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Exodus 32:26 (KJV)  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.

God’s People Must Rely On God

Moses had been on the mountain top with God. In fact, as I studied this, I found out that Moses went up the mountain a total of eight times (see Exodus 19:2-7; 19:8; 19:10; 19:20-25; 20:21; 24:1; 32:32; 34:1-2). Moses wasn’t alone many of those times that he went up the mountain.

On the third day of the third ascent Israel heard God come down
On the fourth ascent God had Moses bring Aaron with him
On the sixth ascent Moses took Aaron and his sons (Nadab and Abihu) along with 70 elders

Exodus 24:9-11 (KJV)  Then went up Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel:  [10]  And they saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness.  [11]  And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.

They experienced God in all His glory. I believe this was the manifest Presence of Christ, our Beloved Savior. Jesus said that Moses wrote of Him:

John 5:46 (KJV)  For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed Me: for he wrote of Me.

Israel experienced God. The leadership of Israel experienced and saw God. Moses and Aaron saw God. On the seventh day of this sixth ascent the Bible tells us:

Exodus 24:17-18 (KJV)  And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.  [18]  And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount: and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.

The Moses who had been coming and going up the mountain, who was always with the people, disappeared for 40 days and 40 nights. The peoplke should have been looking upward at the mountain and trustinbg in God. The leaders who had been introduced to God, who saw God in all His glory, should have trusted in God. Aaron the High Priest and his sons should have trusted in God.

But they were not reliant on God.
Their faith was not in Christ.
Their faith was in Moses.
They were too dependant on Moses.

It is wonderful to trust and follow your leaders … but YOU must have a relationship with the Lord. Your Pastor praises God for every member of Christ’s Body who loves Jesus and serves Him. Your Pastor appreciates those who give without having to be begged, who serve without having to be chased, who are ENCOURAGERS instead of DISCOURAGERS. I praise God for those who work within their calling. Praise God for the workers. But never let the work make you believe that the work is enough. YOU must have a growing relationship with the Lord. YOU must be saved and secure in His hand. YOU. YOU. YOU. I cannot do it for you. We read:

Exodus 32:1 (KJV)  And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

A faith in man will not last for very long. Moses has been gone into the mountain with God for forty days and forty night. I’m sure the drift started out small. First a few people talked. “Wonder where Moses is? Have you seen the fire on the mountaintop? It’s been over a month now, and I’ll bet Moses burned alive in that fire! What are we going to do?”

Unbelief begins with a whisper,
and as it gains a hearing moves to a shout!

Fear began to creep in. The people had forgotten the first sermon Moses ever preached to them, standing at the Red Sea with the Egyptian Army bearing down on them:

Exodus 14:13-14 (KJV) …. Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever.  [14]  The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.

It was a short sermon, but sometimes the shortest sermons are the best. Fear like a snake slithers in, making us imagine so many “what if” scenarios. Moses is gone. We are all alone. But Beloved, God did not bring you to the foot of Sinai through the Red Sea to abandon you. Trust God.

Psalms 9:10 (KJV)  And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, LORD, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.

Psalms 20:7 (KJV)  Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God.

Psalms 56:3 (KJV)  What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (KJV)  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  [6]  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

The people had put their trust not in God, but in Moses. So now without Moses they come to the closest thing they can find – Moses’ brother Aaron. They tell Aaron:

the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him,
Up, make us gods, which shall go before us

Unbelief Works Best With A Manufactured God

The word rendered “gods” in the King James is the Hebrew (אֱלֹהִים) ‘Elohiym, which is the first name of God mentioned in the Bible. In Genesis 1:1 we read:

In the beginning ‘ELOHIYM created the Heaven and the earth.

It was ‘Elohiym who said in …

Genesis 1:26 … and ‘ELOHIYM said “Let US make man
in OUR image after OUR likeness”…

‘Elohiym is the Triune name of God.
It represents our God in three Perfect Persons, Father, Son, and Spirit.

The people said “Get up Aaron. Let us make ‘Elohiym – God in all His manifest Glory. Let us manufacture our own Trinity. Let us make a ‘Elohiym that WE can control. Oh, what a horrible thing this is, yet it is so common in the Church today. Rather than trust the God Who has the power to save us, we want to manufacture a god or gods that we can manipulate like a puppet. This cannot be, but it is.

And it seems there is always a willing Preacher who will help the misguided.

There is always a compromiser who is willing to take things from the congregation,
Melt it down, and make a golden Calf ‘Elohiym.

We who are saved by the Blood of the Lamb are not to manufacture our own Elohiym. We are to follow Him Who loves us, and gave His life for us. The crowd came threatening Aaron. Here is a mob. “Get up, Aaron. Make us ‘Elohiym!” The love of God saved Israel, and saves us. What does the Scripture say:

Ephesians 5:2-5 (KJV)  And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.  [3]  But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints;  [4]  Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.  [5]  For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

1 John 3:16 (KJV)  Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Titus 2:13-14 (KJV)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  [14]  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

The Triune God saved us.

