MOLDED OR BEATEN GOLD

March 11, 2005

Exodus 32: 1- 4

INTRODUCTION:

1-    Time has passed for the children of Israel;

2-    They’re no longer in Egypt; but are now free.

3-    No longer in captivity feeling their backs torn with whip by their taskmasters.

4-    No longer do they suffer the tension of being in captivity.

5-    They’ve seen the Mighty hand of God in action.

6-    They’ve seen Him feed and lead them out after the Passover in Egypt.

7-    They watched the Red Sea swallow up Pharaoh’s Mighty army!

8-    Now they in the area of Mt. Sinai while Moses receives the 10 Commandments.

9-    God is telling Moses to tell the people “How to live and follow after God in this life".

 

MOSES IS NOW ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP:

1-    There have always been symbolisms to our walk with God on the Mountain Tops.

2-    Holy men of old knew their walk with God was a constant climb with the Lord.

3-    Ararat was to Noah the Mountain of “NEW BEGINNINGS” or first sacrifice.

4-    Moriah was the mountain of “TESTING” where Jehovah-Jireh supplied the need.

5-    Gilead was the mountain of disunity, anger and grudge between brothers.

6-    Seir was the mountain of opposition, of an unforgiving spirit.

7-    Where Jacob’s descendants never forgave him for inheriting the birthright.

8-    Horeb, was the mountain of refreshing water;

9-    An abundant, overflowing life, strengthened by walking with God on holy ground.

10-                       Sinai was the mountain of Law (the Ten Commandments) & Grace and the Tabernacle.

11-                       The Law being the schoolmaster, which leads us to Christ.

12-                       Hor was the mountain of unbelief and rebellion against God.

13-                       And of course the mountain of blessing for obedience to God.

 

COULD TODAY BE YOUR DAY TO MAKE SPIRITUAL ADJUSTMENTS IN CONTINUING YOUR WALK WITH GOD?

1-    Moses is on the mountain! & God is giving him intricate details of the Law.

2-    And when the people saw Moses delay in coming down off the Mt.

3-    They gathered themselves to Aaron saying make us gods which shall go before us.

4-    Spiritual decline can set in mighty quickly.

5-    They began to say; “Moses is dead; He’s left us alone out here to die in the wilderness.

6-    Or maybe he had a conspiracy with the Egyptians.

7-    Beloved; no matter where men are in life; they will have gods to worship.

8-    And they cried to Aaron and he gave ear to them.

 

AARON; THAT FEARLESS MAN OF GOD:

1-    He’d walked in the courts of Pharaoh.

2-    He was the very voice of Moses.

3-    He had obeyed the will of God not listening to the people.

4-    But the troubling thing here is that he leads them in the way of destruction.

5-    Aaron couldn’t stand the pressure of the people in Ministry.

 

WE CAN LEARN FROM THIS GOLDEN CALF:

1-    On thing would be the easiness of sin;

2-    It wasn’t any trouble. He used engraving tools and poured the gold into a mold.

3-    It just came natural; that’s how sin works.

4-    And the Devil will tell you “It’s not really a sin, you can always explain it away.

5-    Absalom’s downfall was someone telling him his father was just old and out of touch;

6-    And it led him to rebellion.

7-    To Balaam it wasn’t really a sin to curse the people of God or so said Barak.

8-    To Samson; it wasn’t really a sin to go down and date the Philistine women.

9-    To Achan, it didn’t seem like sin after all he needed the extra money.

10-                       To Ahab, it didn’t seem as sin to take the vineyard that belonged to Naboth.

11-                       But to Naboth it was his “BIRTHRIGHT” and he couldn’t sell out.

 

SO WITH THE GOLDEN CALF:

1-     There is much to be said about Gold in the Bible.

2-     To the Lord, Gold holds value; but not as the world values it.

3-     Gold will be used as pavement in Heaven.

4-     To the Children of Israel, Gold was a common commodity.

5-     When King Solomon was in office; look at all the gold that flowed into the kingdom!

6-     Gold flowed into Jerusalem as plentiful as water.

7-     The timbers in the temple were literally overlaid with pure gold.

8-     The vessels in the temple were of gold.

9-     Gold was woven into the threads of the priestly garments worn before the Lord.

 

BUT THERE COMES A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT IS GOLD AND WHAT IS GOLD:

1-    With Aaron’s gold; the principle was wrong;

2-    Aaron knew better than to do what he did with their gold.

