Does June 11 seem like a distant memory? It was only 40 days ago, but it probably seems like a lifetime for this congregation. On June 11 we had just started to lay tile in the sanctuary. On that same day one contractor stood among the construction chaos and said, “You want to be open by June 21? I just don’t see it happening.” As it turns out, a lot can happen in 40 days, for here we are, enjoying our new sanctuary.
A lot also once changed for many Israelites in the span of 40 days. That was the length of time Moses spent on Mt. Sinai receiving written instructions from God on how the Israelites were to conduct themselves. These laws were meant to protect the Israelites and keep them safe. They would help build a society in which love and kindness abounded. But while God was busy setting the Israelites apart in this way as his chosen nation like a set of fine china in a display cabinet, the Israelites were busy doing something else (Phil Bigelow). Like an especially naughty boy who shoots at Mom’s fine china with a BB gun they were trashing God’s commands by worshipping a golden calf! This morning’s sermon is not so much about that sin as it is about Moses’ reaction to it. Moses demonstrates how God wants us to act as those who have been set apart for him.
When Moses ascended Mt. Sinai to speak with God and receive the Ten Commandments in writing, it wasn’t like he slipped away so that the Israelites didn’t know where he had gone or what he was doing. Days before this the Israelites had seen an impressive display of billowing smoke covering the peak of Mt. Sinai. The trembling transmitted through Israelite feet at the same time was not the shifting of fault lines; it also announced the presence of God on the mountain along with trumpet blasts that filled Israelite ears. (Phil Bigelow) The people even heard God himself speak and they promised on oath to do whatever he said. After that, in full view of everyone, Moses climbed the mountain to speak with God further.
But when Moses’ absence stretched to 40 days the Israelites got tired of waiting and decided they themselves could come up with a plan when it came to spirituality. We can understand how they felt. When you’ve been waiting in the ER for hours and still haven’t even seen a nurse, you’re tempted to walk out and treat yourself the best you can. That’s what the Israelites did with disastrous results.
As Moses began his descent back to the Israelite camp carrying two tablets of stone bearing God’s handwriting and a record of the Ten Commandments, a faint noise perked his ears. It was not the sweet sound of victory. He had heard that before, and this wasn’t it. Neither was it the bitter sound of defeat. It was the sound of singing—the voices of worship. But when Moses came to a place from which he could see the camp, he saw that the object of worship was a glistening golden calf - a fool’s god made of gold (Phil Bigelow). When Moses saw the golden calf and the Israelites dancing around it with wild abandon, his anger soared as the stone tablets he held plunged, shattering on the ground just like the promise the Israelites had made to worship exclusively the true God who had brought them out of Egypt.
But look at how quickly Moses acted in love towards his fellow Israelites. His first act of love was to get rid of that hunk of garbage they called a god. (Phil Bigelow). He did so by burning it up and throwing the powder into water which he then made the people drink. Perhaps Moses did this to show just how weak that false god was.
And then Moses called for those faithful to the true God to rally to his side. After the tribe of Levi snapped to attention, Moses gave this astounding order: “Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died” (Exodus 32:27, 28). 3,000 funerals filled the land at the command of the Lord. 3,000 Israelite funerals. The Levites had killed their brothers, their cousins, their neighbors, and their friends.
It’s here that we want to slam on the brakes, bring everything to a screeching halt and shout, “What in the wilderness is going on!? How does a loving God order such a slaughter? And how come there are people willing to carry it out?” But that’s not the half of it. When the deed was done, Moses said to the Levites: “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” (Exodus 32:29). The Lord blessed the Levites because of all this? (Phil Bigelow)
It’s a good thing we Christians worship the God of the New Testament right? I mean this Old Testament God seems like one grumpy dude. But wait. What was is it that Jesus said in our Gospel Lesson this morning? “Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law— 36 a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household. 37Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me” (Mathew 10:34-37).
Wow. This is probably why so many people today say that they are not religious, just spiritual. Religion, as the Bible seems to define it with texts like these, looks so stifling and unloving! But what the only true God is telling you today is that you cannot be spiritual without being religious. The Israelites who pranced around the golden calf were not atheists. They believed in God, but they wanted to worship him on their terms. They wanted a god they could see. They wanted a god who would smile indulgently should they lose self-control from time to time. That’s also the kind of god we want too isn’t it? But to ignore the true God’s laws is as foolish as ignoring instructions on how to properly secure your parachute before jumping out of an airplane.
