Exodus 32
Golden calf of Aaronverses 1-6
And when the people saw that Moses DELAYED
to come down out of the mount
the people gathered themselves together to Aaron
and said to him
Up – 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 Aaron said to them
Break off the golden earrings – which are in the ears of your
wives – sons – daughters – and bring them unto me
And all the people brake off the golden earrings which
were in their ears and brought them to Aaron
And he received them at their hand
and FASHIONED it with a graving tool
after he had made it a MOLTEN CALF
and they said
These be your gods – O Israel
which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt
And when Aaron saw it – he built an altar before it
and Aaron made proclamation and said
Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD
And they rose up early on the morrow – and offered burnt offerings
and brought peace offerings
and the people SAT DOWN to EAT and to DRINK
and ROSE UP TO PLAY
LORD tells Moses what people had doneverses 7-10
And the LORD
said to Moses
Go – get you down
FOR your people – which you brought out of the land of Egypt
have CORRUPTED themselves
They have TURNED ASIDE quickly out of the way
which I commanded them
They have MADE them a MOLTEN CALF
and have WORSHIPPED it and have SACRIFICED thereunto
and said –These be your gods – O Israel
which have brought you up
out of the land of Egypt
And the LORD said to Moses – I have seen this people
and behold it is a STIFFNECKED people
Now therefore – LET ME ALONE
that MY wrath may wax hot against them
AND that I may CONSUME them
AND I will MAKE of you a GREAT NATION
Moses asks the LORD not to destroy peopleverses 11-13
And Moses besought the LORD his God
and said
LORD – why does YOUR wrath wax hot against YOUR people
which YOU have brought forth out of the land of Egypt
with great power and with a mighty hand?
Wherefore should the Egyptians speak – and say
For mischief did HE bring them out
to slay them in the mountains
to consume them form the face of the earth?
TURN from YOUR fierce wrath and REPENT of this evil against
YOUR people
REMEMBER Abraham – Isaac – Israel – YOUR servants
to whom YOU sware by YOUR OWN SELF
and said unto them
I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven
and all this land that I have spoken of will I give
to your seed and they shall INHERIT it for ever
LORD relentsverse 14
And the LORD REPENTED of the evil which HE thought to do
to HIS people
Moses returns with two tabletsverses 15-18
And Moses turned – and went down form the mount
and the TWO TABLES of the TESTIMONY were in his hand
the TABLES were written on both their sides
on the one side and on the other were they written
and the TABLES were the WORK of God
and the WRITING was the WRITING of God
graven upon the TABLES
And Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted
he said unto Moses – There is a noise of WAR in the camp
And he said – It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery
neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome
BUT the noise of them that SING do I hear
Moses destroys tablets and golden calfverses 19-24
And it came to pass – as soon as he came nigh to 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 strewed it on the water
and made the children of Israel drink of it
And Moses said to Aaron
What did this people to you
that you have brought so great a SIN upon them?
And Aaron said
Let not the anger of my lord wax hot
you know the people that they are SET on MISCHIEF
FOR they said to 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 to them
Whosoever has 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 asks “Who is on the LORD’S side”verses 25-29
And when Moses saw that the people were NAKED
(for Aaron had made them naked to their shame
among their enemies)
THEN Moses stood in the gate of the came
and said
WHO IS ON THE LORD’S SIDE?
let him come unto me
And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him
and he said unto them
This says the LORD God of Israel
Put every man his sword by his side
and go in and out from gate to gate
throughout the camp
and slay every man his brother and
and every man his companion
and every man his neighbor
And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses
and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men
FOR Moses had said
Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD
even every man upon his son – and on his brother
that HE may bestow on you a blessing this day
Moses asks forgiveness for the peopleverses 30-32
And it came to pass on the morrow – that Moses said to the people
You have SINNED a GREAT SIN
and now I will go up to the LORD
peradventure I shall make an
ATONEMENT for your SIN
And Moses returned to the LORD
and said
Oh – this people have SINNED a GREAT SIN
and have made them gods of gold
Yet now – if YOU will FORGIVE their SIN
and if not – BLOT me – I pray YOU
out of YOUR book which YOU have WRITTEN
LORD going to hold people responsibleverses 33-35
And the LORD
said to Moses
Whosoever has SINNED against ME
him will I BLOT out of MY BOOK
Therefore now go – lead the people to the
place of which I have spoken to you
BEHOLD – MINE Angel shall go before you
nevertheless in the day when I visit
I will visit their SIN on them
And the LORD PLAGUED the people
BECAUSE they made the CALF – which Aaron made
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 12 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: you know the people, that they are set on mischief. (7464 “mischief” [ra’] means evil, wickedness, wicked, hurt, bad, trouble, affliction, adversity, reprobate, or morally depraved)
DEVOTION: Here we have the High Priest of Israel confronted by his brother the leader of the children of Israel.
