11.2 Moses 11, Day 2

Idle spirits, idol worship

Waiting is hard.  It is one of those things that seems like it should be easy.  You aren’t doing stressful work.  You aren’t fighting battles.  You aren’t doing anything.  You are waiting.

But, we grow impatient.  We don’t like to wait.  We want to do something now.  We want immediate satisfaction and gratification.  We don’t know what we want, but we want something.

While Moses was communing with God, the people were waiting.  Clearly they knew that escaping Egypt and arriving at the base of this mountain was not the end-all be-all objective.  But they didn’t have a leader to take them further.  Aaron was not their leader, he was filling in as a substitute – more like a baby-sitter.  So they grew impatient. They were idle and instead of focusing on what was ahead and preparing for it, they focused on themselves and their wants and needs.

They wanted fulfillment.  They wanted gods that would move it along.  They wanted to go now.

They should have been drilling and practicing.  They should have been sharpening their weapons and honing their skills.  They should have been fasting and praying.  They should have been growing stronger: physically, mentally, spiritually and mechanically (tools/armor/weapons).  Instead, they were building idols and preparing for a party.

There are times in our life when we feel like we are parked.  We know we are not where God ultimately has planned for us to go, but we also know that God hasn’t moved us forward, yet, either.  So what do we do?  Do we use the time to grow stronger in our relationship with God?  Or, do we grumble and complain and fill our body, thoughts and soul with junk to try to satisfy our wants and desires?

Waiting is hard.

My Answers:

3.
a.
Moses was so long in coming down, didn’t know what happened to him, turned to other gods

b.
He asked for their gold jewelry, he cast the idol and finished it with tools, he praised the idol instead of God, he built an altar, he participated in sacrifices to the idol, he called for a festival

c.
The Egyptians – bounty from the Lord’s conquest

4.
a.
Talents used for impropriety and wickedness, wasted or misused resources.  Focus on self satisfaction, greed

b.
there are no new temptations, just common ones, God is stronger and in charge, no reason to yield.  Use past lessons to learn

5.
a.
“your people” have become corrupt, quickly turned away from commanded and have made idol, stiff-necked, destroy them

b.
Destroy the people and start over with Moses – I will make you into a great nation

c.
As a witness to the Egyptians, out of memory of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, God’s covenant to them,

d.
relented and did not bring on his people the disaster He had threatened