August 5, 2024
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in selections from Exodus and Romans? Here’s today’s reading:
Exodus 32 (NIV)
The Golden Calf
1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”……Continue Reading
Exodus 32
Is there a chapter in the Bible that’s filled with more lessons than Exodus 32? How quickly the Jewish nation fell backwards. It’s a great reminder for us to remember the second commandment, and to have no idols before the living God. The anger of the Lord must be burning as He watches so many people push him aside and chase after things that are just dust in the wind as Pastor Peter spoke of yesterday And God continues to bless Aaron who quickly passes the book onto the people and it was his idea to build an altar of false gods. I love how God works as I was reminded this past week of how things in this life reach peak and then they don’t bring much excitement anymore, but as Pastor Peter spoke up yesterday to have a relationship with God just always increases and now to read Exodus 32 let’s open our eyes in our hearts and keep God first instead of the anger of God, the mercy of God will be brought out upon us
Exodus 32
“So Moses went back to the Lord and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold.”
Exodus 32:31 NIV
https://bible.com/bible/111/exo.32.31.NIV
And don’t we do the same when we chase after wealth?
While Moses was on the mount for 40 days; the people became restless and got impatient and wanted Aaron to make for them false gods. He relented and told them all to bring their earrings. Aaron fashioned it with a graven tool and he made a golden calf. How quickly they departed from worshipping God and going after false man made gods. How weak was Aaron here when he was next in charge and to be high priest. He got swayed by the people even though he knew it was wrong. The people corrupted themselves and became naked. KJV. As God says they are a stiffnecked people. God told Moses that He wanted to destroy them and start over with Moses. Moses plead for Israel that God would spare them for God had brought them out of Egypt with His mighty right hand and nations would scoff because God would destroy them. God knows all and I think that this was a test of Moses; but also showing to Moses and Israel HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS and JUDGEMENT. Moses was overtaken by the corruptness and sin of the people and tossed the two tablets down and broke them. [The Ten Commandments} He was so angry that he ground down the golden calf into powder and had all Israel drink it. He was also mad at his brother Aaron for allowing the people to sin and then making the golden calf. Aaron`s excuse was that made him and instead of acknowledging his own sin he instead said; he cast it into the fire and out came this calf. As if it was magic and formed itself. No accountability here at all. Moses also shouts out. Who is on the Lord`s side. The Levities come to him and end up taken the lives of 3,000 people. Latter God brings a plague upon the people because they made the golden calf. God is deadly serious about sin. Thank God we can bring our sins before the Lord even after we are believers and restore our fellowship and walk with Him.
Here is a side note about what God meant by saying He would blot out the people who sinned out of His book. I don`t believe it would be the book of life for those that are written in it are written in it forever. God tells us that we can`t lose our salvation once we are saved. The reference book that I have says it might have to do with the census of the people. [The Bible Knowledge Commentary] It read in the KJV and the NIV about the same language. Pastor; if you could comment please do. God bless all for He holds us in His powerful right hand.
Exodus 32 boy it didn’t take them long to turn their backs on the Lord. They made an idol to worship they wanted instant gratification instead of waiting for Moses to come down the mountain they had to do it their way, a lot like today where people put themselves first and make idols out of worldly things so many people have fallen away from God and will suffer the consequences as the golden calf worshipers God was angry and was going to make them all suffer by Moses asked the Lord to give them another chance so they were given a chance to go with Moses and follow the Lord but choose not to and God brought a plague among the ones. We need to wait on God and we will be blessed!
How quickly these Israelites (and us) turn from God. To think of all that God had done beforehand that would lead them to believe and trust..and yet a little waiting and not knowing, and they are back to what they are familiar with and what they can see and feel….sound familiar? The key is to trust God no matter how fast He is moving or not moving. And Aaron’s participation and cover up disgust me as a leader….may I and all of us be willing to stand in the truth and be honest about failure when it comes. The harsh treatment is warranted compared to the level of clear rejection of the things of God and abandonment to the things of evil. But we also need events like these to add to our understanding of who God is. Yes He is loving and merciful and gracious, but He also deals with sin harshly. And Dennis it is tough to say what this book is that God refers to here. We can trust whatever He says here and the standard He gives to these people in relation to what they have done, but the standard for the book of life is faith in Jesus. So I don’t think we need to spend much time worrying about what God is talking about to these people beyond recognizing the extreme measure He takes to deal with their sin. Because we certainly know the standard He lays down for us, who live on the other side of the cross and know the faith that God calls us to in Christ. I do believe that that faith secures us in the new covenant set in Jesus’ blood…and God is committed to that covenant as much or more than any other that He has made. Let me know if that helps.
It is a sad picture of man that we would so easily turn from God when He is not acting the way we expect or want. How quickly flesh comes in and wants immediate gratification and more sad when a leader, like Aaron, help bring people to such a sinful place.
Moses certainly intercedes for the people and God gives them another chance but we certainly see how angry sin makes God. I don’t think God changed His mind here as reading it implies, I think that makes Him seem too human. I know He does not think in the same terms as us so perhaps it was more about seeing if Moses was a leader that would fight for the people or just to show how serious He is when it comes to sin.
Either way we walk away from a chapter like this recognizing how weak we are, how much we need God, and how important it is to obey God not to earn our salvation but rather in appreciation for it.
I agree, Kelly!
Not sure why Aaron doesn’t receive a harsher punishment and responsibility for this event.
”And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.“
Exodus 32:4-6 NKJV
”And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my Lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”“
Exodus 32:21-24 NKJV
Aaron instructs the people to collect the gold, then he melts and fashions it, then lies about it! “This calf just came out or the fire.” 😑
Exodus 32