Moses had just come down from the mountain after pleading with the LORD not to destroy the rest of the children of Israel because of their sin against HIM. He based his plea on God’s promise to make descendants of the Abraham, Isaac and Jacob into a great nation. God refrained from punishing Israel.
Now Moses is off the mountain and witnesses the people worshiping the golden calf that Aaron had made for the people. He asks him a question regarding the golden calf and Aaron says he just throw the gold into the fire and out came the calf. It was a lie!!
He also states that Moses the type of people the children of Israel are because they are prone to being morally depraved. He blames them for the golden calf even though he provided it for them instead of refusing to make a false god for them to worship.
Aaron has no backbone. It is a wonder that the LORD didn’t take him out of the office of high priest and yet HE didn’t require it or kill Aaron. God truly is longsuffering.
What about our relationship to the LORD? When we are confronted to we answer properly and take the blame for the things we have done or have we lied about it or blamed other people for our sin.
Aaron didn’t want to confront the people and just said to Moses that it is just what they normally do anyway. He was the spiritual leader who was supposed to lead them closer to the LORD not further away.
CHALLENGE: Do we make excuses for our sin? Do we encourage other people to sin? If we are spiritual leaders, we need to stand up for what is right in the eyes of the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.( 5162 “repented” [nacham] to sigh, breathe strongly, to be sorry, to pity, comfort self, or have compassion)
DEVOTION: The concepts taught in this chapter have a great deal to do with our Biblical worldview. A Biblical worldview is based on our beliefs regarding God. One of those beliefs relates to whether God could ever do “evil.” Another belief has to do with whether we believe that God changes HIS mind. A third belief deals with whether we believe that God knew everything before HE created the world. A fourth belief relates to how God works in the lives of believers. All these beliefs are important.
The first belief deals with the word “evil.” Does God ever tempt people to do evil? The answer given in Scripture is NO!!! If HE never tempts people to do evil, does HE do evil? NO!!! HE is always GOOD. What is this verse talking about then? God is speaking from a human perspective. If God causes people to die, we have a tendency to think that it is bad. God looks at sin as evil and HE shows HIS wrath to those who practice evil. The children of Israel made a false god in the form of a calf and worshiped it. That is sin in God’s eyes.
The second belief deals with our view on WHOM God is. Does HE have a plan A and a plan B and a plan C. Or does HE just have a plan A? We have to think about this. Was God’s plan established before the foundation of the world? IF yes, then there is no plan B. Do the events that happen in the world ever surprise God? The answer has to be NO!!! HE knows the beginning from the end. HE calls people before they are born. Does that mean we have no choice? NO!!! HE just knows our choice before the beginning of the world. HE only has a plan A for our life.
The third belief is covered in the last paragraph. HE does know all things. HE is omnipotent.
Finally, when HE works in the lives of those in the Old Testament as well as in our lives HE wants us to think through what is happening. HE is causing Moses to think through what is happening and what he should say in response to the events. HE did the same thing with Abraham when HE told him to take Isaac into the mountain to sacrifice him. Abraham knew the promise of God. Abraham knew that the promise was coming through the seed of Isaac. This was a test. Abraham passed the test. The same thing is true here. God is testing Moses and his ability to think through what God had told him regarding the future of the people. Moses knew the promise that was made by God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He knew that God never lies. He knew that God was going to take the children of Israel to the Promised Land and show the Egyptians that HE was the LORD of the universe.
This chapter is a great illustration of our communication with God. The LORD told Moses that he was the one who led the people out of Egypt and that the children of Israel were his people.
Moses told the LORD that the children of Israel were HIS people and that HE led them out of Egypt. The LORD told Moses that HE wanted to destroy the children of Israel for their lack of faith in HIM. Moses told the LORD that the Egyptians would be able to hold God accountable if HE destroyed the people. Moses also told God that HE had promised Abraham, Isaac and Israel that HE would give them the land.
Moses was saying that God was breaking HIS promise if HE destroyed the children of Israel. The LORD told Moses that HE could make a great nation out of him alone. Moses asked the LORD to not consume the people for their sin.
