Friday: Further Thought – Apostasy and Intercession
Daily Lesson for Friday 12th of September 2025
Further Thought:
Read Ellen G. White, “Idolatry at Sinai,” Pages 315–327, in Patriarchs and Prophets.
Image © Stan Myers from GoodSalt.com
This week’s lesson presents a special focus on God’s work in believers. The Lord can do in us “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV). We should not focus on ourselves and gratify our personal desires, because this leads to idolatry. Instead, our attention should be on God and His power. He gives the strength, which leads to a new and victorious life (Philippians 4:13; Jude 1:24-25).
“Love no less than justice demanded that for this sin judgment should be inflicted. God is the guardian as well as the sovereign of His people. He cuts off those who are determined upon rebellion, that they may not lead others to ruin. In sparing the life of Cain, God had demonstrated to the universe what would be the result of permitting sin to go unpunished. The influence exerted upon his descendants by his life and teaching led to the state of corruption that demanded the destruction of the whole world by a flood. . . . The longer men lived, the more corrupt they became. So with the apostasy at Sinai. Unless punishment had been speedily visited upon transgression, the same results would again have been seen.”—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 325.
Discussion Questions
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I think those of us who have been Seventh-day Adventists often develop a sense of superiority to those who have left their faith and no longer meet with us. We have fought the good fight and remained faithful unto old age, if not death. In computer terms we have been persistent, weathering the theological and political storms both outside and within the church. We keep Sabbath, pay our tithe and study our Sabbath School Lessons. We are so much better than those who have followed false doctrine or fallen to the seduction of wine and “come-hither” women. (or whatever the male equivalent is). We have kept ourselves uncontaminated by earthly pleasures and at the same time have believed pure unadulterated doctrine. God must be well pleased with us.
And we can read this week’s lesson and pray: “God, I thank thee, that I am not like the Hebrews during the Exodus. You have taught us to be perfect, eating as vegetarians, paying an honest tithe of all I have possessed, and guarding carefully the edges of the Sabbath.”
The big takeaway from this lesson is not how bad the Hebrew calf-worshipers were. It was about intercession for those who have turned their back on God. If, we are pleading with God for our family and friends then God could work through us to restore their relationship with Him. God’s view of perfection is not clean saint-statues standing tall in the garden. He wants gardeners who are willing to get their hands dirty working in the dirt among the weeds, interceding for those among our friends who are lost.
The study for this week based on Exodus 32 presents a striking contrast between two pivotal figures: Moses, the God-fearing intercessor, and Aaron, the faltering leader. While Moses stood before God, pleading for Israel's forgiveness, Aaron succumbed to the people's demands, crafting a golden calf and precipitating a national crisis.
Moses' intercession showcases his profound relationship with God and his unwavering commitment to his people. Despite witnessing Israel's rebellion firsthand, Moses chose to stand in the gap, advocating for their pardon. His words to God, "If not, please blot me out of Your book" (Exodus 32:32), demonstrate his willingness to sacrifice his own standing for the sake of Israel. This selfless act underscores Moses' leadership and spiritual maturity.
In stark contrast, Aaron's actions reveal his lack of leadership and spiritual depth. By creating the golden calf, Aaron compromised God's clear instructions, indulging the people's whims and facilitating idolatry. When confronted by Moses, Aaron's feeble excuse – "I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out" (Exodus 32:24) – exposes his lack of accountability and integrity.
Today's leadership too, is on test, where do we stand as leaders, are we ready not only to be named leader, teacher, rabbi, elders or even prophet, but also to serve like servants for the people and messenger for God?
As leaders, we should learn from Aaron and Moses today. Aaron's style of leadership triggered and inflamed God's wrath whereas Moses' style of leadership sought to appease God.
These characteristics, as seen in Aaron in this chapter, represent apostasy and rebellion, whereas Moses, on the other hand, represents reconciliation and intercession. The bigger picture here is that as we lead, we could point to rebellion and apostasy, which is synonymous with Satan, or on the other hand, we could point towards reconciliation and intercession, which points to Christ.