A COSTLY DELAY

I welcome you again, friends, to the program today. I will be speaking on A Costly Delay. And we are going to take the text from,

Exodus 32:1-6

¹Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

² And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.

Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

⁵ So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” ⁶ Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

PRAYER:

Our Father, we have come again to Your Word, today. And we are praying that the entrance of Your Word would produce life, would produce healing, would produce health, and above all would produce spiritual light, in Jesus Name. Amen!

From the victory over Amalek, which we saw last week, Israel moved to the terrible defeat at Sinai. God had called Moses up to the mounting where he was to receive instructions on how Israel would worship God acceptably.

Exodus 24:18

¹⁸ So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

This is the background of the context of:

Exodus 32:1

¹Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

It was a forty-day delay that ended up costing the Israelites a fortune, and would have cost them their future but for the persevering intercessory prayer of Moses. Some people have lost a fortune because they felt that God had delayed in bringing them the blessing or blessings that they had waited for. Some young women have ended up with a hell-on-earth marriage because they could not wait for God to bring the right man at His own time. And some men have lost everything because they felt that God was delaying in bringing them the right business partners. God’s timing is perfect. But creature of time have difficulties sometimes dealing with the God who is not limited by time or to time. Speaking of God’s relationship to time, with particular reference to His promises, the bibles says in,

2 Peter 3:8

⁸ But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

But before we proceed I want you to take note that it says One day is as a thousand years. That is a simile. It didn’t say one day is a thousand year – as a thousand years. This scripture implies that the passage of time does not affect God’s promises. A promise He made a thousand years ago is as good as though He made it a day ago. So the promise of the return of Jesus Christ which has taken more than a thousand years is as good as though God made that promise yesterday. Time cannot eclipse God’s promise. Time cannot erase God’s promise.

Friend, hold on to God’s promise. He is always on time. So, exercise patience. The request Israel presented to Aaron, which is, come make us gods that shall go before us, is one of relating to God through things, persons or personalities. When we relate to God through things or through a person or through persons we are not far from idolatry. Israel chose to relate to God through a person, Moses. And when God offered them privilege of relating to Him personally as a kingdom of priests they refused it.

Exodus 19:4-6

⁴ ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. ⁵ Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. ⁶ And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Exodus 20:19

¹⁹ Then they said to Moses, “You speak with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die.”

In other words we prefer to relate to God through you, Moses, instead. Now that Israel has chosen to relate to God through a person they slipped into idolatry when they did not see their intermediary for forty days. I am sorry for those who in our day are deceived into believing that a human or material intermediary guarantees them access to God. I hear some say a piece of cloth, a vest, so-called holy oil or holy water which they place on themselves or at their point of need brought them a solution, where other means failed. This is very unfortunate. These people feel biblically justified to replace the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, with the God of so-so minister. What they imply is that the minister whose name they evoke has greater right in God than they themselves. But not so if they are children of God. when Jesus paid the price for our sin on the cross the veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple was torn in two, from top (that is Godward) to bottom (manward), indicating that we all now have access – equal access to God. You find this in Matthew 27:50-51. Is it any wonder then that,

Romans 5:1-2

¹Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

God has given us access to Him through Christ. As many as would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ they have equal access to God. No one has greater access than you if you have believed in Jesus Christ. So don’t allow yourself to be deceived or to be taken advantage of. You can go straight to God through Christ. And I call upon you this moment, dear friend, to give your life to Christ who has paved the way for you to have access to the Father. And whatever you ask the Father in the name of the Lord JESUS Christ He will give you.

PRAYER:

Faithful Father, Your Word is true. There is power in Your Word. And I am praying now that You minister Your grace to as many as have heard. And as many of them as have given their lives over to You through Christ, dear Lord, I pray that You would receive them, and that You will give them assurance of Your salvation, and that You will meet the needs in their lives, no matter what needs they are, for You have the power to do all things. And we will give You all the glory and all the praise, in Jesus wonderful Name, Amen!