A Change Of Mind
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series II, Cycle A
Object:
While it has been suggested that idle hands are the playthings of the devil -- the same may be true of our minds. Without a clear sense of who we are and whose we are, we have the tendency to wander into some barren wilderness. Sometimes our slip is gradual, we do one small thing that is questionable and before we realize it we are in deep trouble. There are other times when it is obvious that we have strayed in a big way, and whether we like it or not, there are consequences to our actions.
Without a clear sense of vision of who we are and where we are going, we are in danger of wandering off in the wrong direction and becoming lost. We need to be reminded daily of our journey, that we are God's children, that we belong to Jesus, and that something is expected of us.
The ancient Israelites escaped from the pursuing Egyptian army by miraculously crossing the Red Sea. They followed Moses into the wilderness where they would journey to the promised land. However, not everything went well for the people, they complained about being hungry and thirsty. They questioned Moses' authority and motivation. Did he lead them into the wilderness so they could die from starvation? Some suggested returning to Egypt, where life might not have been great living as slaves, but at least they had a warm bed and enough food. God gave the Ten Commandments, hoping to reform and remold the people. Let's just say that they were not too open to changing their ways.
Idle minds are the playthings of the devil. Without a clear sense of who they were and what they were trying to accomplish they were in danger of falling into sin. Moses was up on the mountain communing with God. He was already gone forty days -- almost six weeks. The people were beginning to wonder if he was ever coming back. Did something bad happen to him on the mountain? The people were becoming restless and impatient because he had been gone such a long time. The people decided to take matters into their own hands, which was exactly what would get them into trouble. They approached Aaron, Moses' brother and second in command. The people made an outrageous request to "make gods for us."
Aaron should have known better but instead he granted their request. Some suggest that Aaron was trying to challenge Moses' leadership, trying to gain popularity among the people so that they would look to him as their leader at some point. However, Aaron was a weak and ineffective leader because he gave the people exactly what they wanted. There always has been a danger in giving people what they want rather than what they need.
There always has been the temptation to give in to what the people want instead of standing up for what is right. Aaron caved in to the demands of the people, perhaps to gain popularity and status in the eyes of the people. Living out our faith does not always make us popular especially when we stand up for what is right. Sometimes we have been tempted to soften Jesus' demands to make them easier, more appealing. If we relaxed the demands of the gospel, the faulty thinking is that we would gain more people. And that, too, is dangerous.
Aaron must have realized what they demanded was wrong. They were breaking two of the most important and significant of the Ten Commandments, "You shall have no other gods before me," and "You shall not make for yourself an idol." But he gave the people what they wanted apparently without a second thought.
Aaron instructed the people to take all their gold rings and bring them to him. "He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf." The golden calf or bull was a symbol of pagan religion. The golden image clearly was viewed as a replacement for the absent Moses. In the people's eyes the calf was a visible reassurance of God's presence and activity in their midst as they exclaimed, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" And they worshiped the golden image breaking another of the Ten Commandments. "You shall not bow down to them or worship them." The next day they brought sacrifices and offered them to the golden calf. There in the wilderness the people "reveled." How could they do such a thing? How could they have forgotten all that God had done for them in such a short time? Idle minds are the playthings of the devil.
While this reveling was going on at the base of the mountain, God instructed Moses to, "Go down at once!" God knew what was taking place and told Moses, "Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it." God was angry and upset with the people. Notice that God referred to the people as "your" people and not "my people." It was as if the Lord God was so mad that God was ready to disown the people and have nothing more to do with them after this outrageous act.
The word translated as "perverse" is the same word used to describe the peoples' activity at the time of Noah and the great flood. Just like in Noah's day, God was ready to destroy the people for what they had done. God was ready to write them off and start fresh with Moses, "and of you I will make a great nation," God informed him. At the moment, it did not look good for the people. "I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are," God told Moses, "Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them." "Stiff-necked" referred to animals refusing to be steered in a direction they did not want to go, even when it would be beneficial to them. The people in their willfulness were like a stubborn ox that refused to move forward.
Courageously, Moses implored and pleaded with God on behalf of the people. Moses did not leave God alone but reminded God that the people were God's own people. They were the very people God "brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand." Even though the people complained and grumbled against him, Moses had the people's best interest in mind, which reveals much about his character and leadership. He certainly had the best interests of the people, God's own people in mind.
