Remember when Moses went up the mountain and God gave him the Ten Commandments? Moses was up there for forty days. And what did the people do? They worried. They fretted about the absence of their leader and told his brother Aaron, “Come, make us a god who will go before us, because we don’t know what has happened to Moses.” Exodus 32:1.
How did Aaron reply? Did he remind them of the ten plagues? Did he say, “Don’t you know that God just destroyed all the idols of Egypt? Our God is a miracle worker, the only real God, the God of Gods! How can you turn on Him so quickly?”
No.
Instead, Aaron said, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” Exodus 32:2. And you know the rest—Aaron made a golden calf. By the time Moses came down the mountain, the sons of Israel were dancing and worshipping the calf like naked pagans drinking blood in some dark ritual. What happened?
Normally this is where I would point to a verse that explains the Hebrews’ fall. But not this time. It gets worse.
Not only did the people witness the plagues, and cross the sea on dry land. Not only did God work never-before-seen miracles. But just before Moses went up the mountain, God did something even more extraordinary.
Moses, Aaron, Aaron’s sons, and seventy of the leaders of Israel—men from every tribe—SAW GOD.
“They saw the God of Israel. Beneath His feet was something like a pavement of sapphire stone, as clear as the sky itself. God did not harm the Israelite nobles [as expected, because no one can see God and live], they saw Him, and they ate and drank. Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Come up to Me on the mountain and stay there so that I may give you the stone tablets…’” Exodus 24:9-12.
When Moses went up the mountain, his brother Aaron, Aaron’s two sons, and another SEVENTY leaders had just seen God. They SAW HIM. It must have been an awesome vision. How many people on earth have EVER seen anything like that?
Where were these men when the people started fretting about Moses? Where were these leaders when the people started crying out for an idol? Aaron was a part of every conversation Moses had with Pharaoh. Why didn’t Aaron step up? What about his sons, and the other seventy men? THESE 73 MEN HAD SEEN GOD.
But when Moses came down the mountain, the people had turned their backs on God and were worshipping one of Egypt’s recently-humiliated idols, a golden calf.
This was a failure of leadership. Hundreds of thousands saw the miracles. An additional 74 men had seen God. But only Moses could destroy the idol and turn the people back to God. The other 73 men were passive.
Only Moses had grown up with power and privilege in the home of Pharaoh. All the others were slaves, raised by generations of slaves. They were not used to making their own decisions. They were not used to self-control, self-determination, or self-discipline. They still thought like slaves, allowing other people or their own emotions or passions to determine their choices. SELF-RELIANCE, an ancient American value, is impossible for slaves—they are trained NOT to rely on themselves.
SLAVES ARE NOT USED TO MAKING THEIR OWN DECISIONS. SLAVES DON’T TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THEIR ACTIONS. SLAVES ARE PASSIVE, CONTROLLED BY OTHERS AND UNABLE TO MAKE CHOICES OR EXERCISE WILL POWER–THE POWER OF THE WILL. BUT YOU ARE NO LONGER A SLAVE.
You and I are not slaves. We have never been slaves. May it never be that we are so passive we allow ourselves to be led into sin. We must FIGHT temptations. We must FIGHT peer pressure. We must FIGHT laziness and compromise. We must FIGHT the fear that keeps us from speaking up and taking a stand for God. We must FIGHT for what’s right. God has blessed us. We have seen amazing things, we have attended an amazing church, we have seen God move. We must never tolerate the creeping allegiance to the idols of this world. We must say no to things. We must FIGHT to remain true and loyal and obedient to Jesus.
Are you fighting the good fight today?
ΑΩ
Household Words: 