Wednesday Bible Study, March 18, 2009

 

Heritage & Hope

The Revival at Sinai: “How quickly we forget”

Exodus 32

 

Introduction: The rallying cry for the revival at Mt. Sinai will be “whoever is for the Lord, come to me” (Ex.32:26). Of necessity we must mark this truth! The cry is not, “whoever is for Israel.” As Americans we may easily think things would be better if… Revival is not about America. Revival is about God. Revival is not republican, democrat, or independent. Revival is “whoever is for the Lord, come to me.”

 

I.                  Forty Days (32:1-2)

A.    Moses had been gone forty days and forty nights (24:18). Forty days is not a long time.

B.    The people of Israel said, “…as for this fellow Moses, who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him” (32:1). This is simply not true!

1.     The people of Israel agreed to total obedience (24:3,4).

2.     70 elders, Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Joshua (13) and Hur (14) had a chance to see God (10) and dine with God (11).

3.     The people knew that these men were with God (15-18).

C.    Now, 40 days later, they revolt! “Come, make us gods who will go before us…” (32:1)

1.     Where are the voices of the 70 elders?

2.     Where are the voices of the people who saw the glory of God?

3.     Remember: there is no such thing as a true vacuum! If the righteous are silent the voice of the unfaithful will be heard. “When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber” (Churchill, pg.207).

 

II.                Quick to turn (32:3-8)

A.    Aaron, bowing to pressure, makes a calf out of gold.

B.    The people declare: “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt” (4).

C.    Notice: the people do not abandon God- they add to God!

1.     Remember the command (Ex.20:2,3)

2.     Remember God is a jealous God (Ex.20:5)

3.     The Israelites will celebrate “…a festival to the Lord” (5). They will give

a.      burnt offerings

b.      fellowship offerings

4.     Afterward they will eat, drink and indulge in revelry (6). KJV is “play” instead of revelry. The Hebrew is sahaq meaning to “laugh, mock, sport, play”.

D.    God tells Moses

1.     The people have become corrupt (7). [Corrupt = shahat meaning “destroy, corrupt, mar, etc”]

2.     They have been quick to turn from God’s words (8).

3.     They have bowed down and worshipped the false god (8).

E.     J. Vernon McGee writes “Can you imagine these people lapsing into idolatry this quickly? It would be inconceivable to me if it were not for the fact that I have watched the church lapse into apostasy that I never dreamed I would live to see.”

 

III.             Who is for the Lord? (21-35)

A.    Moses confronts Aaron regarding sin (21). Sin is hataa which means “an offense”.

B.    Aaron’s response:

1.     It’s the people (22-23)

2.     The calf just came out (24)

C.    How easy is it for me to blame the world for my lack of holiness? Remember, Jesus expects His bride to be preparing herself (Rev.19:7,8).

D.    “Who is on the Lord’s side?”

1.     Moses issued a call. The Levites came.

2.     Moses called for radical surgery. “Look at it this way. Was it better to cut out the cancer now and save the nation or let the cancer grow and destroy the nation?” (McGee)

3.     3,000 people died.

4.     Moses interceded for the people and the nation (30-32).

a.      This is why we have a prayer service.

b.      I believe in II Chronicles 7:14.

c.      “Notice what moves the heart of God moves the hand of God” (McGee).

d.      “Because of Moses’ intercession, God has not given up on His people. This should impress upon us the extreme importance of prayer” (McGee).

 

Conclusion: 3,000 were saved at Pentecost! Wouldn’t we be wise to ask God to forgive our sins and by His grace heal our churches, our families, our lives, our marriages and our land?