All He Wants: Faithfulness

Husband, home to find wife unfaithful

“But I’m still married to you, and when you’re not here, and he is, I imagine you are, so it’s the same” Right??? Emotions? Feelings? Thoughts? Vow-breaker?

All He Wants - Our Faithfulness

1) Grounds for faithfulness

Brought them out of Egypt, delivered them from bondage, fed them

People swore their allegiance (Ex. 19) - then strayed (quickly)

The Tablets - God’s Covenant with His People

Each tablet contained all 10

Written on both sides of each, a copy for each party

Most valuable thing on the earth at this time

Not designed to be broken...

2) Idolatry

Not God or _______

But God and _______

The pull of idolatry was strong (certainly could be spiritual beings behind it)

We fail to see that the spiritual world is primary and in control of this physical/visible world

They were fine with this God, but they wanted a visible manifestation of this God - breaking the 2nd Word

Egypt: young bull depicted a powerful god

God wants to be believed as opposed to seen

The world of idolatry was all about seeing the god

YHWH says “I DON’T WANT TO BE SEEN, I WANT TO BE KNOWN”

Psalm 106: 19-23 - they forget the God who saved them

They made what they wanted to worship

Made it, bowed to it, sacrificed to it, gave it credit for the exodus

“Finally, now, God can be worshiped properly” - NOT

They made what they wanted

-a god who’d let them live as they wished

-a god who’d let them have a good time when they wanted to, and who would not impose all these rules on them

They were self-absorbed, self-destructive

God had told them, with the giving of the 10:

Choose: Me or idol; God or non-God

They had witnessed God win a war vs Egypt gods

Now Israel tries to side with Egypt’s idea of gods and worship

3) Righteous Anger

Ephesians 4:26 NASB95

Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger,

God’s Anger - Moses experiences it

God sees what is going on, Moses does not yet

YHWH says “Leave Me alone” = “here is what I’ll do unless you intervene”

God INVITES intercession (ask Me to help you, trust Me to listen)

God did not desire to destroy this people, but...

His anger is about to be unleashed

Destroy current Israel - replace with nation under Moses

His people had decided how they would worship Him, on their terms - bad idea

Moses intercedes - hang on, get to this soon

Moses’ Anger

2 Groups of People

People wanting an idol

People not stopping them

ALL complicit

Aaron

Tries to salvage worship of YHWH, by associating idol with Him

He cheapens worship by doing this

Allowed building of altar in front of it

Sacrifice - so idol could “see it”

Sacrifice - so idol could “see it”for sacrifices,

Contrast: temple, tabernacle- no direct line of sight between altar and Holy of Holies

Moses does not lose control - this is not a crazed rage

Tablets are broken - picture of broken covenant

Moses understands God, he KNOWS Him, His hurt, anger, emotions, feelings, betrayal, HURT

Great, but proper, anger to break these most-valuable tablets!

Burning, grinding, scattering - typical in ancient world to get rid of idol permanently

Never again to be thought of as object to worship

Drank - through bodies, out as corrupted waste

Given a chance to repent:

Levites did

God says idolaters die*

3000 chose death - chose to follow idolatry, own desires

4) Prayer

Effective: By knowing Him, not based on how he prayed, but based on Who God is!

This shows faithfulness in prayer

First trip up mountain

Moses knows YHWH - knows He is consistent and faithful, so Moses:

“Why nullify the result of Your demonstration of power?”

“Why give the Egyptians delight in hearing of Israel’s destruction?”

“Why go back on the promise to patriarchs?” (like Abraham)

Reminding God of His promises shows faith in Who God is

Moses knew God’s full plan, and did not want to see it half-done

He knew God’s desire was not to destroy them

Moses knows the threat is real - and God responds to his prayer

Moses is not selfish - he desires to see God’s will accomplished

Return trip up mountain

Moses intercedes - again

Great offer - “Blot me from your book, forgive them, punish me”*

V. 31 - true confession of sin, part of true repentance

V. 33 - strong point is made - deliverance is necessary, sinned must be atoned for

Moses describes their sin as it is, they do, too, and they ask forgiveness from a compassionate God

New tablets written, by God - given to Moses

CLOSE

Every single day is an opportunity to worship

God, or non-God - And our decision shapes our actions

EVERY DAY - we can be easily influenced by what’s comfortable to us - how WE want to view God, instead of how He has told us

Let’s talk salvation, idolatry, and comparisons here

Eternal life is not automatic

Trying to enter Heaven without being forgiven will not succeed - IMPOSSIBLE

True confession

Describe sin as it is, repent, ask forgiveness - realize necessity of forgiveness, necessity of a Savior

Describe our sinful selves as they are, then seek forgiveness from a compassionate God

Idolatry to us - anything more important than God, especially those things we think are important to Him to save us

Works, baptism, church, family

HE WANTS OUR FAITHFULNESS

People have a choice

Many choose death, because they choose an idol instead of Him

The threat is real - God will only save those who call upon the name of the Lord

Like with Moses, God responds to prayer - repent and ask Him!

God punished the unrepentant idolaters - that threat is still the same

WE KNOW: God desires all to be saved - 1 Tim. 2:4

His desire is the same now, as then - He does not wish for His crowning glory, humans, to die and be separated from Him

What do WE do to show our desire to see His will accomplished?

People have a chance to repent - some will, most will not

What about you?

If YOU have, then will you tell others?

Moses acted selflessly, put his own interests aside. Will WE?

We can tell people, or stand by and watch them give in to idolatry

SALVATION - Here is what I’ll do, unless you trust Christ

Punishment for unrepentance is a promise

Salvation for repentance is a promise

FAITHFULNESS

We must stay strong (by His strength)

We must stay faithful to God

Tempted to worship Him other ways? Pray, repent, and do not try to add anything to Him

Let your true, faithful worship, putting Him first, shape everything you do