Who's On The Lord's Side? • Exodus 32 (7)

Introduction

Well, as you can see Pastor Clark is not in today. He and Sally are celebrating 40 years of marriage.

They say they miss you all and they love you and they are planning on returning soon. Lord willing.

For those of you who are new here today, welcome to Calvary Chapel Bible Fellowship, if you are here today and you don’t know me.

My name is Anthony I am one of the Pastors Here and I have the privilege to serve the High School ministry here.

and with that being said let’s open up our bibles to the Old Testment

Exodus Ch. 32

Review & Overview

1. Exodus Review

There are two basic themes in Exodus, and both tie in together:

The First Theme is Redemption - Which is portrayed in the Passover event and the shedding of blood.

The Second Theme is Deliverance - Which is portrayed in the Exodus from Egypt through the power of God. (see 6:6; 15:13,16; Deut. 7:8). 

2. Current Study’s Overview

Exodus Ch. 32 falls in the second section of the book which is The Revelation From God beginning in Ch. 19

This is where God reveals the Old Covenant to the people of Israel.

In Ex.24  Moses went up to the Mountain of God…       to       receive instructions from God…  

Instructions on how to the build the Tabernacle & all the Furnishing…   the Priesthood & all the Garments… 

As well as Laws from God…     the various rules and regulations that would govern the people of God…

Now in chp.32   Moses finally comes down from the Mountain of God…    after 40 days & 40 nights with God…

And you would think that this would be a joyous time…      a time that the people were waiting for…

But for those who know the story you know its not…     it was low point for the Children of Israel…    in dealing with the Golden Calf…

If you are taking notes we want to look at 4 things today as it pertains to the nation of Israel.

The Perversion of Israel Vs. 1-6

The Prayers for Israel Vs. 7-14

The Punishment for Israel Vs. 15-29

The Promise for Israel Vs. 30-35

1. The Perversion of Israel Vs. 1-6

1.1 When The Perversion Happened Vs. 1a

clearly the people were Focusing on Moses…    

They thought Moses brought them out of Egypt...     they were looking to Moses as their leader…

They got their eyes off of the Lord and onto Man…        which is always a bad idea…

APPLICATION: When we get our eyes off of the Lord…       &      onto Man we run into all kinds of trouble...

Because man will always let us down…      man will always fall short.

It is so important that we Follow the Lord & not Man…     that we Focus on the Lord & not Man…  

Because as you’ll see in a moment, following man whole heartedly and not the Lord could lead to improper worship.

1.2 The Perversion Vs. 1b-5

So here the Israelites unfortunately corrupt themselves, however, the nature of their sin is open to interpretation.

This could be seen in a couple of ways:

First, this incident could be seen as an act of apostasy where Israel is worshipping a god or gods other than the God of the Bible.

Some say that the Israelites had probably been influenced in Egypt by the cult of Apis, a fertility god in the form of a bull.

Or, this incident could be seen as an act of improper worship of the God of the Bible through a graven image.

Now, the uncertainty derives from the grammar in the original text.

Notice, there in the middle of Vs. 1 where the people said, “Come, make us gods”. Plural.

Now drop down to the end of Vs. 4, again the people said, “This is your god, O Israel...”

But this time the word god is singular.

And what is interesting is that the Hebrew word is the exact same word:

Elohim - Now, this word Elohim, is a plural word by nature. Which means gods.

However, this word is not always used to refer to multiple gods.

For example, elohim is often used as a name for Yahweh, the God of the Bible.

This word is also used to refer to the God of the Bible and other false gods in the same passage.

For example: In Gen 31 When Jacob left his uncle Labans unannounced.

Laban caught up to him and said I have the power to harm you but your God (elohim) told me not to.

And in the next verse Laban accused Jacob of stealing his gods (elohim)

Genesis 31:29–30 NKJV

29 It is in my power to do you harm, but the God of your father spoke to me last night, saying, ‘Be careful that you speak to Jacob neither good nor bad.’ 30 And now you have surely gone because you greatly long for your father’s house, but why did you steal my gods?”

In 1 Kings 11:33 this plural word is also used for an individual foreign god the goddess of Ashtoreth.

1 Kings 11:33 NKJV

33 because they have forsaken Me, and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the people of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways to do what is right in My eyes and keep My statutes and My judgments, as did his father David.

1. The Perversion of Israel Vs. 1-6

So this ambiguity causes some to believe that Israel is worshipping some foreign god or gods.

And others believe Israel is worshipping Yahweh, the God of the Bible, improperly through a graven image.

Now I personally believe it is the latter, I believe Israel’s intent is to worship the God of the Bible but they do it improperly and I think this is implied in several ways:

#1 In Vs. 4 There is only one god in view because Aaron fashions only one graven image.