In spite of great risk, Moses stood before God pleading on behalf of the people who obviously were sinning at that very moment. In addition Moses asked God, "What would the Egyptians think, that God led them to freedom just to kill them out in the desert?" In a passionate appeal, "Turn from your fierce wrath," Moses told God, "change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people." Moses wanted God to remember the covenant established with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, the promise of "descendants like the stars of heaven" as well as the promised land. As a result, the most amazing thing happened; God did indeed change his mind and did not send destruction on the people.
For some reason we think that God never changes his mind. We view God as unmovable and unchangeable. Moses the prophet par excellence made an emotional, logical plea and God had a change of heart and did not send destruction on the people. We pray that God will intervene on our behalf to change our current circumstances. God hears our prayers and is able to change the outcome. Isn't that one reason why we pray? Moses appealed to the graceful side of God.
Thanks to Moses, God had a change of heart and allowed the people to live and continue their journey to the promised land. Moses descended from the mountain once again carrying the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments written in God's own hand. When Moses saw what the people had been doing he became angry. "Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain." Moses was upset with Aaron who gave the people what they wanted. It was time for the people to repent of their sin and wrongdoing and return to the Lord God.
Martha Byrne was living her dream of becoming an actress. She said good-bye to the house and church where she'd grown up and moved to Hollywood, California. At first she had small roles in made-for-television movies and, in time, landed a minor role in a feature movie where she played someone's girlfriend. She auditioned for commercials and even made a pilot for a television show. However, her big break never came which left her feeling discouraged.
Soon Martha wondered why she wasn't having fun anymore auditioning for various roles. She waited for her telephone to ring with news that she had gotten the part -- her big break. However the call never came. Her agent would call to inform her that the part she was hoping for went to another actress; the pilot television program would not be produced. She was discouraged, losing sight of herself.
A conversation with a pastor of a church she had been attending in California revealed her deep longing. "You miss your family," he told her. She admitted that it was true as tears rolled down her cheeks. She said she knew that all along but needed someone to tell her. "God has a way of bringing us what we truly need, when we follow our hearts desires," he told her.
A month later, Martha moved home, returning to her old church, catching up with her brother and sisters. "It was like my life went from black and white to color again," was how she described what she was feeling as she reaffirmed her faith.1
Yes, idle minds are the playthings of the devil. That is why it is important for us to keep our focus on our destination and not be sidetracked. Moses intervened on behalf of the people and God had a change of heart. Centuries later, Jesus Christ would intercede on our behalf restoring our relationship with God. Amen.
____________
1. Martha Byrne, "Closer to Home," Guidepost magazine, April 2005, pp. 34-38.
Without a clear sense of vision of who we are and where we are going, we are in danger of wandering off in the wrong direction and becoming lost. We need to be reminded daily of our journey, that we are God's children, that we belong to Jesus, and that something is expected of us.
The ancient Israelites escaped from the pursuing Egyptian army by miraculously crossing the Red Sea. They followed Moses into the wilderness where they would journey to the promised land. However, not everything went well for the people, they complained about being hungry and thirsty. They questioned Moses' authority and motivation. Did he lead them into the wilderness so they could die from starvation? Some suggested returning to Egypt, where life might not have been great living as slaves, but at least they had a warm bed and enough food. God gave the Ten Commandments, hoping to reform and remold the people. Let's just say that they were not too open to changing their ways.
Idle minds are the playthings of the devil. Without a clear sense of who they were and what they were trying to accomplish they were in danger of falling into sin. Moses was up on the mountain communing with God. He was already gone forty days -- almost six weeks. The people were beginning to wonder if he was ever coming back. Did something bad happen to him on the mountain? The people were becoming restless and impatient because he had been gone such a long time. The people decided to take matters into their own hands, which was exactly what would get them into trouble. They approached Aaron, Moses' brother and second in command. The people made an outrageous request to "make gods for us."
Aaron should have known better but instead he granted their request. Some suggest that Aaron was trying to challenge Moses' leadership, trying to gain popularity among the people so that they would look to him as their leader at some point. However, Aaron was a weak and ineffective leader because he gave the people exactly what they wanted. There always has been a danger in giving people what they want rather than what they need.
There always has been the temptation to give in to what the people want instead of standing up for what is right. Aaron caved in to the demands of the people, perhaps to gain popularity and status in the eyes of the people. Living out our faith does not always make us popular especially when we stand up for what is right. Sometimes we have been tempted to soften Jesus' demands to make them easier, more appealing. If we relaxed the demands of the gospel, the faulty thinking is that we would gain more people. And that, too, is dangerous.
