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Speaker 1: And he received them at their hand and fashioned it

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Speaker 1: with a graving tool. After he had made it a

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Speaker 1: molten calf. And they said, these be thy gods o Israel,

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Speaker 1: which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Exodus

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Speaker 1: thirty two four. Dear God, as you begin to bless

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Speaker 1: me and enlarge my territory, I will not forget that

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Speaker 1: you are my God. Unlike the children of Israel and

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Speaker 1: Exodus thirty two, I will not serve the idols of

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Speaker 1: this world, but instead will hold fast to your instructions

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Speaker 1: and commands. I will not go backwards and live in

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Speaker 1: a way that represents the limiting and ungodly mindsets of slavery.

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Speaker 1: I declare that I will remember the promises of Abraham,

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Speaker 1: Isaac and Jacob, then live in a way as to

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Speaker 1: secure them for myself. Drunkenness will not cloud my judgment.

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Speaker 1: Then devote to man made idols will not sever my

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Speaker 1: devotion to you God. I decree that I am on

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Speaker 1: the Lord's side. I confess that I will stand for

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Speaker 1: what's right when standing for what's wrong seems enticing. I

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Speaker 1: acknowledge that my life isn't my own, but it's yours

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Speaker 1: to bring glory to your name. Thank you that despite

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Speaker 1: my downfall, like the Israelites in today's story, you will

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Speaker 1: not leave me or forsake me, even when I wrestle

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Speaker 1: with my sin and shortcomings. In Jesus Name, Amen, Listening

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Speaker 1: to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue

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Speaker 1: hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in

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Speaker 1: a Year, brought to you by Bible in a Year

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Speaker 1: dot com a God we can see. In our last story,

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Speaker 1: we learned about God's promises to bless his people and

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Speaker 1: be with them. He descended in fire, lightning and smoke

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Speaker 1: on Mount Sinai to give Moses a word for the people.

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Speaker 1: He gave them the Ten Commandments. Then he asked them

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Speaker 1: to build a tabernacle so he could dwell with his people.

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Speaker 1: In this story, we learn about the Israelites already breaking

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Speaker 1: the first commandment. Their impatience leads them astray, and they

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Speaker 1: betray the God that had just delivered them out of slavery,

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Speaker 1: as inspired by the Book of Exodus. Hello, I'm Jack

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Speaker 1: Graham with today's episode of the Bible in a Year.

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Speaker 1: In our previous episode, we learned that God brought the

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Speaker 1: Israelites to the foot of Mount Sinai and spoke to

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Speaker 1: them there, promising blessing if they obeyed his commands. God

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Speaker 1: gave us the Ten Commandments, instructions all related to Him

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Speaker 1: and how to know him and how to live with

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Speaker 1: one another. Today we'll hear how quickly they fail to

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Speaker 1: keep the first of those commandments. Listen to their words

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Speaker 1: to Aaron, as Moses delays upon top of the mountain,

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Speaker 1: where have they placed their trust? Today's reading provides a

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Speaker 1: stark contrast between the leadership of Moses and that of Erin,

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Speaker 1: highlighting why God called Moses instead of his brother. Finally,

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Speaker 1: will discover there's a price for sin against God. Yet

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Speaker 1: even in the midst of judgment and punishment, God's grace

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Speaker 1: and mercy will come through. Let's listen now to today's story.

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Speaker 1: Moses had ascended back up to Mount Sinai to hear

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Speaker 1: from God on behalf of the people. The thunders still

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Speaker 1: rolled down the mountain like waves crashing on a shore.

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Speaker 1: The people took note of Moses' delay to come down

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Speaker 1: from the mountain, so they turned to Erin for guidance.

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Speaker 1: We do not know what has become of Moses. He

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Speaker 1: is the one who brought us out of Egypt. Quick

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Speaker 1: make God for us to protect and nurture us. Aaron,

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Speaker 1: just as confused and desperate as the people, agreed. He

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Speaker 1: said to them, take off all your rings, ear rings,

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Speaker 1: and necklaces of gold, and bring them to me. So

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Speaker 1: all the people began to lay down their possessions at

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Speaker 1: the feet of Erin. They willingly gave up what was

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Speaker 1: precious to them, yet all for a fabrication, a false

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Speaker 1: sense of security. Aron, using fashioning tools, constructed a golden

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Speaker 1: calf with his own bare hands. He brought the calf

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Speaker 1: before the people, erected high into the air so everyone

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Speaker 1: could see. Applause roared throughout the camp, Dancing and revelry

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Speaker 1: began to spread. These are your gods, people of Israel,

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Speaker 1: These are the gods that brought you up out of

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Speaker 1: the land of Egypt. The people cried out, paying no

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Speaker 1: mind to God's first encouragement to them, when he said,

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Speaker 1: I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out

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Speaker 1: of the land of Egypt and out of slavery. In

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Speaker 1: the distance, God was meeting with Moses. Yet this was

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Speaker 1: not hidden from his sight. When Erin saw how happy

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Speaker 1: the calf made the people, he built an altar for it.

