Saved by His Grace

There’s much to learn from the golden calf account in Exodus 32. First of all, the Israelites weren’t patient to wait on the Lord, a common mistake that believers often make to this day. Second, they quickly forgot the provisions of the Lord and set up a false idol to replace the Most High God.

Learning to Wait on the Lord

Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” -Exodus 32:1 (NKJV)

What God has is so much better than what we try to force. When we get impatient, we often try to do things our way, which often leads to disastrous results. Whether it be through trying to find another job, moving to another city or state, jumping into a new relationship when we aren’t fully healed from the last one, and so forth. 

When you read Exodus 32:1, you see that the Israelites perceived that Moses was delaying his departure from the mountain. Moses was gone for 40 days, a time period where the Lord gave Moses the Ten Commandments and the Law. Moses’ time on the mountain was for the betterment of the people, as what the Lord had given him would lead to their spiritual growth, drawing them closer in obedience to Him. The Israelites just had to be obedient and trust in the Lord. 

Think about this in the context of your own life. While it may feel like a delay, what God is doing behind the scenes is so much greater. What if God is using this season of waiting for you to draw closer to Him in obedience and intimacy? 

“The LORD is good to those who wait for Him,
To the soul who seeks Him.” –Lamentations 3:25

It can often feel frustrating to wait when your current situation looks bleak, but what God has in store is much better than what you are rushing into headfirst.

Look at what happened to the Israelites when they got frustrated with waiting on Moses to return from the mountain. They gave up on Moses, and ultimately God, and wanted an alternative “god” to worship. This begs the question today, what are we trying to replace God with in certain areas of our lives?

Are you Replacing God with an Idol?

 “You shall have no other gods before Me.” –Exodus 20:3

The Israelites were to be set apart and rely solely on the Most High God. Yet, they essentially went spiritually back to Egypt and brought back idol worship, replacing God with a golden calf. This begs the question today: What are you trying to bring back from Egypt (the time when you were lost in sin and darkness before you truly knew God)?

What is your golden calf? A relationship, social media, entertainment (movies/TV/music), sports, money, job, alcohol, smoking, drugs, essentially anything that is taking your focus away from Jesus. What are you turning to for peace and comfort? As followers of Christ, we need to stay rooted in this fundamental fact: only God can truly give us lasting peace and comfort. 

Personally, entertainment and social media were two false idols I had in my life. I used to frequently come home from work, feeling exhausted from the day, and quickly turn to binge watching “feel-good” movies, leaving God out of the equation. I also would constantly fill quiet moments with scrolling social media. I used to feel that if I didn’t check in on friends and pages I followed multiple times throughout the day that I was missing out. 

I quickly learned that both of these idols were incredibly unhealthy for my walk with Christ, and they both, ironically, stole away the peace Jesus had been giving me. They ultimately left me feeling drained and empty inside, with a Jesus-shaped hole in my soul. I had been turning to them for peace and rest during times of exhaustion, ignoring what my spirit needed (the Word of God) and giving into what my flesh desired. 

Turn Back to the Living Word

What our spirit needs, and what we need to truly renew our minds, is constant reading and studying of the Word of God. Emphasis on reading.

It’s important that it goes through our eye gates (Matthew 6:22), not our ear gates. Listening to the audio Bible is great, but it should never be a replacement for reading our Bibles, nor should listening to sermons. You can listen to a ton of sermons, and Spirit-led teachings are necessary, but you can listen to too much to the point that you aren’t truly retaining what you are hearing. 

Every single time you read the Bible, the Lord is washing and sanctifying your mind, which shares the seat/throne of your soul. He is cleansing and healing you from your past traumas, from all the thoughts revolving around sins you committed, from the defiled mind that you strive to make holy in the Lord.

The Lord can’t fully renew your mind if you don’t sit down, be still (Psalm 46:10) read His word, and meditate upon it (Psalm 1:2). Not to mention, the wonderfully immense amount of peace the Lord gives through His Word. 

Earlier today, I read my daily 12 chapters and was about to start making brunch, giving into my flesh instead of crucifying it. Then, my roommate reminded me that it was the weekend, one of two full days we can give God so much more of our time, encouraging me to read 12 more chapters before I went about my day.

The flesh immediately was trying to put up a fight, but my spirit recognized that I needed more of the Word. So, I went back to my room and read an additional 12 chapters in Exodus. Afterward, I could feel a huge difference. I was much more at peace and a lot lighter in my spirit. 

Brothers and sisters, satiate that hunger your spirit indeed has by eating as much as you can. Let the Word be sweeter than honey (Psalm 119:103) and let the Living Waters of Jesus Christ fill you with peace. Make a commitment to put down those idols and give the Lord much more.

After all, He rescued you from sin and darkness, redeeming you by His blood that He shed for you on the cross. Not only that, Jesus took the place of you in between the criminals who were crucified that day so you could live the set-apart life that Jesus would have lived out. Doesn’t He deserve so much more from you?

Until next time, shalom, peace be with you, my brothers and sisters in Christ.

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