By Kyle Beshears
Instructor of Christian Studies, University of Mobile
Rebellion
Exodus 32:1–6, 11–14
Rebellion (1–4)
Another 40 days, another failed attempt by Israel to be faithful to God. First, after about 40 days from when Israel escaped slavery, the people began to grumble against the Lord. They distrusted God, fearing that He led them out of slavery just to starve them. Now after Moses spent 40 days atop Mount Sinai with the Lord, the people began to grumble again (Ex. 24:18; 32:1). This time, however, they take their distrust to a new level. Instead of questioning God, they replaced God. They built gods and rejected the God whose image they bore. God had just established His relationship with Israel on His terms; however, Israel decided to redefine the relationship. How quickly the people forgot everything the Lord had done for them in the past few months. Their bodies were freed from Egypt but their hearts were re-fastened to the shackles of slavery to sin. Rebellion against God is the surest way to insult His redemption. We must resist the temptation to replace God with powerless gods and idols that cannot save.
Sin Committed (5–6)
Sin often leads us to corrupt good gifts from God. Festival celebrations are not bad. In fact, God commanded Israel to “celebrate a festival in [His] honor” (Ex. 23:14). But this celebration came with one important rule: “You must not invoke the names of other gods; they must not be heard on your lips” (Ex. 23:13). In other words the festival celebration would be good because the focus was on God. Israel had a festival but celebrated an idol. Here is where Israel foolishly sinned. They took what God meant for good, the festival, and turned it into bad, idolatry. Worse yet, when Israel failed to focus on God, their behavior changed to reflect the kind of things that pleased their new gods, like wild partying and debauchery. We, too, are often guilty of the same. Like Israel, we can foolishly corrupt good gifts from God by using them to celebrate other gods. We take God’s good gift of time and celebrate the god of laziness. We take God’s good gift of our talents and celebrate the god of selfish pride. We take God’s good gift of money and celebrate the god of materialism. Sadly, even though this celebration may cause temporary happiness — surely the Israelites were happy in the moment — it robs us of eternal joy. The good news is that while sin leads to corruption, God offers us the greatest gift, salvation through His Son, which leads to the celebration of the fullness of life (Rom. 6:23).
Appeal for Grace (11–14)
This description of God’s reaction to Israel’s blatant disregard for His mercy and grace is very believable. After all, how would you feel if you rescued someone from a burning building only to watch them snub you as they heaped lavish praise and thanksgiving on the arsonist? God’s anger is believable. What’s unbelievable is God’s mercy. Imagine the scene: Moses appealed to God for mercy against the backdrop of impious and insulting festivities that could be heard throughout the valley. Moses interceded for the people despite Israel’s sin; unbelievably, God showed mercy despite Israel’s sin. Why? Not because Israel deserved another chance. Certainly not because Israel was worthy of God’s mercy. No, God showed Israel mercy despite their sin because He makes and keeps His promises. The promise God kept that day is ultimately fulfilled in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). Like Israel, we too deserve judgment. Like Israel, we too have a mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ. By faith, despite our sin, we can be declared righteous and “have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1).
Share with others: