Good morning. Good to be back. We had a very enjoyable and relaxing
time. And as I wrote in the bulletin,
I'm thankful for Brother Chapman coming and those who take care
of things while we're gone. All right, let's ask the Lord's
blessings on his word. Our God, our Father, in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ, we come to you. We come to worship today. We
come to hear from you through your word,
be taught by your Holy Spirit. So we ask that you would send
him to lead us, guide us in all truth, Lord. Take your word and
and write it on the tables of our hearts and hedge us about
with Your Word. This is Your power. This is Your mind, Your will,
Your purpose. We ask that You truly instruct us from it and cause
us to walk in it. Let us not repeat the sins of
children of Israel, for we know these things are written concerning
them, written for our sake, for our learning. We ask that we
might learn, truly learn, from their sins and from these stories
you've recorded for our sake. We ask your blessings upon your
church everywhere. Throughout this land and other.
To give us of our sins in Christ's name. Exodus chapter 32. I wish I had more time to deal
with this and they take just a few extra minutes. This is.
Very. Enlightening passage of scripture
is a very real revelation to me is. In studying it this is
a story which teaches us. Which reveals to us I believe. Two or three things at least.
One it deals with the idolatry of the people people who were
supposed to be God's people and how they got caught up in idolatry.
Another thing it teaches us how that men who appear to be true
men can often lead people astray. And I also believe this is a
type of false prophets, how they can be known, though I do not
say and do not believe that Aaron was a false prophet. Number one,
he was not even a prophet. He was a priest, but I think
he's representative of what many false prophets do. All right,
let's look at it. Verse 1 of chapter 32. And when
the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount,
people gathered themselves together under Aaron and said unto him,
up, or get up, make us gods which shall go before us. Or as for
this moment. The man that brought us out of
the land of Egypt. We want not what has become of
him we don't know what happened to this. Now who was Moses. I want you to turn with me the
first Corinthians ten. First Corinthians ten years. The. Apostle Paul's warning to
us, God's warning through him to us. Throughout this chapter,
he uses the children of Israel as an example in this warning
to us. Now, who was Moses? Moses was
just a man. Moses was a man. He was God's man. He was a chosen
man. He was a gifted man. That was
very obvious. The people knew that because
they had been blessed through this man. That's how you may
know a designated man, a God-sent man. He was a man, but to the
people, as far as the people were concerned, he was more than
a man. He was a spokesman to them from God, right? And yet here, I believe Moses
represents the Lord Jesus Christ as well. The one mediator between
God and man, the man, Christ Jesus. Our Lord was a man, but
more than a man. But we're talking about Moses,
the man Moses and Moses was a man. But he represented Christ so
much so that Paul said here in first Corinthians 10 verse nine,
he says, Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted. And we're destroyed of serpents,
he's speaking of Numbers 21. The story there of the brazen
serpent and so forth and says they tempted Christ who they
tell. Well they murmured against scripture
says God and Moses. God and Moses Moses was just
a man yet they murmured against him and Paul said they in doing
so they attempted a murmured against Christ himself. So Moses,
though he was just a man, I want you to hold first Corinthians
10 because we're going to come back to it again. OK. All right,
go back to the text. So Moses was just a man, yet
he was God's man sent by God, the mediator to the people, spokesman
to the people. And now he was gone into the
mount to receive the law from God the word from God. And it says that he delayed that
the people say it Moses delayed to come down out of the mountain.
And Moses as a type of Christ here you remember what the what
Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3, they said of, they will say of Christ
and do say, where is the promise of his coming? Where is the promise
of his coming? He's delayed. He's delayed. No, he's not. He hasn't delayed.
