Yes - but He did not do it. Why? They went back to the 'if'
....'if' you sin, 'then' and if you turn away from your wicked ways, 'then'. Always 'if' and 'or' and 'then' or 'if' and 'and' and 'then'
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That is the area I am looking at.
I am looking at the same thing.... Remember, before this occurred, all of the people with one voice shouted, "We will do this"... and yet they violated the commandment and Aaron built them a golden calf.
If you recall, the original promise was to Abram through Isaac, that Abraham would be the father of many nations, and that the world would be blessed through them.
In I believe Exodus 3 or 4, God calls an entire nation his Son, and God shows himself as more than God Almighty, but rather, he shows the world his merciful side. This is why God says that they new me by God Almighty (denotes justice), but not as YHVH (denotes mercy).
Back to the mountain.. They broke the covenant within the first 40 days and God was going to wipe them all out for violating the covenant and God was going to start new with Moses to fulfill the promise to Abraham.
Through reason, and a heart like Christ where Moses was willing to take on their sins, God repents and did not do the evil he had planned for "His Son" Israel.
Peter has much to say on prayer, and why some prayers are not answered, while others are. Ohh, to have a heart like Moses.
You see, sometimes the only thing that can reconcile a broken relationship is mercy, not justice.
This is why it only took 40 days for Moses to establish the relationship, and 80 days to restore it. Exacty 80 days after the covenant was broken, and the very same day Moses came down from the mountain after the second time with the stone tablets, was Yom Kippur. Day of Atonement....
but as far as the if when. If you put your hand on a hot burner, it will get burnt... and when you feel the pain, you'll think twice before touching it again. Aren't we a foolish people?
Interesting!
totopic