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A God We Can See? - The Book of Exodus · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it
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  Speaker 1: with a graving tool, after he had made it a
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  Speaker 1: molten calf. And they said, These be thy gods, O Israel,
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  Speaker 1: which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Exodus
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  Speaker 1: 32.4 Dear God, as you begin to bless me and
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  Speaker 1: enlarge my territory, I will not forget that you are
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  Speaker 1: my God, unlike the children of Israel in Exodus 32.
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  Speaker 1: I will not serve the idols of this world, but
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  Speaker 1: instead will hold fast to your instructions and commands. I
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  Speaker 1: will not go backwards and live in a way that
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  Speaker 1: represents the limiting and ungodly mindsets of slavery. I declare
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  Speaker 1: that I will remember the promises of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
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  Speaker 1: and live in a way as to secure them for myself.
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  Speaker 1: Drunkenness will not cloud my judgment. then devotion to man-made
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  Speaker 1: idols will not sever my devotion to you, God. I
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  Speaker 1: decree that I am on the Lord's side. I confess
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  Speaker 1: that I will stand for what's right when standing for
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  Speaker 1: what's wrong seems enticing. I acknowledge that my life isn't
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  Speaker 1: my own, but it's yours to bring glory to your name.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you that despite my downfall like the Israelites in
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  Speaker 1: today's story, You will not leave me or forsake me,
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  Speaker 1: even when I wrestle with my sin and shortcomings. In Jesus' name, amen.
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  Speaker 1: Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God.
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  Speaker 1: Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible
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  Speaker 1: in a Year. Brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: A God we can see? In our last story, we
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  Speaker 2: learned about God's promises to bless his people and be
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  Speaker 2: with them. He descended in fire, lightning, and smoke on
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  Speaker 2: Mount Sinai to give Moses a word for the people.
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  Speaker 2: He gave them the Ten Commandments. Then he asked them
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  Speaker 2: to build a tabernacle so he could dwell with his people.
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  Speaker 2: In this story, we learn about the Israelites already breaking
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  Speaker 2: the first commandment. Their impatience leads them astray, and they
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  Speaker 2: betray the God that had just delivered them out of slavery,
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  Speaker 2: as inspired by the book of Exodus.
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  Speaker 3: I'm so glad you joined us on the Bible in
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  Speaker 3: a Year podcast today. But before we get to today's episode,
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would absolutely love
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: to send you my daily devotional, that will give you
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: fresh encouragement every single morning and day. From the moment
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  Speaker 3: we wake up to the moment our head finally hits
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  Speaker 3: the pillow, there are thousands of things demanding our attention.
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  Speaker 3: But it's in the midst of all this crush and
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  Speaker 3: hustle and bustle that you and I need peace and
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  Speaker 3: truth in God's Word. That's why I want to help
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  Speaker 3: you spend time each day growing in God's life-giving, life-changing
• 3:27
  Speaker 3: Word by sending you my free daily email devotional, PowerPoint Today.
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: So visit JackGraham.org to sign up for your PowerPoint Today devotional.
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  Speaker 3: That's JackGraham.org. JackGraham.org. In our previous episode, we learned that
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  Speaker 3: God brought the Israelites to the foot of Mount Sinai
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  Speaker 3: and spoke to them there, promising blessing if they obeyed
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  Speaker 3: His commands. God gave us the Ten Commandments, instructions all
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  Speaker 3: related to Him and how to know Him and how
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  Speaker 3: to live with one another. Today we'll hear how quickly
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  Speaker 3: they failed to keep the first of those commandments. Listen
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  Speaker 3: to their words to Aaron as Moses delays up on
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  Speaker 3: top of the mountain. Where have they placed their trust?
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  Speaker 3: Today's reading provides a stark contrast between the leadership of
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  Speaker 3: Moses and that of Aaron, highlighting why God called Moses
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  Speaker 3: instead of his brother. Finally, we'll discover there's a price
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  Speaker 3: for sin against God. Yet, even in the midst of
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  Speaker 3: judgment and punishment, God's grace and mercy will come through.
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  Speaker 3: Let's listen now to today's story.
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  Speaker 2: Moses had ascended back up to Mount Sinai to hear
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  Speaker 2: from God on behalf of the people. The thunder still
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  Speaker 2: rolled down the mountain like waves crashing on a shore.
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  Speaker 2: The people took note of Moses' delay to come down
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  Speaker 2: from the mountain and so they turned to Aaron for guidance.
