As Moses descended the mountain, he knew his people had gone astray. Yet, seeing something you know is true with your own eyes can still be shocking. I’m sure Moses was hoping that the situation had gotten “fixed” or that perhaps God was mistaken. But God doesn’t make mistakes. It seems it was worse than Moses had expected.
And what about Aaron? Moses’ own brother had allowed this abomination to occur. Like Eve was deceived and tricked by the serpent in Genesis, Aaron told Moses, “they said to me…” as if that would make it better. Moses left Aaron in charge. He trusted him. Yet Aaron gave in, collected the gold for the idol, and “out came this calf.” Yeah right.
We do see a bit of respect here as Aaron called Moses, “my lord,” Yet, the fact remained — the people were out of control. And, Moses was furious. He even smashed the tablets God himself had written on. That was some fury. It must have been quite a scene. The people were soon forced to drink water with the gold dust powder blended in. That must have been just dreadful.
That wasn’t all. Moses called together those who were on the Lord’s side, and the Levites gathered around. Moses had them go through the camp and kill all those who were not like-minded. Over three thousand people, their own relatives and friends, were slaughtered that day. For that, they received a blessing.
I can’t even imagine. It would have seemed like a bad dream. Do you know that dread feeling you get, and then you wake up. Once you realize it was not real, you begin to feel some relief. But this was not a nightmare. The relief would not have come. Yet, the Levites were obedient. They did as Moses had said.
What had happened to the Israelites? Why had their behavior gotten so out of control? Why hadn’t Aaron been more of an enforcer? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments if you’re moved to do so. Was the peer pressure that significant? Were the people just that corrupt? Was Satan just that crafty to take advantage of the situation?
When we are weakened by a situation or circumstance, we need to be all the more vigilant and not let evil creep in. If we’re not, we will be overtaken, and there isn’t a lot we can do to stop it. We might not even recognize our own treachery. Evil has a way of disguising itself to looking good. Doesn’t that sound a little crazy? But you’ve heard the saying, beware of the wolf in sheep’s clothing (or something like that).
Will we be slaughtered for our disobedience? Do we want to chance it? Wouldn’t it just be easier to be following God instead of trying to make a deal, get a pardon, take a chance? It is so much better to receive a blessing, don’t you think? It’s so much better to have a peace of mind knowing that God is our protector and provider. When we see others starting to stray, we don’t want to be like Aaron and encourage them along. We want to encourage them to stay on God’s course. It’s not easy. It can be downright impossible. But all things are possible with God. (Matthew 19:26)
Let’s pray. Lord, I thank you for the possibilities you have placed in my life. You have allowed me to have choices. While I am sometimes overwhelmed by the options, help me to always turn to you and make sure my decisions and action are honoring to you. Help me resist the evil one who attempts to push me off course. Strengthen me and grow my faith every day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