Moses wasn't delayed. But it was all going exactly
according to God's time and purpose and so forth. He wasn't delayed. And in the fullness of time,
Moses was coming down. with the complete work and so
it is with crap. But it says that they they said
he delayed to come down and. They gathered themselves on the
air. They didn't know what had happened
to Moses. And they gathered themselves
to error. Now can a True man go wrong. And lead people astray. Absolutely. It has happened many, many, many
times throughout Scripture. There are many, and I looked
them a few up, Jeroboam, Rehoboam, these were leaders of Israel
and Judah, Jehoshaphat, and on and on it goes. Whatever Aaron. Was the man in charge left in
charge after Moses was gone Aaron was left in charge. And that now there's no doubt
what happened here there's no doubt that Aaron. Did not have
the judgment of Moses. Aaron did not have the wisdom
of Moses. Aaron was not the true God chosen
leader, as was evident that Moses was. Aaron apparently let this
newfound authority that he had, he was now in the place of Moses,
he let it go to his head, and he led the people astray, not
being the true leader, but a mere temporary substitute. And he
led the people of God astray. And it says here that the people
gravitated to him, though. They gathered themselves together
unto Aaron. If you remember in the beginning,
Moses, being such a humble man that he was, he did not even
want to lead the people at all. He didn't want to speak. He said,
I'm not an elephant man, never have been, never will be. And
God said, you go, I've made man's mouth. But he said, I'll send
Aaron. Aaron is eloquent. Aaron was
eloquent. That's always typical that people
gathered themselves to this man who was eloquent. And it says
in verse one that they told him, they said unto him, up, get up,
make us gods. This was a man they were able
to order around. That's how you know it's not
the true leader. They were able to tell him what to do and he
did it. Make us God. Make us God. And though, as I said, Aaron
himself, I don't believe he was so-called false prophet or unbeliever
yet he represents many false prophets. Balaam is a good example
in the scripture. Balaam is an enigma really. Do you know if you study the
story of Balaam it is really unclear whether or not he was
a false prophet or not because All that he said was true. He
even preached Christ. Yes he did. And yet God did not
use that man. He was not God's chosen man. And he did not profit the people
at all. Though what he said was true. He did not profit the people
at all. And he revealed a bad character
in that he was for hire. And. As I said here, Aaron, I believe,
represents many false prophets who who men and women are often
drawn to because of their ability to speak. skills of oration and and but
yet there are men who men others can order around. Moses could
not be told what to do. Moses no way he was God's man
and he took his orders from God. The people constantly confronted
him and were constantly angry with him and yet he was meek
and humble and fell on his face before them and And treated the
Lord for them, even for these rebels who hated him. And treated
the Lord for their sake, even though they hated and despised
him. Go with me to 2 Timothy chapter 4, 2 Timothy chapter
4. And as I said, this is there's
so much to be seen here, so many lessons to be learned. idolatry. The whole story is about idolatry. It's golden calf. And these people
had the word of God, didn't they? Moses had already come down from
the mount once, all right, and brought them the Ten Commandments
and other parts of the law. And then he went back up again
for 40 days and 49, and was, they said, delayed. But they
had the word of God. Some of them. And these people turned from
what they had, God's law. They turned from that to idolatry. Look at 2 Timothy 4, verse 3. Time will come when they will
not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts shall they
heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. And they shall
turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto
You see, this, our story represents what many do, though they have
the word of God, though they hold the truth in their lap. As Romans 1 said, they hold the
truth in unrighteousness. Make a show of religion, yet
turn to idols. All right, go back to the text.
And as the people turn from God's law and Moses, they quit following
Moses. It was a true man of God and
gravitated to another man they turn from the truth on the fable
and a fable is something that men make up. It's like this golden
calf is a man made God idolatry means imagery. Idolatry is imagery. Image. And what an image is is
a man made God. There's no description of God
inscription. There's no description of Jesus Christ except. And I say fifty three it just
says that he's not coming. But there's no description of
him and yet people come up with all sorts of descriptions don't
and generally hold to the one they like the best you know you've
seen that picture nearly everyone. Well, it's just an image, and
it's an idol is what it is. It's not being too strict to
say that that's an idol. And God, we saw in our study,
how that God strictly forbade them from making any image of
anything in heaven or earth. Idolatry is imagery, and it means
a man-made god. And it can be man-made doctrine.
A fable. A fable can be man-made doctrine. And what it is, in essence, is
the religion of man. The idolatry is the religion
which man makes up. It's by man, it comes from man.
It is for man, that is, for his glory. It glorifies man. And it appeals, therefore, it
appeals to man. And it takes many forms idolatry
takes many forms like these idols that. Human beings have made
idols imagery from the beginning of time. Starting with this golden
cat but didn't start with him and other people in the world
at that time had their images. But it takes many forms. And religion false religion in
our day takes many forms. but it's about three. It can be a social. And it looks very appealing I
do so much for charity and so the gospel is not all about the
social issue. It can take the form of intellectualism. Political political and so forth
even doctrinal. Even Dr. I get. Papers all the
time from. Those who seem to be orthodox
as in the doctrine but. Christ is not their focus. Or
I go back to the text and if you're there chapter one it says
they say. Make us God after this Moses. As for this Moses. We don't know
what's happening. Do you hear the bitterness that
they have, the whatever, jealousy or whatever it is, the resentment they had for Moses?