What if Moses had just turned the other way and gone back up the mountain after he saw the golden calf? What if he had not stood up to pronounce judgment on the Israelites’ fickle trust in a false god? What would have happened to the Israelites then? God would have destroyed them all, and then mankind’s hope for a savior from sin would have been lost because that savior was supposed to come from the tribe of Judah, not from Moses’ tribe, the Levites. There was more than just God’s honor at stake at the foot of Mt. Sinai, mankind’s salvation hung in the balance.
Friends, when our brothers and sisters, when our sons and daughters, when our friends and neighbors chase after that which glistens but provides no grace, do we stand up with Moses and say, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me”? Or is Aaron our role model and we just let it happen? “Well, you know how they are,” we say pathetically as did Aaron about the Israelites. But when we stand by and watch our sons and daughters separate themselves from the true God, when we listen to our friends and neighbors praise false gods that lead to the dead end of hell and say nothing we are not being understanding; we’re being unloving. (Phil Bigelow)
Why don’t we speak up? Is it because we don’t want people to think we’re party-poopers when we condemn sin? I’m sure that’s what most Israelites thought of the Levites as they ran through the golden calf party swinging their swords. But they weren’t the party-poopers. They were a blessing from the Lord. They kept the gangrene of sin and rebellion from spreading throughout the camp. What’s amazing is that only 3,000 people died that day when a whole nation perhaps should have perished under God’s wrath.
But do you know what’s even more amazing? This God of justice, this seemingly grumpy Old Testament God, would also prove to be the God of love when he sent his Son as promised into this world to stay the hand of justice. K-Days has just started here in Edmonton so if you want to win a big stuffed animal by throwing tiny rings around empty pop bottles, here’s your chance. That game looks simple enough, but as many people have found out, it’s easy to spend more money trying to win than the winning prize is worth. So take a ring-toss pro with you – someone, who with one try, can secure that big stuffy for you. That’s the role Jesus played. He came to obey all of God’s laws because we could not and then gave the prize of eternal life to us. It’s no wonder Jesus calls for our undivided attention and worship. Only he can save us from death and hell, for only he has perfectly obeyed all of God’s laws and won admission into heaven.
When God sent his Son to not only live for you, but also to die for you and pay for your sins, he set you apart like a set of fine china in a display cabinet. What will your response be? Shrug your shoulders at his grace the way the Israelites did? Turn a blind eye to sin the way Aaron did? Or will you, like Moses and the Levites, stand up for the Lord and separate yourself from sin and then show true love to others by calling them to repentance too? This is God’s will for you and me, brothers and sisters. This is the way in which we can be a blessing to others as the Levites were, albeit not with a sword of steel but with the Sword of the Spirit – God’s Word which we are to share freely and often.
And when you fail to stand apart from sin, hang your head in shame, but also hang that failure on the cross of Jesus. Come and drink deeply of God’s love and forgiveness. You can do that quite literally in Holy Communion can’t you? While Moses forced the Israelites to drink water laced with the remains of their pathetic god, the Holy Spirit invites you to drink wine and eat bread miraculously laced with the body and blood of the God-man, Jesus. And what is the result? You’re not only assured of forgiveness. You’re not only reminded how God has set you apart. You’re also empowered to stand apart and encourage others to do the same. We will want to do this because nothing less than salvation hangs in the balance. Amen.
SERMON NOTES
Describe what the Israelites saw, smelled, felt, and heard at the foot of Mt. Sinai before receiving the Ten Commandments. What was God trying to impress upon them?
Explain: At Mt. Sinai, God was busy setting the Israelites apart as his chosen nation like a set of fine china in a display cabinet.
In what ways did Moses show his love for the wayward Israelites in our text? Why do many people in the world today think that Moses was anything but loving?
The God of the Bible sometimes seems so mean and grumpy. How does Jesus prove that this is not the case?
How does today’s sermon text motivate you to act towards wayward Christians?
