A Coaches’ Lesson

Exodus 32:15-24

 

 

Coach Steward stood 6 feet 8 and weighed about 275. It was half time and we were been behind so he lit into us like there was no tomorrow. As the volume and intensity of his words hit a fever pitch, he slammed his fist against the clip board in his hand, breaking it into pieces. He had our full attention.

 

^19 “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.”

 

Aaron then responded to Moses’ question about what had happened by saying, ^24 “So I told them (the Israelites), ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” 

 

Obviously Moses wasn’t impressed, because following this explanation he instructed the Levites, “Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.” About three thousand Israelites were killed that day. God had their attention.

 

Have you ever had consequences to sin in your life like that? The correct answer is yes! Two thousand years ago Jesus paid the price for our sin. Maybe you’re thinking that you would never do anything like the Israelites did; nothing so bold and in your face. Even the Lord admitted that they were a “stiff necked people”.

 

But if we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit that we aren’t that different from them. After all, what motivated the Israelites if it wasn’t pride and control? And how many times every day does our pride lead us to try to take control because we don’t trust God?

 

Coach Steward’s actions were to motivate us to not be lazy, but to be the best that we could be; to recognize that the little mistakes we were making could cause us to lose.

Moses did the same thing, but with more severe consequences because the result of sin is not losing, it’s dying... and Jesus came to bring life.