April 18, 2023
The Destruction of Sin
Ex 32:15-35
Alynda Long
Big Idea
God reveals the way and His will through His Word.
Key Verse | Exodus 32:20
He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.
Ex 32:15-35
15 Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. 16 The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. 17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” 18 But he said, “It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear.” 19 And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.
21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” 22 And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”
25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the LORD's side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. 29 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the LORD, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”
30 The next day Moses said to the people, “You have sinned a great sin. And now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin. They have made for themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.” 33 But the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book. 34 But now go, lead the people to the place about which I have spoken to you; behold, my angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them.”
35 Then the LORD sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.
S2:072 Ex 32:15-35
Listen NowDive Deeper | Ex 32:15-35
Whew! Things were looking up. Moses received the commandments from the Lord, but then he walked back into a giant mess Aaron and the other Israelites had created in his absence. Talk about angry! As a mother of three daughters, I know what it's like to leave a perfectly clean, organized space only to return to a hot mess. How did they destroy things so quickly? Someone once said cleaning a house with kids is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos. So maybe it's not QUITE as serious as Moses' situation, but I have an inkling of how he might have felt upon his return from the mountain. Frustrated doesn't begin to cover it. I can't say that I've ever burnt down the toy room and made my kids drink the powder, but they usually had consequences for their actions.
When I read this Scripture, I can't help but ask, "Why did Moses make them drink the powder?" Many Bible scholars have written on the topic, so I guess my curiosity is in good company. Perhaps, the act was a way to show the people how inert and inconsequential the gold really was. How could they worship something that would, in essence, become excrement? After seeing so many wonders of the Lord, why would they worship an empty idol?
It's easy to think, "Oh, those crazy Israelites! I'd NEVER do that." But I do. I have silly, unimportant things that I put in front of the Lord, too. Maybe it's my phone or social media or a game (cough, cough, Wordle, anyone?) or a television show or . . . or . . . . There's a good chance you've struggled with that area, too.
But thankfully we aren't the Israelites in one very important way. We have Christ. If we believe and trust that Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ alone, has covered our sins through His death and resurrection, then we have the Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:26), to help us turn from our idols toward God, our Father.
And we don't even have to drink that awful mixture!
This month's memory verse
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;
– Philippians 4:4-5
Discussion Questions
1. What is an area of your life that draws you away from the Lord? What are some tangible ways you can decrease or eliminate that distraction?
2. Accountability has always been key for my recovery from many damaging idols in my life. If you are in community (shout out to my CG girls! Not sure what I'd do without y'all!), are you leaning on them for accountability in any areas of struggle in your life? If you don't have a community group, can you think of a believer you can confide in?
3. If you are in a spiritually healthy place, are there any people in your life you can encourage and/or offer accountability? How can you spur on a brother or sister in Christ?
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