Day 42

Exodus 32:1–33:23; Matthew 26:69–27:14; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 8:33-36

“TAKE THE GOLD rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me,” Aaron told the children of Israel (Exodus 32:2).

Moses had been atop Mount Sinai a long time, receiving the comprehensive instructions from God that we’ve been reading for several days. The people were getting antsy.

“‘Come on,’ they said, ‘make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt’” (Exodus 32:1).

I know. How could this happen after all God had brought them through?

God thought the same thing. “Quick! Go down the mountain!” He told Moses. “Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt’” (Exodus 32:7-8).

The scene would almost be comical if it weren’t so heartbreaking. God had moved heaven and earth to set in motion a promise that had taken centuries to cultivate. He had shown not only His existence but also His mighty power in Egypt, and He had been feeding the people in the wilderness while leading them by a pillar of fire at night and a cloud by day. God was obviously in their midst. He had chosen them and wanted to know and be known by them. They knew the story they were part of, and yet there they were, bowing to an idol in worship.

This behavior would be comical in our own lives, too, if it weren’t equally heartbreaking. When God seems distant or the path is foggy, we often find ourselves ignoring the obvious —that God is more than present, and He’s been leading and sustaining us in ways we’ve chosen to ignore. Obsessed and compulsive, we search for anything that promises life —even if it will only bring death.

Let’s remember, anything that we give our hearts to in search of life that is not God is an idol, and we find ourselves bowing before these idols more often than we may realize. This is a big deal! Our tendency toward idolatry explains so much about the shape our lives are in at times, and we must pay attention. God is a jealous God —which is not to say that He’s an insecure and pouty God. God is faithful and loyal, and it breaks His heart when we betray Him. This is a sobering reality that we should press into.

The book of Proverbs gives us concise counsel about this very thing: “Whoever finds me finds life and receives favor from the LORD. But those who miss me injure themselves. All who hate me love death” (Proverbs 8:35-36).

WORSHIP:

The LORD merely spoke, and the heavens were created. He breathed the word, and all the stars were born. . . . Let the whole world fear the LORD, and let everyone stand in awe of him. For when he spoke, the world began! It appeared at his command.