• The Father PLANNED our salvation from the foundation of the world. Jesus was foreordained by the Father to go to the Cross from the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:20; Ephesians 1:4; John 17:24).
• The Son PERFORMED our salvation. He knew that He was destined to fie for us, but went anyway. Jesus set Himself to go and finish the work of the Father, no matter how horrendous it might be. Jesus chose the nails.
• The Spirit POWERS our salvation. It is He Who indwells the believer. It is He Who seals us to eternity.

How sad it is that any of God’s people would manufacture a replacement god for the Perfect God Who is! How sad that Aaron would allow this! Yet many Churches do this. The people direct the preacher, who takes what the people give and melds it into a god that in no way is represented in Scripture. Enter Aaron, the compromising preacher.

Exodus 32:2-4 (KJV)  And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.  [3]  And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.  [4]  And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

The people cast into the god pot. They cast their ear rings, their jewelry, and threw it into the pot. The preacher built a fire and went along with it. He’s such a nice man! The whispered unbelief of just a few days ago has gotten momentum. Now evil has permeated all of Israel. So it is in our day. A whispered lie – an untruth that the Word of God rejected – has become acceptable. The Aarons have taken it in. The “Reverends” and “Doctors” and “Fathers” have taken from the people. Not wishing to offend, they stir it up, heat it up, take an opinion poll.

And God is not pleased!

God told Moses …

Exodus 32:7-8 (KJV)  And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:  [8]  They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

God is not pleased!
God is not pleased with our compromise with worldliness.
God is not pleased with our rejection of His Word.
When we turn out of the way that He has commanded
We walk a dangerous path.

Moses showed his love for the people and for the Lord. The Lord was going to destroy Israel, but Moses asked God to save Israel for His own sake. God did. But when Moses came down the mountain the Bible says that Moses:

Exodus 32:20 (KJV) …. took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.

How did one man restore order where there was only chaos? He stood in the power of God. Then Moses stood in the GATE of the camp – the place where business was often transacted – and asked Israel a simple question.

Who Is On The LORD’S Side?

Moses did not ask “Who is on MY side?”, but “Who is on the LORD’S side?” He asked all who could hear him to make a decision. The Bible tells us:

Ephesians 6:12 (KJV)  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

There is a spiritual battle going on all around you. On whose side are you on? Are you on the Lord’s side? If so, then you will put God first in your life. What did Solomon say, the wisest man that ever was?

Ecclesiastes 12:13 (KJV)  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

Do you say you love Jesus? Do you? Then what has Jesus said?

John 14:15-21 (KJV)  If ye love me, keep my commandments.  [16]  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;  [17]  Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.  [18]  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.  [19]  Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.  [20]  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.  [21]  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

We are saved by faith in Christ. Jesus Christ died for my sins. Jesus Christ rose again for my justification. This is true. We are saved not by works of righteousness …

Titus 3:5-7 (KJV)  Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;  [6]  Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;  [7]  That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Justification is a free gift. Yet once saved, we obey the One Who saved us. We love Him with all our hearts. We strive to know of Him. We are on the Lord’s side.

We are not on the side of self righteousness, but on the side of Grace.

We are saved by His Gospel, not by the superstitions of Rome, a rosary bead, a priest’s genuflection, nor by a statue of Mary. It is to God we look, and Christ we magnify. When we sin, we do not seek PENANCE but REPENTANCE. I said this the other day and will say it again. When I went to school there were THREE R’s we had to learn:

Reading
Riting
Rithmatic!

For the Christian saved by Grace there are three R’s we must learn:

RECOGNITION of sin.
REPENTANCE under Christ’s Blood.
RETURNING to a correct walk with God.

If you are on the Lord’s side you will walk with God. You will not get naked with Aaron, but you will love and support the Lord Who saved you. We will read and cherish God’s Word. Remember that it was the serpent who crept into Eden and said:

Hath God really said …

What has God said about human sexuality?
Let God be God!
What has God said about marriage?
Let God be God!
What has God said about hatred and love?
Let God be God!
The Spirit will not abide where God’s Word is not loved.

Who Is On The Lord’s Side? Let Him Come Unto Me!

The children of Israel were not ashamed to dance naked before a golden calf. So now Moses calls out to the people. Who is on the Lord’s side. LET THEM COME UNTO ME. Stand up for Jesus. Make known to all that you are on Christ side. The Apostle Paul wrote:

Romans 1:16 (KJV)  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.

And Jesus declared Mark 8:38 (KJV)  Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

I am reminded of a movie I watched several years ago called The Patriot. At one point in the movie the American forces began to retreat from the British forces. One of the American generals grabbed the American flag and, holding it above his head, said “Follow me! Follow me!” The American forces turned and defeated the numerically superior British forces.

The banner Moses held – and I hold today – is not me, but my Christ. Will you follow Him? He is a magnificent Savior, a gracious Lord. Let us not follow the world and its faithless ways, but let us follow Jesus. Yes, you will be in the minority. But no, we will not be defeated. Our God is greater than all the forces of Satan combined.

Who is on the Lord’s side. Let him come to me.

And All The Sons Of Levi Came

Those who stood with Moses would late be deemed the priests of Israel. A priest stands up and out for God. If you are saved by faith in Christ, then Christ is your High Priest. You are to live for Him, representing the Lord Who saved you.

Are you on the Lord’s side?