The Community of Faith

Stories from Exodus

April 14, 1991 PM

Exodus 32: 1 - 35 (narrative)

Introduction

Exodus is a very important book! It records the beginning of faith as a community beyond a family or tribal level; of God moving with a covenant people.

Complex, with divisions and subdivisions, yet with common faith keeping alive the sense of being a great Family, the People of God. This is an ideal we can never quite let go of.

Perhaps the best way to study Exodus is to read it as a narrative tale; a book of fascinating stories, first about Moses, then about the young nation of Israel.

[Maybe we ought to begin at the beginning, and maybe sometime we will go through Exodus that way. But just now we'll break into the middle, or sort of the beginning of the middle.]

The Story:

As the story begins- or at least this episode- Pharaoh and his army are history. The former slaves are free, free, free! But they are finding that freedom has its drawbacks.

There was misery in taking orders, but also there was something there to eat. Doing the bidding of Egyptian masters was galling, but it did put food on the table. Now they were on their own— and sometimes food and water were very scarce indeed.

Strangely, these people kept thinking like Egyptians even after they had long left Egypt. Even though they had been set free by God in a totally miraculous way, they still continued to revert back to reasoning the way they had been brought up. It seems sometimes as though it is almost impossible to change habits of childhood and youth— although by God's grace it can be done. But this whole generation seemed to love to complain and murmur and whine.

They needed water: God provided water.

They needed food: God provided food. But it seems they never were quite satisfied.

They needed protection and direction: God led them and covered them by a pillar of fire and a pillar of cloud. It is hard to imagine how these people could ever doubt that God was with them. But doubt they did.

One of the first dramatic climaxes of the entire Book was when they came to Horeb, to Mount Sinai, where Moses was to receive the Law from God.

Sometimes as we picture it in our mind's eyes we have Moses waltzing up the mountain path, receiving the stone tablets from God and skipping back down in a matter of hours. But that is not what the ancient scriptures tell us. That narrative says the process was much, much longer and more involved.

First, there was a preparatory time. Moses was summoned by God, who told him (19:4) "I have carried you on eagles' wing to this hour— have brought you to Myself. If you obey me and keep My covenant you will be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation."

When Moses told them that, they were pretty excited. Their answer was (19:8) "We will do everything that the Lord has said!"

Moses then prepared the people: Prepare yourselves! Wash your clothes! Don't come near the holy mountain! Stop normal activities! Prepare the way of the Lord! And then Moses disappeared up the mountain, and after a time with the elders, when there was an exciting revelation to them (see chapter 24) Moses remained on the mountain with God, while things were pretty much on hold in the camp. Moses stayed there for 40 days and nights!

What were the people to do?

I. WHEN GOD'S PEOPLE INVENTED THEIR OWN CHURCH

There is always tension between God's way, which always demands faith, and the way of Israel's neighbors, which seems to fit the need of the hour.

They said "Nothing seems to be going on with God and the worship of God according to the Commandments we have heard; so let's make things happen! Hey Aaron! Let's have some excitement!"

And Aaron, to his everlasting discredit, accommodates the urge to help God make His way more palatable!

[Waiting on God is never easy or simple! The way of faith always requires exactly that: faith in the integrity of God! God has brought us this far! He will not abandon us now!]

Aaron says: Religion requires sacrifice! So let's sacrifice. They DO sacrifice; they have to give GOLD (actually they take off their ear rings, which isn't a bad idea.)

Aaron says "The neighbor nations worship forms like animals: let's make sure we keep up with the latest fads in worship. We can worship this awesome God AND be like other religions, too.

They form a golden calf, and Aaron says, or lets them say: HERE is what the God who delivered you from slavery really looks like! [I haven't been able to figure that one out, myself!]

Pseudo-worship involves making God as we think He ought to be— in a convenient way for us.

What happens when we run up against a scripture that we have real trouble with? Are we willing to submit to the authority of God's Word?

Take the matter of man-woman roles in marriage and in the church? Are we willing to come under the authority of the scripture? — of the will of Almighty God?— even when it becomes inconvenient for us? When it contradicts the morés of our culture, but it is clearly God's Word what do we do?

Clearly, these Israelites were impatient with God's methods- - and the Bible says (I Corinthians 10) the people sat down to eat and drink, and then they rose up to play— and they became a lost generation in the history of God's people!

II. THE RESULTS OF PSEUDO-WORSHIP

  1. DISGUSTING TO GOD
  2. FRUSTRATING TO MOSES
  3. DISASTROUS TO ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS
  4. POTENTIALLY DEADLY TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY

III. HOW GOD'S CHURCH WAS ESTABLISHED

  1. GOD'S GRACE ACTS IN CONCERT WITH HOLY LAW

    Sinai corresponds to Pentecost, except now the Ten Commandments are written by the Spirit in the desires of every Christian heart: "I delight to do Thy will, O God"

  2. MOSES' INTERCESSION

    Abraham prayed for Lot; here Moses prays for his people: there is great power in intercession! Don't give up when you pray for the church— for the kingdom of God to come. Jesus Himself taught us so to pray.

  3. JUDGMENT IS NOT AVERTED TO REBELS

    It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31)

  4. THOSE BEING FORMED INTO COMMUNITY OF COVENANT

    RETURN TO THE 'SIMPLICITY OF COVENANT'

Conclusion/application:

We are also on a Pilgrim's journey. We, too, are being formed into a holy people to carry the name of Jesus.

  1. We need to be people under authority! We need to make sure that our wills are broken— broken in— tamed— submissive— whatever— sold on the integrity of God, the goodness of God, the trustworthiness of God.
  2. Those people in the wilderness were on the spot! They weren't going to get out alive without God! They needed a miracle every day! AND WE ARE JUST AS MUCH ON THE SPOT!
  3. The elements of worship— the ingredients— giving and prayer and fellowship and excitement— all are not in and of themselves what constitute the true Church. We can put them all together to please ourselves— but unless God is present— and unless we are met at HIS behest— we are an abomination to God and a danger to ourselves!

#68 WP - O to be Like Thee!