Aaron must have realized what they demanded was wrong. They were breaking two of the most important and significant of the Ten Commandments, "You shall have no other gods before me," and "You shall not make for yourself an idol." But he gave the people what they wanted apparently without a second thought.
Aaron instructed the people to take all their gold rings and bring them to him. "He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf." The golden calf or bull was a symbol of pagan religion. The golden image clearly was viewed as a replacement for the absent Moses. In the people's eyes the calf was a visible reassurance of God's presence and activity in their midst as they exclaimed, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" And they worshiped the golden image breaking another of the Ten Commandments. "You shall not bow down to them or worship them." The next day they brought sacrifices and offered them to the golden calf. There in the wilderness the people "reveled." How could they do such a thing? How could they have forgotten all that God had done for them in such a short time? Idle minds are the playthings of the devil.
While this reveling was going on at the base of the mountain, God instructed Moses to, "Go down at once!" God knew what was taking place and told Moses, "Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it." God was angry and upset with the people. Notice that God referred to the people as "your" people and not "my people." It was as if the Lord God was so mad that God was ready to disown the people and have nothing more to do with them after this outrageous act.
The word translated as "perverse" is the same word used to describe the peoples' activity at the time of Noah and the great flood. Just like in Noah's day, God was ready to destroy the people for what they had done. God was ready to write them off and start fresh with Moses, "and of you I will make a great nation," God informed him. At the moment, it did not look good for the people. "I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are," God told Moses, "Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them." "Stiff-necked" referred to animals refusing to be steered in a direction they did not want to go, even when it would be beneficial to them. The people in their willfulness were like a stubborn ox that refused to move forward.
Courageously, Moses implored and pleaded with God on behalf of the people. Moses did not leave God alone but reminded God that the people were God's own people. They were the very people God "brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand." Even though the people complained and grumbled against him, Moses had the people's best interest in mind, which reveals much about his character and leadership. He certainly had the best interests of the people, God's own people in mind.
In spite of great risk, Moses stood before God pleading on behalf of the people who obviously were sinning at that very moment. In addition Moses asked God, "What would the Egyptians think, that God led them to freedom just to kill them out in the desert?" In a passionate appeal, "Turn from your fierce wrath," Moses told God, "change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people." Moses wanted God to remember the covenant established with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, the promise of "descendants like the stars of heaven" as well as the promised land. As a result, the most amazing thing happened; God did indeed change his mind and did not send destruction on the people.
For some reason we think that God never changes his mind. We view God as unmovable and unchangeable. Moses the prophet par excellence made an emotional, logical plea and God had a change of heart and did not send destruction on the people. We pray that God will intervene on our behalf to change our current circumstances. God hears our prayers and is able to change the outcome. Isn't that one reason why we pray? Moses appealed to the graceful side of God.
Thanks to Moses, God had a change of heart and allowed the people to live and continue their journey to the promised land. Moses descended from the mountain once again carrying the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments written in God's own hand. When Moses saw what the people had been doing he became angry. "Moses' anger burned hot, and he threw the tablets from his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain." Moses was upset with Aaron who gave the people what they wanted. It was time for the people to repent of their sin and wrongdoing and return to the Lord God.
Martha Byrne was living her dream of becoming an actress. She said good-bye to the house and church where she'd grown up and moved to Hollywood, California. At first she had small roles in made-for-television movies and, in time, landed a minor role in a feature movie where she played someone's girlfriend. She auditioned for commercials and even made a pilot for a television show. However, her big break never came which left her feeling discouraged.
Soon Martha wondered why she wasn't having fun anymore auditioning for various roles. She waited for her telephone to ring with news that she had gotten the part -- her big break. However the call never came. Her agent would call to inform her that the part she was hoping for went to another actress; the pilot television program would not be produced. She was discouraged, losing sight of herself.
A conversation with a pastor of a church she had been attending in California revealed her deep longing. "You miss your family," he told her. She admitted that it was true as tears rolled down her cheeks. She said she knew that all along but needed someone to tell her. "God has a way of bringing us what we truly need, when we follow our hearts desires," he told her.
A month later, Martha moved home, returning to her old church, catching up with her brother and sisters. "It was like my life went from black and white to color again," was how she described what she was feeling as she reaffirmed her faith.1
Yes, idle minds are the playthings of the devil. That is why it is important for us to keep our focus on our destination and not be sidetracked. Moses intervened on behalf of the people and God had a change of heart. Centuries later, Jesus Christ would intercede on our behalf restoring our relationship with God. Amen.
____________
1. Martha Byrne, "Closer to Home," Guidepost magazine, April 2005, pp. 34-38.
