The Encourager
“Breaking the Covenant by Jeff Curtis”
Breaking the Covenant
By Jeff Curtis
Exodus 19 tells about the making of the covenant. In Exodus 20-23 we find the good laws that were part of this covenant. Exodus 24 describes the ceremony to confirm the covenant. Then Moses went up on Mount Sinai for forty days to receive the Law (Exodus 24:18). All was well for Israel. Next, in Exodus 32, we read about the breaking of the covenant.
The Church today has the same relationship with God that Israel had. They were His covenant people then, and we are today. Just as they broke the covenant, we can also break the covenant today. Therefore, we can learn from Israel’s mistakes.
What was their Sin? Idolatry – the substitution of another god for the Lord God. Idolatry is basic to so many, if not most, of our sins today: we put someone or something else before God. That is idolatry.
What were the Causes of Israel’s Sin? [1] Impatience (Exod. 32:1). The Israelites had spent four hundred years in Egypt, but they couldn’t wait forty days for the Law. [2] A desire for a god they could see (32:4). God is a spirit (John 4:24) and cannot be seen with human eyes. We are to walk by faith and not by sight; but from Moses’ time to this, people have wanted a visible god or at least physical evidence that God is alive and well. [3] Failure to remember and appreciate what God has done for them (32:9). The Israelites were stubborn and inclined to forget what God had done for them; their forgetfulness and ingratitude led them into sin. [4] Lust (32:6,19). The lustful activities that were almost certainly a part of this occasion go with a false view of God (32:23-24)). To reject the true God is to invite people to become ever more sinful. [5] Poor leadership (32:25). Aaron was in part responsible for their sin.
What were the immediate effects of their sin? [1] God’s initial reaction was an inclination was to destroy them (32:9-10). [2] Moses’ initial reaction was that of a good leader; he interceded on their behalf and showed he cared more for them than he did for himself (32:11-13). [3] God’s second reaction is found in verse 14: “The Lord repented of the evil…” (KJV). What does this expression mean? God changed His mind. He didn’t change His mind about their wrong doing, and He didn’t decide not to punish them at all. Instead, He changed His mind and didn’t cast them off all together, in spite of His right to do so. [4] Moses’ second reaction was to break the “two tablets of the testimony,” He became angry. He burned the calf, threw its ashes into the water and made the people drink it (32:15-20). [5] Aaron’s reaction was to blame the making of the calf on the people and on some miraculous act by which the calf formed itself (32:21-24). [6] The Levites’ reaction was to rally to Moses and then go throughout the camp, slaying leaders of the rebellion (32:26-28). [7] Moses’ third reaction was to bless the Levites, confess the Israelites sin, and ask the Lord to forgive the people (32:29-32). [8] God’s third reaction was to announce that He would punish only those who were guilty. After that, He sent a plague upon the people (32:33-35)
What should this episode teach us? Sin – or the breaking of the covenant – is not a light matter. Sin usually has the effects that last beyond the moment. Later in Israel’s history, Jeroboam’s calves led to the destruction of the northern kingdom. Sin also affects others, not just ourselves. What sin is so private that it would not somehow affect someone else negatively? Sin noticed and punished by God Himself. (32:33). God holds us responsible for our own sins, not for the sins of others; and He doesn’t hold others guilty for our sins. Sin has drastic consequences – even death.
The message for us today is; other gods always tempt us. The world invites, entices, urges, begs, and pleads with us to serve other gods. But, if we break our covenant with the Lord, we can expect punishment. There is always a price to pay for sin. But there is always a way back. God can forgive the prodigal, and will forgive us.
