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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Crime and Punishment (not about the book) (07/21/11)
GOLDEN CALF



For 440 years the Israelites suffered in Egypt as menial slaves. God performed plagues through Moses to encourage Pharaoh, the King of Egypt to release them.

Some of the devastating plagues included frogs, insects, boils, hail and locusts. Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go with Moses so they could worship and serve their God. The Israelites were an economic asset to Pharaoh.

The last straw for Pharaoh occurred when the Lord struck the first born from every home excluding the Israelites who were instructed to put the blood of an unblemished lamb on their respective doorposts and lintels causing the death angel to pass over them. The destruction happened at midnight. It didn’t take Pharaoh long to call for Moses and emphatically tell him to leave quickly with his people.

The next morning they burned any uneaten lamb and packed bowls of unleavened dough. God had given them favor with the Egyptian people so they received articles of silver and gold along with clothing. Moses had the daunting task of leading 600,000 men with their livestock, and an undisclosed number of women and children to the Promised Land.

The first challenge came at the Red Sea. The Israelites were hemmed in between the mountains and the Sea. Pharaoh pursued them with 600 select chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.

The Israelites were wishing they were back in Egypt as living slaves rather than dead, free men. Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, so the waters were divided. (Exodus 14:21, NAS) The frightened Israelites were able to pass safely through. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may come back over the Egyptians, over their chariots and their horsemen.” (Exodus 14:26 NAS) Praise God, Pharaoh’s entire army was wiped out! It was party time for God’s people!

The Lord provided other miracles for the wandering Israelites – water, manna, quail and victory in battle. They saw it all up close and personal!

Moses was called to the top of Mt. Sinai where he received the 10 commandments, and other rules and regulations for the welfare of the Israelites.

The Israelites decided he was gone too long. They thought their link to God was severed. They convinced Aaron, Moses’ assistant, to make them a golden calf from their gold rings that God provided for them. They built an altar for their new god, danced unto him, and indulged in immorality as was the custom for foreign gods. This was bad enough but then they chanted, “This is the god that brought us out of Egypt!”

When Moses returned from Mt. Sinai he couldn’t believe his eyes! After all God had brought them through, they changed their allegiance to a golden calf who couldn’t even think, feel, save, forgive and empower! In his dismay he threw down the tablets containing the 10 commandments making them unreadable rubble. He took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it. (Exodus 32:20 NAS)

The punishment for the idolatry was grave. Moses asked all who were for the Lord to stand by his side. The sons of Levi responded. Their task was to take up their swords and kill the people who weren’t on the Lord’s side – even if they were a brother, friend or neighbor. About 3,000 men were killed because they didn’t honor God. In addition, the Lord smote an unspecified number of people with a plague according to Exodus 32:35 NIV.

Having idols is a serious offense. Do we bow down to prestige, education, careers, friendships, sex, etc. after all that God has provided for us? These things in themselves are not wrong, but when they supersede God and his requirements they are very wrong. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 6:23 NAS)
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Member Comments
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Date
diana kay
07/31/11
good solid story about the ups and downs of the Old testament and Moses.
I liked the way you brought it around to the present day at the end and made the challenge personal and relevant.