Exodus Chapter 32 Verses 15 – 19
• I just want to point something out here that perhaps you may find irrelevant but I do not. Joshua was not up on the mountain with God. He hadn’t heard the voice of God on this matter. God had said to Moses earlier in this chapter exactly what the people were doing. It wasn’t war with another people, it was war with God. Moses knew it, first hand from God, Joshua did not.
• Joshua had his own idea, his own observance…(based on his own experience), “There is noise of war in the camp.” Why do you think he said that? Because to him, it sounded like war. But as we know, it wasn’t. So, Moses tells him what’s really going on…and Joshua accepts it and moves on. There is such great trust, loyalty and honor in Joshua. He doesn’t have to have his way. He doesn’t need his voice heard or his opinion honored. He simply concedes the point and moves on. That is rare today and yet very much necessary to advance.
• I am not talking about not questioning authority. We need to hold our leaders accountable and we ought to support our leadership by ensuring that they are making wise decisions. This is a hard situation, they’ve been gone 40 days, they know something is up, Moses knows and Joshua knows that Moses is going to have to deal with it. Rather than add a problem, Joshua decides to solve a problem. That’s rare. That takes humility. That is required individually to advance personally and corporately. That’s the essence of what I am saying.
Exodus Chapter 32 Verse 20
• This seems really odd and perhaps Moses was just reacting, not sure…but there is heavy symbology here. The water came from where? The rock. The rock is a type and picture of Jesus Christ, remember? 1 Corinthians 10:4 says, “All drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them, and that Rock was Christ.”
• So, Moses takes the golden calf, the false god created by man…it’s put into the fire, then Moses pulverizes it and then he has it overwhelmed by the water…and then the people take it in. Symbology? Yes! Jesus has overwhelmed the flesh and defeated sin…what man has created…and we are to take Him in, open our hearts to Jesus and receive Him in…and by doing so, the false god is defeated, the sin is taken away.
Exodus Chapter 32 Verse 21
• Moses holds Aaron accountable. This is so very important. People must be held accountable, period. If not, then as a whole, the rest of the people will become disgruntled, disengaged and ultimately disenchanted with the community and leadership. You may have no idea what I’m talking about and truly this is a much longer conversation, but know this. If you don’t hold people accountable then do not expect folks to reach their potential…and do expect your leadership to bring out the worst in the team. Enter entitled, bratty, bossy, disobedient children. Why? Parents have not from the beginning held them accountable for their misbehaviors. The absolute same will happen with your team, your family, your nation. Folks must be held accountable at all times. It is truly the best for them and for the family, community, church, team, etc.
Exodus Chapter 32 Verses 22 – 24
• An example of poor leadership. Why was Aaron, Moses older brother, not the lead? Why did God choose Moses? Now, you see why. Aaron deflects personal accountability in the difficult circumstance, Aaron with the people and with Moses took the path of least resistance…in other words, he was lazy. Look, lazy people always find fault with their situation, others, their resources…it’s never their fault and they always have some lame excuse as to why something right was left undone. Poor leadership absolutely, but poor character entirely.
• Only thing that is honorable here is that Aaron honestly told Moses what happened. (Perhaps not every detail…I wonder if the calf actually jumped out of the fire) That is important though and we’ve all been there and will be there again. When you mess up, when I mess up, we and I need to fess up. The more you conceal, the longer the fix and the less adequate the fix. Be honest, what happened, all of it, so that together we can make it right.
Exodus Chapter 32 Verses 25 – 29
• Reading this and knowing that this happened is difficult to take in. It seems harsh and brutal and it most certainly is…but the lesson we have to take away is that sin indeed does bring about severe, harsh and many times brutal consequences. We simply cannot get away from that fact no matter how often it is easy to forget…
• Notice this about “being on the Lord’s side.” It requires three things: Decision, action, and separation.
Exodus Chapter 32 Verses 30 – 32
• Excellent leadership! What a difference from Aaron, right!? “Moses, these people, they made me lead poorly!” Then Moses, “God, the failure of these people, put that on my account.” Quite the difference. A good leader is not over the people but rather a good leader is among the people with the intention of taking responsibility for them. Think of what God did by sending His Son. He became as One among men in order to take away their sin. That is good leadership and that is sorely lacking in the church, definitely in the workplace and certainly in the world.
• How did Moses know about “God’s Book,” which God had written? What book is he talking about at all? This is crazy interesting! The Book of Revelation speaks extensively about what we know as the “Lamb’s Book of Life.” It is the Book where every name of every citizen of heaven is written…and according to Revelation 3:5, Jesus Himself will announce each name before heaven at the Great White Throne Judgment.
• BUT, Exodus 32…all previous chapters, it’s not been mentioned yet. Oddly enough, the “Book of Life” first appears much much later in Psalm 69:28, and to top off the mystery, that Psalm is a Psalm of David! This is crazy mysterious. So, we know, because thousands of years later it was revealed to John in a vision, that there is a Book of Life…and in it are individual names…but Here we are, thousands of year prior to that vision, and Moses knows about it. Moreover, David writes about it…Daniel writes about it in Daniel 12:1, Paul writes about it in Philippians 4:3…all before the revelatory vision of John…what am I getting at!? Personal individual relationship with God like Moses had, David had, Daniel had, Paul had…God reveals the hidden things of His heart! Such a HUGE benefit of relationship with God!
• And I love and honor and respect Moses’ love for his people…it is the same as the Lord’s…if they are to perish, then accept me as a substitute in their place. Blot me out before them. Moses was innocent…that’s the only way and reason why he could offer this exchange…he was on the mountain when the people sinned…and Moses loves them…this is JUST LIKE Jesus…and think about this…Jesus was blotted out of the realm of the living…but uniquely qualified, the Author of the Book Himself…think about it…His name wasn’t in it…He was and is the Author…but to remove the blot over every other name in that book…He added His name, came into His own creation, blotted His own name out…and yet the blot had no power over Him because He was found to be without sin! I don’t know where my name is in the Book…but I know where Jesus’ is…it’s the last name. The last Adam…
Exodus Chapter 32 Verse 33
• Moses…I love you man…I love your heart man…but each person is individually accountable…
Exodus Chapter 32 Verses 34 – 35
• What was the plague? The ultimate punishment? None of them would make it to the promised land. The wicked and rebellious generation would die out before Israel would enter into the land. A picture of the severity of sin…not the severity of God. People shake their heads looking up, why? It’s not God who sinned…it’s God who is Judge…that’s the real problem, isn’t it?
• But God is faithful…He cannot deny Himself…even when all others are faithless, He is faithful…and that either becomes the source of your constant victory or the source of your ultimate defeat. At any rate, God does not change and in that I and all that surrender their hearts to Him, take GREAT and VICTORIOUS comfort!!