Author: Jacquelin Stoner

Jacqui is a writer, teacher, life coach, and an encourager. She walks alongside of individuals who need help navigating to the better place God has envisioned for their lives. She has discovered that God is central to genuine lasting life change.

THE LOOP OF FUTILITY

Going nowhere fast

Years ago, our family travelled to Annapolis, MD.  I have no clue as to the purpose of the trip, but we definitely got lost (days before GPS).  We repeatedly ended up at the guard shack at the Naval Base.  Of course, my father refused to ask directions.  He believed we would eventually get lucky and end up on the correct road. 

The miles clicked away. I’m not so sure he felt so lucky anymore. We cranky and hungry kids sweltered in the heat of the back seat. The interior emotional temperature of the car’s occupants ramped up.  We kids kept asking, “Are we there yet?”.

KEEP REPEATING THE SAME MISTAKES

Do you feel that way?  Maybe if you just keep at it, eventually you will get lucky and find your life’s great destination.  Yet you keep repeating the same mistakes, caught in a loop of futility.  You do not feel very lucky or favored by God (or by anyone else for that matter).

40 YEARS OF WANDERING

I wonder if that is how the Israelites felt during the 40 years they wandered around in the wilderness. As they progress, the Egyptian culture, mindset, and religion painfully shreds off their souls.  The process is lengthy because the Israelites keep repeating the same mistakes.

The majority of Israelites resist this journey.  When they finally view the Promised Land, they fall back in horror and fear of its inhabitants.  They hear the fearful reports of the scouting party. Numbers 14:1-4 records: That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.”

THEY PREFER A LOOP OF FUTILITY

They would rather go back into slavery than to go forward with God; rather go back into darkness than to travel to the light.  God’s people prefer a loop of futility, rather than trust this Holy God. 

During your life’s season, has your road map become confusing; a little twisted?  Have you, like the Israelites, decided to trust your own resources rather than the wisdom and resources of a Holy God Who loves you? 

THE INVITATION

This is the ideal season to stop trusting yourself and begin trusting God. He is truthful, honest, holy, loving and reliable.  Jesus invites us in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”  Want to break that loop of futility? Jesus invites you: “Come!”

THE UNFORGETTABLE LIKENESS

What does it mean to live life sealed by the Holy Spirit

Read: Matthew 22:15-22

It is a steamy summer night on the streets of Los Angeles as two groups approach each other with the sole intent of payback. One group is the Crips; bandanas and chains wrapped around their necks. The other group is the Latins. Their faces tattooed and scars running up and down their forearms. It does not take a genius from the LA Task Force to figure out who these hombres are and know their plans.

2 EVIL GANGS

Sometimes you can just look at someone and know their evil intentions. In this passage two gangs of religious leaders ask Jesus, “Should we pay to Caesar or just keep the money for ourselves?”  Their purpose is from the pit of hell. They think they have Jesus in an awkward position, but things reverse quickly.

THE TRAP

Honey drips off their lips as they pose their question: “Teacher, we know that You are sincere and that You teach the way of God truthfully, without concerning Yourself about [what] anyone [thinks or says of Your teachings]; for You are impartial and do not seek anyone’s favor [and You treat all people alike, regardless of status]. Tell us then, what do You think? Is it permissible [according to Jewish law and tradition] to pay poll-tax to Caesar, or not?” 

CATCH-22

This is Catch-22. Jesus brilliantly counters by asking for the coin used to pay the poll tax. He asks, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”  This specific coin is sacrilege to the Jews. Remember the first of the Ten Commandments? Glaring from the poll-tax coin is Caesar’s likeness; Caesar considers himself God.

GAME OVER

Jesus continues, “Then pay to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” Jesus’ enemies become speechless, game over.

SIGNATURE MARK

Great question, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ receive their own signature mark when birthed into the Kingdom of God. It cannot be erased. And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13)

HOLY SPIRIT’S INSCRIPTION SEAL

“Whose likeness and inscription is this?”  The likeness and inscription seal on the life of a believer is the Person of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul writes: “So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. . .. Don’t act thoughtlessly but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:15-20).  

