STAND ON THE LORD’S SIDE – PART 2 (EXODUS 32: 25-29)

Dear Members in Christ,

Stand on the Lord’s side – Part 2 (Exodus 32: 25-29)

In this article, we see how God deals with His people when they sin against Him presumptuously. When God’s chosen people sin against God, it was God’s servant Moses who bore the brunt of the burden of guilt. Moses was God’s appointed leader of the Israelites. In Exodus 32, it was recounted for us that as Moses descended from the Mount after having received Gods’ law, both he and Joshua heard a commotion from the Israelite camp. 

“And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.” Exodus 32:19

The sight of the Israelites engaging in idol worship and debauchery so angered Moses that he smashed the tablets of the law. This action is sometimes misconstrued as an uncontrolled outburst on the part of Moses but we know that he was a man described in Numbers 12:3 as “very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth.” So, was it a lapse or a weakness in his character? Not really. The golden calf worship meant that the Israelites have violated the very first law of the Decalogue, “I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:2,3). It was a foundational condition for God’s people to be the covenant people of God. Moses the servant of God knew how grievous this sin was in God’s sight, and thus the anger which he expressed was a reflection of God’s wrath upon a presumptuous people.

A. God’s judgement and Moses’ plea for the people

Dearly beloved, the wrath of God upon presumptuous sin is a fierce anger. The Bible recounts how God expressed His anger for the transgression of the golden calf worship.  

“And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.” Exodus 32:9,10

This was a drastic time for the Israelite nation. God was about to annihilate the whole nation, leaving only Moses alive and to replace the entire nation. What can Moses the servant of God do? How can Moses placate the wrath of God? Moses began by sorting out the guilty idolators. “Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.” (Exodus 32:26,27). 

Moses ordered the Levites who stood with him to arm themselves. The Bible describes that they gathered themselves unto him. The Levites were commanded to slay the idolaters, and 3,000 were slain in one day. The servant of God took swift action to isolate and punish the ones who incurred God’s wrath upon the whole nation.

Brothers and sisters, let us learn lesson that we can apply in our personal spiritual lives. We must be swift to take action against sin in our lives once we know that it exists. Purging our sins from our lives may be painful, it takes self-denial and great determination to root out sin but it is necessary to avert God’s wrath upon the believer. 

B. Moses pleads once again on behalf of the people

The incident of the slaying of the golden calf idolaters is a much debated topic amongst commentators, some explanation is in order. Christianity according to the Bible teaches love and tolerance towards others. We make it absolutely clear that the Bible is replete with teachings to avoid violence. The Lord Jesus Himself said,

“Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” John 18:36

The kingdom of God, unlike the kingdoms of this world, does not achieve victory by violence. It is spiritual victory about winning souls by love and meekness. When Peter tried to strike out at the high priest’s servant, the Lord told him, “Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.”  (Matthew 26:52). So, in the instance of the punishment of the golden calf worshippers, the slaying of the idol calf worshippers must not be misconstrued to teach violence. In fact, we see Moses pleading once again for the surviving Israelites. “Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” (Exodus 32:32)

Moses had commanded the people to separate themselves even from their closest kin, their sons and brothers. It is a permanent severance. Only then will the Lord bless them.

As for us, the application is that we must never hang on to any entanglement with sin. Even the closest ties with “pet” idols must be severed. When we have parted with all known sins, only then can the Lord bless us.

Brother and sisters, standing on the Lord’s side means separating from sin, purging it from our lives and severing the closest ties with sin. May God help us stand on His side always.  Amen.

In His Service,
Rev. Lim Seh Beng, Pastor