Confronting Aaron

Confronting Aaron
Words of Faith 3-10-2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2023
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Exodus 32
[21] He said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?" [22] "Do not be angry, my lord," Aaron answered. "You know how prone these people are to evil. [23] They said to me, 'Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him.' [24] So I told them, 'Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.' Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!" [25] Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. [26] So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me." And all the Levites rallied to him. [27] Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.'" [28] The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. [29] Then Moses said, "You have been set apart to the LORD today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day."

Aaron had some explaining to do. What we hear is almost a classic case of spin. He blamed the whole thing on the people. They had asked for gods to be made. Aaron claimed he only gathered the jewelry and threw it into the fire, almost as if to prevent the making of an idol. But, lo and behold, out popped this golden calf.
The people were still running wild. Aaron had allowed them to get out of control. There was now a harsh judgment to come. Moses called for a judgment upon the unrepentant. He called for a commitment from those willing to stand for the Lord.
The Levites responded as a group. They went through the camp killing the unrepentant-- even brother, friend, and neighbor. 3000 were killed by swords. Still, more would die later by plague.
After this horrible and gruesome day, the Levites were set apart to the Lord with the responsibility of carrying the Tabernacle.
The Lord had relented from his first decision to destroy all the people. He gave the Hebrews the opportunity to repent and turn back to Him. We don't want to miss that even in the midst of God's mercy, there is a judgment required. Those who are unrepentant will face extreme consequences.
We never really hear about Moses' response to Aaron's ridiculous explanation. There is something very revealing about the story. As broken, frail humans, we tend to blame shift. We fail to take responsibility for our words and actions. We even describe terrible mistakes as "something that just happened."
In reality, the idols of our lives do not just pop out of the fire. We provide the materials. We provide the heat. We fashioned the images. The sooner we recognize this, the more closely we walk with God.

Father God, forgive me. I confess that I have fashioned idols in my life, cheap substitutes for You. I pray that You will forgive me. Help me to cast these out of my life so that I may worship You alone. In Jesus' Name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2023
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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