8 November 2013 Time for an explanation Prepare Sometimes we need to confront our own faults before we can hear from God. Does anything lie heavy on your heart today? Bring it to the Lord. Bible passage: Exodus 32:15-24 15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, There is the sound of war in the camp. 18 Moses replied: It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear. 19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. 21 He said to Aaron, What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin? 22 Do not be angry, my lord, Aaron answered. You know how prone these people are to evil. 23 They said to me, Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we dont know what has happened to him. 24 So I told them, Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off. Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf! Explore the BiblePrecious burden It’s hard to imagine anything more precious than the burden Moses carried: tablets, inscribed by the finger of God himself, which established the rules by which God’s people should live. Smashing them at the foot of the mountain symbolised the seriousness of what the people had done: they had broken their promises and put the whole of their future relationship with the Lord in jeopardy. Sharp contrast How much do you think Aaron’s dishonest response contributed to Moses’ anger? If you compare verses 23 and 24 with verses 1–4, what are the differences? Aaron’s behaviour provides a sharp contrast to that of Moses, yet both were leaders appointed by God. How can we ensure that, if we hold a leadership position, we follow Moses’ example rather than Aaron’s? An excuse for indulgence Some commentators point out that it wasn’t the singing and dancing in themselves that Moses objected to (v 18). The people had celebrated their deliverance after the Red Sea crossing in exactly the same way (ch 15). What was so wrong about what they were doing here was the fact that they weren’t celebrating anything real – there had been no victory and no defeat. Their partying was just an excuse for indulgence. Respond Are you tempted to blame others when things go wrong – particularly in church life? Take some time to bring your own church leaders to God in prayer. Caroline Masom Deeper Bible study God’s judgement, Moses’ anger, the Israelites’ apostasy and Aaron’s unwillingness to take responsibility are played out in comic, macabre fashion. The very charter for freedom, the Ten Commandments, inscribed by the hand of God, will be destroyed – a torn-up, broken contract. A Jewish interpretation plays on the Hebrew word for ‘incised’ (harut), linking it to the word for ‘freedom’ (hérut). It is only when there is restraint and obedience to God’s instructions that there can be true freedom. Grace does not set aside law, but following in God’s ways is a response to his gift of freedom. The Israelites’ sin brings its own consequences, judgement and punishment, despite God’s ultimate mercy and forgiveness. Although he will never reject his people, they will be punished, purified from their sin and their numbers purged. This severe mercy is necessary because God’s own holy presence cannot dwell in the camp of iniquity. As a means of confession, repentance and restoration of the relationship, the Israelites must eat their own words, drinking the ground-up, powdered remains of their precious idol. What they worshipped as a golden god will be evacuated from their bowels as disgusting excrement. Ugh! No one likes to be shown their sin. We have a natural desire to defend ourselves, blame others or make excuses. Even those of us who suffer with low self-esteem, over-sensitive feelings of guilt or unrealistic expectations of what we must do to please an angry, judgemental God, need to know the meaning of repentance. Paul writes, ‘Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death’ (2 Corinthians 7:10). Under the new covenant, through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are assured of forgiveness for our sins, cleansing and renewal. But we too must take seriously the call to repentance, receive our forgiveness through Jesus and rely on him in all things.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 14:18:24 +0000
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