What is it about the impatience of waiting that can derail our spiritual walk? Join the Hit the Mark panel as they answer this and other questions from Sabbath School Lesson 11 – Apostasy and Intercession. It’s the fastest hour of the week!

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/apostasy-and-intercession-hit-the-mark-sabbath-school/

Introduction: How should the church deal with members who actively rebel against God? Why do you think they rebel? If you have fallen away from God in the past, you may be more sympathetic to those who fall. If you are one whose life has generally followed God’s rules, then you may have trouble sympathizing with those who make incomprehensible decisions to rebel. Our study this week is about what seems to be an outrageous rebellion against God and Moses. Let’s dive into our study and see what we can learn as church leaders and church members about why rebellion exists and how we should respond to those in serious rebellion against God!

I. A Failure of Leadership

A. Read Exodus 32:1. Who seems to be in charge here? (The people are commanding Aaron to act.)

1. Is this supposed to be a democracy where the people rule?
2. Who did the people think was responsible for the disappearance of Moses? (They knew that Moses and Joshua had gone up the mountain to receive from God the tablets of stone that contained the law. Exodus 24:12-15.)

B. Read Acts 7:39-41. This suggests that the people were not actually wondering where Moses had gone, but rather had a different motive. What is it?

1. Do you think manna was still arriving each morning?

C. Read Exodus 32:2-4 to see Aaron’s leadership style and then compare it with Exodus 32:25-27 for Moses’ leadership style. Which do you think is appropriate for the church today? Delete, of course, the reference to killing because Moses had that authority and church leaders do not.

1. Are we discussing leadership styles for ordinary church governance decisions? Or are we discussing leadership styles for dealing with sin? (This is not day-to-day leadership. This is leadership in the face of open rebellion against God.)
2. What would have happened if the rebellion continued?

D. Read Exodus 32:5-6. How do you understand Aaron’s actions? (Aaron had not decided to abandon God. He seems to believe that the golden calf is the physical representation of the God of Heaven.)

1. Do you see this in the church today? People who want to sanctify evil by attributing it to God?

E. Read Exodus 32:7. What does God call this? (Corruption!)

1. Why does God tell Moses to go down to the people? (Because God trusts Moses as a faithful leader.)
2. Who does God say brought the people out of Egypt? (Moses.)

a. Why would God say this? (God was thinking of disowning the people.)

b. Has Moses shown a failure of leadership?

F. Read Exodus 32:8. In the past, when I read this text, I thought, “How vile! How could they turn so quickly from God? Could we be so foolish?” But now that I understand that Aaron thought he was simply blending the images of Egypt’s gods with the power of the true God, it seems to be a more complex issue. Is that how you see it?

G. Read Exodus 32:9. Does God see this as a complex issue? (No. He sees it a pure rebellion.)

H. Let’s look at how Aaron reports these events. Read Exodus 32:21-24. Is that how it happened? (The golden calf did not magically make itself. This is blame-shifting and a failure of honesty.)

1. Who does Aaron blame? (Verse 22 tells us that he blamed the people.)
2. Who does Moses blame? (Verse 21 reveals that Moses blames Aaron. He was supposed to be in charge.)

I. Look again at Exodus 32:23. When the people said they did not know what had become of Moses, what should Aaron have said? (Read Exodus 24:1. This was another failure of leadership. Aaron should have said Moses was on the mountain with God because Aaron had been there!)

II. Rebellion

A. Look again at Exodus 32:1. What triggered this rebellion? (Delay. Impatience. Acts 7:39-41 adds that some of the people had the attitude that they should return to Egypt.)

B. Read Exodus 32:9.  We looked at this verse a few minutes ago. What does it mean when God calls them “stiff-necked?” (One commentator explains that this refers to an ox or a horse who resists when you throw a rope around its neck. These people wanted to do their own will, not God’s will.)

C. Read Exodus 32:26-28. Who is not in rebellion? (The Levites.)

1. Should we call people to make hard decisions on rebellion? To take sides?
2. Is it love to deal harshly with rebels?

D. Look again at Exodus 32:28. Should Aaron have been among those who died? (Read Deuteronomy 9:20.)

III. Winning Leadership

A. Read Exodus 32:10-12. What concerns Moses? (God’s reputation.)

1. Is God’s plan a bad one? (Remember that only two of this group of adults made it out of the desert alive.)

B. Read Exodus 32:13. Would God’s plan violate His promise to Abraham? (No. Moses is a descendant of Abraham.)

1. Let’s face a hard question here. Moses seeks to let the wrong-doers survive so that God will look good. Is that how a church should handle wrong-doing today? Should it be primarily concerned about God’s reputation and not punishment of the guilty?

