November 9 – Exodus 32:15-20

 November 9 – Exodus 32:15-20

¹⁵ Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand, tablets that were written on both sides; on the front and on the back they were written. ¹⁶ The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. ¹⁷ When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” ¹⁸ But he said, “It is not the sound of shouting for victory, or the sound of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing that I hear.” ¹⁹ And as soon as he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ He took the calf that they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it on the water and made the people of Israel drink it.

Moses was enraged when he returned from the mountain and saw the golden calf, worship and celebration.  He threw the tables on which the commandments were written and broke them at the foot of the mountain. The people’s restlessness during Moses’ absence caused great grief for both God and Moses.  * Do we sometimes become impatient with God and seek control of our own life and situations?  Do you have anyone in your life who will keep you accountable and give you ‘spiritual guidance’ when you need it?  Ask God to provide you with trust, faith and patience to wait on Him.  Also seek a sincere Godly, Bible believing mentor to help keep you accountable when your faith is shaken and things get tough.

Heavenly Father, I can’t imagine how disappointed Moses was when he returned from the high of being in Your presence to the low of seeing his flock turning so quickly from trusting You to making and praising a man-made idol.  As disappointed as Moses was, I know it hurts You even more.  How often You see Your children go from complete trust and adoration, to seeking a god of their our own making.  As much as I hate to admit it, I have reverted to my own ’gods’ at times.  Although I have never built a golden idol, I have allowed things to come into my life that keep my focus off of You and being obedient.  Help me to keep my eyes on You and not the junk that the enemy throws at me through day to day distractions.  Help me not be like the children of Israel by turning my back on You, or like Moses, who became so angry at the people that he sinned against You, but to be obedient to You and keep my focus on You, and You alone.  Thank You for loving me enough You are willing to be patient with me and all my failures.

In Jesus’ name.

Amen!