Exodus 32 Ten Lessons from a Golden Calf – audio

Old - G E L N D J J R 1S 2S 1K 2K 1C 2C E N E J P P E S I J L E D H J A O J M N H Z H Z M
New - M M L J A R 1C 2C G E P C 1Th 2Th 1T 2T T P H J 1P 2P 1J 2J 3J J R - Topical - All - Archive

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Text: Exodus 32:1-35

Introduction

1. Last week we noticed that we need to learn from the past.

2. We can learn from other people’s mistakes and thereby do not have to make them ourselves to learn the relevant lessons.

3. The children Israel made many mistakes that we can learn from today.

a. 1 Corinthians 10:6 – Now these things became our examples, to the intent that we should not lust after evil things as they also lusted.

b. 1 Corinthians 10:11 – Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

4. Of course, one of the events mentioned in 1 Corinthians 10, is the episode with the golden calf – 1 Corinthians 10:7

5. Here are ten important lessons that WE can learn from a golden calf.

Body

LESSON 1 – REMEMBER,  IT WAS NOT MOSES WHO BROUGHT YOU UP OUT OF EGYPT

Exodus 32:1 – Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for 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.”

A. The children Israel forgot that it wasn’t Moses who brought them out of Egypt. God had delivered them.

1. Forgetting this fact was one of the direct causes of the sinful actions that would follow.

2. If we are followers of mere men, then one man is as good as another.

3. They replaced Moses with Aaron.

B. Man has always had a propensity to follow other men rather than God.

1. We see that many years later, they still had this mentality – 2 Samuel 8:4-5

2. They forgot that they already had a King. His name was GOD – 1 Samuel 8:7

C. We have the same problem today.

1. Countless people today follow preachers rather than God!

2. This problem started early in the church – 1 Corinthians 1:11-13

a) “I am of Luther.”

b) “I am of Wesley.”

c) “I am of the Pope.”

d) “I am of Calvin.”

e) No! I am of Christ!

3. Many sacrifice their souls because they prefer the praise of men over the praise of God – John 12:42-43

 

LESSON 2 – REMEMBER IT WAS NOT A GOLDEN CALF THAT BROUGHT YOU UP OUT OF EGYPT.

Exodus 32:2-6 – And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 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.

A. Aaron boldly proclaimed, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

1. What utter nonsense!

2. What blasphemy!

3. It is easy to see how foolish this statement was.

4. It is also easy to see how foolish it was to believe that statement.

B. Yet, most people in the world today choose to worship the creation rather than the Creator.

1. God’s creation is not God – Romans 1:22-25

2. Colossians 3:5 – Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

a) Covetousness is idolatry.

b) Neither silver nor gold can save us – 1 Peter 1:18-19

c) Man must stop acting as if gold is God.

 

LESSON 3 – GOD IS A JEALOUS GOD

Exodus 32:9-10 – And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.”

A. Think about how close the Israelites were to true worship…

1. They desired to worship the God who had brought them out of Egypt – Exodus 32:4

2. They desired to worship Him so badly that they were willing to give of their gold – Exodus 32:3

3. They desired to worship Him at an altar – Exodus 32:5

4. They desired to hold a feast to the LORD (Jehovah) – Exodus 32:5

5. They desired to make burnt offerings and peace offerings – Exodus 32:6

B. Yet concerning their worship, God said… – Exodus 32:7-8

1. They had corrupted themselves.

2. They had turned aside quickly out of the way.

3. They have worshiped the CALF (not God).

C. As a result…

1. God was ready to destroy them and start over with Moses.

2. He had warned them about idolatry – Exodus 20:4-5

3. They had willingly entered a covenant with Him – Exodus 24:3

 

LESSON 4 – IT IS GOOD TO HAVE AN INTERCESSOR

Exodus 32:11-14 – Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?  Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”  So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.

A. Moses pleaded with God on behalf of the people.

1. He used three arguments to change God’s mind.

a) He reminded God of all that He had already done for them – Exodus 32:11

b) The Egyptians would think that God brought them out simply to destroy them – Exodus 32:12

c) He reminded God of his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – Exodus 32:13

2. As a result of his intercession, God relented from His wrath.

a) Not because the people didn’t deserve His wrath.

b) But because Moses begged Him to spare them.