The LORD had compassion and always will have compassion on HIS people. HE didn’t consume the people because of HIS promises in the past.
Our prayers do influence God. Moses was even telling the obedient people to consecrate themselves and maybe the LORD would send a blessing their way.
We need to remember that our God loves us and wants us to keep in close fellowship with HIM. HE wants us to communicate with HIM. Our communication makes a difference. It causes us to think correctly regarding how God works in our world.
Does God know what HE is going to do before HE does it? YES! Does HE know what we are going to say before we say it? YES!! Should we just not say it? NO!!!
Moses’ intercession for those around him made a difference from his perspective. Does our communication with God make a difference from our perspective? It should!! God wants us to pray. Are we praying for others as we should?
CHALLENGE: Remember: “For it is God which works in you both to will and to do of HIS good pleasure.” What is happening in our life is according to HIS plan A and for our good.
: 29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every man on his son, and on his brother; that he may bestow on you a blessing this day.(4390 “Consecrate” [male’] means to be full, devote, fulfil, accomplish, fullness, fill up, or be complete)
DEVOTION: Moses called for those who would be faithful to the LORD to come forward for a time of service. The sons of Levi came forward to serve the LORD. He had asked who was on the LORD’S side.
They were commanded to go among the people with the sword. They were to go throughout the camp and kill those who were not willing to repent of their sin. They killed three thousand men.
Now Moses commended them for their obedience to the LORD. He told them that the LORD would bless them for their actions. They were serving notice to the people that obedience would be rewarded.
We are not called to kill people because they are not faithful to the LORD. We are called to warn people of coming judgment if they chose to not follow the LORD. We have to show what is going to happen through the use of the Bible to those who reject Jesus Christ.
The children of Israel by their actions were showing that they rejected the God who really brought them out of Egypt. They were inventing their own god to worship. This is very displeasing to the LORD.
We can invent our own gods to worship and think that we are doing good but in the eyes of the LORD any false god is evil. Ask the LORD if you have any false god in your life.
True obedience is following only the LORD Jesus Christ every day of your life. HE will direct your path for you to go. Speak and act for the LORD and HE will bless you.
CHALLENGE: Fill your hand with service to the LORD.
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 33 And the LORD said to Moses, Whosoever, has sinned against ME, him will I blot out of MY book. (4229 “will I blot out” [machah] means to destroy, wipe out, wash off, to wipe clean, obliterate, exterminate or annihilate)
DEVOTION: The LORD does keep a book of life in which are written all the names of those who will be in heaven for eternity. In this book there seems to be people who will have their name blotted out before the foundation of the world because the LORD knows whether they will follow HIM or not.
Here we have a group in the wilderness that have chosen to worship the golden calf and not repented of their sin. They were the truly stubborn sinners of the group. They saw Moses’ reaction to the golden calf and he called for those who would be on the LORD’S side and only the Levites followed him.
Moses goes to the LORD and asks for forgiveness for all the children of Israel and the LORD says no. HE states that there is a group of unrepentant sinners who will have to pay the consequences for their sins because of their failure to repent personally to the LORD.
Moses offers the LORD that HE could just blot out his name and let the rest live. The LORD says it doesn’t work that way. Each person has to answer for his/her own sins before HIM. No one can take their place.
The book of life is going to be opened at the Great White Throne Judgment to show those who are standing there that their names are blotted out because of the choices they had made in life.
The offer of salvation is real. Only those who become followers of the LORD will be saved. HE will cast those who reject HIS offer of salvation into the Lake of Fire that burns for eternity. They will have company but they still will not enjoy it. Remember the devil and his angels will be there too.
CHALLENGE: Is your name written in the book of life with no blot spot there? If not, the choice is yours. Choose wisely!!!!
: 34 Therefore now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you: behold, MINE Angel shall go before you: nevertheless, in the day when I visit I will visit their sin on them. (6485 “visit” [paqad] means 1 to attend to, muster, number, reckon, visit, punish, appoint, look after, care for. 1a (Qal). 1a1 to pay attention to, observe. 1a2 to attend to. 1a3 to seek, look about for. 1a4 to seek in vain, need, miss, lack. 1a5 to visit. 1a6 to visit upon, punish. 1a7 to pass in review, muster, number. 1a8 to appoint, assign, lay upon as a charge, deposit. 1b (Niphal). 1b1 to be sought, be needed, be missed, be lacking. 1b2 to be visited. 1b3 to be visited upon. 1b4 to be appointed. 1b5 to be watched over. 1c (Piel) to muster, call up. 1d (Pual) to be passed in review, be caused to miss, be called, be called to account. 1e (Hiphil). 1e1 to set over, make overseer, appoint an overseer. 1e2 to commit, entrust, commit for care, deposit. 1f (Hophal). 1f1 to be visited. 1f2 to be deposited. 1f3 to be made overseer, be entrusted. 1g (Hithpael) numbered. 1h (Hothpael) numbered. 2 musterings, expenses. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship].)