C. Read Exodus 32:14 and Numbers 23:19. Are these two texts in conflict? (The context of Numbers 23 is important. The prophet Balaam is promised a reward by King Balak of Moab if he will curse Israel. God tells Balaam to tell King Balak that He is not that kind of God. He doesn’t lie or change His mind. Giving money to bribe His agents does not work. The great news for us is that God will engage with us and may take a different course of action based on our interaction with Him. This is not “changing His mind.”)

D. Read Exodus 32:15-19. Is Moses’ anger out of control? Did he have the right to destroy the work of God? Or is there another explanation? (Arguably, Moses broke the tablets to reflect the fact that the people broke God’s law.)

E. Read Exodus 32:30-32. Why would Moses do this? Why would he ask to forfeit his eternal life? (Notice the parallel to Jesus, who gave up His life for us.)

1. Read Matthew 17:1-4. Where do we find Moses?

F. Read Exodus 32:33-34. What is God saying about Moses’ continued leadership? (God reaffirms his leadership of the people.)

1. What does God say about Moses’ offer to sacrifice himself for the people? (God says that judgment is individual. He will “visit” the sin on the people who deserve judgment.)

G. Read Exodus 32:35. Does Aaron die in the plague? Does God think the calf is Aaron’s fault? (The text says that Aaron made the calf. We know Aaron did not die then because of the plague. God is the Judge and He decides as He sees fit.)

H. Friend, this is a remarkable story about rebellion against God. Rebellion that takes place after the most powerful evidence of God’s authority and love. This kind of rebellion requires a strong response, not an attempt to mix rebellion with worship of the true God. But the best leader to stand against such rebellion is a man like Moses, who was willing to give up his life for the people. Will you be careful not to rebel against God? If you are a leader faced with active rebellion in the church, will you ask God to fill your heart with love toward the rebellious?

IV. Next week: “Please, Show Me Your Glory.”

Copr. 2025, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D. Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Suggested answers are found within parentheses. If you normally receive this lesson by e-mail, but it is lost one week, you can find it by clicking on this link: http://www.GoBible.org. Pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as you study.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/11-apostasy-and-intercession-exodus-32-teaching-outline/

Daily Lesson for Wednesday 10th of September 2025

While Moses was still on Mount Sinai, God said that He would destroy the rebels and make Moses’ posterity into a great nation. But that was not what Moses wanted. Instead, he pleaded with the Lord, pointing out that the Israelites were not Moses’ people—they were God’s. He, Moses himself, had not brought them out of Egypt, but God had done it through His mighty works. And so Moses pled with God, stressing His early promises to the fathers. Moses was truly working as an intercessor between God and humanity.

After the “Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people” (Exodus 32:14, NKJV), Moses returned to them. There is no record—unlike what would happen in Exodus 34:29-30—that his face shone from the presence of the Lord. His face probably reflected his anger.

“When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain” (Exodus 32:19, NIV). Breaking the tablets containing the Decalogue was an external sign of breaking its content. God rebuked Moses for it, but later He commanded Moses to chisel two tablets to replace “ ‘the first tablets, which you broke’ ” (Deuteronomy 10:2, NKJV). God Himself would rewrite the commands.

Moses sharply rebuked Aaron for surrendering to the demands of the people. “ ‘What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?’ ” (Exodus 32:21, NIV). Aaron tried to excuse his transgression by (1) blaming others, and (2) by magic: “ ‘I threw it [the gold] into the fire, and out came this calf!’ ” (Exodus 32:24, NIV). What made matters worse was that Aaron himself had been greatly honored of God, having been given many privileges, which included going on the mountain with Moses and the 70 elders (Exodus 24:1).

What a dark irony! By claiming that a miracle had happened, Aaron wanted to trick his brother (notice how one sin leads to another; in this case, idolatry to lying). However, Moses was not fooled as he saw how wildly the people behaved. The negative consequences were evident, and Moses had to stop the rebellion immediately.

<–Tuesday Thursday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-11-gods-righteous-wrath/

Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors, there is safety. Proverbs 11:14 NKJV

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend. Proverbs 27:17 NKJV

As we study this week’s Sabbath School lesson, about the apostasy of Israel, including Aaron, their priest, I am reminded of a vital lesson someone shared. We cannot assume a pastor or any church leader is doing a good job just because they are making everyone happy. After all, the greater majority of the people were delighted with Aaron while he was leading them into apostasy. The point was made that Aaron should not have allowed the people to worship an idol, much less help them make one. With the majority being in the wrong, Aaron should have stood for the right, even if all alone. 

The greatest want of the world is the want of men—men who will not be bought or sold, men who in their inmost souls are true and honest, men who do not fear to call sin by its right name, men whose conscience is as true to duty as the needle to the pole, men who will stand for the right though the heavens fall. –Ellen White, Education, Page 57. 

