Tale of Two Meanings
Exodus • Sermon • Submitted
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Hearing and Idols Ex. 32-1-7
Hearing and Idols Ex. 32-1-7
Exodus 20 - The hearing of the ten commandments
18 All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance. 19 Then they said to Moses, “Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die.”
Moses delivered the law to the Israelite by repeating what God was telling him and they LISTENED
Exodus 32 - inscribing the ten commandments on stone
1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”
“Moses adorned the ears of the Israelites with an ornament for the ears, which is the Law, but the false brother (Aaron) through disobedience removes the ornament placed on their ears and makes an idol with it”
~Gregory of Nyssa Life of Moses
What is the relationship between idol worship and hearing?
What does the repeating pattern of idol worship say about humanity?
God of Mercy Ex 32:7-14
God of Mercy Ex 32:7-14
Reconciling with His Wrath
Is God unstable?
Disowns the people “For your people...”
Disengages “Whom you have brought out...”
Disgusted (v.8) “This is your god, O Israel,...”
Vengeful (v. 10) “Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath...”
Moses petitions for the people on two accounts
Don’t let the Egyptians laugh at You.
Don’t forget your promise to the forefathers
Food for Thought on God’s wrath
Does God really care about the Egyptians perceptions of Him?
Would God, really be at fault if wiped out Israel and started over with Moses?
Psalm 51:4 (NKJV)
That You may be found just when You speak,
And blameless when You judge.
So what is God getting at? What is He ultimately accomplishing in this discourse
God was not bluffing
While the wrath of God is very real…so is His mercy (The bible as a whole is the story of God’s revelation to humanity....first with the Israelites paving the way for Jesus Christ and humanity)
God is continually working on His servants.
What qualities is God forming in Moses
perseverance, longsuffering, loyalty, mercy etc…
Created like Creator V. 15-24
Created like Creator V. 15-24
Moses comes down and is angry
smashes tables
burns and grinds calf and makes them drink it.
highlights the qualities of any man made idol.
Confronts Aaron who gives a lame account of standing up to the people v. 24
Chastening the whole V. 25-29
Chastening the whole V. 25-29
Tough passage
Easy to get the wrong perception of God, when solely focused on the individuals that fell...3,000
Must take a step back to see the whole picture.
205 “This account provides the following useful lesson: Because the Israelites in a body agreed to the evil and because the whole camp to a man participated in it, they were all without distinction scourged....Knowing that the pain inflicted on that part extends throughout the whole body. The same thing happens when the whole body united in evil is punished: The scourging inflicted on the part chastens the whole.
206 “So if at any time someone observes the same evil in many, but the wrath of God is vented not against everyone but only against some, it is fitting that one perceive the correction as administered through love for mankind. While not all are struck, the blows upon some chastise all to turn them from evil. Gregory of Nyssa Life of Moses (205 - 206)
MoseThe body of believers is always connected.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
This idea is continually threatened by our society which emphasizes individualism and autonomy…at the same time we also so a greater degree of addiction, depression, anxiety, suicide etc. which are combated on an individual level with our own man made idols.
Leadership of Moses V. 30-35
Leadership of Moses V. 30-35
Sense of responsibility for the Israelites
Learns what mercy and forgiveness are in reality