When individuals interact with you, do they wonder: “Whose likeness and inscription is this?”  Do they see the likeness of a tyrant; a person consumed by the pleasures of this world? In contrast, via the miraculous sealing of the Holy Spirit, they can view the likeness of a life transformed. Let them see the image and likeness of God.

WHERE HEAVEN MEETS EARTH

Allow Him to enter your tent; this is where heaven meets earth.

One summer my father-in-law enlisted the help of young men to help him put together new patio furniture. Lots and lots of pieces and hardware was laid out in the work area. Off to the one side was the unopened instruction booklet. It was a hot day, and frustration tempered the air as the three tried to rush through the project.

FOLLOW THE PLANS

After about 1 ½ hours of futility did they pause long enough to listen as one of us women asked, “Have you read the instructions?” Amazing how beautifully and efficiently the project went after they followed the directions. The basic rule in construction is always to follow the plans.

MORE THAN JUST A TENT

In Exodus 40, God knows that we humans don’t necessarily like to observe His directions. That’s why He leaves nothing out when He twice gives Moses very detailed procedures on how to construct the Tabernacle and all of its furnishings. Rev. Kory Plockmeyer notes, “Moses follows the careful divine instructions because the tabernacle is more than just a tent, it is the very place where heaven meets earth.”

THE MISSING GLORY

“The place where heaven meets earth.” There is something especially unique and wonderful about the inner part of the Tabernacle which housed the Holy of Holies. The Glory of the Lord dwelt there. This room existed in both the original Tabernacle and then the magnificent temple built by Solomon. Years after Solomon’s temple was destroyed, Jewish people are allowed to return to build a new temple. Ezra records his people weeping. Why such a response? Not only because this temple will not approach the grandeur of Solomon’s temple, but also because they recognize that the glory of the Lord, the Shekinah Glory, will not be present in this temple the same way it was before. (Ezra 3:12-13).

PLACE OF LONGING

The grief of longing. “As the place where the Glory of God dwelled, the tabernacle/temple was the place where heaven met earth, the place where the people of Israel went to meet God, the place where they encountered the glory of God. Yet it was also a place of longing – of longing for the return of the cloud, for the return of the spirit to the temple.” (Rev. Kory Plockmeyer)

TEMPLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

As believers, God has designated that we now are God’s temple. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? (1 Corinthians 6:19). David Platt observes: “By the grace of God, through Jesus’ death on the cross, resurrection from the grave, ascension on high, ascending of the Holy Spirit, His presence now dwells inside you and me, inside each person who’s put our trust in Jesus. You don’t have to look to a tent, the Holy Spirit dwells in you, which means the Holy Spirit is in you, leading, guiding and directing your thoughts, your desires and your decisions.”

HIS DWELLING WITHIN YOU

So, the question that begs an answer is, “Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to dwell within you? Or are you out in the hot sun, toiling away, getting nowhere because you have discarded God’s instruction book, the Bible?” God has built into true believers a longing to have a life which reflects His indwelling. Seriously begin to thoughtfully read the Scriptures, ask the Holy Spirit to help you understand His promptings, and obey Him earnestly, quickly, and thoroughly. God is a wonderful designer. Allow Him to enter your tent; this is where heaven meets earth.

THE JESUS SWAGGER

If Jesus was on staff at a local church today, He would probably be fired and escorted out the door.

He was 6’4” with a long, lanky body. In his early films of the 1930s, he looks very stiff and a bit awkward. Slowly but surely, he learned to move in a very slow, deliberate way. The gait of John Wayne, the actor, “was slightly tipsy, slightly off-balance looking, rough, tough, and rugged”. He chose his walk, his trademark swagger.

HOW DID JESUS WALK?

Jesus’ walk is also unique. “Whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself (I John 2:6). How did Jesus walk? Read the Gospels. You quickly discover Jesus breaks the social rules. The disciples never know what to expect. Jesus’ daily time with the Heavenly Father leads Him into uncharted territories, especially for those who consider themselves religious.

