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Cut and Connect Exodus (96)
(Exodus 32:25-35)
< Cut when you need to cut it >
In the case of Aaron's golden calf, Moses ordered the slaughter of those who were leading idolatry, regardless of family or friends. About three thousand people died that day (verse 28). It is unfortunate to see such decisive killings of criminals, but it makes us realize how detestable the sin of idolatry is before God and the terrible consequences.
Also, from this scene, we learn the impartiality of the Levites. When they killed the rebellious people under the command of Moses, they didn't fall for their parents, children, or brothers, and they even killed close family and friends with tears in order to establish justice. When I see this scene, I feel the abstract rigor and wretchedness to uphold God's will rather than the feeling of cruelty.
How does it contrast with today's kinship corruption? Koreans really like to work in groups. When you first meet, the first thing you do is find an ointment. If there is no connection between the hometown and the school they came from, they try to match the relationship by looking for a military connection. The driving force that drives Korean society today is not ‘justice’ but ‘justice’. How difficult is it to reject that sticky principle of justice and keep sober justice? The principle of justice seems human in some ways, but it makes society sick.
On the other hand, the Levites in the text were like frostbite. He did not close his eyes because he was a family member, and he did not lose justice because of his affection. The biggest reason for the chaos that our society has experienced since the Japanese colonial era is that we have not been able to liquidate the things that should be liquidated because of love. As the saying goes, good is not good, in fact, right is good. A saint must be infinitely gentle, humble, and gentle, but sometimes he must become a messenger in the face of the truth.
Seeing the bravery of the Levites, Moses declared that God would bless him as he dedicated himself to God for not being driven by love but by justice, and by daringly punishing sinners (verse 29). Only when we have the determination to cut off sins and sinners like that, God will give us blessings. Unconditional love is not the only way to embrace love. Things that need to be cut are often close to true love.
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The day after the slaughter, Moses went to the mountain to offer a ransom sacrifice for the people and prayed for them. "God! It's really sad. This people committed a great sin by making gold gods for them. Forgive them their sins! Otherwise, blot out my name from the book you have written (verses 31-32).” Moses prayed earnestly with a sense of responsibility and a spirit of love for his fellow countrymen, enough to lay down his life for his people. God answers the intercession of the sincere. That means that there is a wonderful power in the saints to set their will.
Christianity is not a fatalistic religion. God has given the saints the privilege of choosing the future. Even if we set a will, God can change it. As such, there is power in our will and our choices.
In the Darakbang Ganghwa, the last testament that Jesus gave just before his crucifixion, Jesus said, “You can do greater things than I do! Ask, because I have given you power!” He especially said, “If you ask anything in my name, I will do it!” (John 14:12-14). Those words were not simply to comfort the disciples, but to the practical power of prayer.
In the Bible, there are many expressions that “God has changed his will” depending on a person's decision. Moses, who had heard God's voice the most in history, knew that he could change the will of God and prayed a great intercession for the people. Saints must be good at cutting when they need to be cut like the Levites, but they must also be good at connecting when they need to connect like an intercessor. Move God's heart and turn despairing situations into hope with a strong, meek faith that cuts them when they are cut and connects them when they are connected.