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  Speaker 2: We do not know what has become of Moses. He
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  Speaker 2: is the one who brought us out of Egypt. Quick,
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  Speaker 2: make God for us, to protect and nurture us. Aaron,
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  Speaker 2: just as confused and desperate as the people, agreed. He
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  Speaker 2: said to them, Take off all your rings, earrings, and
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  Speaker 2: necklaces of gold and bring them to me. So all
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  Speaker 2: the people began to lay down their possessions at the
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  Speaker 2: feet of Aaron. They willingly gave up what was precious
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  Speaker 2: to them, yet all for a fabrication, a false sense
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  Speaker 2: of security. Aaron, using fashioning tools, constructed a golden calf
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  Speaker 2: with his own bare hands. He brought the calf before
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  Speaker 2: the people, erected high into the air so everyone could see.
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  Speaker 2: Applause roared throughout the camp. Dancing and revelry began to spread.
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  Speaker 2: These are your gods, people of Israel. These are the
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  Speaker 2: gods that brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
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  Speaker 2: The people cried out, paying no mind to God's first
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  Speaker 2: encouragement to them when he said, I am the Lord
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  Speaker 2: your God, who brought you out of the land of
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  Speaker 2: Egypt and out of slavery. In the distance God was
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  Speaker 2: meeting with Moses, yet this was not hidden from his sight.
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  Speaker 2: When Aaron saw how happy the calf made the people,
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  Speaker 2: he built an altar for He hosted a large feast
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  Speaker 2: to celebrate their new god. They rose up early the
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  Speaker 2: next day to give peace offerings. As the day dragged on,
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  Speaker 2: they feasted like gluttons, filling their bellies with meat and wine.
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  Speaker 2: A strange daze of drunkenness slithered around camp. As people
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  Speaker 2: rose up in dancing and orgies, their laughter was not
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  Speaker 2: joyful praise, rather inebriated and lustful cackles. They paid homage
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  Speaker 2: to their created God by creating their own warship, satisfying
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  Speaker 2: every selfish desire they could come up with. The newly
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  Speaker 2: freed slaves of Israel began to look a whole lot
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  Speaker 2: like their old masters, the Egyptians. The stench of their
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  Speaker 2: idolatry carried through the canyons up to the mountain, where
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  Speaker 2: God met with Moses. In the quietness of his prayers
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  Speaker 2: to God, Moses heard his voice change. The Lord said
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  Speaker 2: to Moses, Go down to see your people, for they
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  Speaker 2: have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned from my commandments!
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  Speaker 2: High and lifted up among them is a golden calf,
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  Speaker 2: for whom they have sacrificed and worshipped. Moses' eyes widened.
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  Speaker 2: Though the people may have lost their fear of God,
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  Speaker 2: Moses surely did not. He had remembered all the Lord
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  Speaker 2: was capable of, and how kind he had been to
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  Speaker 2: all the children of Israel. God continued and said, I
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  Speaker 2: have looked upon my people, and behold, they are a
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  Speaker 2: stubborn people. Leave this place, for my wrath will descend
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  Speaker 2: upon them like wildfire. From you alone I will build
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  Speaker 2: my nation. These words disturbed Moses. He fell before God
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  Speaker 2: and said, Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against
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  Speaker 2: your people? You have brought them out of slavery with
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  Speaker 2: your might. The Egyptians will say you lured them out
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  Speaker 2: of slavery just to kill them. Please turn from your
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  Speaker 2: anger and have mercy on them. Tears began to flow
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  Speaker 2: from Moses as he begged God to spare them. Remember
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  Speaker 2: your promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Moses implored. His
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  Speaker 2: prayer was not long, but it was strong. Moses reflected
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  Speaker 2: the merciful heart of God in his prayers, and they
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  Speaker 2: pleased God. Moses was truly a leader, able to reflect
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  Speaker 2: God's heart and desire. Moses could have easily done nothing,
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  Speaker 2: but instead he interceded for his people. God looked upon Moses.
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  Speaker 2: He was pleased and relented. Moses hustled down the mountain,
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  Speaker 2: eyes piercing with an internal fury. Moses had two tablets
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  Speaker 2: of the testimony of God in his hands. The writings
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  Speaker 2: of God for the people were engraved in stone. Joshua
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  Speaker 2: was waiting at the base of the mountain for Moses.
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  Speaker 2: When Joshua heard the celebration from camp, he ran to
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  Speaker 2: go meet Moses and said, There are sounds of war
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  Speaker 2: in the camp. Moses and Joshua came near to the
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  Speaker 2: camp and saw the calf risen high among the people.
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  Speaker 2: Moses peered across the sea of drunk faces. They danced
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  Speaker 2: to the music. They caressed those that were not their
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  Speaker 2: wives or husbands. They drank their wisdom away. Moses watched this.