NOT PLAYING BY THE RULES

They visit a scandalous woman belonging to “those people”; a group which good Jewish people do not associate with. The 12 never know if the next town will bring cheers or jeers. There is the occasion when Jesus could have healed Lazarus, but God tells Jesus to pause.  Lazarus dies.  What good friend lets another die? Sisters Mary and Martha are none too pleased when Jesus shows up late too late to save. Jesus doesn’t play by the rules of the Pharisees or the Sadducees. When the rule keepers condemn to death a woman caught in adultery, Jesus kneels and scribbles in the dust. They expect Him to launch the first stone.  Instead, He forgives her. Jesus often either thrills or disappoints. He is either lauded or vilified. Jesus doesn’t even use hand sanitizer when He touches the lepers.

UNPLANNED AND DISRUPTIVE

Jesus’ days seem unplanned. He twice spends hours speaking to thousands of people and after the fact (seemingly, off the cuff) asks his disciples to supply lunch. He is disruptive and uncooperative with local commerce and causes a big scene at the Temple. When a disciple betrays him, Jesus welcomes him back with open arms and appoints him the leader of the group. If Jesus was on staff at a local church today, He would probably be fired and escorted out the door. Jesus is not the good employee of mankind because He only follows one Boss, His Heavenly Father.  He came to do His Father’s will. That was and is His pattern every day of His life.

YOUR WALK

Maybe you are a little stiff and a bit awkward with this whole concept of walking as Jesus walked. Do you let go of your schedule and with open hands accept Jesus’ priorities, uncomfortable situations, and the upheaval which He can bring to your life?  Have you learned to trust Him regardless of the situation?

LEARN THE SWAGGER

Yes, your Jesus walk might at times appear slightly off-balance, rough, and not blend in with everyone else. But whoever says he lives in Christ [that is, whoever says he has accepted Him as God and Savior] ought [as a moral obligation] to walk and conduct himself just as He walked and conducted Himself. (I John 2:6).  It’s the only walk that glorifies Christ. Learn the Jesus swagger.

Click to hear the story of Lee Strobel.

GOD IS NO “BAD ACTOR”

I don’t know why Mr. R. instigated his reign of terror. He had great power to do good and evil in my life. He was a “bad actor”.

I was systematically emotionally kicked in the teeth by Mr. R., my junior high math teacher. Every time we had class, he loudly humiliated me. He delighted in the numerous occasions I gave the wrong answer. I recently saw a classmate I had not talked with for decades. Unexpectedly, the guy brought up Mr. R. and asked, “Why do you think he did that? It was awful!”

DEFINITION OF “BAD ACTOR”

I don’t know why Mr. R. instigated his reign of terror. He had great power to do good and evil in my life, yet he made every class an incredibly painful experience. Mr. R. never looked out for my well-being. Mr. R. was a “bad actor”: “an individual who engages in harmful activities, often with malicious intent.”

GOD’S CHARACTER

Exodus 34:1-14 begins with God again writing out His law for His people. However, this time, God adds some additional lessons about His character. This differentiates Him from the Egyptian idols: “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth (faithfulness); keeping mercy and lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin.”  God is no bad actor.

THEY STILL DON’T KNOW WHO GOD IS

At this point, most Israelites still do not understand Who Jehovah God is. Just a few months previously, the Israelites were miraculously expelled from the culture which worshipped about 1,500 deities. The Egyptian false deities were bad actors straight from hell. Relationships with these idols were strictly transactional; not relational. Those who revered them were illiterate in Truth. Ignorant are those who carry about idols of wood, who pray to gods that cannot save. (Isaiah 45:20)

THE INVITATION TO KNOW HIM

In contrast, Jehovah God invites His people to know Him. Not just know about Him, but to experience His heart. He wants to prepare His people for the dangerous journey they are going to undertake both to Canaan and throughout Canaan. God wants them to deeply know Him.

WATCH OUT!

The wickedness indwelling the land the Israelites are traveling to is beyond imagination. It is a virulent contagion of sin. So dangerous, that God reminds the Israelites that if the Israelites became like the Canaanites, the same evil would overtake both the Israelites and their generations yet unborn. Watch yourself so that you do not make a covenant (solemn agreement, treaty) with the inhabitants of the land into which you are going, or it will become a [dangerous] trap among you. For you shall not worship any other god; for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous (impassioned) God [demanding what is rightfully and uniquely His].  

