“What did this people do to you that you
have brought such a great sin upon them?”
Moses knew who to go to, the leader.
Aaron was responsible for leading the people and he had allowed himself
to be led by them. His response was very
like Adam’s response in the garden. Adam
blamed Eve, whom the Lord had given him, and Aaron blamed the people themselves
and, perhaps indirectly, the Lord, because he threw a bunch of stuff into the
fire and out popped a calf, surely someone else was responsible for the
form. In reality, we are told Aaron
fashioned the calf with a tool. He bears
responsibility for this sin. Aaron is
also responsible for letting the people “break loose.” This phrase is used in Proverbs where it is
typically translated something like, “cast of moral restraint.” It would seem to indicate that some type of
prostitution or sexual activity was associated with the worship of this
idol. Here. the tribe of Levi rises to
the occasion on behalf of God’s glory and honor and distinguishes them in His
service in an awful scene of fratricide.
Sin is a serious matter, especially such sin as this, perverting the
Lord’s Name and worship.
We are salt and light to the world, we are
to reveal righteousness and the right way to live. We know that way because we know the creator
who alone knows how we are to live. If
we fail to reveal that to the world it will continue on its merry way. Holiness matters. The way of worship is to acknowledge His
inapproachable holiness with reverence and awe and to also celebrate His
condescension to come to us that we might approach Him through Jesus. We need both His transcendence and His
immanence in order to properly order our worship. Too often we focus on one to
the exclusion of the other. Either He is
so inapproachable as to be watching us from a distance and we live in fear of
Him or we treat Him too casually. The
same Israelites who feared at the mountain and sent Moses on their behalf now
have forgotten that scene. Balance is
necessary in our understanding of God.
Paul says that the Thessalonians’ faith is
an inspiration. They have persevered in
spite of affliction. They not only heard
the Gospel preached but they saw a demonstration of power and the Holy Spirit. They know more of the Lord than simply a word
of truth and they have knowledge of His power.
That understanding keeps them aware also of “the wrath to come.” There is restraint due to their knowledge of
the power of God. Can idols have wrath? The worship of idols is safer and simpler
than the worship of the living God. It
is easy to de-personalize God in our worship and in our thoughts. We need fresh reminders of His presence and
the reality of His power.
Praise yet our Christ
again,
Alleluia! Amen!
Life shall not end the strain;
Alleluia! Amen!
On heaven’s blissful shore,
His goodness we’ll adore,
Singing forevermore,
“Alleluia! Amen!”
Alleluia! Amen!
Life shall not end the strain;
Alleluia! Amen!
On heaven’s blissful shore,
His goodness we’ll adore,
Singing forevermore,
“Alleluia! Amen!”
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