Text: Exodus 32:7-24

7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down;  for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:  8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them:  they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.   9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:  10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them:  and I will make of thee a great nation.   11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?  12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?  Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.   13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.   14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.  

15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand:  the tables were written on both their sides;  on the one side and on the other were they written.   16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.   17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.   18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome:  but the noise of them that sing do I hear.   19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing:  and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.   20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.  21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?  22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot:  thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.   23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us:  for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.   24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off.   So they gave it me:  then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.  

Monday, 19^th February 2024

THE SNARE OF INTOLERABLE CHALLENGE

Text: Exodus 32:7-24

Memory verse: Exodus 32: 9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people:

God now tests Moses by saying, “because YOUR people, whom you brought up out of Egypt have become corrupt.” God calls these people “Moses’ people!” Will this make Moses desperate like the people? God called Israel a “stiff-necked” people. This comes from the image of a mule or horse or any other animal that is being pulled one way it doesn’t want to go, and so they stiffen their neck to prevent being moved. This is the image of someone who rebelled against its owner, an image frequently used through the Bible for those who refused to yield to God’s ways. God would not accept this kind of living from His people. It was intolerable.

One of the ten (10) commandments God had just written on the tablets of stone was for Israel “NOT to make any graven image” of gods. This can be done in stone, wood, metal, OR IN THE MIND TOO. Moses was facing a challenge, to try and move Israel back to the right God, the only God. As a shepherd Moses had to deal with their recreation of God, somehow, he must communicate to them that, what they are doing is completely unacceptable and intolerable.

Moses and Joshua now came down from the mountain, they know something is up below because of all the commotion rising, the sounds of sin in the camp. Joshua at first thinks it is the sounds of war because of the volume. But Moses recognizes the sounds, not of war, but of sin. Sure enough, when they arrive at the base of the mountain, they find the Jews dancing around their idol and engaged in all kinds of sexual perversion.  (The Hebrew connects the activities with the idol to sexually explicit activity as well as other harsh behaviours). Unlike Moses who turns right to God’s character, Aaron had given the people what they wanted, and now he also had to face an angry Moses. Moses gives a visual demonstration of his displeasure and that of God by breaking the tablets with God’s commandments on them.  Israel had already broken them, so Moses further demonstrated it to them. Moses now approaches Aaron as to why he had let this happen in his absence. Intolerable challenges are snares to take you out of God’s grace and provisions, be vigilant.

CGDS HYMN 46: SS & S 585: 

JESUS CHRIST, GROW THOU IN ME

1. Jesus Christ, grow Thou in me,

And all things else recede !

My heart be daily nearer Thee,

From sin be daily freed.

2. Each day let Thy supporting might

My weakness still embrace;

My darkness vanish in Thy light,

Thy life my death efface.

3. In Thy bright beams which on me fall

Fade every evil thought ;

That I am nothing, Thou art all,

I would be daily taught.

4. More of Thy glory let me see,

Thou Holy, Wise, and True !

I would Thy living image be,

In joy and sorrow too.

5. Fill me with gladness from above,

Hold me by strength Divine :

Lord, let the glow of Thy great love

Through my whole being shine.

6. Make this poor self grow less and less,

Be Thou my life and aim ;

Oh, make me daily through Thy grace

More meet to bear Thy name !

   Prayers: 

1.  Lord Jesus, help me not to give up my position with You no matter the challenge I go through.

2.  LORD God Almighty, help me to overcome all trials in the midst of challenges, in Jesus’ name. Amen.    

3.  Pray for others in this regard.