GOD WILL NOT BE CHEATED

God is jealous when a person gives to another something that rightly belongs to Him. The compassionate, gracious, slow to get angry God Who overflows in loving kindness and truth will not be mocked. He will not be cheated by those He redeems. If you are a believer, you belong to Him and Him only. Get to know the One Who loves you.

INVITATION TO KNOW HIM BETTER

God has never been and never will be a bad actor. J.I. Packer wrote: “Disregard the study of God, and you sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your soul.” A Bad Actor sought to teach me math. He only taught me failure. Choose to learn from the best. I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. (Ephesians 1:17)

LEANING HARD

Just when I thought everything was planned….

I’m traveling through an uncomfortable season. After a significant fall a few months ago, my back is a mess. Turns out my old bones are not happy when they slam backward against a cement block wall. What I thought originally would just be a massive nasty bruise has turned into a very angry spinal column. Restorative sleep is fleeting. The pain marches to its own drummer. Some days are not too bad. Others are agony.

A DIFFERENT SUMMER

Months ago I began planning what I would do this summer. God has nixed most of it. The other day as I sat on my back porch (usually my happy place), I realized that this summer will be different than what I envisioned. I sat there arguing with God (yes, I do argue with God).

THE HARDER WE LEARN, THE STRONGER WE GROW

Then I read this quote from J.I. Packer: “God uses chronic pain and weakness, along with other afflictions, as his chisel for sculpting our lives. Felt weakness deepens dependence on Christ for strength each day. The weaker we feel, the harder we lean. And the harder we lean, the stronger we grow spiritually, even while our bodies waste away. To live with your ‘thorn’ uncomplainingly—that is, sweet, patient, and free in heart to love and help others, even though every day you feel weak—is true sanctification. It is true healing for the spirit. It is a supreme victory of grace.”

REACH FORWARD

What does God say about leaning? “Not that I have already obtained it [this goal of being Christlike] or have already been made perfect, but I actively press on so that I may take hold of that [perfection] for which Christ Jesus took hold of me and made me His own. Brothers and sisters, I do not consider that I have made it my own yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the [heavenly] prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:12-14)

God, You definitely have my attention. I’m leaning forward and leaning hard.

Click for more on “letting go”

MORE THAN A SNACK

How is your relationship with God growing?

After spending 40 days with God on the top of Mt. Sinai, didn’t Moses already know God? On the mount, Moses didn’t spend time reading theological books, listening to great sermons, or Googling “God.” He was WITH God all that time, yet he came out of it wanting to know God better.

RELATIONSHIP with God

In Exodus 33:12-23, depending upon your translation, forms of the word “know” are used six times in this passage. One would think that Moses at this point knew God well enough that he could just get to the business of herding the Israelites to the Promised Land. God knew Israel and Moses, however, now Moses wants to know God better. Moses wants relationship with God.

MOSES GALLOPS AFTER GOD

In our house we have a cupboard which has snacks. Often, I open the cupboard door, see what’s available, and then either grab something or continue on. Moses is not casually looking through the cupboard for a snack of God. Moses is banging away at the cupboard door and yelling he is not going to leave it until he is fully satisfied. God is a “rewarder of them that diligently seek HIM” (Hebrews 11:6). Moses doesn’t want to be casual Facebook friends with God; he wants a deep and true relationship with Him. Before this, God had sought Moses, but now Moses gallops after God. He knows the only hope for himself, and his people is in his relationship with God.

DESIRE FOR GOD HIMSELF

“We may have been Christians for many years, but have we ever really longed for some personal, direct knowledge and experience of God? Oh, I know, we pray for causes, we pray for the Church, we pray for missionaries, we pray for our own efforts that we organize, yes, but that is not what I am concerned about. We all ask for personal blessings, but how much do we know of this desire for God himself? That is what Moses asked for: ‘Show me thy glory. Take me yet a step nearer.’” (Martin Lloyd-Jones)

GOD’S ESSENCE

And what part of Himself does God choose in taking Moses a step nearer? God’s essence.

