The Mekhilta identifies a remarkable pattern in the relationship between God and Moses: sometimes God "lowers" Himself while Moses "raises" himself, and other times the dynamic reverses completely.
At the rock of Merivah, God descended — He came down to meet Moses at the rock and told him how to bring forth water. Moses, meanwhile, "raised" himself in protest, questioning the people and confronting their rebellion. God came low; Moses stood tall.
But after the sin of the Golden Calf, the pattern flipped. God "raised" Himself in fury, declaring (Exodus 32:10): "Leave Me alone, and I will annihilate them." He was ready to destroy the entire nation. And Moses? Moses "lowered" himself. He fell before God in prayer (Exodus 32:11), begging, pleading, refusing to let go until the decree was reversed.
The Mekhilta is describing a divine dance. When God descends in mercy, Moses can afford to stand firm and lead with strength. When God rises in anger, Moses must drop everything and prostrate himself in intercession. The two figures move in complementary directions, like partners who instinctively know when to step forward and when to step back. This rhythm — God's descent meeting Moses' ascent, God's wrath meeting Moses' humility — is the mechanism by which Israel survived its most dangerous moments in the wilderness.