My Come, Follow Me studies for this week took me to Exodus 24; 31-34. The lesson material explained that there were too many meaningful principles in the scriptures to cover all of them and encouraged us to listen to the Holy Ghost to help us focus on the needed truths.
In previous weeks, the Lord
explained to the Israelites what He expected, so He had reason to be hopeful that
they would remain true to Him (see Exodus 20-23). They had murmured and wavered
in the past, but they made a covenant to be obedient to God when Moses read the
law at the foot of Mount Sinai. Their response was: “All that the Lord hath
said will we do, and be obedient” (Exodus 24:7). After they committed
themselves to live the commandments, the Lord called Moses onto the mountain
and told him to build a tabernacle so “that I may dwell among them” (Exodus
25:8; see chapters 25-30).
Moses went up to the top of the
mountain and learned how the Israelites could have God’s presence among them.
However, the Israelites were at the bottom of the mountain making a golden idol
to worship instead of relying on God. They had recently promised to “have no
other gods,” but they “turned aside quickly” from obeying His commandments
(Exodus 20:3; 32:8; see also Exodus 24:3).
The Israelites’ turn was surprising,
but we can understand it better by considering human nature. We know from experience
that impatience, fear, or doubt can sometimes overcome faith and commitment. Faith
and fear cannot exist in the same place at the same time.
The Lord did not give up on Israel,
but He continued to work with them. This can bring comfort to us as we make
mistakes and seek to overcome our sins. God is “merciful and gracious,
longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). He wants to
help us and stands with open arms to welcome us back to His presence.
The principle for this discussion is:
Sin is turning away from God, and but He offers a way back. By studying the
experience of the Israelites, we can learn to avoid similar mistakes. As I
studied Exodus 32, I tried to put myself in the place of the Israelites. Moses
had led them into the wilderness and had taken care of their every need. Now,
he was on the mountain and had been gone for forty days. They did not know where
he was or when he would return. They did not even know if he would return. They
were afraid and anxious, and they wanted something to comfort them.
The Israelites turned to the god with
which they were most familiar – a golden idol. This was a serious sin. God had
commanded them to put Him first in their lives and to not worship any type of
idol. By creating a golden calf, they turned from God to a god of their own
making.
This behavior may or may not seem
silly or strange to you. However, you may be prompted to turn to one of the
idols in your life. President Spencer W. Kimball taught that there are
parallels between the ancient worship of graven images and the behavior of people
today.
Idolatry is among the most serious of
sins. …
Modern idols or false gods can take such
forms as clothes, homes, businesses, machines, automobiles, pleasure boats, and
numerous other material deflectors from the path to godhood. …
Intangible things make just as ready gods.
Degrees and letters and titles can become idols. …
Many people build and furnish a home and buy
the automobile first – and then find they “cannot afford” to pay tithing. Whom
do they worship? Certainly not the Lord of heaven and earth. …
Many worship the hunt, the fishing trip, the
vacation, the weekend picnics and outings. Others have as their idols the games
of sport, baseball, football, the bullfight, or golf. …
Still another image men worship is that of
power and prestige. … These gods of power, wealth, and influence are most
demanding and are quite as real as the golden calves of the children of Israel
in the wilderness (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball
[2006], 146-47).
Even though the Israelites’ sin was
serious, their story tells a message of mercy and forgiveness. Exodus 34:1-10
tells us that Moses, under direction from the Lord, made two more tablets of
stone and carried them up to the top of the mountain. There the Lord wrote the
words that we know as the Ten Commandments.
God was still willing to work with the children of Israel, to help them to repent of their sins, and to become worthy to be in His presence. He is willing to work with you and me in the same way. However, He requires us to put Him first in our lives if we wish to receive the blessings that He has in store for us.
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