God's View Of Human Rebellion - Exodus 32:1-14

Introduction:

At first glance, this passage looks unrelatable, but I assure you it is very relatable. Even though most of us probably haven’t crafted any golden calves in our houses, as I studied this passage, there was more to this that I can relate to than I care to admit.

We are naturally impatient.

The child asks, are we there yet?

Computers are slower than they out to be, lights are longer than they ought to be.

Surely it is true that we are an impatient society. But why?

There is actually a link between impatience and rebellion in this passage.

Impatience is basically saying things are happening when I want them to or when I think they should. Or things aren’t happening the way I want them to or when I think they should. — In that definition, do you see the rebellion.

Background:

Moses has been on the mountain receiving detailed instructions on how to build the tabernacle.

As you recall, the purpose of the tabernacle was to make a way, God’s way for people God to dwell with His people.

Proposition: God expresses His view of His people’s rebellion.

Interrogative: What is God’s view of His people’s rebellion?

I. Rebellion attempts to come to God on its own terms (32:1-6)

Exodus 32:1–6 (NKJV)

The Gold Calf

32 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.

Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

A. The Occasion - 1a

1. They perceived a delay

Exodus 18:13 (NKJV) 13 And so it was, on the next day, that Moses sat to judge the people; and the people stood before Moses from morning until evening.

2. They didn’t understand God’s ways

3. There seemed to be a blaming of leadership

Applications:

Impatience and irritation

Frustration with leadership

B. The Proposal - 1b

1. They gathered together approached Aaron (They gathered against Aaron)

Aaron had specifically been left in charge

Exodus 24:13–14 (NKJV)

13 So Moses arose with his assistant Joshua, and Moses went up to the mountain of God. 14 And he said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Indeed, Aaron and Hur are with you. If any man has a difficulty, let him go to them.”

2. Come make us gods

a. The culture of the day was not that physical idols were gods, but they represented gods.

b. Israel was not likely asking to make gods, but they wanted a tangible connection to Jehovah.

3. The Reason: Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt — we don’t know what happened to him.

C. The Preparation - 2-3

1. The collection of gold (note the tabernacle materials)

2. They brought them to Aaron

Exodus 31:1–11 (NKJV)

Artisans for Building the Tabernacle

31 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, 4 to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, 5 in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship.

6 “And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 7 the tabernacle of meeting, the ark of the Testimony and the mercy seat that is on it, and all the furniture of the tabernacle—8 the table and its utensils, the pure gold lampstand with all its utensils, the altar of incense, 9 the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the laver and its base—10 the garments of ministry, the holy garments for Aaron the priest and the garments of his sons, to minister as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and sweet incense for the holy place. According to all that I have commanded you they shall do.”

Exodus 12:4 (NKJV)

4 And if the household is too small for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next to his house take it according to the number of the persons; according to each man’s need you shall make your count for the lamb.

Exodus 13:6 (NKJV)

6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.

D. The Presentation - 4

1. Fashioned a golden calf

2. Presented - this is your God

1 Kings 12:28–31 (NKJV)

28 Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!” 29 And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. 30 Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. 31 He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.

E. The Worship - 5-6

1. Aaron built an alter before it

2. Aaron made a proclamation

3. Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.

Exodus 10:9 (NKJV)

9 And Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old; with our sons and our daughters, with our flocks and our herds we will go, for we must hold a feast to the Lord.”

Exodus 12:14 (NKJV)

14 ‘So this day shall be to you a memorial; and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord throughout your generations. You shall keep it as a feast by an everlasting ordinance.

4. They rose up early then next day to offer:

a. Burn’t offerings

b. Peace Offering

Exodus 24:1–9 (NKJV)

Israel Affirms the Covenant

24 Now He said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 And Moses alone shall come near the Lord, but they shall not come near; nor shall the people go up with him.”

3 So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” 4 And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. 5 Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. 6 And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. 7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” 8 And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

On the Mountain with God

9 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel,

5. The people sat down to eat and drink

Exodus 24:11 (NKJV) 11 But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.

6. The people rose up to play (possible sexual sin)

Genesis 39:13–14 (NKJV)

13 And so it was, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and fled outside, 14 that she called to the men of her house and spoke to them, saying, “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice.

