[Linux4christians] Saturday - Exodus 32:19-35

[pastordavid at bibleseven.com]

    Saturday


      *Exodus 32:19-35*


32:19 When he approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, 
Moses became extremely angry. He threw the tablets from his hands and 
broke them to pieces at the bottom of the mountain. 32:20 He took the 
calf they had made and burned it in the fire, ground it to powder, 
poured it out on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.

32:21 Moses said to Aaron, "What did this people do to you, that you 
have brought on them so great a sin?" 32:22 Aaron said, "Do not let your 
anger burn hot, my lord; you know these people, that they tend to evil. 
32:23 They said to me, 'Make us gods that will go before us, for as for 
this fellow Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, 
we do not know what has happened to him.' 32:24 So I said to them, 
'Whoever has gold, break it off.' So they gave it to me, and I threw it 
into the fire, and this calf came out."

32:25 Moses saw that the people were running wild, for Aaron had let 
them get completely out of control, causing derision from their enemies. 
32:26 So Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and said, "Whoever is 
for the Lord, come to me." All the Levites gathered around him, 32:27 
and he said to them, "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, 'Each man 
fasten his sword on his side, and go back and forth from entrance to 
entrance throughout the camp, and each one kill his brother, his friend, 
and his neighbor.'"

32:28 The Levites did what Moses ordered, and that day about three 
thousand men of the people died. 32:29 Moses said, "You have been 
consecrated today for the Lord, for each of you was against his son or 
against his brother, so he has given a blessing to you today."

32:30 The next day Moses said to the people, "You have committed a very 
serious sin, but now I will go up to the Lord -- perhaps I can make 
atonement on behalf of your sin."

32:31 So Moses returned to the Lord and said, "Alas, this people has 
committed a very serious sin, and they have made for themselves gods of 
gold. 32:32 But now, if you will forgive their sin..., but if not, wipe 
me out from your book that you have written." 32:33 The Lord said to 
Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me -- that person I will wipe out of 
my book. 32:34 So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to 
you about. See, my angel will go before you. But on the day that I 
punish, I will indeed punish them for their sin."

32:35 And the Lord sent a plague on the people because they had made the 
calf -- the one Aaron made.



      Prayer


Lord, the sin of rebellion is serious; may Your Holy Spirit keep me from 
such a sin.



      Commentary


Moses was angry when he saw what the Israelites, and Aaron, had done and 
in his anger he smashed the two tablets of the commandments on the rocks.


Moses burned the golden calf and ground it to powder, cast it on the 
water, then required the Israelites to drink it. The NET translators 
suggest that this was a "bitter waters" test where those who were guilty 
of inciting the idolatry would become ill.


Moses challenged Aaron for his complicity and he blamed the people and 
then lied and suggested that the gold, once cast into the fire, came out 
as the calf.


Aaron, a priest and not a leader, had allowed the people to become drunk 
and crazed to Moses stood in the middle of the Israelites and summoned 
all who were faithful to the Lord God to gather near to him -- and all 
of the Levites (the priestly tribe) did so. Note: Moses would have been 
calling to the adult males.


Moses then instructed the Levites to strap on their swords and to go out 
into the crazed Israelites and to kill their brother, friend, and 
neighbor. They killed 3,000 people. The NET translators suggest that 
they may have identified the guilty due to their illness from the 
powered gold/bitter waters test.


Moses informed them that they had been God's hands of punishment and 
would be blessed for their obedience, however difficult it must have been.


Moses then informed the people that he would return to God and seek 
atonement so that the sovereign Lord God would not destroy them.


Moses appealed to God and even said that if God was to destroy all of 
the Israelites that he wanted to be destroyed with them.


God replied that He knew who was guilty and that they would be judged on 
the day of judgment. Note: The NET Cross-Reference goes to David and 
Bathsheba where God delivered His punishment in the future with the 
death of their firstborn who was conceived in the terrible sin of 
adultery and murder.


God then brought an undefined (in the text) plague upon the Israelites 
(presumably those who were guilty of inciting the idolatry).



      Interaction

Consider this:

God chose Aaron to be the high priest not for his leadership skills but 
for his servants heart.


        Discuss this:

Aaron spoke rightly when he declared that the Israelites were prone 
toward evil. Is it clear why God needed to draw a proverbial line in the 
sand with a people numbering over a million? Did they not need to fear 
Him and to therefore be repelled by the temptation to worship idols?



        Reflect on this:

How different are we? When we are confused and/or frightened do we not 
often seek out the familiar and whatever other sources of comfort or 
power we can find?


        Share this:

When have you found yourself caught up in the emotional reactions of 
people around you and made some choices to participate in their 
ill-conceived actions and/or words that you later regretted?



      Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you have stood with the Lord God 
against the majority, and/or have gone with the crowd.


        Action:

Today I will celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit which empowered me to 
stand with the Lord God instead of the majority, and/or I will repent of 
going with the crowd and commit to partner with the Holy Spirit in 
maturing to a higher level of maturity and courage.


        Be Specific ______________________________________________________


    Sunday's text will be: Exodus 33

-- 

Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day!  Pastor David
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Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com
Bible Resources: http://bible.org
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