#2 Again in Vs. 4 Aaron associates the golden calf with the God who saved Israel from Egypt.

#3 In Vs. 5 Aaron announces that the next day will be a festival for the Lord. The Hebrew word for Lord there is Yahweh.

So he is talking about the God of the Bible.

#4 In Vs. 8 When God tells Moses what the People have done, they are not explicitly charged with worshiping another god.

They are only charged with fashioning and worshiping a graven image.

So it seems as though that they ARE in violation of the second commandment which is...

Exodus 20:4 NKJV

4 “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;

But they are NOT in violation of the first commandment which is...

Exodus 20:3 NKJV

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

1. The Perversion of Israel Vs. 1-6

Remember, in Vs. 1 the people were under the impression that they needed someone, or in this case, something, to go before them.

With Moses gone, the people thought they needed another way to hear from Yahweh.

So they fashioned a graven image and improperly devoted themselves to God.

Now, you may be here saying, “wait a minute Pastor Anthony! Back in Acts 7:40-41 Stephen the Martyr said...

Acts 7:40–41 NKJV

40 saying to Aaron, ‘Make us gods to go before us; as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 41 And they made a calf in those days, offered sacrifices to the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands.

There you go, it’s plainly put, that they offered sacrifices to the idol, so it’s another god.

Again in 1 Cor 10:7 Paul calls them idolaters.

1 Corinthians 10:7 NKJV

7 And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

1. The Perversion of Israel Vs. 1-6

Well, that is a good observation. However, if we look at the cultural context on what the perspective of an idol was during this time.

We get a better perspective on what an idol was to them.

Because in the Ancient near east idolaters made a distinction between the statues themselves and the deities they represented.

For example: In an old Akkadian inscription, the idol of the god Shamash of Sippar was destroyed.

However, The destruction of this idol was not the death of the deity.

To the Worshippers the idol being destroyed was tragic, but not threatening to their cult.

The reason being is that they did not consider the statue or object to be identical with their god.

Rather, the people in the ancient near east believed that the spiritual entity would inhabit the idol.

In other words, the deity would reside in or attach itself to the physical object.

And the people who fashioned the idol would make offerings and sacrifices to it so that the spiritual entity would be drawn to the idol.

So that the people could be in communication with the entity and have a relationship with it.

In addition, the concept that spiritual entities or demons can attach themselves to objects is a belief that has been held by many different cultures and religions throughout history.

In fact, you see it in many modern horror movies today:

Where demons attach themselves to dolls

or a family is terrorized by a demon that has attached itself to their home etc.

So with that perspective, the reason we shouldn’t make any graven images even if it’s to represent the God of the Bible is a sin.

APPLICATION: Because, listen, we can’t force the one true God to come to this place or that place. Like we have tamed His presence or something.

We can’t force a move of God.

The God of the Bible is spirit (John 4:34) and He can’t be fully represented and understood through physical objects.

Making a graven image to represent the God of the Bible is in essence, reducing God and putting Him in a box.

Many people still do this today through out the world.

So what we’re talking about here is an improper worship and devotion to the God of the Bible. It’s a perversion. (Pause)

In 1 Corinthians 12:1 Pauls says, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant...

1 Corinthians 12:1 NKJV

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:

The word gifts is italicized which means it is not in the original text. So what Paul is saying, concerning the spiritual realm, I do not want you to be ignorant...

The problem that the Corinthians had, because of their pagan background, they could not discern a demonic manifestation from the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

So they were improperly worshipping God.

So Paul dedicates three chapters: 12, 13, & 14 to the manifestations of the Holy Spirit.

To explain to them what He looks like and what true worship looks like.

And he ends that section with...

1 Corinthians 14:40 NKJV

40 Let all things be done decently and in order.

APPLICATION: Understand, God has implemented a very specific design in how we are to worship Him. So there is a danger in worshipping God improperly or out of order.

When a church begins to worship God improperly it leads to all sorts of abuse and immorality.

You see many churches today doing so many things that are not biblical: Like, running around the church spontaneously, barking like dogs, pastors slapping their congregation with their coats.

Where in the Bible does it say to do that? It’s improper and out of order.

And unfortunately this is what happened to Israel. Look at...

1. The Perversion of Israel Vs. 1-6

1.3 The Results of the Perversion Vs. 6

On the surface this might sound ok…    They’re going to feast & offer sacrifices to the LORD…  

But the problem is seen at the end of vs.6 is that they rose up to play...   this speaks of a pagan style of worship.

Play Hebrew - It’s the word “revelries” It speaks of indulging in drinking and sexual activities like orgies.

