Exodus 32:1

We see the Israelites finally free and not slaves anymore, but this is just the beginning. This is a new chapter in their lives. They are now on a journey in the wilderness to the promised land. This new journey would not be so simple. It would test their resilience and loyalty to God. The vast unforgiving wilderness also presented new challenges scarcity of water and food, the threat of enemies, the internal struggle of maintaining faith. This period was crucial in shaping their identity as a nation chosen by God.

Did you stay loyal to him?

Finally, after three months in the wilderness, the Israelites arrive at Mount Sinai, where we see Moses climb up to be with God. This now brings us to our passage for tonight. Exodus 32, 1.

When the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, The people gathered themselves together with Aaron and said to him, up, make us gods who should go before us. As for this, Moses the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.

We see from our passage that there are three main characters, Aaron, Moses, and the Israelites. We will start by looking at the Israelites. The Israelites, as we see, found themselves in a moment of betrayal to God.

But why? What could possibly have changed their mind, causing them to sin? Remember, not too long ago, they had seen the power of God. They had seen miracles happen. They had even got their prayer answered from God of not being slaves anymore. They saw God send plague after plague to Egypt. They saw pillars of cloud and fire lead them to the wilderness. God even parted them the Red Sea and gave them dry land to flee from their enemy. He even provided manna from heaven to nourish them and drinking water from a rock. Even after seeing miracles and God working so much for them, it's hard to believe the Israelites' hearts were so easily turned.

Before examining the Israelites, let's take a look at our own lives. Have we seen or experienced a miracle in our own lives? Or maybe you know someone who has. Maybe you've been in a serious car accident where you survived, or maybe you found yourself in a hospital bed seriously sick or hurt. You probably have wondered and questioned yourself, how did I survive? Let me tell you, it was not by your own power. not by your own will, but rather it was God who protected you, healed you, and saved you.

He's the one to thank for our existence today. The same God who performs all those miracles that we see, not only in Exodus, but throughout the Bible, is the same God who deserves our worship and our love. Have we taken the opportunity to thank and to be faithful worshipers to God, or are we more like the Israelites? They had the opportunity to serve God, to stay loyal to Him, but they forgot, just like maybe we forgot that God has done for us in our lives. Or maybe you can say, hey Caleb, I haven't experienced a miracle yet from God.

Good point. The Israelites didn't just experience miracles, but they had their answers prayed by God. At that beginning in the Bible in Exodus 2, the Israelites are crying and shouting to the Lord for help. God heard and answered their prayer. Now living as a free nation, they were still bold to rebel against God.

Does this sound familiar? Maybe this sounds exactly like you. Maybe you've prayed to God at a low point in your life. And maybe you've even cried out to the Lord, just like the Israelites in pain and suffering. And you've, or maybe you've even asked for God for help as a non-believer, like I'm sure many of us have done. And let me guess, God answered your prayer. God has the power to answer all prayers, even the prayers of non-believers. God hears all prayers, even the silent prayers. God is omniscient. So what happened after God answered your prayer?

Did you stay loyal to him? Maybe for a few days or even a few months, but then did you rebel like the Israelites? Or maybe you found yourself in such deep troubles that your last hope, you came to God, not just asking for help, but even making promises to God that if he would just help you, that you would be loyal forever and serve him.

Just like the covenant we see the Israelites make with God in chapter 19.

Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasure possession among all people. For all the earth is mine and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. All the people answered together and said, all that the Lord has spoken, we will do.

But what happened?

Just like many of us when making such promises, we fail and totally forget about God and all he did to rescue us. Just like the Israelites, we see our passage tonight. The Israelites came together and asked Aaron to make them gods. The Israelites couldn't even keep their covenant for 40 days before breaking their covenant with God. They quickly turned on God and became unfaithful to him, even after all he had done. Just like many of us do. One reason why the Israelites abandoned God was that they quickly lost sight that it was God who was behind the scenes working, protecting, and nourishing them. Instead of continuing to put their sight on God, they had put their sight on Moses. Moses being gone for 40 days caused them to worry, become anxious. They weren't sure what to do. They now had no leader. They were lost. This problem is actually more common than what you think.

Misplacing our trust

The Bible warns us about misplacing our trust and the dangers it brings. This example of the Israelites clearly shows what happens when people don't have God as the foundation of their faith. The Bible cautions against relying on human strength and wisdom, which are limited and valuable. In Jeremiah 17 and five, the prophet declares,

cursed is the man who trusted mankind, who makes the flesh his strength and turns his heart from the Lord.

This verse underscores the futility and spiritual danger of depending on human capabilities rather than God.

I've seen this firsthand, how people, or in this case a majority of a church, can lose sight of God and put their sight on a single pastor. to the point that they forget God was the one working in their lives. Just like the Israelites lost sight of God, this is a form of idolatry, but also dangerous, because what tends to happen is that when a pastor isn't available or isn't there, just like Israelites with Moses being gone for 40 days, people tend to become anxious, worried, and not sure what to do because they have no leader.

We also see from the text that this is a people's revolt. It uses the language of the people gathered together. This was not one individual who came up with this idea of trying to persuade everyone else to turn on God, but rather it was the majority of the people who were like-minded and okay with the idea. betrayal to God. You might ask yourself at this point, where were the elders to stop the people?