DEVOTION: Many of us remember the inspection visits we would get in the military when a commander would come to inspect us. It was a time of intense straightening up and cleaning to get prepared for him to come. Never would one consider such a duty call to be a pleasurable or leisurely.
Now God is telling Israel that He is coming to visit them. Again, this creates the picture of a commander inspecting his troops. God is coming with the plan to reward both good and bad for their actions. He promises to repay evil people for their evil. This reminds us that God does not settle all of His accounts in this life right away. Rather, there will come a day when God does reward both the righteous and the unrighteous (Matthew 25). He warns us of this so that we will be ready when He returns.
CHALLENGE: God’s judgment is guaranteed when He returns. Are you looking forward expectantly to the return of Jesus Christ? (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
LORD had a book writtenverses 32, 33
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Moses besought the LORD for peopleverse 11
Moses asked LORD to repent of wrathverse 12
LORD repented of wrathverse 14
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
Atonement for sinverse 30
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Abrahamverse 13
Isaacverse 13
Jacob or Israelverse 13
Two tables of testimony [work of God]verses 15, 16
Writing of Godverse 16
Joshuaverse 17
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, 26, 27, 29-31, 33, 35
LORD speaking to Mosesverses 7-10
Wrath of Godverses 10-12
LORD wants to consume Israelverse 10
Promises to make a great nation of Mosesverse 10
God (Elohim) verses 11, 16, 27
LORD his Godverse 11
LORD brought Israel: great powerverse 11
LORD brought Israel: mighty handverse 11
Promises Abraham, Isaac and Israel to multiply Israel as the stars of heavenverse 13
LORD repented of evilverse 14
Work of Godverse 16
Writing of Godverse 16
LORD’S sideverse 26
LORD God of Israelverse 27
Book the LORD has writtenverse 32
LORD says HE will blot out only those who have sinnedverse 33
LORD them to follow HIS angelverse 34
LORD plagued the peopleverse 35
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
Angelverse 34
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Land of Egyptverses 1, 4, 7, 8, 11
Egyptians sayverse 12
God brought them out for mischief
God slayed them in the mountain
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Making false godsverses 1, 4, 8, 19-20, 23, 31
Aaron agrees to make false godverse 2
People giving money for false godverse 3
Molten calfverses 4, 8, 19, 20
False claim regarding false godverses 4, 8
Altar for false godverse 5
Party to worship false godverse 6
Corruptedverse 7
Turn aside quicklyverse 8
Worshiped false godverse 8
Sacrifice to molten calfverse 8
Stiffneckedverse 9
Mischiefverses 12, 22
Singing to false godsverse 18
Dancing to false godverse 19
Moses angerverse 19
Sinverses 21, 30-34
Mischiefverse 22
Naked dancingverse 25
Sinned a great sinverse 30
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Servantsverse 13
Promiseverse 13
Consecrateverse 29
Atonementverse 30
Forgiveverse 32
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Mosesverses 1, 7-35
LORD said to Moses: Go down
Make a great nation of him
Pleads with LORD to turn from
His fierce wrath and repent
Tells God to remember Abraham,
Isaac and Israel
Went down with two tables of testimony
Anger waxed hot
Cast the tables and broke them
Took the calf and burnt it
Ground it to power
Made the children of Israel drink it
Confronts Aaron
Tells him of his great sin
Aaron blames people for his sin
Confronts children of Israel
Who is on the LORD’s side?