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Speaker 1: He hosted a large feast to celebrate their new God.

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Speaker 1: They rose up early the next day to give peace offerings.

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Speaker 1: As the day dragged on, they feasted like cluttons, filling

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Speaker 1: their bellies with meat and wine. The strange days of

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Speaker 1: drunkenness slithered around camp as people rose up and dancing

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Speaker 1: in orgies. Their laughter was not joyful praise, rather inebriated

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Speaker 1: and lustful cackles. They paid omars to their created God

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Speaker 1: by creating their own worship, satisfying every selfish desire they

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Speaker 1: could come up with. The newly freed slaves of Israel

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Speaker 1: began to look a whole lot like their old masters,

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Speaker 1: the Egyptians. The stench of their idolatry carried through the

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Speaker 1: canyons up to the mountain where God met with Moses.

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Speaker 1: In the quietness of his prayers to God, Moses heard

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Speaker 1: his voice change. The Lord said to Moses, go down

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Speaker 1: to see your people, For they have corrupted themselves. How

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Speaker 1: quickly they have turned from my commandments high and lifted

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Speaker 1: up among them is a golden calf, for whom they

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Speaker 1: have sacrificed and worshiped. Moses's eyes widened. Though the people

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Speaker 1: may have lost their fear of God, Moses surely did not.

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Speaker 1: He had remembered all the Lord was capable of, and

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Speaker 1: how kind he had been to all the children of Israel.

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Speaker 1: God continued and said, I have looked upon my people

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Speaker 1: and old they are a stubborn people. Leave this place,

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Speaker 1: for my wrath will descend upon them like wildfire. From

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Speaker 1: you alone, I will build my nation. These words disturbed Moses.

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Speaker 1: He fell before God and said, Lord, why does your

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Speaker 1: wrath burn hot against your people? You have brought them

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Speaker 1: out of slavery with your might. The Egyptians will say, you,

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Speaker 1: Lord them out of slavery, just to kill them. Please

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Speaker 1: turn from your anger and have mercy on them. Tears

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Speaker 1: began to flow from Moses as he begged God to

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Speaker 1: spare them. Remember your promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

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Speaker 1: Moses implored. His prayer was not long, but it was strong.

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Speaker 1: Moses reflected the merciful heart of God and his prayers,

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Speaker 1: and they pleased God. Moses was truly a leader able

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Speaker 1: to reflect God's heart and desire. Moses could have easily

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Speaker 1: done nothing, but instead he interceded for his people. God

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Speaker 1: looked upon Moses. He was pleased and relented. Moses hustled

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Speaker 1: down the mountain, eyes piercing with an internal fury. Moses

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Speaker 1: had two tablets of the testimony of God in his hands.

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Speaker 1: The writings of God for the people were engraved in stone.

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Speaker 1: Joshua was waiting at the base of the mountain for Moses.

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Speaker 1: When Joshua heard the celebration from camp, he ran to

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Speaker 1: go meet Moses and said, there are sounds of war

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Speaker 1: in the camp. Moses and Joshua came near to the

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Speaker 1: camp and saw the calf risen high among the people.

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Speaker 1: Moses peered across the sea of drunk faces. They danced

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Speaker 1: to the music. They caressed those that were not their

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Speaker 1: wives or husbands. They drank their wisdom away. Moses watched this.

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Speaker 1: He was right in front of them, yet unseen because

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Speaker 1: of their drunkenness. In that moment, a deep anger came

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Speaker 1: upon Moses, and anger that had not been awakened since

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Speaker 1: he was a young man, strangling the Egyptian taskmaster. In

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Speaker 1: an outburst of rage, Moses threw the stone tablets at

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Speaker 1: the foot of the mountain. The sound echoed across the canyon,

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Speaker 1: and the dancing and music ceased. The people turned their

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Speaker 1: heads and stared up at Moses. Silence fell upon them all.

