Monday Thought – August 17, 2015

Good Morning Friends,

Moses came down Sinai and knew what he would find when he entered the camp of Israel. The people were worshiping before the golden calf. Moses’ anger burned against Israel and against his brother, Aaron. Moses quickly confronted Aaron.

“He said to Aaron, ‘What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?’” (Exodus 32:21)

Aaron responded, “Do not be angry, my lord. You know how prone these people are to evil. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” (Exodus 32:22-24)

Aaron’s response is typical of the human response to sin when it is rebuked. Aaron shifted the blame away from himself in several directions.

He shifted the blame to the people. Aaron told Moses that he wasn’t responsible for the golden calf. It was the people who asked Aaron to make other gods for them to worship. It wasn’t Aaron’s fault, it was the fault of the people.

He shifted the blame to Moses. The people didn’t know what had happened to him on the mountain. What he was saying was that it was Moses’ fault because he took too long on the mountain.

He shifted the blame to some act of nature or God. Aaron said he threw the gold into the fire and out came the golden calf. Aaron lied! Earlier in Exodus 32 it says clearly that Aaron took the gold and made a golden calf. (Exodus 32:4)

Aaron was unwilling to take responsibility for his own sin and looked for someone else to blame. Blame the people. Blame Moses. Blame a miracle. Blame God. Blame anyone but Aaron. Aaron painted himself as an innocent victim in the sin that happened.

Don’t make Aaron’s mistake! When confronted with our sin, by God, by our own conscience, or by a friend, confess it. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

His, by Grace, Steve