WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON?

Series: Decisions

Title:Whose side are you on?

Exodus 32.1-20

 Introduction:

Each of us have had times in our lives when we had to decide whose side we’re on!

 Illustration: Sports—Lakers fans or Celtics fans; Colts fans or Patriot fans; Indian Creek or Brown County fans.

 Illustration: Politics—candidates who strengthen biblical values and those who weaken biblical values.

Today we will see the children of Israel at a crossroad having to decide who and how they would worship.

The theme of Exodus is deliverance, and you can’t have deliverance without a deliverer.

Warren W. Wiersbe

Note: Israel had been delivered from the bondage of Egypt. They had seen the great miracle of the crossing of the Red Sea. They had arrived at Mount Horeb (Sinai).  Moses had made one trip up the mount and returned with the Ten Commandments.  Upon his return he told the people to sanctify themselves for when he returned to the mount and received the rest of God’s commandments and instructions for worship.  The people agreed to keep themselves pure before the Lord until Moses returned-See Exodus 24:6-8

When Moses was gone, many days passed. The time now has been almost forty days since he left, and the people are starting to get anxious. 

This leads to a very sad event in the life of the Israelites:

I. Aaron’s Flawed Decision- vs. 1-6

A. Was Based on the Will of the People—verse 1

 Note: The people said, “Make us gods.”

The Book of Exodus III. The Breaking of the Covenant (Chapters 32 and 33)

God tested them (forty is the number of probation, or testing) and they failed their test. They, in their impatience, in their desire to see their deity, and it their desire to be like the other nations, turned from direct worship of Jehovah and demanded that Aaron make them an image that they might worship God through an image, a golden calf. Their transgression was thus against the Second Commandment.

Acts 5:29 “Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.”

This declaration is completely opposite of God’s desire for their lives.

Exodus is a God-centered book with a God-centered message that teaches us to have a God-centered life.

Philip Graham Ryken; R. Kent Hughes

Note: The whole tone of the crowd here sounds contemptible toward Moses.  

B. Neglected the Principles of God—verse 2

1. They crafted a graven image

Exodus 20:1–4 KJV 1900

And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:

2. They worshipped a graven image—verses 5-6

 Quote: An idol is anything you turn to for help when God told you to turn to Him for help-Author Unknown  

Note: They were dancing and naked. (Verse 19 and 25)

Note: This word “play” also alludes to fornication and immoral behavior.

King James Version Study Bible Chapter 32

The verb suggests illicit and immoral sexual activity in relation to those practices normally accompanying the fertility rites found among the Canaanites who worshiped the god Baal and his consort Ashtoreth.

 Note: Aaron refers to this as a feast day unto the Lord…What an insult!

Note: It was a disorderly riot—a frenzy.

Note: They had sacrificed to the calf.

Note: Less than 40 days before they had promised to sanctify themselves-compare Exodus 24:6-8

Exodus 24:6–8 KJV 1900

And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basons; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient. And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words.

Psalm 106:19–22 “They made a calf in Horeb, And worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their glory Into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. They forgat God their saviour, Which had done great things in Egypt; Wondrous works in the land of Ham, And terrible things by the Red sea.”

1 Corinthians 10:13–14 “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.”

II. The Lord’s Fiery Declaration—verse 7-14

Exodus 32:10 KJV 1900

Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

A. Because they Were Guilty of Spiritual Corruption—verses 7-8

Hosea 9:9 “They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah: Therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins.”

Illustration: Post-modernism says all gods are fine!

Illustration-Society today proclaims that all Gods should be worshipped equally!

2 Corinthians 6:15–18 KJV 1900

And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

B. Because of their Pride—verse 9

Romans 1:18–23 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.”

Proverbs 11:2 “When pride cometh, then cometh shame: But with the lowly is wisdom.”

Proverbs 16:18 “Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall.”

III. Moses’ Firm Demonstration—verse 15-20

 Note: Moses appears with the tablets in his hand.

 A. Moses’ Observation—verse 19

   He saw the idolatry

1 Corinthians 10:7 KJV 1900

Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

B. Moses’ Demonstration—verses 19-20

 1. He broke the tablets.

Note: Perhaps his spirit was broken

See Ex. 32.31-32

Exodus 32:31–32 KJV 1900

And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

2. He caused the people to drink the grindings.

            Thus he put the utmost scorn upon their idol by making them drink it. Is it not beyond measure strange that popish idolaters of our day actually worship the wafer which they afterwards eat, and imagine that it is a religious homage to devour what they declare to be divine?

Spurgeon, C. H. (1964). The Interpreter: Spurgeon’s Devotional Bible (p. 99). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.

These operations of grinding the gold were intended to show contempt for such worthless gods; and the Israelites would be made to remember the humiliating lesson by the state of the water they had drank for a time.

C. Aaron’s Explanation—verse 21-25

 Have you ever told a lie and while you were telling it, you realized how totally stupid it sounded?

Aaron’s desire to please the people, his inability to lead, or both overcame him.

Romans 1:25 KJV 1900

Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

Note: His first excuse is that the people were set on doing mischief.  In other words there was nothing he could do about it. 

Note: Verse 25—Aaron condoned their nakedness….

D. Moses’ Dividing Question—verse 26

 Who is on the Lord’s side?

Who among you is free from this transgression?

Who will choose against idolatry and follow me?

Joshua 24:15–16 KJV 1900

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the Lord, to serve other gods;

Note: The tribe of Levi, Moses’ own tribe, now distinguished itself by immediately returning to its allegiance and obeying the call to fight on the side of Jehovah God.

We need not doubt that the 3,000 who were slain were those who persisted in resisting Moses-vs. 28

Note: The ringleaders were put to death.

Illustration: We need dads who will be on the Lord’s side. We need church members who will be on the Lord’s side.

Note- we declare whose side we are on: church attendance, time in prayer, witnessing opportunity, giving, music, movies, t.v. we watch, friends, etc….

Conclusion:

In verses 32-33, Moses pleads for redemption—He was the mediator.

…And with the spirit of a godly patriot, he said he would rather die than see his nation die.

The person who takes the strongest stand against your sin is probably the one who prays for you the most!

The Lord Forgives—vs. 33-35

2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV 1900

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Proverbs 28:13 “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”

Isaiah 55:5–7 “Behold, thou shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, And nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee Because of the Lord thy God, And for the Holy One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, Call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts: And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.”

Are your sins blotted out?

 What is your golden calf?

 Whose side are you on?