Application:

Do we attempt to connect to God on our terms rather than on his terms?

Do we attempt to make God in our image?

Are we guilty of mixing fleshly pleasure with divine worship?

God wants us to enjoy what He gives us from His benevolent hand, but He does not want us to use us as an excuse to feed our own flesh.

Transition: Well we see the nature of rebellion, but let’s consider a “bird’s eye view” when God and Moses are looking down on the people what are they seeing.

II. Rebellion offends God (32:7-10)

Exodus 32:7–10 (NKJV)

7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.”

The address: Your people

God previously referred to them as his people

Exodus 4:22 (NKJV)

22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Israel is My son, My firstborn.

b. He was legitimately placing their fate in Moses’ hands (He was given full responsibility)

Amos 7:1–6 (NKJV)

Vision of the Locusts

7 Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, He formed locust swarms at the beginning of the late crop; indeed it was the late crop after the king’s mowings. 2 And so it was, when they had finished eating the grass of the land, that I said:

“O Lord God, forgive, I pray!

Oh, that Jacob may stand,

For he is small!”

3 So the Lord relented concerning this.

“It shall not be,” said the Lord.

Vision of the Fire

4 Thus the Lord God showed me: Behold, the Lord God called for conflict by fire, and it consumed the great deep and devoured the territory. 5 Then I said:

“O Lord God, cease, I pray!

Oh, that Jacob may stand,

For he is small!”

6 So the Lord relented concerning this.

“This also shall not be,” said the Lord God.

B. Three characteristics of compromised people - 8

1. They are corrupt: They have corrupted themselves

2. They are stubborn: They are a stiff-necked people

3. They are disobedient: They have turned aside out of the way which I commanded them - 8

C. The Method: - 9

1. They have made themselves a molded calf

2. And worshipped it

3. And sacrificed to it

4. And said: This you god that brought you out of the land of Egypt

Exodus 20:1–6 (NKJV)

The Ten Commandments

20 And God spoke all these words, saying:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

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; 5 you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, 6 but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

B. The Proposed Plan of Judgment - 10

Unleash my anger: Let me alone that my wrath may burn hot against them

That I may consume them (Here is what I will do if you do not intervene!

I will make of you a great nation

a. God did this with Noah

b. He did this with again with Abraham

c. He was willing to causes Moses to replace Abraham

Application:

When we sin do we really see it as corruption, stubbornness, and disobedience?

Transition: Despite God’s willingness to start over, Abraham interceded for the people.

III. Rebellion needs intersession (32:11-14)

Exodus 32:11–14 (NKJV)

11 Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God, and said: “Lord, why does Your wrath burn hot against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.

A. Moses Appeals to God’s Consistency and Faithfulness (3 appeals)

1. Why should God nullify the results of His Divine Power? Why does your wrath turn hot whom you have brought out of Egypt by your mighty hand?

2. Why should God grant the Egyptians delight in seeing the Israelites crushed, by their own God?

3. Why should God go back on his promises to the Patriarchs?

Examples:

Moses’ appeal - Num 14:13-19; Deut 9:26-29

Abraham’s appeal - Gen 18:22-32

Application:

We need to understand that God has every right to wipe us out. When you look over history and see all of the rebellion, disloyalty, disobedience, and apostasy, why doesn’t God just wipe us out. Why? Because redeeming us, restoring us, and forgiving us glorifies Him more, than if he were to wipe us out.

B. The Lord Relented from the harm which he said He would do to His people.

God does however punish Israel for their evil, but he doesn’t annihilate them.

Application:

Hebrews 7:25 (NKJV)

25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

The New King James Version Chapter 8

20 For bthe creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of 6corruption into the glorious cliberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation dgroans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have ethe firstfruits of the Spirit, feven we ourselves groan gwithin ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the hredemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but ihope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance.

26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For jwe do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but kthe Spirit Himself makes intercession 7for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now lHe who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints maccording to the will of God.

We must be very careful to worship God on His terms, not our own.

We must understand that our sin offends God and corrupts our hearts.

We must appreciate the intercession of Christ and intercede on behalf of others.