The title of the classic hit by The Byrds came to my mind as I pondered the Scriptures this morning. Although the lyrics are based on Ecclesiastes 3, that’s not the text I was reading. It was actually Exodus 32, where we find the account of the Golden Calf.
You know the story. While Moses was up on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments from God, the people of Israel became impatient and convinced Aaron to make an idol shaped like a calf out of their gold earrings. (When you have a whole nation of people handing you their jewelry, it adds up fast — more than enough to make a statue of gold.) The ringleaders, celebrating the bull-calf as a symbol of power and fertility, proclaimed, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought your up out of the land of Egypt!” (Ex. 32:4). At that point Aaron built an altar before the calf. The next day the people sat down to feast and drink, then got up and indulged in pagan revelry (Ex. 32:6).
This is where the song title “Turn! Turn! Turn!” coincides with the account in Exodus. For in the verses that follow Israel’s worship of the golden calf, three different “turns” take place.
Turning from God
And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. they have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it….” (Ex. 32:7-8)
It’s easy for us to shake our heads and wonder how the Israelites could do such a thing. That’s because in ancient times, people didn’t hide their idols. They were out in the open for everyone to see. But people today are good at masking their idols. Idols are anything that we desire more than God. They can be good desires (e.g. adequate finances, good health, obedient children, pleasurable activities, etc.), that become “evil desires” (James 4:1-4) when they turn us away from God.
The Israelites’ sin reminds us that if we are not careful, we can “turn aside quickly out of the way” that the Lord has commanded us.
Turning to God
When the people of Israel turned from God, Moses turned to God in prayer, imploring him to turn from his anger and not destroy them (see Ex. 32:7-14).
Whereas Moses mediated between God and and his people under the Old Covenant, “Christ is the mediator of a new covenant” (Heb. 9:15). Having paid the price for his people’s sins on the cross, Jesus now reigns at God’s right hand. “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who drawn near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them” (Heb. 9:25).
Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea —
A great High Priest whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
Praise God for the gift of his Son! “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time” (1 Tim. 2:5-6). God’s testimony concerning his Son is that Jesus died on the cross and rose from the grave to save sinners like us from God’s righteous wrath.
Primarily, Moses’ prayer of intercession for the Israelites prefigured Jesus’ ministry of intercession for all who come to God through faith in him. But in a secondary sense, Moses’ prayer also serves as a good example for us when we become aware of sin among God’s people. We should turn to God in prayer (Eph. 6:18), asking the Lord to graciously bring them to repentance.
Turning with God’s Word to People
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand…. The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God…. (Ex. 32:15-16)
With God’s word in hand, Moses went to confront the people about their sin. This is where most believers drop the ball. We may be troubled about sin in the camp. We may even go to God in prayer about it. But we’re not willing to confront them about it. There may be several reasons for our reticence:
We have not dealt with sin in our own lives.
We don’t want to come across as judgmental or “holier than thou.”
We don't want to risk losing the relationship.
Confrontation is uncomfortable in general.
The bottom line is: do we care enough to confront? Do we care about God and his glory? Do we care about our fellow believers? Do we care about the health of the church and our corporate witness to the world? What is it that we care about more than obeying God’s Word in this matter (Gal. 6:1-2)?
What idol is making us idle?
May we, like Moses, have a holy zeal for God coupled with an earnest love for his people. These traits will cause us to turn in the right way at the right time for the right reasons.