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  Speaker 2: He was right in front of them, yet unseen because
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  Speaker 2: of their drunkenness. In that moment, a deep anger came
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  Speaker 2: upon Moses, an anger that had not been awakened since
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  Speaker 2: he was a young man, strangling the Egyptian taskmaster. In
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  Speaker 2: an outburst of rage, Moses threw himself the stone tablets
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  Speaker 2: at the foot of the mountain the sound echoed across
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  Speaker 2: the canyon and the dancing and music ceased the people
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  Speaker 2: turned their heads and stared up at Moses silence fell
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  Speaker 2: upon them all Moses walked into the crowd of people
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  Speaker 2: and took the calf from the altar without saying anything
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  Speaker 2: Moses dragged the calf past the people towards the bonfire
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  Speaker 2: in the middle of the camp. He threw it into
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  Speaker 2: the fire and watched it melt with his back turned
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  Speaker 2: towards the people. He scooped up its ashes and scattered
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  Speaker 2: them in the water nearby. He took a cup and
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  Speaker 2: filled it with the water and gave it to the
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  Speaker 2: people to drink. The bitter taste of the gold-dusted water
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  Speaker 2: was a reminder of where they had come from. They
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  Speaker 2: had just escaped the bitter gripes of slavery, and they
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  Speaker 2: ought not to make themselves slaves again. Moses looked to
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  Speaker 2: Aaron who had remained silent. What did they do to you, Aaron?
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  Speaker 2: Moses said with his eyes filling up with tears. Why
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  Speaker 2: have you brought sin upon all of them? Aaron was frantic,
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  Speaker 2: seeking to justify his actions. He was a brilliant communicator,
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  Speaker 2: and just as his ancestor Jacob Aeron could talk himself
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  Speaker 2: out of almost any situation. Don't burn with anger, Moses.
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  Speaker 2: You know the people are set on evil. They wanted
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  Speaker 2: the false gods. I tossed their god in the fire
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  Speaker 2: and the calf just appeared, Aeron lied. And just as
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  Speaker 2: Adam did eons ago, he deferred the responsibility. Moses looked
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  Speaker 2: at the people and saw that Aeron had allowed them
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  Speaker 2: to divide and become loose with one another. Aaron had
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  Speaker 2: once been his mouthpiece, but now Moses had to speak.
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  Speaker 2: He stood at the base of the camp and shouted,
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  Speaker 2: Who is on the Lord's side? If anyone is on
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  Speaker 2: God's side, come stand by me. Out of the vast crowd,
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  Speaker 2: the sons of Levi came forward from the group. Moses
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  Speaker 2: then commanded them to kill those who had caused the
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  Speaker 2: most dissension. With swords in their hands, the sons of
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  Speaker 2: Levi killed about three thousand men that day. The silence
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  Speaker 2: was cut, and screams oozed out of the camp like blood.
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  Speaker 2: Moses spoke to the sons of Levi and said, Today
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  Speaker 2: you have been ordained into the service of God. Each
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  Speaker 2: one of you will have a blessing this day. The
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  Speaker 2: sun rose the next day, and a gentle breeze came
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  Speaker 2: in through the canyon. The people were silent, and Moses
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  Speaker 2: paced the camp, gathering them to the base of the mountain.
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  Speaker 2: He looked to them and said, Your sin was an
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  Speaker 2: intense sin. I am going back up to the Lord,
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  Speaker 2: and perhaps there is atonement for what you have done.
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  Speaker 2: So Moses left, and the people watched him ascend back
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  Speaker 2: up the mountain. Moses spoke before God and said, They
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  Speaker 2: have sinned greatly against you, gods of gold. Moses cut
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  Speaker 2: himself off and clenched his fist. His eyes closed and
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  Speaker 2: his face held back tears. Please forgive them. Moses whispered,''
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  Speaker 2: But if you do not, kill me instead of them.''
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  Speaker 2: Moses trembled as he said these words. If a simple
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  Speaker 2: sacrifice would not suffice, Moses wanted to stand between God
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  Speaker 2: and them as atonement. There was a gentle silence between them.
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  Speaker 2: The Lord said to Moses,'' Whoever has sinned against me,
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  Speaker 2: I will require something from them.'' And then he sent
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  Speaker 2: Moses back down the mountain. God would not blot out
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  Speaker 2: his people. He promised Jacob that his seed would spring
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  Speaker 2: forth a mighty nation and all nations would be redeemed.
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  Speaker 2: He would not waver from that promise. Hundreds of years prior,
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  Speaker 2: Jacob wrestled with God in the dead of night. Jacob
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  Speaker 2: was flawed and filled with sin, but he clung to
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  Speaker 2: God for blessing. So he renamed him Israel, which means
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  Speaker 2: wrestles with God. Now the people of Israel would continue
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  Speaker 2: to sin, be flawed, but cling to God for blessings.
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  Speaker 2: They would continue to wrestle with God, and he would.
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  Speaker 1: Still bless them.
