Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20070725.htm

EXODUS: FUNCTIONING WELL IN A HOPELESS GROUP ASSIGNMENT
Part II: God's Sustainment Of Israel In The Wilderness Wanderings Amid Humanly Hopeless Trials
O. Learning To Be Deeply, Personally Intolerant Of Group Sin
(Exodus 32:15-35)
  1. Introduction
    1. It is fashionable today for Christians to "put aside our differences for the sake of unity". R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, wrote of this tendency, noting that evangelicals in the mid-twentieth century began to stand apart from "fundamentalism in spirit and . . . from liberal theology in substance" for the sake of evangelism, cf. Mohler, "Evangelical': What's in a Name?" in The Coming Evangelical Crisis , John H. Armstrong, gen. ed., 1996, p. 31.
    2. Yet, this blurring of the borders breeds unholiness, a fact Mohler noted as he wrote: " . . . the theological unity that once marked the movement has given way to the theological pluralism that was precisely what many of the founders of modern evangelicalism had rejected in mainline Protestantism." (Ibid., p. 33)
    3. Unlike this tendency, Moses exemplified intolerance of group sin for us in Exodus 32:15-35 (as follows):
  2. Learning To Be Deeply, Personally Intolerant Of Group Sin, Exodus 32:15-35.
    1. After Moses interceded for Israel before the Lord, he climbed down from the mount, Exodus 32:14, 15a.
    2. The author of Exodus repeatedly notes the tables of stone Moses held were the priceless tables where God Himself had written the Law, Ex. 32:15b-16. This makes what Moses did with them all the more striking!
    3. The author of Exodus also noted that Joshua, Moses' servant who had been waiting part way up the mount and who was not aware of Israel's sudden idolatry, remarked he was confused about the noise he heard from the camp: it was that of singing, something inexplicable to him, Ex. 32:17-18. This remark makes the sin of Israel all the more inexcusable as Joshua could not have guessed they so soon were idolatrous!
    4. Accordingly, Moses' responses exemplify for us a great intolerance for group sin, cf. Exodus 32:19-34:
      1. First, when Moses who had been in the presence of an infinitely holy God descended to see the people had so soon turned unto open idolatry, in intolerant fury, he flung the priceless tables of the Law out of his hands down to the bottom of the mount where they crashed into pieces, Exodus 32:19!
      2. Then, irrespective of what the nation thought of his action, Moses ground the calf to powder, spread it on the drinking water and made the people drink of it, Exodus 32:20 with Deuteronomy 9:21.
      3. Third, Moses confronted and critiqued his own brother, Aaron who had participated in this sin, asking what the people ever did to him to have him bring this great sin upon them, Exodus 32:21.
      4. Fourth, when Aaron gave the irresponsible answer that the people had pressed him to make the idol, and he threw their gold into the fire and "there came out this calf" versus claiming responsibility for forming it himself (cf. Exodus 32:4), Moses called the Levites who sided with him to execute large numbers of the poorly clad, immoral, idolatrous worshipers, Exodus 32:22-25, 26-29.
      5. Fifth, again unconcerned about what the people thought of him in striking contrast to Aaron's recent yielding to their political pressure, Moses rebuked the people, claiming they had grievously sinned, but that he would intercede for them before the Lord to see if their lives could be spared, Exodus 32:30.
      6. Sixth, when Moses interceded before God, he was so committed to God's righteousness that he asked that if God would not forgive Israel, that God might kill him, Exodus 32:32. Moses either did not want to live with an unforgiven people (Ibid.) or he realized the awful nature of their sin, and, in complete commitment to God's righteousness, was willing to give up his own innocent life for Israel's sake!
    5. God declined Moses' self-sacrificing offer, noting He would punish the people for their own sin at a future date, Ex. 32:33, 34b; Num. 14:22-23. Yet, God appreciated Moses' dedication, and told him His Angel would lead him to Canaan, and God struck the people with a plague, Exodus 32:34a, 35.
Lesson: When facing Israel's grave sin following his exposure to the infinitely righteous God, Moses reflected God's holiness, exhibiting deep, personal intolerance for the nation's idolatry!

Application: (1) May we fellowship with God as Moses did to gain his similar intolerance for group sin! (2) May we thus be ready to give up even all of our goods (the priceless tables of the Law), concern for what others think of us (Moses' facing the people), family ties (his facing Aaron), and even our lives (Moses' plea) IF NECESSARY to hold to God's righteousness versus yielding to group sin!