Loves God And Hates Sin

Loves God And Hates Sin

A HERO’S TALE

Was Moses dead? Did he fall into a pit? Did he get attacked by a pack of angry squirrels? Did he hop on a camel and head for the nearest beach? Nobody knew.

In Exodus 32, the people of Israel had no idea what had happened to their leader. Forty days earlier, God had called Moses up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments and other laws for the nation. But there had been no sign of Moses since.

The Israelites grew impatient. So they asked Aaron to make a golden calf idol for them to worship, just like they saw when they were in Egypt. It was a terrible request because God had told them (1) they must only worship him and (2) they must not make any images to represent him.

By this time, Moses (who, yes, was still alive) had started down the mountain. But when he heard loud noises like a party from below, he looked down and saw the people worshiping the calf.

Moses, you might say, was a wee bit angry. He hurled down the Ten Commandments, smashing the stone tablets to bits at the foot of the mountain. Then he rushed to the golden calf, crushed it into powder, mixed the powder with water, and forced the Israelites to drink it. After that, he had 3,000 of the idolaters killed.

Yep, Moses was not a happy camper.

DECODING THE MESSAGE

You might be thinking, Temper, temper, Moses! But in this instance, Moses’ anger wasn’t wrong. It was directed at Israel’s wickedness. Moses loved God and hated sin too much to let the people continue in their wicked ways.

We should follow Moses’ example. No, we’re not talking about smashing things to pieces or forcing your friends to drink bitter water. We’re talking about Moses’ example of loving God and hating sin. More than anything, it’s an attitude of our hearts.

God isn’t okay with our loving him mostly, but liking sin a little. No, God wants our whole hearts. Like Moses, we should passionately love God, seek to serve him, and avoid sin like it’s a contagious disease.

Growing in godliness doesn’t happen overnight. It’s a process. The Bible calls this process “sanctification.” We’re not always going to do it perfectly. But as we grow to love God more and more, our desire to sin will become less and less.

BATTLE PLAN

Identify a sin you really struggle with. Maybe it’s lying or being selfish or calling other people names. Then pray that God would give you the strength to overcome it.