Exodus 32-33
Ex. 32:1-6
The power of sin defies all intellect and reason, all compassion and desire. Reading this story you have to remember there was still fire at the top of the mountain, there was still a pillar of cloud and fire, and there was still manna every morning. Two to three million people were encamped around Mt. Sinai, and the nation of Egypt was in ruins. The people had witnessed the greatest miracles of all time. They had heard the voice of God and they were given the 10 commandments.
So, why did they do this? How could Aaron have let them do it? What does Satan use best, atheism or confused spirituality? Clearly, confused spirituality. What does sin use best? Everything.
As disciples, we are no better. That same depraved nature is in us; the difference is that we have been cleansed in Christ and infused with a new life in the Spirit. Our strength is our total dependence on the Spirit and the Word and the grace of God. As Paul said, "When I am weak, then am I strong." We are spiritually bi-polar. We need our daily time with God.
Ex. 32:7-14
There is a line of thinking called the "openness of God." The idea is that God can change His mind and plans based on new data or the unexpected actions of men. Passages like this one are used to show that God does change His mind, that His plans are not set and that He doesn't know the end from the beginning. It is important to let Scripture interpret Scripture, that is, we need to take the Bible as a whole and balance what it says against one or two verses. The message of the entire Bible is that God knows the end, and the tiny details thereof, from the beginning. For example:
Psalm 139:4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
Psalm 139:16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
In light of God's foreknowledge and His unchangeableness, how do you interpret what God says to Moses in this portion? Most people see this as a test for Moses and a way to display the shepherd's heart that God developed in Moses in the wilderness.
Ex. 32:15-35
Everyone always notices how Aaron tries to pawn this off on the people and chance, "We threw in the gold and a calf came out."
I notice Moses' word about giving their enemies something to laugh at. I wonder if spiritual enemies were also in view. God is making a nation to be a witness to the nations. It has only been 40 days since they made a covenant with God. Satan is going, "Seriously, dude, this is too easy."
The Levites help Moses because they were "blood." It is hard to say what the idolatry looked like and why 3000 people were killed, but it might have had to do with refusing to stop their idolatry, like it didn't matter.
The plague was aimed at the people who participated, that Moses missed. This will begin showing the people that the sins of a few, affect the entire congregation.
Ex. 33:1-11
After this event, God tells Moses to go with the people, but that He, Himself, will not dwell in the middle of the people because if His holiness came in contact with their sin, they would go, "Boom!"
When it talks of the "tent of the meeting," I take it that this "custom" of Moses began after he came down. He needed a place to meet God that was not far removed from the people. This was not the Tabernacle. It is interesting that Joshua basically lived there, making sure, I suppose, that no one from the people tried to sneak in to get a peak. That the people worshiped, shows not a lack of spirituality, but a confused spirituality. This is good to note. It is not that people don't want spiritual input. They just want it on their terms, made in their own image and meeting their desires.
This whole adventure led to a crisis, and Moses and the people knew it. If God could not and would not dwell in their midst, they were cooked. For Moses especially, the load was unbearable and He needed God's presence and assurance.
Ex. 33:12-23
This is a very important and interesting portion of Scripture, especially for us as disciples. What was Moses asking for, another miracle? The people had seen miracle upon miracle with no real change of heart. Moses didn't need to see another miracle. In my mind, this passage makes Moses great. In his weakness he could have asked for anything, but in verse 18 he says, "Please show me your glory." His deepest desire and need was that he wanted to know God personally. He didn't want to have to rely on the ups and downs of experience and events. He needed something more stable and unchanging than successes and his own feelings. He needed to see and know the heart of God. In God showing Moses His innermost heart, Moses knew he was welcomed in and accepted.
Notice that whatever is promised here is different than when he and the others ate with the Lord. What Moses is about to see is different. Also, this is not simply sight. There is a very personal thing happening that will give Moses the ability to lead another 38 years. It isn't visual, it is spiritual. More on this tomorrow when it actually happens.
For us as disciples, as we yearn to serve Christ in the harvest, what is it that we really want. It takes a long time to finally distill the pure desire out of us and our motives. We work and see successes and failures and realize that none of them last or change us in a way that lasts. What Moses asked for was the only thing that truly makes sense. We need to know the Lord, to see His heart and be welcomed into His Heart. If our service depends on results, we are dead. If our mood and faithfulness depends on visual results, we fail. When we serve, knowing and seeing the Lord as our Lord and treasure, fully welcomed and beloved, we follow with joy and faithfulness regardless of what the voice of men say to us, or what the "results" look like.
Not that this portion has anything to do with me, but I'm glad I can latch onto this truth on my birthday. If I get to blow out the candles, this will be my wish. Or, I can just get on my knees and cry out to my Father.
Matthew 26:69-27:14
Matt. 26:69-75
Nothing is more haunting than Luke's account, where in the middle of Jesus' ordeal, there is a break in the action and He hears the rooster and looks out to the courtyard and His eyes meet Peter's, knowing that Peter has just publicly sworn to God that he doesn't know Jesus. Poor guy. Like every great leader, before he became useful, he had to hit the wall at 500 mph and become broken.
Matt. 27:1-14
Judas now understood that Jesus would be killed and that the people would blame him. Used by Satan to achieve Satan's ends to have the Jews incur the guilt of killing their Messiah, Judas has not achieved his end. What would 30 pieces of silver get you? It couldn't have been the money. Maybe he thought he could corner Jesus and Jesus would finally have to show His power and destroy the Romans. Judas might have escaped the wrath of the people by committing suicide, but not God. The minute he croaked, he was standing before God. What was he thinking? And Satan never understood the mystery of the incarnation or the mystery of that strange, funky nation that would be formed at the resurrection of Christ, bound by no common language, race or boundary, bound only by the cleansing, justifying, sanctifying blood of Christ and His indwelling Spirit. And to make Satan's defeat complete, by God's grace, Israel will rise and fulfill its destiny and burn brightly for its Messiah in earth's darkest hour. Daniel 12:3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
You really have to put all of the gospels together to understand Jesus' interaction with Pilate. For his part, Pilate tried all sorts of chess moves on the Jews to release Jesus. He finally caved into personal fear when the Jews threatened to tell Caesar on him. Rather than being trapped in playing chess there is that one unexpected, invincible move where you simply throw the board into the air and say, "This is what I'm going to do regardless of the cost." And you obey God. It sure simplifies things.
Psalm 33:1-11
Somewhere in this Psalm is a cool name for a church.
Proverbs 8:33-36
Verses 35 & 36 are a very powerful contrast and verse 36 is a truth that most people will not realize until it is way too late.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those at New Song who are following a One Year Bible and involved in a discipleship cell. We're meeting weekly and discussing the texts, not necessarily my comments. We're growing together, learning to become and make disciples who make disciples. We will all be leading others in this process and training them to do likewise.
The comments I'm writing are in no way exhaustive, but meant to give some leading thoughts on how the text applies to us as disciples and to encourage and stimulate our growth in reading the Bible, with the effect that we will grow as disciples and encourage the growth of others as disciples growing in the word. If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible, in fact, no one in our church reads the version I do, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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