3-    He even went so far as to lie about how the golden calf came into existence.

4-    He did in fact form the golden calf to worship.

5-    But he said to Moses that he threw their gold into the fire and out came this thing.

6-    Someone said that he even added other metals to its content for strength.

7-    But I beg to tell you that this calf literally took little effort on their part.

8-    Little effort to worship the wrong; little effort to sin.

 

AND HERE’S THE POINT:

1-    This golden calf came out of wrong doing on the people’s part.

2-    It was first of all “SIN” to do this thing.

3-    Sin doesn’t take much effort on mans part; Just do it!

4-    It’s pleasure for a season; it’s enjoyable; just do it.

BUT FOR GOLD TO HOLD MUCH VALUE IN GOD’S EYES; IT MUST BE BEATEN!

1-     Every golden object or piece of furniture in God’s House was of beaten gold.

2-     The candlestick would take untold time and effort to beat it out of one piece of gold.

3-     Gold would be heated; shaped and heated again and again.

4-     Do we not understand that we are tried as by fire?

5-     But Hold on, God’s not through with us yet.

6-     We will come through being tried as by fire; but coming out as pure gold! Tried as by fire

 

IN 2^ND. CHRONICLES 12: 1-12

THE STORY IS TOLD US OF ISRAELS SPLENDOR WITH SHIELDS OF GOLD:

1-    Again, Israel, under Solomon with gold flowing in like water.

2-    The GUARD’S with their shields of gold shining in the Sun with splendor;

3-    Proud with shields of gold a type of purity and strength.

4-    But something happened;

You have forsaken Me, and therefore I also have left you in the hand of Shishak.

 

AND THAT NIGHT THEY LOST THEIR SPLENDOR; THAT SHINING CHARACTER:

THEY LOST OUT WITH GOD:

1-    Beloved;  everything that glitters is not gold.

2-    King Shishak of Egypt attacked Israel and that night stole their 300 shields of gold.

 

NOW HERES THE PARALELL OF BEATEN GOLD AND NOT SO BEATEN GOLD OR BRASS:

1-    Soon afterward Rehoboam made shields of BRASS, and gave them to the Captain of the Guard.

2-    Now! “What was all that about?”

3-    Most probably “EMBARRASMENT”, they’d lost their splendor

4-    But “WE CAN FAKE IT”, No you can’t; not for long anyway!

5-    They’re soon standing with shields of brass in the morning Sun. Just a glittering!

6-    But it wasn’t beaten gold; and it wasn’t pure.

7-    So they went about their duties; making things appear as they were all right on the surface.

8-    Shields of brass replaced the shields of gold.

 

HOW MANY OF YOU KNOW IT TAKES A LOT OF ELBOW GREASE TO POLISH BRASS?

1-    And the more so to give it the shine of pure gold.

2-    You’ll work yourself to death trying to make what you do have appear as what you don’t have.

3-    They didn’t have the real thing!

4-    The beaten gold was pure; and cost much involvement to come out pure gold.

5-    The Brass shields were shiny and appeared as gold; but they weren’t.

6-    The golden calf of Aaron was formed with tool and molded;

7-    It was not of beaten quality;

8-    First of all it wasn’t God and didn’t have anything to do with God! God was not in it!

 

I’M JUST AN OLD COUNTRY FELLOW; AND DON’T CLAIM TO KNOW VERY MUCH:

1-    But I’m told of a reliable source; that you can burn gold in the fire;

2-    Grind it into a powder and cast it upon water and it’ll turn red as blood!

 

THAT’S WHAT MOSES DID THAT GOD MIGHT FORGIVE THEIR SINS:

 

BELOVED;

1-     Allow the Holy Spirit to burn out your idols today;

2-     Get rid of all that isn’t as pure gold in your life; and your life can shine again!

 

GOD WILL HAVE A TRIED AND TESTED PEOPLE; Amen?

1-    Don’t draw back because the fire gets hot!

2-    Don’t retreat because the fiery trials will befall you!

3-    The trials of this life are to bring us to where God would have us to be in Him.

4-    And when He’s through with us; We’ll just step over Jordan and lay it all down!

5-    He’s still working on me, How about you?

6-    And the beating will soon stop and we will have been perfected into that perfect vessel.

7-    One that is fit for the Master’s Use!