As Moses got closer to the camp, he saw the idol, and he also saw the people dancing around. This made him so angry that he threw down the stones and broke them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. He melted the idol the people had made, and he ground it into powder. He scattered it in their water and made them drink it.
Exodus 32: 19-20 [CEV]
It didn’t take long for the people to persuade Aaron to make them a more visible god, which they could worship. Did they remember nothing about God’s teaching?
One of the first commandments deals with the matter of false idols:
Do not make idols that look like anything in the sky or on earth or in the ocean under the earth. Don't bow down and worship idols. I am the LORD your God, and I demand all your love. If you reject me, I will punish your families for three or four generations. But if you love me and obey my laws, I will be kind to your families for thousands of generations. Exodus 20: 4-6 [CEV]
God and Moses were angry – and Moses smashed up the tablets of stone. God was not upset at Moses reaction, indeed He was even angrier than Moses and later He reproduced the commandments on new stone tablets for Moses.
What idols are you worshiping when you are not close to God? How long can you remain faithful to God, before drifting astray? Can you see other Christians worshiping idols?
Lord, fill us with your Spirit and longing for you only. Amen.
Dave MacLellan (first published in 2004)
No comments:
Post a Comment