Skip to main content

Daily Devotion: Exodus 32:19-24

Exodus 32:19-24     "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. 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. And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 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. 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."

Moses had come down from mount Sinai to the sound of a great tumult. He heard it for what it was, the sound of great revelry. To Joshua’s ears, it sounded like a great conflict (Exodus 32:17). Surely, when God’s people are rejoicing in their idols, it is the sound a great conflict.

Moses was so angry about the unfaithfulness of the children of Israel that he threw down the tables and they broke. He returned the image of the calf to the fire until it lost its form, ground it up, cast it on their drinking water and made them drink it. In this, Moses made them see that their god they had made had no power to save them because it could not save itself. Further, they lost any legitimate value the gold might have had.

Moses then inquired of Aaron how he let this happen. There is no indication that Aaron tried to withstand the people at all. These scriptures make it clear that we are never to just go along with the majority in anything that denies the very majesty of God. Serving God is no place to “go along to get along.”

Finally, making and worshipping idols is a choice we make. It is not something that “just happened,” as Aaron tried to make it appear with the golden calf. Aaron tried to claim that he just put the gold in the fire and this calf miraculously came out. The scripture plainly tells us that Aaron “fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf (Exodus 32:4).”

Dear ones, we cannot lie to God about our idols. He knows the minute we begin to worship them. May we find instruction in the words of this old hymn by William Cowper. “The dearest idol I have known, Whater’er that idol be, Help me to tear it from thy throne, And worship only Thee.”

Popular posts from this blog

Daily Devotion: Enter With Thanksgiving - Psalm 100:1-5

One of the most beautiful Psalms of Thanksgiving is the 100th Psalm. Please turn to it and read verses one through five. With all my heart I believe we are a people and a nation that has truly been blessed by God. Of all those who “give thanks to Him and praise His name” we should be at the top!  It is not uncommon to compile wish lists at Christmas, and draw up a list of resolutions for the new year. But there is another list we often overlook - a Thanksgiving Day list of all for which we are thankful. What would your list contain? Most likely, a good part would be material possessions. I’m convinced that we would find that we have much more for which to be thankful than just our material possessions.  Like you, I’m sure my list would include the major things - life, health, family, friends, and the nation we live in, despite all its flaws. But even more than that, I’m thankful for my salvation, my Church family, and the mercy that God showers upon us each d...

Daily Devotion: Colossians 1:25-26

Colossians 1:25-26    “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;  Even   the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:” In verse twenty-four, Paul has expressed his joy in bearing hardship for the church. It is of this church, the body of Jesus Christ, that he is made a minister. Since Paul used the phrase “made a minister” in verse twenty-three of this same chapter, it seems there is something important that he wishes to convey. The Greek word translated as “made” means “to cause to be.” It was the will of God (Col 1:1) that caused Paul to become a minister. God is always the cause of true ministry. Although our fathers may be ministers, if we become true ministers of the gospel it is  not  because our fathers are ministers. True ministers of the gospel do not take that path because they seek honor for themselves, or b...

Daily Devotion: Matthew 6:9-13 (3)

Matthew 6:9-13    "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.  (10)  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.  (11)  Give us this day our daily bread.  (12)  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.  (13)  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." When others might go away from us, God has promised never to forsake us. When others might not be truthful, our Father in heaven is faithful and full of truth. When others cannot understand our feelings, our Heavenly Father knows exactly how we feel and is able to empathize with us. In fact, He has told us that He is "touched by the feelings of our infirmities." He is stirred when we are sad.  Our relationship with Him is of th...