Sorry for the miss on Saturday, I had a number of problems come up that had to be dealt with on Saturday.
How important is obedience to the Law in the eyes of Jehovah? He has made it very clear to those within and without, those who believe and those who do not. Let us now look at obedience within the body of believers and how He deals with it. First, some things need repeating.
Exodus 20:18 All the people perceived the thunder and the lightning flashes and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking; and when the people saw it, they trembled and stood at a distance.
20:19 Then they said to Moses, "Speak to us yourself and we will listen; but let not God speak to us, or we will die."
20:20 Moses said to the people, "Do not be afraid; for God has come in order to test you, and in order that the fear of Him may remain with you, so that you may not sin."
Jehovah came down to Mount Sinai with thunder, lightning, earthquakes, loud trumpet blasts, and a consuming fire. It caused great fear among the multitude gathered to hear Him deliver what we call His Ten Commandments. After this terrifying experience, you would think that they would want to do all He commanded.
Exodus 19:5 'Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; 19:6 and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel."
19:7 So Moses came and called the elders of the people, and set before them all these words which the LORD had commanded him.
19:8 All the people answered together and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do!" And Moses brought back the words of the people to the LORD.
19:9 The LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will come to you in a thick cloud, so that the people may hear when I speak with you and may also believe in you forever." Then Moses told the words of the people to the LORD.
This seems very clear. They understood and they declared that they would obey!
Exfus 24:3 Then Moses came and recounted to the people all the words of the LORD and all the ordinances; and all the people answered with one voice and said, "All the words which the LORD has spoken we will do!
Exodus 24:7 Then he took the book of the covenant and read it in the hearing of the people; and they said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient!"
They did not just declare it once, but three times.
Exodus 32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, "Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."
In just 40 days, they forgot the 10 plagues of Egypt, the crossing of the Red Sea, manna, quail, water from a rock, and the terrible, terrifying coming of Jehovah to Mount Sinai. How did Jehovah respond?
Exodus 32:7 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 32:8 "They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"
32:9 The LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 32:10 "Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation."
Jehovah was going to destroy all of them! What did Moses do? Three things. First, he interceded.
Exodus 32:11 Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, "O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?
32:12 "Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth'? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people.
32:13 "Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, 'I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.'"
Secondly, he became righteously angered.
Exodus 32:19 It came about, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses' anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain.
32:20 He took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.
Thirdly, he ordered the Levites from his tribe to kill the idolators.
Exodus 32:25 Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to be a derision among their enemies— 32:26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me!" And all the sons of Levi gathered together to him.
32:27 He said to them, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Every man of you put his sword upon his thigh, and go back and forth from gate to gate in the camp, and kill every man his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor.'" 32:28 So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people fell that day.
Jehovah will punish sinners and not let the guilty go free! He wants all of us to see sin as He sees sin. Sometimes He will require or allow us to speak out a warning to all sinners.
More on Saturday.