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Speaker 1: Moses walked into the crowd of people and took the

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Speaker 1: calf from the altar. Without saying anything. Moses dragged the

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Speaker 1: calf past the people towards the bonfire in the middle

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Speaker 1: of the can He threw it into the fire and

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Speaker 1: watched it melt. With his back turned towards the people,

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Speaker 1: He scooped up its ashes and scattered them in the

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Speaker 1: water nearby. He took a cup and filled it with

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Speaker 1: the water and gave it to the people to drink.

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Speaker 1: The bitter taste of the gold dusted water was a

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Speaker 1: reminder of where they had come from. They had just

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Speaker 1: escaped the bitter gripes of slavery, and they ought not

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Speaker 1: to make themselves slaves again. Moses looked to Aaron, who

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Speaker 1: had remained silent. What did they do to you, Aron,

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Speaker 1: Moses said, with his eyes filling up with tears. Why

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Speaker 1: have you brought sin upon all of them? Aaron was frantic,

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Speaker 1: seeking to justify his actions. He was a brilliant communicator,

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Speaker 1: and just as his ancester Jacob, Aaron could talk himself

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Speaker 1: out of almost any situation. Don't burn with anger, Moses,

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Speaker 1: you know the people are set on evil. They wanted

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Speaker 1: the false gods. I tossed their god, and the fire

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Speaker 1: and the calf just appeared. Aaron lied, and just as

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Speaker 1: Adam did Ion's ago, he deferred the responsibility. Moses looked

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Speaker 1: at the people and saw that Aaron had allowed them

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Speaker 1: to divide and become loose with one another. Aaron had

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Speaker 1: once been his mouthpiece, but now Moses had to speak.

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Speaker 1: He stood at the base of the camp and shouted,

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Speaker 1: who is on the Lord's side? If anyone is on

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Speaker 1: God's side, come stand by me. Out of the vast crowd,

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Speaker 1: the sons of Levi came forward from the group. Moses

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Speaker 1: then commanded them to kill those who had caused the

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Speaker 1: most dissension. With swords in their hands, the sons of

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Speaker 1: Levie killed about three thousand men that day. The silence

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Speaker 1: was cut and screams oozed out of the camp like blood.

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Speaker 1: Moses spoke to the sons of Levi and said, today

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Speaker 1: you have been ordained into the service of God. Each

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Speaker 1: one of you will have a blessing this day. The

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Speaker 1: sun rose the next day, and a gentle breeze came

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Speaker 1: in through the canyon. The people were silent, and Moses

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Speaker 1: paced the camp, gathering them to the base of the mountain.

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Speaker 1: He looked to them and said, your sin was an

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Speaker 1: intense sin. I am going back up to the Lord,

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Speaker 1: and perhaps there is atonement for what you have done.

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Speaker 1: So Moses left, and the people watched him ascend back

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Speaker 1: up the mountain. Moses spoke before God and said, they

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Speaker 1: have sinned greatly against you, Gods of gold. Moses cut

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Speaker 1: himself off and clenched his fist, his eyes closed and

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Speaker 1: his face held back tears. Please forgive them, Moses whispered,

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Speaker 1: But if you do not kill me instead of them.

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Speaker 1: Moses trembled as he said these words. If a simple

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Speaker 1: sacrifice would not suffice, Moses wanted to stand between God

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Speaker 1: and them as atonement. There was a gentle silence between them.

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Speaker 1: The Lord said to Moses, whoever is sinned against me,

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Speaker 1: I will require something from them, and then he sent

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Speaker 1: Moses back down the mountain. God would not blot out

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Speaker 1: his people. He promised Jacob that his seat would spring

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Speaker 1: forth a mighty nation and all nations would be redeemed.

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Speaker 1: He would not waver from that promise. Hundreds of years

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Speaker 1: prior Jacob wrestled with God and the dead of night.

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Speaker 1: J was flawed and filled with sin, but he clung

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Speaker 1: to God for blessing. So he renamed him Israel, which

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Speaker 1: means wrestles with God. Now the people of Israel would

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Speaker 1: continue to sin, be flawed, but cling to God for blessing.

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Speaker 1: They would continue to wrestle with God, and He would

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Speaker 1: still bless them. A great plague fell upon Israel that day,

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Speaker 1: Yet in the midst of their punishment, there was hope

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Speaker 1: and mercy. God would not depart from them. We opened

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Speaker 1: the day's reading with Moses on the mountain alone. He

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Speaker 1: spent forty days and nights hearing from God on that mountain,

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Speaker 1: and in that period of time, the people began to worry.

