Unlearning Tradition, Relearning Scripture

Tag: Exodus 32

  • Just for Fun

    Many years ago, while I was still a seminary student doing a practicum in a Muslim community, we were introduced to an Imam, an Islamic leader in the community. He was courteous and welcomed us all, offering us snacks. To avoid offending his faith, we declined to offer a thanksgiving prayer for the food and ate. He gently reprimanded us for not following the teachings of Christianity, which is to thank God for food before eating. He then revealed that this was the reason he refused Christianity because of our inconsistencies and began bombarding us with theological questions that contradicted conventional Christian teachings vis-a-vis the Bible. This experience taught me the importance of being prudent and aware at all times. Ironically, in hindsight, many of the Iman’s ideas and understandings of Jesus Christ and the teachings of the Bible are more accurate than contemporary Christianity.

    In Acts 17:16, the Bible tells us, “Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols.”

    Every year, I find myself provoked as well. Not because many people don’t truly understand what they have believed and practiced, but because even among evangelical Christians, they feel comfortable joining festivals and its subsequent parties. Consider Israel during the Exodus: they sought an idol even while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving God’s Covenant (Exodus 32). See Scripture:

    “When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, they gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, ‘Up, make us gods who shall go before us. 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.’ So Aaron said to them, ‘Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.’” (Exodus 32:1-5)

    Look carefully at Exodus 32:5, Aaron clearly expressed that the golden calf he made for Israel was intended to represent the LORD, YHWH in Hebrew, the covenant name of God. In other words, Aaron wasn’t introducing a pagan god, but the LORD Himself. Yet this is not acceptable to God. Clearly stipulated in the Mosaic Law, God’s covenant with Israel states:

    “And God spoke all these words, saying, ‘I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before Me. YOU SHALL NOT MAKE FOR YOURSELF A CARVED IMAGE, OR ANY LIKENESS OF ANYTHING THAT IS IN HEAVEN ABOVE, OR THAT IS IN THE EARTH BENEATH, OR THAT IS IN THE WATER UNDER THE EARTH. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love Me and keep My commandments. YOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD YOUR GOD IN VAIN, FOR THE LORD WILL NOT HOLD HIM GUILTLESS WHO TAKES HIS NAME IN VAIN.” (Exodus 20:1-7)

    Again, see Scripture to understand how God viewed Israel’s celebration in the midst of the golden calf named after Him:

    “And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. 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 and sacrificed to it and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”” (Exodus 32:6-10)

    It’s ironic that many Christians today do not see joining religious festivals as acting contrary to God’s will. Oh yes, it’s just for fun, and you still claim faith in Jesus Christ. Nowhere in the Bible is dualistic Christianity acceptable. Many don’t see such actions as a hindrance to the responsibilities Christians are called to uphold.

    Faith in Christ Jesus not only grants us eternal life, it also makes us ambassadors of the Gospel. See Paul’s teaching on the ambassadorship of Christians:

    “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ALL THIS IS FROM GOD, WHO THROUGH CHRIST RECONCILED US TO HIMSELF AND GAVE US THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and ENTRUSTING TO US THE MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION. THEREFORE, WE ARE AMBASSADORS FOR CHRIST, GOD MAKING HIS APPEAL THROUGH US. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake, He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him, we might become the righteousness of God.” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)

    Our repentance and confession of faith in Christ comes with a price. We become bound servants of the Gospel, not of the world. While many may perceive these activities as harmless, we must be cautious not to misuse God’s name. As the apostle Paul explains in Romans 6:16, if we present ourselves as obedient slaves, we are either slaves of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness.

    In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul states that Christ Jesus is the righteousness of God. Therefore, we should be slaves of Christ Jesus, not of the world. Slaves of the Gospel, not of sin. Instead of succumbing to peer pressure or the temptation to be accepted, we should be ambassadors of Christ Jesus and His Gospel. 

    There is a reason that Christ Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13-14). So why compromise if we have truly found the narrow way that leads to life?