Aaron represented authority

We see in the next text the Israelites came together and went to Aaron, but why come to Aaron? Would it really make a difference if Aaron was with them or against them? The truth is yes. It wouldn't just be a good thing for Aaron to be on their side as support, but it was a necessity for Aaron to sign off on the idea. He needed to give the final approval. But why?

You see, Aaron was not an ordinary Israelite. He played an important role as well in the Exodus. He wasn't only Moses' only older brother, but he was the interim leader, the second in command. He was entrusted with the Israelites while Moses went up to the mount. Aaron represented authority.

What he said the Israelites would have done, Aaron was confronted and pressured by the Israelites to make a choice, either to accept the idea of the Israelites or hold firm in his faith. By holding firm to his faith would have needed him to speak up, confront the Israelites of their sin, and possibly risk his own life. Brothers, I want to ask you, what would you have done in his place? Or have you ever found yourself in a situation like this? where you've had to make a choice of staying loyal to God or to sin.

Do as we as believers just go with the flow because we are too timid to go against what the majority of people say? Or are we being loyal to our God with our actions and choices that we make? Just like Aaron, We are not ordinary. We are Christians. We have authority in our ambassadors for God. We as Christians represent God. Our actions, especially in tough times, demonstrate our faith. I pray that we will have the strength and have the courage to be brave, to be able to speak up no matter the consequences or looks we might receive. This brings me to my next point.

The golden calf began at the heart

Why else would they turn their back on God? and want to worship an idol. You see, the Israelites had a moment of uncertainty. What they decided to do was rebellious. Instead of holding strong to their faith in God, instead of coming together and praying, instead of being patient, they decided to take matters into their own hands. They gathered together and created a golden calf that they would now worship. The Israelites wanted something visible, controllable, immediate. Something they could hold on to that didn't require faith. That's exactly what they got. But what they didn't know was even though this idol was made out of gold, one of the most valuable materials, it was no different.

Just like every other false idol, it cannot hear us. It cannot even move. It cannot provide or protect us. This golden calf, or any fossil, becomes dependent of its creator, just like we are the creation of God, and we are dependent on him. While waiting for Moses to come down, it exposed the Israelites. It exposed them because they showed what was really in their hearts. Before even melting a single ounce of gold, they had already melted their confidence that God could not be able to keep providing for them. So the golden calf began at the heart.

Brothers, I ask you to self-examine yourself. If you have not already, what substance do we reach in times alone? And who are we putting our faith in when it seems like there is no hope? In our own lives, we like to develop idols in different forms of a golden calf because we can make an idol out of anything, whether it be work, relation, addictions, or any other activities that temporarily drown out uncertainty. but ultimately draw us away from God's purpose in our lives. My next point is how are we responding when faced with prolonged waiting? What was happening behind the scenes when the Israelites were waiting for Moses to come down the mountain? Did God forget about the Israelites? Was he absent or maybe Moses was taking a break from the Israelites?

God was not absent

No, God was not absent and never forgot about the people. They were both working hard behind the scenes, just like how God doesn't forget about you. He is also working behind the scenes in our own lives. Moses was gone for 40 days and 40 nights. He was with God working and preparing something much better than what the Israelites could ever imagine. Moses was acquiring the very laws that would cement their identity as God's people. But the Israelites saw the silence as abandonment.

It's very clear to me we must seek God. and continue our discipleship, especially in those times when God seems far. My experience here at JPBC has taught me that rushing into our own solutions is never the solution, but seeking God, especially through tribulation, and even not tribulation, is the most rewarding activity we can do. By turning our hearts to prayer, by knowing how how to worship God by being able to study his word, by learning who God is, and to know his attributes. Knowing the God I serve will always keep his promises gives me peace and joy, especially in trials and tribulations. Being able to worship God along with this body is truly a privilege that I'm very thankful to be able to do. I encourage everyone here, especially if you still have not put your faith in Christ, do not hesitate any longer. The final point I want to focus is on what are the consequences of betrayal to God.

Consequences for our actions

Yes, there are consequences for our actions. We see many times in the Bible, the consequence is simple, eternal death awaits if we do not repent. God is a jealous God who does not accept the idea of us worshiping idols, let alone creating false idols. The Israelite's punishment was also death.

We read in the next chapter and see God orders Moses to kill all those against him. To figure out who was going to die, Moses asks,

who is on the Lord's side? Come to me.

All the sons of Levi gather around him. God then used the sons of Levi to kill all those who were against the Lord. That same night, the sons of Levi took their swords and killed 3,000 men. They were all people who were against the Lord and participated in the worship of the golden calf. A horrible and tragic scene, but it's reality.

The consequences for death is The consequences of sin is death. The most important question, what side are you on? Are you against the Lord or for the Lord? To conclude, maybe you find yourself worshiping another god or worshiping false idols. I hope you see this as a warning that if you do not put your trust in God, eternal death waits you as well. but there is good news.

There is still hope for you to repent today. If you don't want to receive the same death the Israelites did, repent of your sin, accept and put your faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. And he promises that he will save you. You as well will enter heaven just like the Israelites who were for the Lord entered the promised land.

Please join me in prayer. Lord, I thank you for this opportunity to be able to share your word. Please help me and my brothers to be able to trust you in times of uncertainty. Please help me remove every idol from our heart that seeks to lead me instead of you. Give us patience, faith, and the courage to stand with you, even when we cannot see the path ahead. Lastly, if there are any believers here tonight, please continue to soften their hearts so they may be able to believe you as well. In Jesus we pray, amen.