Page 54 - Living Light Autumn 23

Wednesday November 1 - Pick and mix worship
When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord...” Exodus 32:5-6
There is a dubious sales technique called ‘bait-and-switch’ in which a genuine and good quality article is advertised, but the customer is then duped into buying an inferior but often more costly product, often by being told that the product that they really want is out of stock.
In today’s reading we see a spiritual bait-and-switch at work. Aaron announces to the Israelites that the next day will be a festival to the Lord. When he says “the Lord” he means YHWH, the Jewish God who has brought them out of Egypt. But wait a minute! The sacrifice on the altar isn’t being offered to Israel’s God, but to a golden calf. Worship to the true God has been substituted by idolatry.
This confusion of God with idols is sometimes called syncretism, and is a danger that all Christians face. How easy it is to slip from worship of God to worship of the world. Perhaps it didn’t even occur to Aaron that he was doing anything other than honouring Israel’s God through the worship of the calf, and yet how far he had travelled from true worship! Rather than honouring God, the Israelites end up in undignified partying.
Christians must be alert to the bait-and-switch tactics of the world, which encourage us to compromise our faith for a poor substitute that cannot give eternal life.
Lord Jesus, please help me to keep my eyes fixed on you and your great love, and may the temptations of the world have no hold on me. Amen.
Thursday November 2 - Coming down to earth Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the
covenant law...the writing was the writing of God... Exodus 32:15-16
In verses 7-14 God commands Moses to return from the mountain as the Israelites have fallen into idolatry. Moses pleads with God not to destroy the sinful people and descends from the mountain carrying the engraved words of God in his hands.
Imagine the contrast between the ridiculous golden calf being worshipped by the Israelites and the living words of God engraved on the stone tablets held by Moses. At the coronation of King Charles III the Scriptures were described as ‘the lively oracles of God’. They have power to speak and change lives. The golden calf can bring only death and hopelessness. There is powerful symbolism in Moses bringing these words of God to the chaos at the bottom of the mountain.
Christians have often seen Moses as a pattern of Jesus Christ, and here again we see Moses foreshadowing our Saviour. He is the one who comes down from God’s presence to the sin and squalor of the world, bearing God’s words of salvation. He is the one who intercedes on our behalf, turning God’s judgment aside.
The Holy Scriptures, the lively oracles of God, testify to who Jesus is and provide us with all that is necessary to know about his salvation. Our Bibles may not have words carved from stone, but the words they contain should be engraved on our hearts. Why not do this, by memorising some favourite verses?
Almighty Father, may your holy words of Scripture be honoured and cherished in our hearts and our lives! Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
52
PRAYER FOR TODAY