    Christians are ambassadors of the Gospel of Christ Jesus. It is through us that God has been making an appeal to others to repent and be reconciled with God. But if as ambassadors we have relapsed to the ways of the world and misrepresented Christ Jesus and His Gospel, what would be our consequences: commendations from God or rebuke? Take a look at God’s words in Revelation, written to the Seven churches. Keep in mind that God does not change. 

    Twice, the Bible states, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25). But Christ Jesus declared, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Enjoy life, but live by the Gospel and never undermine its message.

    Peter, in the words of Acts 3:6, declared, “I possess neither silver nor gold, but in the name of Jesus Christ, I offer you what I have.” Share this article freely, for you freely receive. Take note, underlines and highlights are clickable links for definitions or Bible references. Stay updated by heading to our about page and subscribe directly to receive notifications in your inbox. Blessing!

  • Small Details May Say A Lot (Signs, and the Sabbath)

    Introduction to John 5 (Continuation of “Small Details May Say A Lot”)

    A quick reading of John 5 might lead many to assume, “Oh well, it’s another miracle story of Jesus Christ, this time about a man invalid for 38 years.” I remember, years ago, that whenever I prepared for my upcoming Bible study, I often asked myself, “What specific difference does this miracle story offer compared to earlier accounts by the gospel writers?” Because we may appear to be reading one miracle after another, perhaps believing all these tales simply confirm Jesus’ divinity. Jesus is God; that is true and should never be questioned. Yet the matter is not so simple. We must recall that the Gospels were written for a particular audience—the Jews—under a particular circumstance. They were waiting for the appearance of the Christ, the Anointed One of God, as promised for their deliverance.

    Through God’s call and promise to Abraham, the Jews became God’s children. Genesis recounts the narrative of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—until Jacob received the name Israel. The history of Israel had already been declared to Abraham, including the prediction that Israel would endure slavery in a foreign land before God would guide them out during the Exodus (Genesis 15:13–14). As expected, the LORD God established a bilateral covenant with Israel after completing the promised rescue from Egypt. The Torah—the first five books of the Old Testament, from Genesis to Deuteronomy—was composed by Moses and shaped the relationship between God and Israel.

    And God said “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years. (Genesis 1:14)

    And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. (Genesis 9:12-13)

    You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between Me and you [Abraham]. (Genesis 17:11)

    He [God] said, “But I will be with you [Moses], and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you; when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” (Exodus 3:12)

    All these curses shall come upon you and pursue you and overtake you till you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes that He commanded you. They shall be a sign and wonder against you and your offspring forever. (Deuteronomy 31:45-46)

    The Torah presents signs as a key feature in God’s relationship with Israel. It is natural that Paul, a Jew, observed, “For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom” (1 Corinthians 1:22). Signs carried substantial weight among Jews, especially for recognizing the promised Messiah. Speaking through Isaiah about the coming Christ, the LORD God said,

    Behold My Servant, whom I uphold, My chosen, in whom My soul delights; I put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the nations … I am the LORD; I have called You in righteousness; I will take You by the hand and keep You; I will give You as a covenant for the people, a light for the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. (Isaiah 42:1,6-7)

    It is unsurprising that, alongside Jesus’ ministry, He was healing and performing signs. Across the Gospels, including John, the focus extends beyond miracles to “signs.” The Greek term “sign” appears seventeen times in John’s Gospel. Examples of passages mentioning “sign” follow:

    “Now when He [Jesus] was in Jerusalem at the Passover Feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs that He was doing” (John 2:23)

    “This man [Nicodemus] came to Jesus by night and said to Him [Jesus], “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with Him.” (John 3:2)

    And a large crowd was following Him [Jesus], because they saw the signs that He was doing on the sick … When the people saw the sign that He had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” (John 6:2,14)

    Yet many of the people believed in Him [Jesus]. They said, “When the Christ appears, will He do more signs than this man has done?” (John 7:31)

    And many came to Him [Jesus]. And they said, “John [the baptist] did no sign, but everything that John said about this man was true. (John 10:41)

    The reason why the crowd went to meet Him [Jesus] was that they heard He had done this sign … Though He [Jesus] had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him. (John 12:18,37)

    Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30-31)

    The Gospel of John recounts numerous events, proofs, and signs identifying Jesus as the Christ; yet John 12:37 notes, “though Jesus had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in Him.” Was this merely a result of Jewish stubbornness?