Not the love, not the care, not the concern, not a people following
a man that was dear to them as God's man, but this Moses. How can people turn like that? Their own mouths condemned them,
didn't they? They said, he's the man that brought us out of
evil. He's the man that God sent and
used to teach us the truth. How could they possibly, so quickly,
40 days, turn against him? Well, most of these people revealed
what was in their heart. Most of these people, not all
of them, not all of them. We're going to see later on in
our study how that God spared many of them, many of them, and
not some of them. Some of them perished for this.
And as I said, they revealed, many of them revealed what was
already in their heart. Scripture said, be sure your
sin will find you out. Sin being unbelief. And they
said, Moses brought us up out of the land. Now, what a picture
this is of many who make a profession of faith, who seem to believe
God's word, these people. And they were all good talkers
in the beginning. Over in Exodus 24, every one of them said, whatever
God says, we'll do it. Moses came down and said, this
is what God says. And they took him as being the
man of God and they heard him as being from God. And they said,
we believe that and we're going to do it. Yeah, right. We'll see. As Barnard used to
say, or as he said to that young man who asked him if he thought
he was a Christian, Barnard said to that fellow, see me in thirty
years. We'll see. And sometimes that's not even
long enough to take. But what a picture this is of
many who make a profession of faith, who seem to believe, who
seem to love Christ, love God. who seemed to love his word,
all these people said this is the word of God, we're going
to do it, who seemed to love his preacher, Moses. And yet eventually they turned
against God, turned against Moses, and turned to idols. And as we've been warned here
so very, very many times and taught here throughout the apostasy. Most of the time, apostasy begins
to show itself first by enmity toward the preacher. As these
people, that's generally where it starts. Because if they can,
if a person, a false believer, a mere professor can prove that
the preacher or try to prove that the preacher is wrong or
bad man that makes them look good. Believe it. It's almost always the case.
It starts that way. It starts that way. Well, look
at verse two. They said, we don't know what's
become of this man. In verse two, Aaron said unto
them, said bring me your goal. Bring me your goal. Bring break
off the golden earrings which are in your ear bring them on
to me. As I said I don't know listen
I'm not saying that Aaron. Was a bad man. Not saying that. But the scriptures teach us the
scriptures are prophetic scriptures teach us lessons and there are
prophecies types and symbols and so forth as my pastors always
said they're bifocal sometimes trifocal. And this has a certain range
of it. That false prophets are generally
as Isaiah fifty six said greedy man. Greedy man Judas was unknown
to everybody. Nobody suspected him. But how did the Lord begin saying
he was an evil man? Greed. Judas made that show of
wanting to give money to charity. Remember? We could have given
this money, the woman with the alabaster vine. We could have
given this money to the poor. And the scripture says, not because
he cared for the poor, but he was a greedy man. agreement. And that found him
out, didn't it? In the end, it found him out,
didn't it? His grief. He sold the Lord for money. Now, notice with me in verse 3. It says, All the people
break off the golden earrings which were in their ears and
brought them unto Aaron. All the people. Men, women, and
young people. All the people. The significance
of the golden earrings, I don't know. Nevertheless, people wearing
men, women and young people wearing earrings. There's certainly a practical
observation here. The practice of wearing earrings
in the ears was not a God-sanctioned thing. They got it from the Egyptians.
Over in Judges chapter eight, You don't have to turn there
look at it for yourself sometimes judges chapter eight verse twenty
four the ishmaelites were known because the man wore a ring. That's certainly relevant in
our day and. Man wear a ring ishmaelites who are ishmaelites.
They're Arabs. That's what they are. But they represent the people
of the world. And I tell our young people not to follow the
practices of this evil generation. Come out from among them, that's
what the scriptures tells us to tell our young people. My
dad one time observed, he said, what is the world coming to?
Women with tattoos and men with earrings. That was years ago, years ago.
And now it's just plumbed on the pot. Nevertheless, these
people had the earring. Go back to 1 Corinthians 10,
as I said. 1 Corinthians 10. All the people
were guilty of this. And I told someone just the other
day, we were talking about these things, about all this self-mutilation
that is practiced in our generation in this day. I told someone I'm
so glad I'm just so thankful that that didn't go on in my
day when I was a young person or I might have done it myself.
