Year of the Bible: Part Three of Twelve Àpẹrẹ

Moses Returns from the Mountain.

Imagine Moses' shock when he came near the camp of the Israelites and heard the all-too-familiar sounds of an idol worship party. The account is straightforward, Moses was furious and said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?"

Aaron had become someone Moses didn't recognize. Where was the man of God he had left to watch over the people? How was it possible that the people so quickly abandoned their loyalty to the Lord their God? Were these people so entrenched in their old way of life that they couldn't remain faithful for even a few days?

The truth is this; the decision to create and then worship an idol was a practice the people learned during 400 years of captivity. The Israelites were physically free, but they were still held captive by Egypt through the deeply engrained worldview they had received while in captivity. Aaron knew these practices worse despised by the Lord their God, but out of fear of the people, he caved in and made them an idol.

Question: Do you notice areas where the current cultural voice has become louder and more influential in your life than God's voice? Do you need to separate yourself from some of the old ways engrained in your life?

Prayer: Oh God, teach me your ways, search me, and know my innermost being. Examine my thoughts and show me where I need to come back into alignment with your thoughts and desires. Strengthen my family and me to stand amid cultural confusion and chaos. Give me the courage to walk in new ways, and let me represent You well to everyone, everywhere I go. In Jesus' name! Amen!

Go Deeper: Notice Moses' zeal for the Lord's reputation. He recognized that God had called the Israelites as a people unto Himself and that their actions defamed the Lord's name among the nations that surrounded them. Moses' also had a keen awareness of how God's response to all of this would make Him look to the surrounding people groups. For that reason, he pleaded with God to forgive the people, even saying that if God would not forgive them, He should blot Moses out of His "book" of records.