God says, I will make all My goodness pass before you. Moses asks to see the glory of God, and God promises to show Moses His goodness. “God’s glory lies in His goodness. When Moses saw the glory of God, His first understanding was that God was good. If we don’t know that God is good, we don’t know much about Him at all” (David Guzik).

HIS GOODNESS

At the core of all these attributes is one common denominator, God’s goodness. Moses asked: Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways so that I may know You [becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with You, recognizing and understanding Your ways more clearly] and that I may find grace and favor in Your sight. What does God consider essential? For Moses to know the goodness of God.

RELATIONSHIP FOR THE LONG HAUL

This will help carry Moses through 40 years of wandering through the wilderness with a majority of a generation who don’t want to know God or His goodness. This relationship with God is what will carry Moses for the long haul.

RELATIONSHIP GROWING 101

So, the question is, “How is your relationship with God growing?” Ask yourself these questions (taken from “Discipleship Handbook” by Bill Stoner):

  1. Have your family or friends noticed a difference in you and how you act toward others?
  2. Do you spend more time reading the Bible than you have in the recent past?
  3. Are you adding more to discussions when they cross to the spiritual realm?
  4. Has your awareness of the lost around you compelled you to be more of a disciple than when you first came to know Christ?
  5. Do you feel you spend enough time in prayer each day?

 God is the “Rewarder of them that diligently seek HIM.”

GOD’S SHARP TROWEL

The Holy Spirit wants to break up the hardened places in my life.

Oh, glorious summer! My joy is found on my back deck. The pots of flowers are in full bloom. I sit on my chair, hear the birds in the fir trees, and drink in the beauty. It is glorious! That was not the case a couple of months ago. A lot of preparation is necessary to grow my garden. My trowel dug deep, preparing for the summer’s growth. Planting is messy.

GOD’S DIGGING CAN BE PAINFUL

God digs around a lot in my own life. My soul needs intentional preparation, just like a physical garden, in order to produce glorious blooms. Sometimes God’s digging is painful.  Hosea 10:12 reads, …break up your unplowed ground; for it is time to seek the Lord, until he comes and showers his righteousness on you. There are many weeds entrenched in my heart.

THE HARDENED PLACES IN MY HEART

The Holy Spirit wants to break up the hardened places in my life. The places in the back room of my soul where I grow those sins that fester: anger, bitterness, envy, jealousy, etc. They are weeds which need to be mortified. The Holy Spirit’s shovel is necessary to break the roots that strangle my joy.  

A HARVEST OF BEAUTIFUL LIFE

God wants to reap in beautiful harvest. His gardening instructions are clear. Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God! —harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life.  (Galatians 6:7-8).

Are you ready for God’s glorious blooms to grow in your life? Ask Him to uproot the weeds and prepare the soil for His harvest. It will be glorious!

Click for more information on how to grow heavenly fruit.

COME TO THE TENT

Wouldn’t it be wonderful for you to have a tent of meeting on your worst days where you can meet with God?

Ever had a really bad day? Poor Moses! In Exodus 32, Moses throws a fit. Coming down from Mount Sinai, Moses flounders. His past 40 days have been spent on the top of a mountain with God. That great spiritual high quickly plummets when Moses sees what his people have been up to.

HOLINESS DASHES TO THE GROUND

Furious Moses slams down the sacred stone tablets (handwritten by God). The fragments scatter at the foot of the mountain. He sees the Israelites consumed in an orgy, celebrating the worship of a self-made golden calf.

A WHOPPER OF AN EXCUSE

While up on the mountain, Moses had left brother Aaron in charge. Excuses run out of Aaron’s mouth. Rather than an immediate repentance of heart, Aaron makes up a whopper of excuse to his brother: Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ So, I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf! (Exodus 32:22-24). (Remember, I did say it was a whopper of an excuse.)

“Just say no” may have been a good life slogan for Aaron. He is caught with his pants down. The Apostle Paul hit the mark when he wrote: There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10).

