Seeing the golden calf and the people dancing, Moses threw the stone tablets to the ground and shattered them, because through their idol worship, they had already broken the covenant. He burned the idol, ground it into powder, scattered it on the water, and made the people drink it. Aaron should have taken responsibility for this grave sin, but instead he excused himself and blamed the people. Moses acted quickly and decisively. He separated those who stood on the Lord’s side from the unrepentant and put three thousand idol worshipers to death. He refused to compromise in the fight against sin and restored the community to God. Sin must not be compromised or negotiated with. It must be confronted seriously and dealt with quickly, or it will destroy us.

Moses knew the wages of sin is death. So, he returned to God and pleaded with him to forgive his

people. If not, he asked that his own name be blotted out of God’s book. As a shepherd, Moses risked his own life in intercession, begging God to forgive the people. Because of Moses’ intercession, God did not destroy them all. On the cross, Jesus pleaded with God to forgive sinners and offered his own life as atonement. We, too, are called to be shepherds who intercede for others who do not know what they are doing.
Application: Lord, grow me as a shepherd for others. Forgive our sins through Jesus’ blood.
One Word: Please forgive their sin