OUR DAILY BREAD : STRAY HEARTS

[cimi]

October 20
Sunday


STRAY HEARTS

READ:
Exodus 32:21-35
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Last fall, an expressway in my city was shut down for several hours because a cattle truck had overturned. The cattle had escaped and were roaming across the highway. Seeing this news story about stray cattle made me think of something I had recently studied in Exodus 32 about the people of God who strayed from Him.

In the divided kingdom of ancient Israel, King Jeroboam erected two golden calves for the people to worship (1 Kings 12:25-32). But the idea of worshiping hunks of gold had not orignated with him. Even after escaping brutal slavery and having seen the Lord's power and glory mightily displayed, the Israelites had quickly allowed their hearts to stray from Him (Ex. 32). While Moses was on Mt. Sinai receiving the law from the Lord, his brother Aaron helped God's people stray by constructing an idol in the shape of a golden calf. The writer of Hebrews reminds us of God' anger over this idolatry and those who "go astray in their heart" (Heb. 3:10).

God knows that our hearts have a tendency to stray. His Word makes it clear that He is the Lord and that we are to worship "no other gods" (Ex. 20:206).

"The LORD is the great God, and the great king above all gods' (Ps. 95:3). He is the one true God! __Cindy Hess Kasper

```````````````````Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,```````````````````
`````````````````````Prone to leave the God I love;```````````````````
```````````````````Here' my heart, O take and seal it,`````````````````
````````````````Seal it for Thy courts above. __Robinson````````````````
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As long as you want anything very much, especially
more than you want God it is an idol. __A. B. Simpson

******************Today's Bible Reading __ Exodus 32:21-35*************************

21 And moses said to Aaron,
"What did this people do to
you that you have brought so
great a sin upon them?"

22 So Aaron said, "Do not
let the anger of my lord
become hot. You know the
people, that they are set on
evil. 23 For they said to me,
'Make us gods that shall go
before us; as for this Moses,
the man who brought us out
of the land of Egypt, we do
not know what has become
of him.' 24 And I said to them,
'Whoever has any gold, let
them break it off.' So they
gave it to me, and I cast it
into the fire, and this calf
came out."

25 Now when Moses saw
that the people were
unrestrained (for Aaron had
not resrained them, to their
shame among their enemies).

26 then Moses stood in the
entrance of the camp, and
said, "Whoever is on the
LORD's iside__come to me!"
And all the sons of Levi
gathered themselves together
to him....

30 Now it came to pass on
the next day that Moses said
to the people, "You have committed
a great sin. So
now I will go up to the LORD;
perhaps I can make
atonement for your sin."

31 Then Moses returned to
the LORD and said, "Oh,
these people have committed
a great sin, and have made
for themselves a god of gold!

32 Yet now, if You will forgive
their sin__but if not, I pray,
blot me out of Your book
which You have written."

33 And the LORD said to
Moses, "Whoever has sinned
against Me, I will blot him
out of My book. 34 Now
therefore, go, lead the people
to the place of which I have
spoken to you. Behold, My
Angel shall go before you.
nevertheless, in the day
when I visit for punishment, I
will visit punishment upon
them for their sin."

35 So the LORD plagued the
people because of what they
did with the calf which Aaron
made.