This was a very common type of worship back in this ancient time. Where they would drink and would become sensual.

The dances were these fertility type dances and would end in big sexual orgies.

APPLICATION: And this is what happens when we change the image of God, we change the worship to our liking.

2. The Prayers for Israel Vs. 7-14

2.1 The Anger of God Vs. 7-10

What’s compelling about this is that, God says Moses they’re your people, not Mine…   so get down there & deal with them…

APPLICATION: Point:  Sin separates us from God…       it breaks the fellowship we have with God…

Isaiah 59:2 NKJV

2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear.

Proverbs 15:29 NKJV

29 The Lord is far from the wicked, But He hears the prayer of the righteous.

But praise be to the Lord all we have to do is confess our sin

1 John 1:9…   

restoring that right relationship with the Lord…    

2. The Prayers for Israel Vs. 7-14

2.2 The Intercession of Moses Vs. 11-13

Intercessory prayer is a type of prayer in which an individual prays on behalf of others, bringing their needs and concerns before God.

The Bible is filled with examples of intercessory prayer. In the Old Testament:

Abraham interceded on behalf of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:23-33)

and Daniel prayed for the restoration of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:3-19).

In the New Testament, Jesus himself was an intercessory prayer warrior.

He prayed for his disciples (John 17),

He prayed for the people who crucified him (Luke 23:34),

and for all believers who would come to faith in him. (John 17:20-23).

The apostle Paul also prayed for others like the believers in Rome, asking that God would grant them spiritual wisdom and understanding (Romans 15:30-32).

APPLICATION: And here is the great news about Intercessory prayer: it’s not only for the benefit of those for whom we are praying for, but it can also be a powerful way for us to grow in our own faith.

As we pray for others, we are reminded of God's sovereignty and his ability to work in the lives of those around us.

It can also help us to develop a heart of compassion and concern for others, as we bring their needs before God.

Intercessory prayer can be a way for us to take an active role in seeking God's will and bringing about change in the world around us.

And I think that is a good segue for Vs. 14 look...

2.3 God Changes His Mind Vs. 14

Now there are some difficulties regarding this verse that has led many to slander the character of God.

They say that sometimes God planned to do evil but then he repents.

2 Samuel 24:16 NKJV

16 And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.

Jonah 3:10 NKJV

10 Then God saw their works, that they turned from their evil way; and God relented from the disaster that He had said He would bring upon them, and He did not do it.

However, the Bible is very clear! God is a Righteous God!

Psalm 119:137 NKJV

137 Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments.

The Bible is also very clear that in Him there is no evil and there is no need for Him to repent!

Numbers 23:19 NKJV

19 “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

1 Samuel 15:29 NKJV

29 And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent. For He is not a man, that He should relent.”

So there seems to be a contradiction to the Character of God.

People say, see God wanted to harm the Israelites but he changed His mind, He relented. (Pause)

Now the way we resolve this is by understanding that God relenting is a general policy that He himself gave.

Jeremiah 18:5–6 NKJV

5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: 6 “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel!

Jeremiah 18:7–8 NKJV

7 The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, 8 if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it.

Jeremiah 18:9–10 NKJV

9 And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, 10 if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.

In other words, relenting is part of God’s eternal plan, it’s not a forced change by man or by His ignorance.

Understand God is transcendent beyond our understanding.

He sees the beginning and the end all at the same time, He is outside of time.

So when God interacts with people in time, He does one thing and then He does another.

He curses, then He blesses. But it’s all according to the council of His eternal predetermined plan. (Pause)

So with that being said, God relenting was really God’s heart for the nation of Israel.

If you look closely in the previous verses, who inspired Moses to pray? God.

Where does true prayer begin? True prayer begins with God, the heart of God.

The whole point of prayer is to align our hearts with His.

Moses was inspired to pray for these people. It was God heart to relent and show Mercy to them.

Romans 9:15 NKJV

15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.”

So the idea is that as people change their hearts and actions, God changes His response to them, all while God knowing that would happen.

APPLICATION: The application for us is powerful! Listen, God is prepared to bring His wrath upon people because of their sins, but God is equally prepared to relent and be merciful as we repent.

2 Peter 3:9 NKJV

9 The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

3. The Punishment for Israel Vs. 15-29

3.1 The Anger of Moses Vs. 15-20

So Moses here, breaks the tablets which were a work of God, and him breaking these tablets is a symbol of them breaking God’s Law.

He then burns the golden calf & makes them drink it showing them that an idol is nothing.

So Moses was angry. Now here I believe he is demonstrating Righteous anger.

Ephesians 4:26 NKJV

26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,

So it’s ok to be angry as long as the motive is right.

APPLICATION: Because anger is always a secondary emotion, it’s never a primary emotion.

