TO CHEW ON: "They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt'.... And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made." Exodus 32:8, 35
While the people were worshiping and celebrating around the idol, God told Moses, “It’s time for you to go down. The people are doing something bad.”
So Moses went down the mountain, carrying the tablets of stone on which God had written. But even God’s warning hadn’t prepared him for the sight that met his eyes when he got back to camp. There, in the middle of everything, was the gold calf idol. Around it the people were dancing, singing and celebrating.
Moses stormed into camp. He threw down the stone pieces he was carrying and they shattered.
|"Moses Breaks the Tablets of Stone" from Treasures of the Bible (Moses)|
Then he tore the calf idol off its stand and heaved it into a fire. When it had melted, he ground it up to fine powder, mixed the powder with water and forced the people to drink it (YUCK!)
Then he called for Aaron. “What happened?”
“Uh... the people told me to make them a god,” Aaron said. “So I collected their jewelry, put it in the fire, and out came this calf.”
Moses scolded Aaron for letting the people get out of control. Later, God sent a plague (sickness) that destroyed many of the rebellious Israelites.
God had commanded the people to worship only Him. They had disobeyed Him by making an idol and worshiping it. Now they had to suffer the consequences of disobedience.
Sin still has consequences. Sometimes consequences are natural – like getting suspended from school for stealing. Sometimes God Himself causes them – like the sickness from which these people died.
PRAYER: Dear God, help me remember that each thing I do (each action) has a consequence. Amen.
MORE: I told you so!
Consequences word searchBelow the word search are five statements about consequences. Find each bold word in the word search.
1. You don't clean your room so you can't find your ipod.
2. You tell secrets you promised to keep so your friends don't trust you.
3. You keep up with your homework so you make good marks even on surprise tests.
4. You always defend your friends so your friends are loyal to you.
5. You don't read your Bible much so you're not sure how God feels about most things.
Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Adult readers - DAILY DEVOTIONS FOR ADULTS are available too at Other Food: daily devo's.