Enthusiasm does not protect against disagreements
Series: Follow me | Bible text: 1 John 1:9; Exodus 32:1–6. 19–20
The people of Israel joyfully made a covenant with God. But just a few weeks later, they renounced their God. Their initial enthusiasm did not protect them from a disagreement. They exchanged God for something much worse. Followers of Jesus are also in danger of exchanging a life of abundance and freedom for a life that is dominated by a few things. But God forgives us for such missteps. However, we may have to bear the consequences – that’s how seriously God takes our decisions.
Enthusiasm does not protect against mistakes!
God made a covenant with Israel on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24). The people agreed to this covenant twice and said that they would abide by it. After the covenant was made, Moses went up the mountain with over seventy other leaders. There they ate in the presence of God and saw him! It was a very intimate moment. After a while, everyone went back down the mountain, except Moses and his servant Joshua stayed behind. Moses met God there for 40 days. «The glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai and the cloud covered it for six days. On the seventh day, the LORD called Moses out of the cloud. The glory of the LORD was seen füfor the Israelites like a blazing fire on the mountaintop. Moses went straight into the cloud and climbed further up the mountain. 40 days and 40 nähe stayed on the mountain» (Exodus 24:16–18 NLB). During the time Moses stayed on the mountain, he appointed Aaron and Hur as his representatives for the Israelites. Here I would like to briefly note the following again: The people saw the glory of God on the mountaintop from below. Seventy leading men of the people met God on the mountain. The people had made a covenant with God almost forty days ago and were certainly enthusiastic about it. But they could not stand the tension of Moses» absence. «When Moses did not come down from the mountain for a long time, the people went together to Aaron. «Come on! Make us a god who will lead us,» they urged him. «We don’t know what happened to this Moses who brought us here from Egypt» » (Exodus 32:1 NLB). There is a great difference between the God of Israel, including our God, and other deities. This difference is in the second of the ten words/commandments. This comes immediately after the instruction that the people should have no other gods and states that they should not make images of God. That is how it is: We don’t know what God looks like. However, this was not the case in the environment of the Israelites. The Egyptians and the peoples living in the desert had gods they could touch. They were made of earthly materials. Since the people came from Egypt, they knew these gods that could be touched and looked at. So they also wanted to have such a god. Fortunately, the leaders of the Israelites had been on the mountain shortly before and met God. So they were able to stand firm – unfortunately No. We don’t know why, but Aaron caved in to the Israelites» demands. Aaron and Hur were put in charge of the Israelites by Moses. From this moment onwards, Hur is no longer mentioned. There is a reason for this in Jewish, non-biblical tradition. There is the idea that Hur refused to do this and was therefore killed by the people. Since Aaron wanted to save his skin, he finally agreed to this wish of the people.
A tension arises here that still plays out in our lives today. It is about the relationship between experiencing God and the position that God is God and therefore does not have to show himself/be experienced. One position says that God is an experienceable, real God and therefore he shows himself to me – if there is a God, then a real experience is indispensable. The other position states in the extreme that God does not show himself because he is God – but he is nevertheless real. However, there is also a middle way in this tension. Yes, God is God and does not have to show himself. But he wanted to show himself in Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, he remains God even when I do not experience him. Unfortunately, we have to endure this tension. But we also see in this story that the encounter with God does not make us more steadfast.
Bad bartering
Aaron finally agreed and told the Israelites to collect their gold earrings «Aaron took the gold from them, melted it down and used it to make an idol in the shape of a calf. Then the people shouted: «This is your God, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt! When Aaron saw this, he erected an altar in front of the calf and proclaimedüned: «Tomorrow we are celebrating a party forür the Lord!» Am näThe next morning the Israelites stoodüh to offer burnt offerings and peace offerings. Afterwards, they sat down to eat and drink and celebrated a lavish, extravagant feast» (Exodus 32:4–6 NLB). The Israelites worshipped this calf. But in doing so, they made a bad bargain. They wanted to worship God, but they also wanted to have an image of him. The psalmist makes a retroperspective on this bad barter. «On Mount Sinai, the people made themselves a calf and bowed down to a golden idol. They exchanged their glorious God for the image of a grass-eating ox!» (Psalm 106:19–20 NLB). Just imagine. They had a covenant with God that was bigger, more powerful and also more incomprehensible than anything they knew. But they wanted a calf. They knew that and they even owned it. This is an image for us humans. We would like to have a god, but we have to be able to control it and hold it in our hands. But in the end, this is a bad trade-off. Because only something that is outside of us is able to support us in difficult times.
