This article first appeared as a post I wrote for The 555 Club. Before your read this article please read Exodus Chapter 24
In Exodus 24, we have a very graphic description of what happens next.
Here is what we see:
•A shocking amount of death and sacrificial blood splashed on everything.
•A glimpse of God Himself standing on a pavement that looks like sapphire.
•The top of Mount Sinai was covered in blazing fire with God in the center.
God calls Moses up on the mountain. He is going to give him the Ten Commandments written on stone by the finger of God, and the plans for the Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant.
Moses will be on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. In chapters 24-31, we are told how Moses received all of God's plans for the Tabernacle and the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.
These seven chapters cover the 40 days Moses was on the mountain. Now let’s stop and think about this scene for a minute. God gives the people three vivid pictures. He is definitely trying to make a lasting impression on them. I believe He is setting the stage for us to see the contrast between chapters 24 and 32.
In chapter 24, there is blood, a revelation of God standing on sapphire, and a mountain on fire. In chapter 32, Moses has been on the mountain 40 days getting the Law, plans for the Tabernacle, and the tablets of stone. Because Moses has been gone for so long, they think he may be dead, and the people decide to build two golden calves to worship. Boy, talk about veering wide off the road.
God is showing us the breathtaking depth of mankind's fallen, sinful nature. Even though they had seen incredible things and they had just made a pledge to obey God, even as Moses drenched them in blood, and even though the elders SAW GOD STANDING ON SAPPHIRE! EVEN THOUGH THE MOUNTAIN WAS STILL ON FIRE! They will still go on to make two golden calves and call them not just "God" but "the LORD". They called these two ridiculous idols, “Yahweh”, the covenant name of God. This could not be more blasphemous, stupid, and rebellious. They were so sinful and blind that they would go on to say that it was those golden calves that brought the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery.
Ex 32:4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."
So here God gives us a vivid picture of just how sinful mankind is. WHY? Because His grace will shine with brilliance against the backdrop of their selfish, darkened human hearts. If He can still love them and care for them after this disgraceful display of depravity, oh what a God He is!
Let’s go back to the beginning of the chapter and see what the people did that makes this even more serious. After God reveals His glory to the people and speaks the Ten Commandments, Moses makes an altar. They sacrifice, who knows how many young bulls, and capture the blood. Moses sprinkled blood on the altar he made; he sprinkled blood on the book where he had written down everything God had said.
Moses read that book to the people. It is called the Book of the Covenant. The people respond to the reading of God’s words by saying, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey”.
So, there they stand, having heard the book, and watching the blood drip off the book and onto the ground.
THEN MOSES SPLASHES BLOOD ONE MORE TIME. THIS TIME ON THE PEOPLE.
Ex 24:7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey." 8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."
When Moses splashed them with blood, what did it mean? Moses had splashed blood on the altar, the book, and the people. When he sprinkled the people, he was binding them to their oath to obey. He was binding them to the covenant promise they had just made to obey Him.
They had made a solemn vow to God, ratified by blood, but in 40 days, they will forget Moses and God and bow down to two pieces of metal.
In chapter 24, they pledged their allegiance to God, but by chapter 32, they are worshiping idols and ready to leave Moses on the mountain and walk away from him, God, and all they had seen.
Just as the Law was meant to uncover the sin of our own hearts, so God gives us these stories for the same reason. He wants us to see the ridiculous, fickle nature of sin in the Hebrew people so that we understand that the same sin is in us.
He is asking us if we see ourselves in this story.
But He also wants us to see something about Him. His love and compassion. Human darkness only serves to show HIs glory to be even more brilliant than we thought.
God knew the darkness of their sin, and yet He still loved them. I will go even further, before God made the world, He knew that the Hebrews would make those idols and bow down to them. Yet
He still wanted them, and He still led them out of Egyptian slavery.
Let’s go one step further. God knew all my sin, and all your sin, and He still wanted us. Jesus knew the evil sinners He was dying for, and still let those nails pierce His hand and feet, because His love is stronger than our sin.
My rebellion is no match for His love. How can I not kneel at His feet and surrender all to Him?
In Exodus 24, we have a very graphic description of what happens next.
