Exodus 32:15-29
6 th
Sunday after Pentecost
7/17/14 & 7/20/14
St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church—Beaver Dam, WI
Everybody seems to be devoted or passionate about something. At times that devotion might seem to be a little too over the top. What are some things that come to mind when you think of devotion, which goes a little overboard? You might think of that crazed sport fan. They are the ones that will brave any element to follow their team. They know all the stats of each player.
Their schedule will even be rearranged so they can watch their team on television. Do you think of a person devoted to deer hunting? Many people look forward to this day all year long. They make sure they are ready to go out early in the morning to get that trophy deer. It might be someone crazed over American Idol, a band, or anything else.
We look at those people like they are crazy. Why get so devoted over anything? There is nothing worth that much time and effort. Hold on a minute! There is something all of us get become crazed about.
God Demands Devoted Disciples
I.
Those willing to forsake all other gods.
II.
Those willing to forgo relationships.
It is said that timing is everything. If that is true, then the nation of Israel had lousy timing. The
Israelites set up camp around Mt. Sinai. Fresh out of Egypt the nation looks forward to a new beginning. Moses ascends the mountain to receive all the laws, regulations, and the Ten
Commandments from God. The sight is glorious and also scary at the same time. God’s glory sits on the mountain. The earth quakes under their feet. All they had to do is wait for Moses to return.
Three months prior to arriving at Mt. Sinai the Israelites had seen so much from God. They witnessed God’s amazing power, as he sent the ten plagues upon the nation of Egypt. They felt freedom when God led them out of the land of Egypt on their way to the land of Canaan, which he promised to give them. God’s protection circled around the people when the Egyptian army drowned in the Red Sea trying to pursue the people.
Israel’s reaction should have been one of thanksgiving. They should have been sitting in eager anticipation to hear what God commanded them. Their hearts should have been totally devoted to God. However, things took a turn for the worse. The nation of Israel grew impatient. Moses ascended the mountain forty days ago. Was he still alive? Would he ever come back? What were they to do now? The people took their concerns, as well as a solution, to Aaron,
“Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him” (Exodus 32:23).
Instead of waiting, instead of putting their trust in God, they turned their hearts against God to set up a false god.
We wonder; we grieve; we are so disappointed in the nation of Israel. How could they? They are willing to throw everything away just because Moses takes so long on a mountain. However, are our lives free from the same sin as the Israelites committed? We see how much God does for us.

He guides us in our life by the light of his holy Word. He protects us daily from our enemies. He daily and richly provides for all our needs. He gave his one and only Son to die on the cross for our sins.
We should be totally devoted to our Lord and Savior in all things. Yet, we become impatient. We grow tired of waiting for God’s timing. We no longer are satisfied worshipping a God we cannot see but need a god we can see. Then we turn against God. I am not accusing anyone of having a little statue in their house or back yards. I have seen many things in Beaver Dam, but this is not one of them. Does this mean our lives are free from idolatry?
The world thrusts so many things in our face to set up as god that we don’t even have to worry about a visible idol. People pay homage to the almighty dollar. Money is all they can think about.
They always want more. We want all the things money can buy. Our devotion turns from God to family and friends. They become the most important thing to us. Whatever it is whether vacation, a hobby, fame, honor, glory, or anything else there is no shortage of false gods or idols out there.
We are just as guilty as those Israelites of forsaking God to be devoted to a worthless idol.
Moses and Joshua descended the mountain. Joshua heard a great noise coming from the camp,
“There is the sound of war in the camp” (Exodus 32:17).
If only that was the case. Moses knew the sad truth, “It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear” (Exodus 32:18). God already gave Moses a heads up to what was taking place at the foot of the mountain, but nothing could prepare Moses for what he saw. Moses looked out and saw people dancing around this golden calf. “When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 32:19).
Those tablets lie in pieces as a visible reminder to the people of how they broke God’s law. It is a little bit ironic too that the very first commandment, “You shall have no other gods,” was the very commandment the people broke. They devoted themselves to a lie, to a lifeless, powerless god.
Whenever we turn our attention and hearts to a false god, we receive no hope. Those gods are made out of materials that will come and go. They cannot hear our prayers. They cannot save us.
There is only one God who can do that. We turn our hearts in devotion to him. The one who promises to answer all our prayers. He saved us by his life, death, and resurrection.
Aaron let the people get out of control. It became a site that would make any fraternity or sorority blush in embarrassment. Aaron tried to talk his way out of it,
“You know how prone these people are to evil…Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf” (Exodus 32:22, 24)!
Moses did not want to hear any of those excuses. There was no excuse for this sin.
At times we might find ourselves fumbling around to make excuses for not loving, fearing, and trusting in God above all things. We think there might be someone else out there who is stronger and better than God. We want the pleasures and the joys we can see and touch in this world. We might even just claim ignorance on the whole issue. Does God want to hear any of those

excuses? Can any excuse really hold any water? There are no excuses. The punishment for following after other gods, for any disobedience against God’s commands, is one and the same, death and destruction in hell.
There should be a little sign over our hearts that reads, “Reserved for Jesus!” Our devotion lies nowhere else than in our Lord and Savior. He has done so much for me, for you. He took our punishment from us and placed it on himself. He died on the cross so that we would not have to fear death anymore. He devoted his life to saving us. He deserves nothing more than our total devotion to him.
How far does God want our devotion to go? Moses was about to let the people find out. Moses called for anyone who was for the Lord to rally around him. All the Levites came to Moses. He gave them an order, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor” (Exodus 32:27). This was not an easy spot for the Levites to be in. they had to take God’s vengeance out, even among their own family members.
Why did God demand such devotion? Why would God want to kill those who broke the law by worshipping another god? God takes his law and commands seriously. He deserves all honor and glory in a person’s heart. He does not want to share a heart divided, nor should he have to. A person’s devotion to God will transcend even the closest of relationships.
It might be easy for us to drive out all idols in our heart, we can overcome the pleasures of the world, but when it comes to our family relationships it is a little harder. In our gospel lesson for today Jesus tells us following him might put a divide even in the closest of family relationships.
Are we ready for that? Are we willing to put aside those relationships to follow our Savior?
There might be an unwritten rule in families that we do not talk about politics or religion. These issues can cause great separation between two parties. I am not saying to we need to ban together and go out and kill those who sin, no that is not the case by a long shot. We do, however, need to stay devoted to our Lord and Savior in all things.
For believers they might face a time of testing with family members. Will they cave to a family member just to keep the peace? Will worldly relationships be placed higher than God? Our devotion to God can never waver. No relationship will stand above God and his rule in our hearts.
The first commandment is such an important commandment. “You shall have no other gods.
What does this mean? We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things.” God means what he says. He demands total devotion to him. We will oblige on this fact. He has done so much for us. He gave himself, so that we might have everything. We will devote our hearts to him and to him alone. Amen.