Being a pastor, I also see the problem from another angle. While the pastor may chair the church board, the pastor answers to the church board, and the church board answers ultimately to the church at large. In other words, while the pastor holds the church accountable, the church also holds the pastor accountable. Accountability works both ways.

So, as we study the apostasy of Israel when they made and worshiped the golden calf, we see a total breakdown of accountability. Not only was Aaron not holding the people accountable, but the people were not holding Aaron accountable. The problem was that no one was holding anyone accountable. Here we see how crucial accountability is to both laity and leaders.

The other day, I was having a conversation with a young couple, when the husband said something so profound that I had never heard a husband say before. He said one of the reasons he wanted to find someone to marry was that he needed someone to be accountable to. In a world where everyone is told to mind their own business, not to judge or criticize, and to let others do as they please, this young man realized he could not be all that God expects him to be without offering accountability. Having someone to be accountable to helps to keep us out of trouble and focused on our lofty goals.

For a church to stay out of trouble and focus on its lofty goals, it needs leaders who will hold it accountable. At the same time, for church leaders to stay out of trouble and concentrate on their lofty goals, they need a church body that will hold them accountable. While the pastor may advise the board, the pastor should also consider the board members as advisors. The pastor should not consider it a weakness or be embarrassed to seek counsel from his church family. On the contrary, the wisdom in Proverbs tells us we are all here to sharpen each other, and there is wisdom in having many counselors.

There was a time when I was embarrassed to ask the church for guidance, not because of my ego, but because I felt like I was being paid to know what was right, and if I was not right or did not know what was right, then I was not earning my paycheck. Later I realized my job is not so much always to be right or know on my own what is right, as much as it is to find what is right. We actually gain the confidence of our church family when we quickly discern our mistakes and make corrections. Meanwhile, I have watched other pastors shipwreck their own ministry by pretending to be infallible instead of accepting the counsel, mercy, and forgiveness their congregations so willingly offered. It broke my heart recently when some friends told me about a pastor in their church who made a mistake. Instead of accepting their forgiveness and invitation for reconciliation, he resigned, claiming that his position placed him above having to offer accountability. 

For marriage to work, both the wife and the husband need to hold each other accountable. In the church, not only does the congregation need to provide accountability to the pastor, but the pastor also needs to offer accountability to his congregation. Aaron and Israel’s apostasy with the golden calf is an unfortunate example of what happens when neither congregation nor pastor holds the other accountable. While Aaron should have stopped the people from committing apostasy, the people should have stopped Aaron from committing apostasy. Accountability works both ways.

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/accountability-works-both-ways/

Daily Lesson for Tuesday 9th of September 2025

By turning to an idol, the Israelites were in the process of divorcing themselves from the true God, the One who had delivered them from Egypt. The Lord squarely placed the blame on them, saying that they have “corrupted themselves” (Exodus 32:7, NKJV)—even crediting this statue with having delivered them from Egypt.

What a direct contradiction to what God said to them (Exodus 20:2)! This denial of God’s presence and mighty acts was a serious matter. Their thinking and feelings were distorted and completely corrupted.

For the prophet Ezekiel, idolatry lay at the core of all the misery of God’s people, and from there springs all other sins (see, for example, Ezekiel 8:1-18, Ezekiel 20:1-44, Ezekiel 22:1-12). We often wonder why ancient believers were so naïve and uncorrectable when they engaged in worshiping different human-made idols. We are quite sure that we would never do something like that. Are we really free of idols? The idols of today may have different shapes and forms, yet they have a similar appeal.

An idol is something that replaces God, and even though we know it is not right, we still worship it, often repeatedly. It captures our imagination, affection, time, and mind more than does God. It can even enslave our thinking. In fact, we become what we behold, and we will rise no higher than whatever “god” we serve.

If God is not at the center of your life, then other gods will fill His place. If we do not enjoy and cultivate God’s living Presence, we will enjoy and devote our lives to something or someone else. What we substitute for Christ may have different appearances: pride, self-centeredness, money, power, sex, food, TV, drugs, alcohol, impure thoughts, pornography, pleasures, work, sports, family, video games, films, shopping, ideas, politics, music, position, titles, grades, and so forth. The list has no end.

We are very creative and inventive in this regard. We can turn anything that is good, beautiful, and meaningful into an idol. Idolatry is extremely dangerous because it transforms our personality, our way of thinking, our affections, and our social life. It changes our identity and replaces genuine personal relationships with hollow and ultimately meaningless interactions that, in the end, cannot save us.

<–Monday Wednesday–>

Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-11-corrupting-themselves/