After God rescued His people, the Israelites, from slavery in

Transcription

1 4 WEEK The Golden Calf Exodus 32:1-35 MEMORY VERSE Psalm 27:14 After God rescued His people, the Israelites, from slavery in Egypt, He led them into the desert. There He provided food for them to eat and water to drink. At the foot of Mount Sinai, their leader, Moses, gave the people instructions from God. We will do everything the Lord has told us to do, agreed the Israelites. Then God spoke to Moses. Come up to me on the mountain. Stay here. I will give you the stone tablets. They contain the law and commandments I have written to teach the people. Moses called for his helper, Joshua, and gathered together the other leaders of God s people. Wait for us here until we come back, he instructed, and then pointed out his brother and his friend. If you have any problems, go to Aaron and Hur. We ve got this, Mo, promised Aaron. Moses and Joshua started the long, rugged climb up Mount Sinai. As they neared the summit, the glory of the Lord settled on the top of the mountain in a thick cloud. Wait here for me, Moses told Joshua. God called out to Moses, and Moses entered the cloud. He stayed there for forty days and nights, as God gave him laws that would keep the people safe and teach them how to live. 1

2 Meanwhile, at the base of the mountain, the Israelites grew restless. A tall, thin man fidgeted, shifting his weight from one foot to the other as he stared up the mountain. Does it look like fire up there? he worried. It totally looks like fire up there. I bet Moses crisped up like a marshmallow! An Israelite girl finished re-braiding her hair for the fifth time to get it just right. Well, I just, like, want him to come down so we can move on, she grumbled. This dry air is totally wrecking my skin. We need a new leader! exclaimed the thin man. And if Moses isn t going to lead us to follow God, we need something we can see and worship! added the girl. Others around them agreed, dissatisfaction and impatience spreading through the crowd like crackling flames. Soon, the Israelites surrounded Aaron. No one had heard a thing from Moses for forty days. Moses got us out of Egypt, but he s been with God for a long time and he s probably toast now! they complained. Aaron glanced from the restive crowd to the distant cloud high on the mountain. No one had heard a thing from Moses for forty days. It s true things aren t looking so great up there... he muttered. Not great?! whined the thin man. We re talking forty days in an incinerator. 2

3 Okay. Okay! Aaron gave in. Just bring me all your gold jewelry. Earrings, what have you. The Israelites brought Aaron all their gold. He melted it down and shaped it into the form of a calf. Everyone gathered around, admiring the shiny new statue. This is the god that led us out of Egypt! they declared. Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he decided to run with it. Let s build an altar, he exclaimed. We ll have a feast tomorrow to honor God! So the next day, the people threw a wild party, feasting and dancing in worship of the golden calf. On top of Mount Sinai, God spoke to Moses: Your people you brought up out of Egypt have become very sinful. They have quickly turned away from what I commanded them. They have made themselves a metal statue of a god in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down... to it.... I will destroy them because of my great anger. Moses was devastated. Lord... you used your great power to bring them out of Egypt.... Please take pity, he pleaded. Remember your promise to Abraham. You said, I will make your children after you as many as the stars in the sky. I will give them all this land... forever. The Lord had mercy, just as Moses requested. But Moses started back down the mountain with a heart as heavy as the two stone tablets he carried. Joshua soon joined him. As they neared the foot of the mountain, loud shouts and cries reached them. That sounds like a battle! exclaimed Joshua. Moses shook his head. That s not fighting. It s singing, he said. As Moses and Joshua approached the camp, they could see wild dancing. The people were singing and bowing low before the statue of a golden calf. Holy cow! cried Joshua. This is udderly unacceptable. I m am not in the mooo-d for this! said Moses, gritting his teeth. 3

4 Moses was so angry that he hurled the stone tablets with God s laws to the ground at the foot of the mountain. Enough! he cried out. As the Israelites realized their leader had returned, the festivities died down. The people stopped dancing and singing. If you had a beef with me, you should have waited until I came down, declared Moses. Then he toppled the calf into the fire. The flames leapt high as the gold scorched and melted. Moses, like, doesn t have to have a cow about it, the girl whined. He s just so bull-headed, groused the thin man. As the Israelites realized their leader had returned, the festivities died down. When the metal finally cooled, Moses ground it into a fine powder that he scattered over some water. Drink this! he commanded. All of you. As the people gagged down the metallic water, Moses hunted down his brother Aaron. What did these people do to you? he asked. How did they make you lead them into such terrible sin? Don t be upset, Aaron begged. I mean, you know these people and how they can t wait to do what s wrong. Since you disappeared, they got impatient. They wanted something to worship. So I just, you know, asked them to give me their gold. Then I threw it in the fire. And out came the calf! 4

5 Moses narrowed his eyes. Out came the calf? Total coincidence, Aaron said. You ve allowed the people to run wild, Moses warned him. We re a joke to our enemies. Then Moses called out to the people once again: You have committed a terrible sin. But now I will go up to the Lord. Maybe if I pray to him, he will forgive your sin. Because God s people had failed to remember all He d done and wait on Him, they strayed far afield and many of them paid a terrible price. Let s Talk! Waiting is tough! But if you think back on your life, you ll be able to see lots of things that you ve waited for... and that God has given you! It might be a baby brother, moving into a new house, a puppy, getting to see your grandparents, or going on a trip. Share a few of these things with each other. Here s what s true: God loves you, and He wants to give you good things! Because He knows the whole story, He knows the perfect time for you to have those things. So the next time you re having a tough time waiting, don t take shortcuts or make an unwise choice to make it happen yourself. Focus on what s true that God will come through for you when the time is right. Pray for each other, that God will give you patience and remind you of His love for you when you re having a tough time waiting. Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL READER S VERSION 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved The rethink Group, Inc. All rights reserved. 5