Blaming the Fire
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.”
Exodus 32:22–24
While Moses was on Mt. Sinai with God, the Children of Israel came to Aaron and asked him to make an idol they could worship. More interested in pleasing the people than obeying God, Aaron complied. But when Moses returned and was angry at the drunken immorality and idol worship on display, Aaron refused to take responsibility. Instead, even though he had fashioned the golden calf himself, Aaron blamed the fire.
We may say that is ridiculous, and it is. But many times the excuses we give for doing wrong aren’t any better. I read about a woman who had been pulled over by a policeman for using her phone while driving. She indignantly protested, “I wasn’t texting and driving. I was just on Facebook!” As long as we are blaming the fire, or someone else, or the devil, we will not effectively deal with our wrongdoing.
It is only when we accept personal responsibility that the process of repentance and restoration can begin to work in our lives. The presence of excuses reveals that we are still holding on to our pride, and unwilling to let go of our sin. Though we may fool some people with excuses and shifting blame (although usually not as many as we think) God sees through our rationalization, and demands an accounting. If we want a close relationship with Him, we cannot blame the fire.
Exodus 32:22–24
While Moses was on Mt. Sinai with God, the Children of Israel came to Aaron and asked him to make an idol they could worship. More interested in pleasing the people than obeying God, Aaron complied. But when Moses returned and was angry at the drunken immorality and idol worship on display, Aaron refused to take responsibility. Instead, even though he had fashioned the golden calf himself, Aaron blamed the fire.
We may say that is ridiculous, and it is. But many times the excuses we give for doing wrong aren’t any better. I read about a woman who had been pulled over by a policeman for using her phone while driving. She indignantly protested, “I wasn’t texting and driving. I was just on Facebook!” As long as we are blaming the fire, or someone else, or the devil, we will not effectively deal with our wrongdoing.
It is only when we accept personal responsibility that the process of repentance and restoration can begin to work in our lives. The presence of excuses reveals that we are still holding on to our pride, and unwilling to let go of our sin. Though we may fool some people with excuses and shifting blame (although usually not as many as we think) God sees through our rationalization, and demands an accounting. If we want a close relationship with Him, we cannot blame the fire.
Today’s Growth Principle:
Rather than trying to excuse our sin, we should quickly repent and forsake it.
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