Read
25Moses knew that the people were out of control and that it was Aaron's fault. And now they had made fools of themselves in front of their enemies. 26So Moses stood at the gate of the camp and shouted, “Everyone who is on the Lord's side come over here!”
Then the men of the Levi tribe gathered around Moses, 27and he said to them, “The Lord God of Israel commands you to strap on your swords and go through the camp, killing your relatives, your friends, and your neighbors.”
28The men of the Levi tribe followed his orders, and that day they killed about 3,000 men. 29Moses said to them, “You obeyed the Lord and did what was right, and so you will serve as his priests for the people of Israel. It was hard for you to kill your own sons and brothers, but the Lord has blessed you and made you his priests today.”
30The next day Moses told the people, “This is a terrible thing you have done. But I will go back to the Lord to see if I can do something to keep this sin from being held against you.”
31Moses returned to the Lord and said, “The people have committed a terrible sin. They have made a gold idol to be their god. 32 But I beg you to forgive them. If you don't, please wipe my name out of your book.”
33The Lord replied, “I will wipe out of my book the name of everyone who has sinned against me. 34Now take my people to the place I told you about, and my angel will lead you. But when the time comes, I will punish them for this sin.”
35So the Lord punished the people of Israel with a terrible disease for talking Aaron into making the gold idol.
The Lord Tells Israel
1 The Lord said to Moses:
You led the people of Israel out of Egypt. Now get ready to lead them to the land I promised their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 2-3It is a land rich with milk and honey, and I will send an angel to force out those people who live there—the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. But I will not go with my people. They are so rebellious that I would destroy them before they get there.
4-5Even before the Lord said these harsh things, he had told Moses, “These people really are rebellious, and I would kill them at once, if I went with them. But tell them to take off their fancy jewelry, then I'll decide what to do with them.” So the people started mourning, 6and after leaving Mount Sinai, they stopped wearing fancy jewelry.
Reflect
Not many people face severe outcomes like this when given the choice whether or not to follow God. Rarely is there immediate judgment for choosing not to follow God. Yet we still disobey, and willful disobedience will have its consequences.
Because of the violent nature of God’s response in this passage to the worship of idols, it is easy to overlook the third form of punishment declared by God. Loss of life and health are severe judgments. But the declaration of God’s distance is also something to be dreaded. To know that God’s presence is withheld is a terrible thing.
C.S. Lewis quipped that there are two kinds of people: those who say to God, “Your will be done,” and those to whom God says, “All right, then, have it your way” (The Great Divorce, p 69). While this may not be seen as a statement of judgment, it is in fact a grievous punishment to be condemned to our own individual will.
It is good to be reminded that the choice to follow God is a serious decision. Nurturing spiritual health is an important exercise. Discipline and sacrifice will be necessary. Remaining attuned and sensitive to God’s Spirit is essential.
It’s a good thing to evaluate one’s lifestyle from time to time. Looking at the patterns of our activity we’ll discover how serious (or not) we are about nurturing our faith. Remember that discipline and sacrifice are natural products of love and devotion. When we think like this we can make necessary changes with joy and cheerful anticipation. Let’s recover our first love and dedication, and thank God for his grace and mercy.
Respond
Lord, help me make this a day when I recover the delight of devotion and renew the joy of faithful obedience.
Willard Metzger
Willard Metzger has 18 years experience as a pastor with Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC) and served as National Director of Church Relations for World Vision Canada. He began his current role as Executive Director with Mennonite Church Canada in 2010. Willard has earned a Bachelor of Theology, Bachelor of Arts, Masters of Theological Studies and a Doctor of Ministry degree. He loves travel and the outdoors. Publications: 2010, Stiller, Karen & Metzger, Willard. Going Missional: Conversations with 13 Canadian churches who have embraced missional life. Word Alive Press