Tues.’s Devo - Wait for the Lord

Read: Exodus 32:1-33:23; Matthew 26:69-27:14; Psalm 33:1-11; Proverbs 8:33-36
When Moses stayed up on the mountain for days, the people started harassing Aaron to take charge. They wanted him to make them gods that would go before them just like God told Moses he would do for them. Aaron caved to the pressure and told the people to bring their earrings to him. He took a tool and fashioned a calf out of it and told the people that this was the god that had brought them out of Egypt. Then, to boost morale, he told them that they would have a celebration the next day and sacrifice burnt offerings and fellowship offering to the Lord. They ate, drank and were merry.
God knew what they were doing and told Moses he was going to destroy them. Moses reminded God of what he had promised Abraham about making his seed as numerous as the sand. And, he reminded God of what the heathen nations would say when they saw that the same God who delivered them from Egypt was now killing them in the wilderness. God relented.
I think Moses had second thoughts when he went down the mountain and saw what God had seen. He was so disappointed and mad he threw down the tablets God had written his laws on and broke them. Then he ground the calf into powder and made the people drink it.
Moses confronted Aaron who told him exactly what had happened until it got to the part about skillfully crafting the calf himself. He said he threw the gold into the fire and out came this calf!
Moses had the Levites kill the people who were out of control and 3,000 died.
The next day, Moses went back up to see God to atone for their sins. Moses offered himself for the people but God told him that the ones who sinned would be responsible for their own sins and he would punish them himself. He sent a plague.
God told him that he would not go with them because he knew the hearts of the people and that he would probably destroy them so he was sending his angel to go with them, who would drive out their “ites”.
Moses pitched the Tent of Meeting outside the camp a distance away to show that God was not in the midst of them anymore. He had distanced himself from them. Moses visited the tent to meet with God but Joshua stayed there continually in God’s presence.
In Matthew, Jesus was taken to Caiapas’ house for his mock trial with the Jewish religious leaders. All night he was questioned and slandered. Peter was outside waiting to hear the results and denied he knew Jesus three times. It hit him when the cock crowed. It also hit Judas when he realized they had condemned Jesus and he was a part of it. He gave back the money then went and hanged himself. They took it and bought the potter’s field to bury strangers, thus fulfilling Zechariah 11:12. Judas was probably buried in that field.
Jesus was then taken to the Roman governor. He asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews to which Jesus answered, “yes, it is as you say.” Then all the accusations of the Jews were read. Jesus amazed the governor as he remained completely silent and made no attempt to defend himself. Isaiah 53 says that he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
Lord, help us wait for you and not get impatient and do something we will regret. May we remember that you are always working behind the scenes to set up the perfect scenario where we want the microwave answer now. May we walk in patience and expectation.