Exodus 32:30 – 35 “The next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves. Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin… But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.”
The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book. Now go, lead the people to the place I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.” And the LORD sent a plague on the people because of what they had done with the calf that Aaron had made.”
Despite the fact that the elders of Israel had already been warned by God against idolatry, they had failed to restrain their people. All those judging thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens had sat in their tents watching as the situation deteriorated. Crumbling to popular demand, Aaron had constructed a golden idol of a calf and an orgy had broken out when people began offering sacrifices to this idol. With no signs of the orgy abating, Moses had become so infuriated that he had smashed the original tablets containing the Ten Commandments on the ground and had ordered the Levites to kill those leading the orgy.
Three thousand people died on the spot while everybody else abruptly came to their senses. But Moses realizes that slaughtering the ring leaders of idolatrous worship is not enough. Obviously, the rest of the Israelites are just as guilty because they stood by and allowed this horrible event to take place. Perhaps things would have gotten far worse had Moses and the Levites not intervened. Even now, there are probably those who are hiding Egyptian idols in their tents, just waiting for an opportunity to sneak off quietly and conduct their own worship services. No, Moses has no illusions about his people!
“Now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” Evan now, Moses realizes that the Israelites have not really repented. God has abandoned the threat of annihilating the Israelites completely; however, Moses realizes that this sin still requires atonement, payment. And Moses is by no means certain that his efforts will be sufficient.
When Moses goes to God, he makes an amazing request: “So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made gods of gold for themselves. Yet now, if You would only forgive their sin… But if not, please blot me out of the book that You have written.” Moses is literally offering himself as a sacrifice on behalf of these rebellious and disobedient people. Moses begs God to erase him from God’s designs for the Israelites if God refuses to forgive them.
“Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot out of My book.“Now go, lead the people to the place I told you. Behold, My angel shall go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will punish them for their sin.”
God already knows those responsible for this enormous sin, as well as those who had no hand in the matter. But what about “I will blot out of My book”? It would seem that here God is referring to His Book of Life. Why is God being so harsh? Is God being unjust? No. God by His very Nature is Justice itself; however, God has given people free will to choose to follow Him or to reject Him. Those involved in the Golden Calf incident have freely chosen to reject God. That rejection leaves God no choice. “
APPLICATION: C.S. Lewis tells us, “There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, “Thy will be done,” and those to whom God says, in the end, “Thy will be done.” All that are in Hell, choose it. Without that self-choice there could be no Hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it.” Those who demanded that their leaders create idols knew exactly what they were doing! These people had gone along with Moses as long as they derived benefit from the situation. Deliverance from Egypt? Great! Water and food in the wilderness! Fantastic! Worship the One True God and being obedient? “Say what? You have GOT to be kidding! We should have complete freedom of worship to do whatever we want to!”
Choices always have consequences, and these people aggressively and persistently made wrong choices and paid for them in the end.
What about the leaders who abdicated their authority and sat watching without saying anything? John Stuart Mill delivered an 1867 inaugural address at the University of St. Andrews and stated: “Let not any one pacify his conscience by the delusion that he can do no harm if he takes no part, and forms no opinion. Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing. He is not a good man who, without a protest, allows wrong to be committed in his name, and with the means which he helps to supply, because he will not trouble himself to use his mind on the subject.” Abraham Joshua Heschel once said, “Some are guilty, but all are responsible.”
Today we are all facing important choices. Biblical standards of morality are under fire, and those who hold to them are facing a fire storm of criticism. But God is still on the throne and He is watching us to see how we will choose. Will we “look on and do nothing, allowing wrong to be committed in our names, because we will not trouble ourselves to use our minds on the subject?” And in the end, will we say to God, “Thy will be done,” or will God say to us, “Thy will be done”?
PRAYER: Father God, help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives! Let Your perfect Will be done in our lives and none other! Help us to stand strong in the face of adversity and refuse to bow to popular opinion when that opinion would cause us to reject You and Your Word. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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