Come to him
Sons of Levi gathered to him
And kill those who would not repent
Told people to Consecrate yourselves
Asks LORD to forgive their sin
Asks not to be blotted out of HIS book written
Aaronverses 1-6, 21- 25, 35
Asked for golden earrings
Fashioned it with a graving tool
Molten calf
Built a altar
Proclaimed a feast to the LORD
Offered false burnt offerings
Offered false peace offerings
People sat down to eat and drink
and rose up to play
Confronted by Moses regarding calf
Told Moses that calf just came out
Caused people to be naked
Israelverses 4, 8
Feast to the LORDverse 5
God’s peopleverses 11, 12
Promise of Godverse 13
stars of heaven
Joshuaverse 17
Thought it was noise of war
Heard their singing
Children of Israel: drink powered false godverse 20
Sons of Levi gathered around Mosesverses 26-28
Told to kill those sinning
Killed three thousand men
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things(Future Events)
Israel inherit land for eververse 13
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QUOTES regarding passage
6 After making an attempt to honor the Lord with their offerings, the people satisfied their own desires and proceeded to “indulge in revelry.” The verb ṣāḥaq signifies drunken, immoral orgies and sexual play (“conjugal caresses,” BDB, p. 850; cf. Gen 26:8; 39:14, 17). (Kaiser, W. C., Jr. (1990). Exodus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 478). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
32:5–6. Aaron then made an altar, and the next day in a festival to the Lord.… the people offered burnt offerings and … fellowship offerings. But then their activities led to revelry (cf. 1 Cor. 10:7; ṣāḥaq suggests immorality). This violated the seventh commandment (Ex. 20:14). Singing and dancing were included (32:18–19) and they were “running wild” (v. 25). Immorality often accompanies idolatry (Rom. 1:22–24). Yet they supposed they were worshiping the true God! (Hannah, J. D. (1985). Exodus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 155). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
Israel’s lust for idols was born in Egypt and still worked in their hearts (Josh. 24:14; Ezek. 20:4–9; 23:3, 8). Aaron fed that appetite by giving the people what they wanted. Much is being said these days about “meeting the felt needs of people,” but here was a nation that didn’t know what its needs really were. They thought they needed an idol, but what they really needed was faith in their great God who had revealed Himself so powerfully to them. Israel exchanged the glory of the true and living God for the image of an animal (Ps. 106:19–23), which means they acted like the heathen nations around them (Rom. 1:22–27). Many people can rise early to sin but not to pray. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1998). Be delivered (p. 166). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub.)
32:6 rose up to play. The Heb. word allows for the inclusion of drunken and immoral activities so common to idolatrous fertility cults in their revelry (see the description in vv. 7, 25). Syncretism had robbed the people of all ethical alertness and moral discernment (cf. 1Co 10:7). (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ex 32:6). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 6. And they rose up early in the morning, &c.] Being eager of, and intent upon their idol-worship: and offered burnt-offerings; upon the altar Aaron had made, where they were wholly consumed: and brought peace-offerings; which were to make a feast to the Lord, and of which they partook: and the people sat down to eat and to drink; as at a feast: and rose up to play; to dance and sing, as was wont to be done by the Egyptians in the worship of their Apis or Ox; and Philo the Jew says, of the Israelites, that having made a golden ox, in imitation of the Egyptian Typho, he should have said Osiris, for Typho was hated by the Egyptians, being the enemy of Osiris; they sung and danced: the Targums of Jonathan and Jerusalem interpret it of idolatry; some understand this of their lewdness and uncleanness, committing fornication as in the worship of Peor, taking the word in the same sense as used by Potiphar’s wife, Gen. 39:14, 17 see the note on 1 Cor. 10:7. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 510). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
We must note that it was the people who said, ‘These be thy gods, O Israel!’ Aaron seems to keep in the rear, as it were. He makes the calf, and hands it over, and leaves them to hail it and worship. Like all cowards, he thought that he was lessening his guilt by thus keeping in the background. Feeble natures are fond of such subterfuges, and deceive themselves by them; but they do not shift their sin off their shoulders.
Then he comes in again with an impotent attempt to diminish the gravity of the revolt. ‘When he saw this,’ he tried to turn the flood into another channel, and so proclaimed a ‘feast to Jehovah’!—as if He could be worshipped by flagrant defiance of His commandments, or as if He had not been disavowed by the ascription to the calf, made that morning out of their own trinkets, of the deliverance from Egypt. A poor, inconsequential attempt to save appearances and hallow sin by writing God’s name on it! The ‘god’ whom the Israelites worshipped under the image of a calf, was no less another ‘god before Me,’ though it was called by the name of Jehovah. If the people had their idol, it mattered nothing to them, and it mattered as little to Jehovah, what ‘name’ it bore. The wild orgies of the morrow were not the worship which He accepts.