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  Speaker 2: A great plague fell upon Israel that day. Yet in
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  Speaker 2: the midst of their punishment, there was hope and mercy.
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  Speaker 2: God would not depart from them.
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  Speaker 3: We open today's reading with Moses on the mountain alone.
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  Speaker 3: He spent 40 days and nights hearing from God on
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  Speaker 3: that mountain. And in that period of time, the people
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  Speaker 3: began to worry. The Israelites could still see God's consuming
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  Speaker 3: fire on the mountaintop. He had not gone missing in action.
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  Speaker 3: But they began to doubt if Moses would ever return.
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  Speaker 3: As we've already seen in their short time out of Egypt,
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  Speaker 3: God's people were quick to complain. And a grumbling, complaining
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  Speaker 3: heart can quickly become a wandering and even sinful heart.
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  Speaker 3: The people tell Aaron to make them gods, little g,
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  Speaker 3: to protect them and to provide for them. Barely a
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  Speaker 3: month has passed now since God told them not to
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  Speaker 3: have any God before them, any other kind of God,
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  Speaker 3: lest they break his commandments. But somehow, in their sinfulness,
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  Speaker 3: they wanted a God, again, little g, that they could
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  Speaker 3: see and touch, even if this God was a fantasy.
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  Speaker 3: Aaron doesn't resist. He gathers all the gold he can
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  Speaker 3: find from them and fashions a golden calf. They build
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  Speaker 3: an altar and begin to worship this counterfeit, phony God.
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  Speaker 3: One sin births another, and soon the people engage in
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  Speaker 3: all manner of revelry seeking to gratify their flesh. They've
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  Speaker 3: all but forgotten the greatness and the glory and the
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  Speaker 3: holiness of God. But God has not forgotten them. He
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  Speaker 3: isn't blind to their sins. He tells Moses what these
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  Speaker 3: people have done and that he wants to burn them
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  Speaker 3: with anger against them, and even destroy them. Moses doesn't
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  Speaker 3: excuse the actions of his people, but he does intercede.
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  Speaker 3: He advocates for them. In an impassioned plea, he speaks
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  Speaker 3: to God of the promises that he had made to Abraham, Isaac,
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  Speaker 3: and Jacob. God hears Moses and turns from his anger.
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  Speaker 3: Moses descends the mountain and destroys the calf and the altar.
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  Speaker 3: He throws the stone tablets God had given him on
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  Speaker 3: the ground and breaks them. Yes, he's angry, very angry.
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  Speaker 3: When he confronts Aaron, rather than his own mistake, Aaron
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  Speaker 3: tries to justify it. Here we see two very different leaders.
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  Speaker 3: Moses was a strong leader who turned to God in
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  Speaker 3: times of distress. But Aaron listened to the people, bent
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  Speaker 3: to their will, and turned against God. It is a costly,
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  Speaker 3: terrible sin. Moses enlists the Levite priest to go through
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  Speaker 3: the camp and shed blood in God's name. 3,000 of
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  Speaker 3: God's people died that day, judged for their unfaithfulness. Moses
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  Speaker 3: went up to speak to God again and asked for
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  Speaker 3: forgiveness for his people. God reminded Moses that he cannot
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  Speaker 3: allow sin to go unpunished. He cannot allow sin. There
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  Speaker 3: is always a price for sin, and the price is death.
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  Speaker 3: For the scripture says in the book of Romans, the
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  Speaker 3: wages of sin is death. Because of sin, our names
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  Speaker 3: are blotted out of the book of God, but because
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  Speaker 3: of his grace and because of what Christ has done
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  Speaker 3: for us in shedding his blood on the cross, we
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  Speaker 3: can have our names now written in the Lamb's book
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  Speaker 3: of life. The question is, is your name there? In
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  Speaker 3: God's words to Moses, we find hope and an enduring
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  Speaker 3: faithfulness as well as holiness. The people have sinned. There
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  Speaker 3: is a price to pay, a terrible price, but God
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  Speaker 3: will not forsake them. He will not abandon them. His
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  Speaker 3: presence will continue to be with his people. God, we
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  Speaker 3: know that you are a holy God. And this passage
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  Speaker 3: of scripture is a reminder that we are to be
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  Speaker 3: devoted to you and you only. May we trust in
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  Speaker 3: you always and obey you in the power of your spirit.
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  Speaker 3: We do confess our sins and ask that you forgive
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  Speaker 3: us of every sin through your Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
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  Speaker 3: I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. And before we go,
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: I want you to know that I would love to
• 18:39
  Speaker 3: send you my daily devotional to give you fresh encouragement
• 18:43
  Speaker 3: every single day. So visit jackgraham.org to sign up for
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: your PowerPoint Today devotional. That's jackgraham.org.