Slices
Prepare
Actions have consequences – you reap what you sow. The solemn seriousness with which sin against God is taken in Moses’ world may shock us. Do we take personal and societal sin as seriously?
Bible passage
25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughing-stock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, ‘Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.’ And all the Levites rallied to him.
27 Then he said to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: “Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbour.”’ 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, ‘You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.’
30 The next day Moses said to the people, ‘You have committed a great sin. But now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.’
31 So Moses went back to the Lord and said, ‘Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. 32 But now, please forgive their sin – but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.’
33 The Lord replied to Moses, ‘Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.’
35 And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
33 Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Leave this place, you and the people you brought up out of Egypt, and go up to the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, saying, “I will give it to your descendants.” 2 I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.’
4 When the people heard these distressing words, they began to mourn and no one put on any ornaments. 5 For the Lord had said to Moses, ‘Tell the Israelites, “You are a stiff-necked people. If I were to go with you even for a moment, I might destroy you. Now take off your ornaments and I will decide what to do with you.”’ 6 So the Israelites stripped off their ornaments at Mount Horeb.
Explore
God was minded to destroy the people and start again with Moses (32:9), and Moses’ prayer had its effect. But God is not soft. With few exceptions, this entire generation of people would die in the desert and fail to enter the land of promise (Deuteronomy 1:35). But before their end comes, they will gradually learn and tentatively model God’s utter abhorrence of idolatry.
We struggle with the story of the killing of 3,000 in verses 27–29, but compared to the death of all the people, this was measured. Out of love, Moses uses the shock of it to place his own life on the line in their place (v 32). In this he points to Jesus, who died in place of the many, and inspired Paul to say something similar in Romans 9:3. This is grace: love, in face of heart-attitudes which deserve the opposite.
As a postscript, the Israelites abandoned ornaments (33:4–6) which became a long-standing tradition for centuries. A lesson partly learned. God will have no rivals.
Respond
Pray using these song words: ‘The dearest idol I have known,/ Whate’er that idol be,/ Help me tear it from Thy throne,/ And worship only Thee.’*
*W Cowper (1731–1800), ‘O for a Closer Walk with God’
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Ezekiel 12,13; James 4
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray that young Christians will share the new Shine Films with their online networks and perhaps watch them in person with a friend open to knowing more about Jesus. (This week's prayers relate to this article in Connecting You.)
