Refusal to Own Failure

"Then Moses said to Aaron, 'What did this people do to you, that you have brought such great sin upon them?' Aaron said, 'Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil. For they said to me, "Make a god for us who will go before us; for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." I said to them, "Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off." So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.'" -Exodus 32.21-24

Moses is back, and he's angry. So angry in fact that he smashed the two stone tablets that God had written and given to him on the mountain. He takes the golden calf, throws it in the fire, and then grinds it into a powder which he adds to the water source and makes the people drink it. And then he confronts Aaron.

Aaron messed up. He knew he had, but instead of owning his failure, he like Adam way back in the garden, paces the blame. It wasn't his fault, the people made him, he said. And it wasn't as if he had done it on purpose, he just put the gold in the fire and it miraculously became a calf on its own. I'm wondering what Moses' face looked like as he got this explanation.

Aaron knew he had lost control, messed up, and led the people into sin and shame. But still he couldn't admit it. Even in all the chaos he was still trying to cover his own backside by passing the blame on to the people and chance. He was trying to save face, and so he lies and fails to own his failure.

Men, this has been the case since the first one of us messed up. Adam passed the blame to Eve, Aaron passed it to the people, and today we push the blame off on whoever we think we can get away with. Why are we so proud that we can't own our failures? Why are we so terrified of making mistakes that we try to save face at someone else's expense? How many times have you tired to use the excuse, "It just happened by itself"?

It doesn't take a man to pass the blame. Every time one of us tries we are refusing to play the man. Let's not be like Adam, or Aaron, let's be men. When we mess up, let's suck it up, own it, and move on. Let's man up and deal with the consequences of our failures, and then learn from them. Let's be men, and own our failure.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

Much of God

"The Lord said to Moses, 'I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.' Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, 'O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, "With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth"? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever."' So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people." -Exodus 32.9-14

God has seen the act of idolatry that Israel has committed, and He is angry. He's put up with so much from this group of people, but this act is the last straw. After everything that He has done for them, after all they have seen Him do, they make a golden calf and worship it declaring it to be the god who brought them out of Egypt.

Alone on the mountain God says to Moses, "I'm going to wipe them out and start over with you. The things I promised to Abraham I promise to you, and will fulfill in you. I will make you a great nation." Most people wouldn't have thought twice. They would have said, "Go get them God, they deserve it. I won't let you down." But Moses is not most people. Instead of jumping at the opportunity for greatness, he talks to God, and changes His mind.

Moses is being offered the chance for greatness, the head of the chosen nation that will bring the greatest blessing the world has ever known, and he turns it down. He looks out for God's character and reputation above his own. He is more concerned with God looking good than himself. Moses is the leader we should strive to be like. How many of us could do what he did?

Men, what is your focus, to make God look good, or yourself? Over the past few weeks I've started to think about songs I've forgotten. By this I mean those worship songs that were so popular 10-15 years ago and we thought we'd be singing them forever but we haven't heard them in almost a decade. There is one called "Much of You" and it reminds us that our purpose is not to draw others to us, to bring glory to ourselves, but instead to make much of God.

Moses sets the example of making much of God. He is being offered greatness, but instead turns it down so that God may be glorified for His mercy. He is living to make much of God. Let the same be said of us. Make much of God.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor

A Man Who Failed to Lead

"Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, 'Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' Aaron said to them, 'Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.' Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.' Now 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.' So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." -Exodus 32.1-6

Moses has been on the mountain for a while, a long while, and the people are beginning to get restless, maybe even a bit scared, worried, and desperate. They turn to Aaron for guidance and leadership, and ask him to make them a god to go before them. And here we see Aaron, the man chosen by God to serve as High Priest, leads the people away from God.

Think about what Aaron has been through in the recent past. He's been the mouthpiece of God to Pharaoh. He's performed the wonders of God. He has been side by side with his brother Moses as they have done God's work to free the people. He has spoken God's messages, and had God's power flow through him. And God has selected him to represent the nation of Israel before Him. Aaron should have pointed them to God, but instead he makes them an idol of gold.

Aaron, in his role, is supposed to point the people to God. Instead, he makes them a golden calf, and points them towards a lifeless idol. He is supposed to offer sacrifices to God for the people, instead he builds an altar to the idol he has made and organizes a festival of worship to it. He is doing everything he was called to do as a priest, but the focus is away from God. Instead of drawing the people to the true Lord, he has led them astray. He has failed to lead.

Men, we've been called to lead others to God. When people look to us, where do we point them? Do we lead them towards God by our words and actions, or do we point them towards a golden calf? We have been called to serve as priest, pointing others to God, but are we living out this calling? How often do we point people away from God by our attitudes and actions? How often do we fail to lead?

Aaron may have caved under the pressure. He may have given in after hours, or even days, of resisting wore down his resolve. But I think it was something deeper as we'll see when we look at another man called to lead. The one we choose to be like will determine whether or not we fail to lead.

"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

To God alone be the Glory!

Strength and Honor