By Mary Vee
Exodus 32: 20-35
Moses
I couldn't control myself. The closer I walked to the camp the louder the music and shouting..and the..disrespect. That's it. Disrespect for God.
My people, God's chosen people danced for a golden calf!
A few moments ago, I had thrown to the ground the stone tablets God wrote on and smashed them into powder. My face burned with anger. There was only one thing to do.
I took their precious golden calf and shoved it into the fire. The people knew better than to complain against me this time.
Most of the children crawled back toward their tents, the adults didn't know what to do, which seemed fine to me. They needed to understand their sin.
Once their idol melted down to a lump, I ground the gold into a fine powder and tossed it into their drinking water. The next day, I forced everyone from the camp to drink that water.
Aaron told me what happened while I spent time on the mountain. You can read what he said here: .
Even after they drank the water, the people didn't show respect. They hit each other, said mean things, stole from their neighbors, and, well the list would fill this page. Why didn't Aaron force them to be kind to one another? Their enemies laugh at them because of the way they act.
Enough is enough. I won't let them disrespect God any longer. I stood in the entrance of the camp and said, "Whoever is on the Lord's side--come to me!"
All the sons of Levi came forward. I ordered them to go throughout the camp and punish the people.
The next day, I stood before the people again. "You have committed a great sin. I will go up the mountain to speak with the Lord. Maybe I can ask Him to forgive you."
I left them and walked up the mountain. Their eyes grew wide as they silently watch me walk toward the mountain. Some of them are afraid.
I practiced what to say to the Lord the whole walk to the top. I told Him what I saw, even though He already knew, then I asked Him to forgive the people's sin.
The Lord listened patiently then said He would punish those who sinned. Before I turned to go back down the mountain the Lord told me to lead the people to the next place. He said an His Angel would go before us.
In the next few days those who did not follow the Lord became sick. Those who obeyed God, did not.
I wish everyone from the camp stood by me to say they were on the Lord's side. I wonder about you, the one reading this story, are you on the Lord's side?
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Christmas is in a few days. A good time to remember that Jesus came as a baby to live a perfect life as an example for us and then to take our punishment for our sins. God loves us very much.
This story asks an important question, are you on the Lord's side?
If you answered no, but would like to be on the Lord's side, helpful informtion will be given in the next post (Saturday). Please stop back on Saturday.
If you answered yes, but have questions, you may email me your question at mimary_vee@yahoo.com or simply write your question in the comment box. I will answer you either way.
By Mary Vee
Exodus 32
Aaron
My brother, Moses, left over a month ago. In truth, I don't know when he's coming back. Before he went up the mountain he told the children of Israel to wait for him. He instructed them to come to Hur and me with their problems.
Life in camp went well for a while. But of late the people have grown impatient. Yesterday a group of men asked when Moses would return. How would I know?
This morning a larger group of men gathered. To quiet them down I agreed to hear their dispute. One stepped forward. "Moses hasn't returned."
I nodded. "Yes. I noticed."
He rolled his eyes. "When is he coming back?"
I shrugged. "When he finishes his meeting with the Lord."
Another pushed forward. "Maybe he's not coming back!"
The other men in the group yelled "Yeah. What are we suppose to do if he doesn't return?"
I didn't have answers for their questions. More men gathered from the camp to join in the yelling. I couldn't think. I wanted them to stop yelling before someone got hurt.
The first man turned to the group and shouted, "We need a god that we can see. What do you say? We should make gods who will go before us. Who's with me?"
The rest of the men joined in the shouting. I looked back at the mountain and wondered if Moses would ever come back. What if he didn't? How long should we wait?
The leader of the men waved his arm to quiet the group. He turned to me. "Look Aaron, your brother, Moses, did a great job leading us out of Egypt and we're thankful not to be slaves. But think back to the riches the Egyptians had--remember? They had gods they could see. It'd be a lot easier to obey a god we could see. What do you say?"
The group cheered at his idea. I didn't know what to do. Hur didn't either. Maybe if they had a god they could see, they'd obey the commandments given to us. So I agreed. "Bring me the earrings worn by your wives and children."
By the afternoon they'd brought plenty of gold to make a rather large calf. I used an engraving tool to shape the calf and set it on a table. "This is your god, O Israel that brought you out of Egypt."
The next day I built an altar in front of the new god and told the people, "Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord." The people rose early, something they hadn't done in a while, and brought sacrifices to the god. They ate and drank in celebration.
Everyone seemed happy. Maybe this was the right thing to do.
Maybe Moses would never come back.
I wonder if I made the right choice.
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Aaron did not make the right choice. He allowed the people to take control. Moses placed Aaron and Hur in charge, but Aaron let the people lead.
1. Who had not returned from the mountain yet?
2. Who was in charge of the Israelites at this time? (2 people)
3. What did the people want and why?
4. What did Aaron decide to do?
5. How does this story apply to your life?