What a contrast between the plain and the mountain! Below, the shameful feast, with its parody of sacrifice and its sequel of lust-inflamed dancing; above, the awful colloquy between the all-seeing righteous Judge and the intercessor! The people had cast off Jehovah, and Jehovah no more calls them ‘My,’ but ‘thy people.’ They had ascribed their Exodus first to Moses, and next to the calf. Jehovah speaks of it as the work of Moses. (MacLaren, A. (2009). Expositions of Holy Scripture: Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers (pp. 174–175). Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
JONATHAN EDWARDS for Armchair Theologians by James P. Byrd
But Edwards observed that God’s highest form of beauty was moral excellence, a special form of God’s beauty and goodness that only a creature with moral sensibilities could appreciate. (p. 130)
In 1947, in the midst of his first crusade in Los Angeles, the famous American evangelist Billy Graham chose for the L.A. multitudes was none other than Jonathan Edwards’s “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” (p. 155)
Malachi 3
Malachi charges the Israelites with robbing God and refusing to acknowledge it.
INSIGHT The Israelites who returned to Jerusalem have grown comfortable, complacent, and arrogantly insensitive. Through His messenger Malachi, God confronts the Israelites with their complacency. He charges that the priests are despising His name and defiling His altar. God says He will no longer accept their offerings. He states that the Israelites have been wearisome to Him with their words. God asks them to return to Him. He reproaches them for robbing Him. The Israelites have hardened their hearts, and they no longer feel the pull of God in their lives. The result is a barren period of 400 years with no word from God. Be certain that you respond to the work of God in your heart—lest you experience spiritual barrenness. (Quiet Walk)
THE TWO DISPENSATIONS UNITED
The just shall live by his faith. Habakkuk 2:4
My fifth proof of there being one covenant is that clearly, according to the Scriptures, there is only one way of obtaining salvation and all those blessings, and that is the way of faith. All the Old Testament saints believed explicitly in God, and they exercised faith. In Habakkuk 2:4 we read, “The just shall live by his faith.” This is the theme and the message of the Old Testament from beginning to end; and–for example, in Hebrews 11–it is reiterated in the New Testament. Paul, quoting from Habakkuk, says in Romans 1:17, “The just shall live by faith,” and this is the theme of all his epistles.
But Paul puts it still more clearly and specifically in Romans 4:23-25, where, referring to Abraham, he says, “Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; but for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.” It is clear that we receive justification by faith, exactly as Abraham received it by faith. For one more example under this heading, read again from the end of Hebrews 10 through chapter 11 to the beginning of chapter 12. It is the same truth, elaborated at length.
The sixth proof is that there is only one mediator under the two dispensations–the same mediator, the Lord Jesus Christ–“the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8). Take the promise made to Adam about the seed of the woman. God says that salvation is going to happen in that way, and other Scriptures prove that the seed of the woman is no other than the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the mediator in the Old Testament types–they all point to Him; also the prophecies all point to Him. It is always the Lord Himself.
A Thought to Ponder: It is clear that we receive justification by faith, exactly as Abraham received it by faith.
(From God the Father, God the Son, p. 239, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)
The Omniscience of God
“O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.” (Psalm 139:1)
The marvelous 139th Psalm consists of a prayer by King David to his King, the omniscient, omnipresent, holy Creator God, the King of kings. In this psalm David reflects on and praises God for His majestic attributes, and by doing so is driven to introspection.
David claims that God knows when we sit down or stand up (v. 2). He even knows our thoughts (v. 2). Furthermore, He knows our direction and habits (v. 3). He knows our words better than we do ourselves (v. 4). In everything, God knows and guides (v. 5). “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me” (v. 6), David claims, and neither he nor we, trapped as we are in finiteness, can comprehend this omniscience.
Where can we go to escape His omnipresence (v. 7)? Neither to heaven nor hell (v. 8). Not to the air or the sea (v. 9). Neither darkness nor light (vv. 11-12) can shield us from His presence. In all, He leads and guides (v. 10).
Thinking such lofty thoughts should compel us to praise and thankfulness as it did David, especially as it relates to our own creation and growth. God knew us in the womb (v. 13) and controlled each stage of our embryonic development (vv. 14-16). He knew and planned all the events of our lives (v. 16). “How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God!” (v. 17). They are innumerable (vv. 17-18).
Reflection on God’s holiness makes David painfully aware of his own sinfulness, as it should us. Recognition of God’s nature should bring us to a place of submission and a desire for holiness, as well as a yearning to follow fully the omniscient God. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (vv. 23-24).
(JDM, The Institute for Creation Research)
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