Committed to Moses, Not to God

The Israelites had clearly seen God’s power in delivering them from Egypt, in giving them food and water, and in defeating the Amalekites. They had agreed to making a contract with God to obey him in exchange for his guidance and help in Exodus 19:8.  “And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD.”  With that much of a commitment from the people, God had proceeded to define what they would be expected to do, in Exodus 19-23. 

Moses went back to the people and explained in detail what God would expect of them, In Exodus 24:3.  “And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do.”  The people stated that they were committed to obey God’s command.  With that in mind, Moses proceeded to write out the contract and in effect get a signed commitment from the people, in Exodus 24:4-8.  “And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel.  And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD.  And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar.  And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.  And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.”

It seemed like the people were really committed to obeying God, and he called Moses to the top of the Mountain to finalize the contract, and make a permanent copy in Exodus 24:12-18.  “And the LORD said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them.   And Moses rose up, and his minister Joshua: and Moses went up into the mount of God.  And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.

And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount.  And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.  And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.  And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.”

Unfortunately, people often make promises without really thinking about what the promises mean.  Without Moses there to constantly remind them of their commitment, the people turned away in just a few days, as Exodus 32:1-6.  “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.  And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.  And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.”

It undoubtedly took several days to make the mold, gather the gold, and build a furnace for melting it.  it then had to cool enough they could finish it and engrave it.  Once it was completed and Aaron was satisfied, he declared it to be the God which brought them out of Egypt, and named the following day as a day of sacrifice and worship.  It is important to notice that the people’s focus was on Moses, rather than on God.  Moses had only been out of sight for about a month when they demanded Aaron make them a new God.   

Unfortunately, the same thing happens a lot in the modern church.  People often make professions of faith, because they believe in the preacher or soul winner, rather than because they believe in Jesus Christ.  As long as the preacher or someone is right there to keep them doing the right things they seem devoted to God, but when problems arise or their preacher or guide leaves and the excitement ends, they turn away.  In his explanation of the parable of the Sower and the seed, Jesus described them as those in the stony places, in Matthew 13:20-21.  “But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.”  While they appear excited about being a Christian, and may stay for several years, they have no real commitment to Christ himself.  While we can’t judge a person’s motives, we can inspect their fruit, because as Jesus said in Matthew 7:16-17, “Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?  Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.”  We just have to learn to differentiate between works and spiritual fruit.