Here is what we see:
•A shocking amount of death and sacrificial blood splashed on everything.
•A glimpse of God Himself standing on a pavement that looks like sapphire.
•The top of Mount Sinai was covered in blazing fire with God in the center.
God calls Moses up on the mountain. He is going to give him the Ten Commandments written on stone by the finger of God, and the plans for the Tabernacle, and the Ark of the Covenant.
Moses will be on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights. In chapters 24-31, we are told how Moses received all of God's plans for the Tabernacle and the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments.
These seven chapters cover the 40 days Moses was on the mountain. Now let’s stop and think about this scene for a minute. God gives the people three vivid pictures. He is definitely trying to make a lasting impression on them. I believe He is setting the stage for us to see the contrast between chapters 24 and 32.
In chapter 24, there is blood, a revelation of God standing on sapphire, and a mountain on fire. In chapter 32, Moses has been on the mountain 40 days getting the Law, plans for the Tabernacle, and the tablets of stone. Because Moses has been gone for so long, they think he may be dead, and the people decide to build two golden calves to worship. Boy, talk about veering wide off the road.
God is showing us the breathtaking depth of mankind's fallen, sinful nature. Even though they had seen incredible things and they had just made a pledge to obey God, even as Moses drenched them in blood, and even though the elders SAW GOD STANDING ON SAPPHIRE! EVEN THOUGH THE MOUNTAIN WAS STILL ON FIRE! They will still go on to make two golden calves and call them not just "God" but "the LORD". They called these two ridiculous idols, “Yahweh”, the covenant name of God. This could not be more blasphemous, stupid, and rebellious. They were so sinful and blind that they would go on to say that it was those golden calves that brought the Hebrews out of Egyptian slavery.
Ex 32:4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."
So here God gives us a vivid picture of just how sinful mankind is. WHY? Because His grace will shine with brilliance against the backdrop of their selfish, darkened human hearts. If He can still love them and care for them after this disgraceful display of depravity, oh what a God He is!
Let’s go back to the beginning of the chapter and see what the people did that makes this even more serious. After God reveals His glory to the people and speaks the Ten Commandments, Moses makes an altar. They sacrifice, who knows how many young bulls, and capture the blood. Moses sprinkled blood on the altar he made; he sprinkled blood on the book where he had written down everything God had said.
Moses read that book to the people. It is called the Book of the Covenant. The people respond to the reading of God’s words by saying, “We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey”.
So, there they stand, having heard the book, and watching the blood drip off the book and onto the ground.
THEN MOSES SPLASHES BLOOD ONE MORE TIME. THIS TIME ON THE PEOPLE.
Ex 24:7 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it to the people. They responded, "We will do everything the LORD has said; we will obey." 8 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."
When Moses splashed them with blood, what did it mean? Moses had splashed blood on the altar, the book, and the people. When he sprinkled the people, he was binding them to their oath to obey. He was binding them to the covenant promise they had just made to obey Him.
They had made a solemn vow to God, ratified by blood, but in 40 days, they will forget Moses and God and bow down to two pieces of metal.
In chapter 24, they pledged their allegiance to God, but by chapter 32, they are worshiping idols and ready to leave Moses on the mountain and walk away from him, God, and all they had seen.
Just as the Law was meant to uncover the sin of our own hearts, so God gives us these stories for the same reason. He wants us to see the ridiculous, fickle nature of sin in the Hebrew people so that we understand that the same sin is in us.
He is asking us if we see ourselves in this story.
But He also wants us to see something about Him. His love and compassion. Human darkness only serves to show HIs glory to be even more brilliant than we thought.
God knew the darkness of their sin, and yet He still loved them. I will go even further, before God made the world, He knew that the Hebrews would make those idols and bow down to them. Yet
He still wanted them, and He still led them out of Egyptian slavery.
Let’s go one step further. God knew all my sin, and all your sin, and He still wanted us. Jesus knew the evil sinners He was dying for, and still let those nails pierce His hand and feet, because His love is stronger than our sin.
My rebellion is no match for His love. How can I not kneel at His feet and surrender all to Him?
Rich Laskowski
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