Cow Tipping - Money Series

Aaron uses the excuse that the people were prone to evil. They will place the blame on the outside force (the pressure of the world) into making this god. They will make excuses for themselves and their families why they gave in to the world.

God will still call it sin. We will answer to him for our choices. We will not be able to justify to him why it’s okay to worship golden cows.

God will hold us accountable for our actions- It’s a promise!

Verse 25-26: God will always give people a chance to repent and choose Him or evil.

God is giving us a choice today. He is saying, "Whoever is for me, come to me."

The question is, are you for God or for man-made gods?

Verse 27-29: Judgment came to those who rebelled and it will come on those who today choose evil.

Verse 30-35: After the first judgment for rebellion was carried out the man of God went back to intercede for the people.

But God had to judge sin – It’s the right thing to do!

God will never bless sin and sin will always bring negative consequences in the end.

He sent an angel to lead the people but promised a judgment for their sin. (Verse 35). It came to them. God will also judge you one day it’s coming sooner than you think.

Conclusion:

Man-made gods grieve God because when the Jews did this sin, they forgot who they were. They neglected to remember from whence they came and to whom they belonged. It follows that whenever we forget the same thing and form our own man-made gods, we are on the brink of destruction.

John White states, "The misery of a Christian torn between heaven and material idols can be pitiful. Our goal in life will determine our view of life."

Monkey Illustration

The monkey trap

Anything that you have to control, controls you. Guy Finley 1949 –

There are many variations to this story, but it’s quite instructive. In South America, Africa and Asia, the natives have devised a very effective method of trapping monkeys. The plan is deceptively simple: the natives take a gourd or some similar object and drill a hole just large enough for a monkey’s hand to pass through; they add some extra weight to the gourd with sand or pebbles, then put a nut or some fruit inside and place the gourd where a monkey will find it.

Here’s what happens: the monkey sticks his hand through the hole to get the food — but with the prize in its grasp, the monkey cannot get its hand back out. The hole is too small for the monkey’s hand to pass through so long as it’s holding the treat, and the gourd is too heavy for the creature to carry. Because the monkey will not let go of its prize, it becomes trapped. The animal gives up its freedom to hold on to a small piece of food.

It seems obvious that all the monkey needs to do is let go of the bait and it can escape. But because it views the treat as its possession and is not willing to let go, the monkey is trapped. It loses its freedom.

It’s easy for us to see how foolish it is to keep holding something that really isn’t worth much. The monkey is making a very poor trade-off: his freedom for a prize that wouldn’t be that difficult to find in a less threatening location. But the animal is blinded by its attachment to the treat.