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.  

Tuesday, 20^th February 2024

THE SNARE OF INEXCUSABLE CHALLENGE

Text: Exodus 32:7-24

Memory verse: Exodus 32:22 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.

Aaron tries to excuse his poor leadership: Aaron says to Moses, “you know how prone these people are to doing evil.” Like Adam and Eve, he seeks to blame someone else for his own sin. Aaron conveniently does not mention his own sin in creating the golden calf.

Aaron couldn’t blame Joshua, he was not with them, when he discovered that there is no one else to blame he tries at first blaming the people and when that doesn’t work, he resorted to blaming magic. When confronted with his own sin Aaron resorts to blaming magic. He said, “they gave me the gold, and there came out this calf.” It was Aaron that had collected the gold and had the calf designed out of it, there was no magic involved, just sin.

It is inexcusable for a leader of God’s people to distort the image of God to satisfy his audience, or to be popular with the people.  We must present the God of the Bible. There is always a temptation when people are hurting to try and promise them more from God than might be true to God’s image and true character. We must be honest about God; He can defend Himself quite well.  Even when we don’t understand, we cannot compromise who He is.

Like Aaron’s statement about the “calf just falling out of the fire miraculously,” sometimes desperate people who embrace a false image of God will claim miracles or magic. The only true test of God and His principles are found in the Bible. We cannot judge just from testimonies or claims or miracles, it must be in the book. Miracles are possible because the Bible says so, but when a miracle is claimed, and the actions contradict the Scriptures it is a false miracle.

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, make me inexcusable in my dealings with You always.

2.  LORD God Almighty, take away every tendency in me to do things that are not aligned to Your plans for me, in Jesus’ name. Amen.    

3.  Pray for others in this regard.