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Speaker 1: The Israelites could still see God's consuming fire on the mountaintop.

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Speaker 1: He had not gone missing in action, but they began

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Speaker 1: to doubt if Moses would ever return. As we've already

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Speaker 1: seen in their short time out of Egypt, God's people

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Speaker 1: were quick to complain, and a grumbling, complaining heart can

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Speaker 1: quickly become a wandering and even sinful heart. The people

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Speaker 1: tell Aaron to make them God's little gi to protect

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Speaker 1: them and to provide for them. Barely a month has

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Speaker 1: passed now since God told them not to have any

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Speaker 1: God before them, any other kind of God, lest they

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Speaker 1: break his commandments. But somehow, in their sinfulness, they wanted

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Speaker 1: a God again, little gi that they could see and touch.

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Speaker 1: Even if this God was a fantasy, Aaron doesn't resist.

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Speaker 1: He gathers all the gold he can find from them

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Speaker 1: and fashions a golden calf. They build an altar and

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Speaker 1: begin to worship this counterfeit phony God. One bursts another,

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Speaker 1: and soon the people engage in all manner of revelry,

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Speaker 1: seeking to gratify their flesh. They've all but forgotten the

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Speaker 1: greatness and the glory and the holiness of God. But

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Speaker 1: God has not forgotten them. He isn't blind to their sins.

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Speaker 1: He tells Moses what these people have done, and that

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Speaker 1: he wants to burn with anger against them and even

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Speaker 1: destroy them. Moses doesn't excuse the actions of his people,

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Speaker 1: but he does intercede. He advocates for them. In an

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Speaker 1: impassioned plea. He speaks to God of the promises that

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Speaker 1: he had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God hears

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Speaker 1: Moses and turns from his anger Moses descends the mountain

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Speaker 1: and destroys the calf and the altar. He throws the

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Speaker 1: stone tablets God had given him on the ground and

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Speaker 1: breaks them. Yes, he's angry, very angry. When he confronts Aaron.

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Speaker 1: Rather than his own mistake, Aaron tries to justify it.

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Speaker 1: Here we see two very different leaders. Moses was a

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Speaker 1: strong leader who turned to God in times of distress,

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Speaker 1: but Aaron listened to the people, bent to their will

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Speaker 1: and turned against God. It is a costly, terrible sin.

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Speaker 1: Moses enlist the Levite priest to go through the camp

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Speaker 1: and shed blood in God's name. Three thousand of God's

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Speaker 1: people died that day, judged for their unfaithfulness. Moses went

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Speaker 1: up to speak to God again and ask for forgiveness

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Speaker 1: for his people. God reminded Moses that he cannot allow

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Speaker 1: sin to go unpunished. He cannot allow there is always

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Speaker 1: a price for sin, and the price is death. For

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Speaker 1: the Scripture says in the Book of Romans, the wages

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Speaker 1: of sin is death. Because of sin, our names are

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Speaker 1: blotted out of the book of God. But because of

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Speaker 1: his grace and because of what Christ has done for

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Speaker 1: us and shedding his blood on the Cross. We can

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Speaker 1: have our names now written in the Lamb's Book of Life.

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Speaker 1: The question is is your name there? In God's words

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Speaker 1: to Moses, we find hope and an enduring faithfulness as

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Speaker 1: well as holiness. The people is sinned. There is a

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Speaker 1: price to pay, a terrible price. But God will not

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Speaker 1: forsake them, He will not abandon them. His presence will

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Speaker 1: continue to be with his people. God, we know that

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Speaker 1: you are a holy God, and this passage of scripture

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Speaker 1: is a reminder that we are to be devoted to

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Speaker 1: you and you only may we trust in you always

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Speaker 1: and obey you in the power of your spirit. We

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Speaker 1: do confess our sins and ask that You forgive us

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Speaker 1: of every sin through your son Jesus Christ. Amen. Thank

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Speaker 1: you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.

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Speaker 1: I'm doctor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Prey

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Speaker 1: dot com app and make prayer a priority in your life.

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Speaker 1: If you've enjoyed this podcast, share it with someone you know,

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Speaker 1: someone you love, because by sharing this podcast, you can

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Speaker 1: make a difference in someone else's life. And if you

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Speaker 1: want moral resources on how to tap into God's power

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Speaker 1: for Christian living, be sure to visit Jack Christian Living.

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Speaker 1: Be sure to visit Jack Graham dot org. God bless you.

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Speaker 1: This episode is sponsored by Medicher, an innovative health care

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Speaker 1: solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality