Sat.’s Devo - The Penalty of Sin

Read: Exodus 32:1-33:23; Matthew 26:69-27:14; Psalm 33:1-11; Provers 8:33-36 Moses was like God to the people and when he didn’t come back, the people went to Aaron and asked him to make them some gods that could lead them so they could get going. Aaron was afraid of he people and complied. He told them to bring the gold rings from the ears of their females and melted it and molded the gold into the shape of a calf. He then built an altar before the calf and proclaimed the next day as a festival to the Lord. The people sacrificed and celebrated with food, wine, and pagan revelry. God knew exactly what they were doing and told Moses it was time to get back to the camp and discipline his children. God wanted to kill them all and begin a new line through Moses but Moses convinced the Lord to have mercy. What would the nations who were watching think? When Moses saw for himself what they were doing he was so mad, he threw down the tablets he was carrying to get their attention. He had the calf ground to powder, mixed with water and forced the people to drink it. He held Aaron responsible and Aaron’s excuse is laughable. He told Moses he threw the gold into the fire and out popped this calf. They had exposed themselves to their enemies who were watching, so Moses stood in the gate of the camp and asked who was on the Lord’s side to come to him. The Levites responded and came and stood beside Moses. He told them to take their swords and kill everyone who participated in the celebration. They killed around 3,000 people. Moses went back to the Lord to pray atonement for the people. God said that those that sinned against him he would blot out of his book. As for the rest, Moses would lead them to the land he had promised and when he visited them, he would deal with their sin. He did visit them, in the form of Jesus Christ and Jesus dealt with sin. God promised to send his angel ahead of them to chase out the Canaanite, Amorite, Hittite, Perizzite, Hivite and the Jebusite. God also told them to take off the garments and jewelry of Egypt and not wear them anymore. They obeyed and didn’t wear them again. God would not dwell in the midst of them because they were stiff-necked and he knew he would end up killing them if he did. Moses moved the Tabernacle, that was in the midst of the people, out of the camp and if the people wanted to seek the Lord, they had to walk outside of the camp. When Moses entered the tabernacle, the cloud of God’s glory stood at the door. The people saw it and rose up to worship. Moses would go into the tabernacle where he spoke to God face to face as a friend, then he would return to the people to tell them what he said, but Joshua stayed in the Tabernacle. Moses prayed to see God’s glory and he allowed him to see him pass by. In Matthew, Peter denied Jesus three times. It didn’t hit Peter about what he had done until the rooster crowed. Then he remembered what Jesus had said and left weeping. Jesus was bound and taken to Pilate, the Roman governor. When Judas learned that Jesus was condemned to die, he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the priests and elders and tried to buy him back. He told them that Jesus was innocent. They didn’t care, they had what they wanted which was Jesus. Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and hung himself. The priests used the thirty pieces of silver to buy the potter’s field which would be a cemetery for foreigners. This had been prophesied in Zechariah 11:12-13 and Jeremiah 32:6-9. Pilate asked Jesus if he was the king of the Jews and Jesus answered him, “You have said it.” That was the last response Jesus gave them for all their false accusations. Lord, may we be slow to speak and think before we answer. Maybe the best answer is no answer at all. Holy Spirit, guide us into all truth.