B. We too have an intercessor.

1. Like the children of Israel…

a) We are deserving of death – Romans 6:23

b) We are unable to save ourselves.

2. Jesus has interceded for us.

a) Luke 23:33-34 – And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left. Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

b) Ephesians 4:32 – And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

c) 1 John 2:1 – My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

3. It is GOOD to have an Intercessor. Without Him, we would all be lost!

 

LESSON 5 – DON’T TRY TO BLAME YOUR SIN ON SOMEONE ELSE

Exodus 32:22 – So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil.

A. Aaron tries to appease Moses’ wrath by blaming his actions on the people.

1. He should have been more worried about God’s anger.

2. People often worry about how their actions affect other people…

a) And even feel guilt for their actions.

b) Without realizing that, even more important than that, is the fact that their sin has hurt God Almighty.

B. Man has always tried to deflect responsibility to others.

1. Genesis 3:12 – Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

2. They blame their parents.

3. They blame their friends. (Peer pressure)

4. They blame God.

5. The one thing they will not do is say, “My fault.”

C. Exodus 23:2 – You shall not follow a crowd to do evil; nor shall you testify in a dispute so as to turn aside after many to pervert justice.

D. Your sin is YOUR fault. Own up to it – Psalm 51:3

 

LESSON 6 – DON’T LIE TO TRY TO COVER UP YOUR SIN

Exodus 32:24 – 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.”

A. Aaron said, “I just threw the gold in the fire and ‘poof’ this calf came out.”

1. This was a bold faced lie.

2. Exodus 32:4 – And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.

B. When we lie to cover a sin what we are showing by our actions is that we care more about what men think about us than what God thinks about us.

1. We can often fool man.

2. We cannot lie to God – Hebrews 4:13

 

LESSON 7 – PROPER WORSHIP INVOLVES RESTRAINT

Exodus 32:25 – Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies),

A. As we discussed earlier, they were involved in a worship service. However…

1. They were holding an unauthorized feast.

2. They were offering unauthorized sacrifices.

3. They were bowing down to an unauthorized idol.

4. They were even committing sexual immorality as a part of their worship.

5. They must have truly believed that “anything goes” when it came to worship.

B. Proper worship involves:

1. Realizing that God is the audience – John 4:23-34

2. Realizing that in order to please Him, I must worship Him according to truth.

a) 1 Samuel 13:22-23 – So Samuel said: “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.”

b) God is not obligated to receive our worship – Amos 5:21-23

3. Restraint – a measure or condition that keeps someone or something under control or within limits.

a) God has set the limits on worship.

b) It is up to me to stay within those limits – 1 Corinthians 14:32-33

C. Not exercising restraint in worship results in our own shame.

 

LESSON 8 – YOU ARE EITHER ON THE LORD’S SIDE OR ON THE DEVIL’S SIDE

Exodus 32:26 – Then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

A. Moses made it clear: You are either on the Lord’s side or you are not.

1. There is no middle ground.

2. There are no shades of gray.

3. They had to decide whose side they were on.

B. We too have a choice to make.

1. Jesus made it clear that there is no middle ground.

a) Matthew 12:30 – He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.

b) Matthew 6:24 – “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

c) John 8:44 – You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.

2. Paul made it clear that there is no middle ground – Romans 6:16-18

 

LESSON 9 – IT PAYS TO BE ON THE LORD’S SIDE

Exodus 32:25-28 – Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’” So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

A. Many of those who had rebelled against God lost their lives as a result.

B. Those who choose not to be on the Lord’s side face an even worse fate today.

1. Matthew 10:28 – And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

2. Matthew 25:31-33

C. Those who choose to be on the Lord’s side:

1. Enjoy a happier life now – 1 Timothy 4:8

2. Enjoy the hope of eternal life – 1 Peter 1:3-4

 

LESSON 10 – WE EACH BEAR RESPONSIBILITY FOR OUR OWN ACTIONS

Exodus 32:32-33 – Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

A. If God would not forgive the people, Moses desired his fate to be the same as theirs.

1. Paul said something similar in Romans 9:1-3

2. Fortunately, it doesn’t work that way.

B. Each of us is responsible for our own destiny.

1. Hebrews 4:13 – And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.

2. Romans 2:5-9 – But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

 

Delivered on: November 18, 2012. Streetsboro.