Followers of Jesus say that he is their most important thing. But they often make a bad trade. Instead of a life of freedom, they allow themselves to be ruled by things. Instead of a life of abundance, they cling to a few things on this earth. The Israelites would have had the presence of God. But they exchanged it for something they knew. Namely against gods as they knew them from Egypt and their environment. This again shows what is emphasised in the quote that has already been quoted a lot in this year’s theme. «It took one night to bring Israel out of Egypt. But it took 40 years to bring Egypt out of Israel» (Quote unknown). The same applies to followers of Jesus Christ. It only takes a moment to move from the old life to a new one with Jesus Christ. But it often takes years (if not until death) to bring the old habits out of the follower of Jesus. Even later, Israel repeatedly fails at this point. Namely, that they formed an image of God. When Israel was divided in two, the kings of the northern kingdom repeatedly made an image of God. This was their favourite mistake. We too have such habits, which we seem to find difficult to break.
God forgives – the consequences can remain
When God made his covenant with the people, the Israelites agreed that following and disobeying their actions would have consequences. At this point, Moses was still on the mountain in the presence of God. God made him aware of what was happening down in the valley. Moses made his way into the valley with the tablets of the covenant, on which were the ten words. «As they approached the camp, Moses saw the calf and the people dancing around it. Enraged, he threw the stone tablets to the ground and smashed them at the foot of the mountain» (Exodus 32:19 NLB). Moses was so angry that he threw the tablets of stone on the ground. This clarifies and emphasises what had just happened. The tablets symbolise God’s covenant with the Israelites. But after just a few weeks, the Israelites broke this covenant because they had made an image of God. They violated the second commandment and this had consequences. «Moses took the calf they had made, burned it in the fire and pounded the ashes into dust. He scattered the dust in the water and then gave it to the people to drink» (Exodus 32:20 NLB). The people had to watch as the golden calf was destroyed. They also had to drink this water. So they suffered the consequences in their own bodies. At first the apostasy was outward, but by drinking it, it is a picture that their inner self has also fallen away from the covenant with God. It also had deadly consequences. Moses called on those who had remained faithful to God to march through the camp and take revenge on those who had taken part in the calf (Exodus 32:26–29). Three thousand men died in the process.
Followers of Jesus Christ say that he is the most important thing in their lives. They organise their lives according to him. If they do not live according to his instructions, this has consequences. But there is always the possibility of forgiveness. «But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all evil» (1 John 1:9 NLB). Sin means an action that does not correspond to God’s instructions. Every action that I do or fail to do has consequences. Not every action is in contradiction to God’s ordinances, but it does have consequences. The purpose of God’s ordinances of life is to offer us a life in abundance and freedom. God wants to protect us from difficult consequences. God forgives us in Jesus Christ, but I may have to drink the bitter water. This is not because God is evil, but because God takes my decision seriously! Where in your life have you bartered God for something else? Today there is an invitation to you to reverse this barter – this may be a longer journey. But it begins by recognising that you have made a bad trade and asking God for forgiveness.
Possible questions for the small group
Read the Bible text: Exodus 32:1–6. 19–20
- What do you think about the tension between «God is God regardless of whether he shows himself» and «God is only God when he shows himself»? How do you deal with people who see it differently? What could be wrong with their position?
- Where are you in danger of making an image of God so that he becomes more tangible for you?
- What does the sentence «It only takes a moment to give your life to Jesus Christ, but a lifetime to change your old habits» trigger in you?
- Where have you exchanged God for something bad in your life? Why do you find it difficult to undo this exchange?
- Where do you still bear the consequences of an action? What triggers the statement in you that this is so «because God takes our decision seriously!»?