No one is ever angry just to be angry. The problem is when anger gets out of control and we sin.

Here Moses is angry at sin and that is ok. Especially in today’s day in age.

3. The Punishment for Israel Vs. 15-29

3.3 The Hypocrisy of Aaron Vs. 21-24

wow, really Aaron that’s the best you can do?

Isn’t it funny how we can rationalize and explain ourselves so that we can sound innocent?

You know, I just threw gold into the fire, and this thing just came out?

Really Aaron? We just read back in Vs. 4 that you used an engraving tool to fashion this thing.

Here we see some compromise with the leadership, he first lies about how the idol came out about and then he...

shifts the blame to the people - he said it was the people who made do this.

Just like Genesis 3: Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent, ultimately they all blamed God.

3.4 Who’s on the Lord’s Side Vs. 25-26

So here we see that the people were unrestrained...

Unrestrained Definition - Speaks of being out of control, there is an open defiance to authority. It speaks of people running wild, people causing disorder who pay no attention to the consequences.

APPLICATION: And you know, as I read that, I can’t help but think how the world is today.

How it’s out of control, people don’t care about authority.

People running wild not caring about consequences.

And when I see how the world is right now I think of...

Joshua 24:15 - ...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Pause)

But I like what Moses said, whoever is on the Lord’s side come to Me!

APPLICATION: Listen we too need to separate ourselves from those who are unrestrained to the will of God.

We too need to choose a side. Either you are for God or you are against God?

There is no middle ground with Jesus

Matthew 12:30 - If you are not with Me you are against Me

3.5 The Punishment Vs. 27-29

Here we see the consequences of sin which is death

Romans 6:23 NKJV

23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:12 NKJV

12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

Now, what’s compelling about this is that the law came down.

Moses came down with the tablets of God that contained the Law of God.

So here the broken law brought death to 3,000 people.

But fast forward to...

Acts 2:41 NKJV

41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

At pentecost the Holy Spirit came down and 3,000 people were saved.

2 Corinthians 3:6 (NKJV)

6 ...for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

APPLICATION: Sin not only brings death but so does living by the Law.

Which is a good pivot point for the final section...

4. The Promise for Israel Vs. 30-35

4.1 Sin Always Brings Consequences

So there at the end we see that there is always consequences for sin.

God promised to punish the sinners, some died of a plague and the rest except Joshua and Caleb would die later in the desert.

Verse 33 on the surface sounds very harsh & scary...

When we sin are we blotted out of His book?

Where is God’s Mercy? Why didn’t God forgive?

Did God just ignore Moses’ plea to forgive?

Sinned Verb Qatal (perfect) - the verb is in what's called the "perfect conjugation." This form of the verb speaks of the completeness or totality of an action...

So, when a verb is in the perfect conjugation in Biblical Hebrew, it suggests that the action is complete in its entirety.

It could speak of something that hasn't happened yet but is viewed as complete or it is certain that it will happen.

We know the story of this generation, did they make it to the promised land?

Acts 7:39 NKJV

39 whom our fathers would not obey, but rejected. And in their hearts they turned back to Egypt,

God is looking at the big picture here, God is not saying this simply because he is mad at this one incident.

God knows the hearts of the people, and for some of the people this sin of the golden calf was a line in the sand.

This was their opportunity to make it clear to everyone they wanted nothing to do with God.

So what God is saying here is that: Whoever has completely made up their mind, and solidified in their heart, to live a lifestyle of sin for the rest of their lives, I will blot them out of My Book.

So the conjugation of the word “sinned” underscores the certainty and seriousness of the Israelites' actions.

It implies that this sin is not just a momentary lapse but a significant breach in their relationship with God.

APPLICATION: This verse highlights the seriousness of sin. It is not just a violation of a command but an act that can potentially sever the relationship with God.

The golden calf incident was a grave sin because it represented a fundamental breach of trust and loyalty to God.

For us, this serves as a stern reminder of the importance of faithfulness and obedience to God.

It's a call to take one's relationship with God seriously and to avoid idolatry in all its forms.

4.2 Sin Requires Atonement

But the good news here is that there is atonement for our sins.

Here we see Moses pleading on behalf of the people and he says Lord allow me to take their place - Lord I desire to see them saved.

Vs. 30 - …perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.

Vs. 32 - …blot me out of Your book...

But God spared Moses, but God did not spare His own beloved Son.

APPLICATION: Listen carefully, there is only one that can take our place.

There is only one that can atone for our sins.

His name is Jesus Christ. He bore the responsibility for your sins and my sins.

He died in our place and tasted death for us.

Galatians 3:13 NKJV

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

John 14:6 NKJV

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

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