these weaknesses can be difficult. We can feel as though God ought to rain down fire upon us for all our attachments and the hurt we cause. Perhaps Moses felt this hopelessness when he reflected upon the infidelity of his people.

But how shall we respond to this painful awakening to our stiff-neckedness?

Let us follow the example of Moses who begs God to have mercy on the Israelites. He becomes aware of God’s full-heartedness. God responds to Moses’ pleas with mercy and compassion for his people. Let us pray for ourselves and others, that, no matter how stiff-necked we may be, God’s full-heartedness will always prevail.
 

Lord, 

we are aware that sometimes we can become very 

stiff-necked people. We are sorry for the harm that this causes. 

We turn to you and ask for your forgiveness for our wrongdoings.

 We know that you love us and that you are always willing to forgive us. Help us to trust in your mercy.

Amen