“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24).

In Exodus 24, Moses and the Israelites camped near Mount Sinai and he met with the Lord in the cloud to get instructions for the people. God called Moses further away from the elders and the people to meet with him. He got instructions concerning the building of a sanctuary, the Ark of the Covenant and the priesthood. He was with God for forty days and the people grew restless. While Joshua went with Moses to the mountain, Aaron was left behind to lead the people. “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him”” (Exodus 32:1).

Aaron went along with the people’s suggestion and asked them to bring all the gold which they took from Egypt. With this he built a golden calf to serve as a God for them. “Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt”” (Exodus 32:4)! Aaron even built an altar before the image and declared a feast. The people got up the next day and offered burnt offerings, peace offerings and they drank, ate and partied. “And the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves” (Exodus 32:7). God was ready to wipe out the entire tribe and make a new covenant with Moses and his children, but Moses interceded for them and begged him not to wipe them out.

Moses was extremely angry with the people when he returned and saw their idolatry. He broke the pillars which God gave him with the commandments, broke down their golden calf, burnt it in the fire and ground it to powder. He asked Aaron why he had allowed the people to be led into sin and Aaron blamed the people. “Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies)” (Exodus 32:25). Moses commanded the Levi’s to go through the camp and take vengeance against those who did wrong. He then instructed the people to consecrate themselves and continued to intercede for them before God. “So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made” (Exodus 32:35).

The Israelites were a rebellious, ungrateful and idolatrous people. So soon had they gained freedom, that they forgot all that God had done to free them from bondage and release them from Egypt. Moses’s absence gave them an excuse to sin against God and to turn their worship to the god of mammon. Mammon is an Egyptian or Pharaoh like symbol representative of slavery and a false promise of having enough, but which leads to bondage and death. This is tied to a system of physical exertion of painful toil and sorrow, for an eternal promise of having enough, but which is deceptive. Their golden calf although pleasant to behold, held no lasting power to protect them, give them freedom or victory over their adversaries. We only experience true and lasting freedom when we are led away from the world system and enter into God’s eternal rest. This rest leads us into a place of promise where God’s provision gives us more than enough.

A.P.-Y.

Published by Anneta Pinto-Young

I am a trained Social Worker who currently provides professional leadership on a programme to support Social Work students and Newly Qualified Social Workers entering the Social Work Profession. Born and raised in Jamaica in a Christian family where my father is an ordained Pastor and Deacon who has served for over 50 years in the ministry. My father is also a trained musician and our family can be described as a musical family. I grew up in a small farming community in St. Peter’s, St. Andrew and my parents also have a small farm. I credit my gift of writing to my father who I watched and listened to over the years as he wrote sermons, poems and other recitals in his capacity in ministry. English has always been an easy subject for me and over the years I have developed an increased interest in writing. I am a Trainer, I sing and have a passion for worship, the spoken word and the free flow of the prophetic anointing. I am married to my best friend Andrew Christopher Young who is an advanced Musician and whose music you can find on YouTube and Facebook. I am a trained Coach and Mentor and I love experimenting with food so I love cooking. I enjoy trying cultural dishes from across the world and I view food as an entry into cultures and languages.

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