    Let us pause and consider John 9:13–17. The passage notes that Scripture stated,

    They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a Sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. So the Pharisees again asked him how he had received his sight. And he said to them, “He [Jesus] put mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them. So they said again to the blind man, “What do you say about Him, since He has opened your eyes?” He said “He is a prophet.”

    Now in John 5:8-9, 16, it said,

    Jesus said to him [the invalid man], “Get up, take up your bed, and walk.” And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath … And this was why the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath.

    Despite the overwhelming signs of Jesus, His healing on a Sabbath became a hindrance to the Pharisees from believing in Him. Several times in the Gospels, that was the issue raised against Jesus— He performed miracles on a Sabbath. What was the Sabbath to a Jew? See Exodus 20:8–11.

    Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

    The Sabbath ban on work originated in the Ten Commandments delivered by God through Moses at Mount Sinai during the wilderness period following the Exodus. This restriction was reaffirmed during the Covenant Renewal after Israel’s Golden Calf sin (Exodus 32). Consequently, the Sabbath holds major importance for Jews because God repeated it in the bilateral covenant renewal with Israel (Exodus 34:10–28).

    And He [LORD] said, “Behold, I am making a covenant. Before all your people I will do marvels, such as have not been created in all the earth or in any nation. And all the people among whom you are shall see the work of the LORD, for it’s an awesome thing that I will do with you. Observe what I command you this day … (Exodus 34:10-11a).

    Take care, lest you make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land to which you go, lest it becomes a snare in your midst … (Exodus 34:12).

    You shall keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread [Passover]. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, at the time appointed in the month of Abib, for in the month Abib you came out of Egypt … (Exodus 34:18).

    Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest [Sabbath Rest]. You shall observe the Feast of Weeks, the firstfruits of wheat harvest [Pentecost], and the Feast of Ingathering [Booths] at the year’s end. Three times in the year shall all your males appear before the LORD God, the God of Israel. For I will cast out nations before you and enlarge your borders; no one shall covet your land, when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year” … (Exodus 34:21-24).

    And the LORD said to Moses, ” Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” So he [Moses] was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drink water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 34:27-28).

    During the era of Jesus, Israel lived under Roman rule. Three times each year, the people gathered before the LORD for spring harvest celebrations: (1) the Feast of Passover and Unleavened Bread, along with the Feast of Firstfruits; (2) the Feast of Weeks, or Pentecost; and (3) the fall harvest festivals—the Feast of Trumpets, the Feast of Atonement, and the Feast of Booths. Together, these form the seven annual Jewish Feasts described in Leviticus 23. Each time they observed a feast, they may have watched for the arrival or signs of the Christ.

    On the other hand, the Sabbath Rest carried great weight as a command from the LORD God to Israel. It formed part of the binding terms within God’s bilateral covenant with Israel; consequently, the Jews and Pharisees had some ground for claiming Jesus violated the Sabbath. Yet Jesus appears to have selected the Sabbath repeatedly for His signs (Mark 3:2–5; Mark 6:2; Luke 6:6–10; Luke 13:10–14; John 5:9–16; John 9:14). In John 5, He healed a man on a Sabbath as well. The word “Sabbath” appears ten times in John’s Gospel, with four instances in John 5. The Sabbath is therefore a major theme here, and small details do say a lot.

    P.S. A continuation of this blog is coming next.

    Peter, in the words of Acts 3:6, declared, “I possess neither silver nor gold, but in the name of Jesus Christ, I offer you what I have.” Share this article freely, for you freely receive. Take note, underlines and highlights are clickable links for definitions or Bible references. Stay updated by heading to our about page and subscribe directly to receive notifications in your inbox. Blessings!