Right. It's just a restraining grace
of God. First Corinthians ten. It tells the story of how all
the people, verse 2, all the people were baptized under Moses
in the cloud and the sea. All the people did eat the same
spiritual meat. They did all drink the same spiritual
drink. They drank of that spiritual
rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. But with
many of them, God was not well pleased. They were overthrown
in the wilderness. Overthrown, overcome by temptation. Overcome, overthrown. And I revealed
to be unbelievers. It says all and many. All of the people took part in
this idolatry. Back here in the tent. Go back
there. All the people took part, didn't
they? And so has everyone in here, in this room, have been
idolatrous in the past. All of us. And it says many of them God
was displeased. They were overthrown. Not all
of them. Thank God. Who make it be the
difference? Our God. And later on in this
story, we're going to see how that Moses came down from the
mountain and he said, Who is on the Lord's side? But all the people were guilty,
weren't they? But bless God, all of them weren't punished
for it. All of them. Back in our text,
all the people break off the earring. Verse 4, And he received
them at their hand, and fashioned them. Who did? Aaron did. Aaron
did this. How could the man do such a thing?
Doesn't this puzzle you? It puzzles me how a man like
this could do such a thing. He did, didn't he? One thing
it proves with every man at his best at is all together vanity
and how the people can sway a man who's less than a man. But he
received it and he did it. He's the one that did it. He's
the one that led these people, though they asked him to do it,
told him to do it. He's the one that did it later
on in this chapter, he blamed them. Moses said, how could you
do this? How could you make the people
sin like this? He said, they, you know, these people, they're,
they're, you know, these people. Moses could never be swayed and
do something like that. That's how you can know a true
man, but as opposed to one who's not. Verse four says he received
them at their hand and fashioned it with a graven, graving tool.
After he had made it a golden calf, he said, these be thy gods,
O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Unbelievable, isn't it? Just unbelievable. There's a,
this is a symbol too. He said, this golden calf is
what brought you out. And many think that money is
a way out, don't they? This golden calf brought you
out. That's emblematic of health and wealth and prosperity gospel
today. This is what's going to get you
out. And look at now look at it. Here's
another. Here's something for us to learn. Idolatry mixed with
truth. He said in verse five and when
Aaron saw it, he built an altar before the camp idolatry. And Aaron made a proclamation,
said, tomorrow is a feast to the Lord. Idolatry in the name of Jehovah.
This is incredible then. But as I said, all of this, or
as the scripture said, all of this is written for our learning. Our learning. How can this happen? Well, over in 2 Kings, how that these people were brought
into Babylon, or from Babylon into Samaria, and how that religion
began to be mixed, or the truth began to be mixed with idolatry. It says the worst men were made
priests. The very worst men were set up
as priests and leaders. And the people, it says the people
feared the Lord and served their gods. And what a picture that is, what
a warning that is of what goes on today. It's all done in the
name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Israel. The God of
the Bible, it's all done in the name of the God of the Bible,
but it's idolatry. It's idolatry, it's a mixture. All right. In our text, now,
it goes on to say, that Aaron proclaimed this peace and. Go, he told him to bring this
gold. To them and. He said, this is
what brought you out and Peter wrote, you know, you were not
with green redeemed with corruptible thing. Silver and gold, so forth,
but with a precious blood cry. And this to be no mixture no
idolatry with truth. But he said in verse six, and
they were, God says, writes in verse six, they rose up early
on the morrow and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offering, whether to their gods or to the
calf or to God, it's unclear. It doesn't matter. They were
in a mess. And it says this, this is what Paul wrote in 1
Corinthians 10 to sum up idolatry. It said there was religion, that
it was a form of godliness. And the people sat down to eat
and to drink and rose up to play. That was really what they were
more interested in. That's summed up their idolatry.
They sat down to eat, drink, and rose up to play. In other
words, their God ended up being their belly. And recreation. Recreation. And as I said, this whole story,
there's not enough time to deal with it in depth. I just gave
you some, a little overview of several things it does represent. But it represents how that false
prophets might be known. How they may be known their greed
their mixture many false prophets. Greed their mixture of truth
with idolatry. And how the people are known
by in their apostasy they begin to turn against the man who they
say. Talk them through it's God's
true man. It's a picture of how the true
man like Aaron, I believe he was a saved man. 1 Corinthians 3, and I want to
jot this down. I wanted to turn there and look
at that very clearly. Paul deals with men who build
on the foundation, wood, hay, and stubble. Men will be tried, their works
will be tried, their ministry, so-called, will be tried what
they do will be tried by fire and what all that they do may
be destroyed and they were no profit or any value to anybody.
Yet they themselves may be spared by God. First Corinthians 3 is
an old chapter about that. And this is precedent for that. You see everything in the New
Testament has an Old Testament precedent. The apostles wrote
of things that occurred in the beginning and expounded on how
true men go bad and how they're known and what God eventually
does to them. God killed Aaron. God was angry
with Aaron. And he stripped him of his priestly
garments, gave them to his son and killed him on Mount core. All these things are written
for our learning. And may we take careful heed. Bye.