WHERE IS GOD?

Moses desperately needs to see God amid this mess. In Exodus 33:1-23, God gives him the opportunity to set up a “tent of meeting.” This is where God meets with Moses face to face. Wouldn’t it be wonderful for you to have a tent of meeting on your worst days where you can meet with God? A place to talk to Him about the upcoming operation and how scared you are? How about a place to discuss your kids who don’t seem to have an interest in the things of God? Or a safe place to ask those questions when life makes no sense?

GOD’S INVITATION

Oh. Wait. As believers, we already have an eternal tent where He longs for us to communicate daily with Him. For in the day of trouble He will keep me safe in his dwelling; He will hide me in the shelter of His sacred tent and set me high upon a rock (Psalm 27:5). You don’t have to go to Cabela’s to find God’s tent.

Meet God at the tent of His presence. It is a wonderful place to find His peace. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Meet God at His tent.

THE ALIEN WITHIN

Who do you trust when life becomes difficult?

I dread the one scene in the movie “Alien”. While in outer space, the crew sit down for a meal. All is well until one astronaut begins convulsing in pain. As the others try to hold him down, an alien creature bursts through the astronaut’s chest. What was growing inside of the astronaut is now horribly evident for all to see. The astronaut had moved far away from the alien beings, but the alien still resided inside the astronaut.

A PROMISE QUICKLY FORGOTTEN

In Exodus chapter 32, The Israelites are now far away from Egypt, but Egypt’s dark hooks are latched onto their hearts. Many are still spiritual slaves of pagan Egypt yet make fervent lip service to the One True God. Earlier, when Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they (Israelites) responded with one voice, “Everything the Lord has said we will do” (Exodus 24:3). It is a rousing shout quickly forgotten when life becomes difficult.

What happens when the Moses goes up to the mountain and his people are left to their own devices? They wait one day, two days, and finally arrive at day forty. Mt. Sinai is covered with clouds and lightning. Moses is nowhere to be seen. Rather than trusting the God of Abraham, the Israelites rush to their own devices. Enemy nations surround them and quickly they discard Jehovah God. He is the One Who brought the plagues on Egypt, set the Israelites free and drowned Pharaoh’s army.  Satan rejoices in their desertion.

THEY WANTED THE BEST OF 2 WORLDS

They were already in the habit of merging their beliefs with those of the people around them, a practice that would continue to plague them throughout the kingdom years. Aaron called a feast to the Lord (Yahweh) and said that it was the god(s) which brought them out of the land of Egypt. The bull was a symbol of strength and fertility, and the people were already familiar with bull gods from Egypt. Bulls were also typical animals of sacrifice, so to use their image as a symbol of the god being worshiped was a natural connection. Aaron’s bull was a mixture of the powerful God who delivered the people through mighty works and the pagan methods of worship that were borrowed from the people around them. (Gotquestions.org)

Finally, descending from Mt. Sinai, Moses and Joshua discover in horror what is going on in the hearts of their people. God’s chosen people are having an orgy. The wizard behind the curtain of the Israelites’ souls is revealed and it is pure evil. Satan, the Father of Lies, brazenly masquerades as the savior of the people.

GOD DOES NOT SHARE A ROOM WITH OTHERS

God does not share a room with other gods. “You shall have no other gods before me.” The Israelites’ earlier promises to God are only lip service. They combined their old Egyptian practices with the worship of God. However, God does not share the room with others. In  “Exodus, Saved for God’s Glory” Philip Graham Ryken notes, “When things get difficult, we often try to return to the Egypt of our sin”. The alien must be surgically removed from our hearts.

NO SHARED LOYALTIES

Who do you trust when life becomes difficult? Do you choose to cling to the only True God and His promises, or do you produce your own hybrid faith, one that proclaims, “God helps those who help themselves”? God does indeed help those who obediently run to Him and obey. God does not help those who invent solutions of their own making.  He does not share loyalties.

Come close to God, and God will come close to you. Wash your hands, you sinners; purify your hearts, for your loyalty is divided between God and the world. (James 4:8) There is not room for any other God in your heart. Run only to Him!