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.
We cannot keep the Sabbath alone and expect that everything else will just fall into place. We must also love the neighbour , abide in Christ , be a dedicated Evangelist, we must also mourn with those who mourn , and be productive and fair in our labours. Apart from that we must visit widows and orphans and make a difference in their lives. It is after we have been busy serving God and man throughout the six days that the Sabbath becomes meaningful in our life .
This is a very important point, Maurice!
Sometimes, we focus on fear to motivate people toward salvation. However, emphasizing God's mercy and love – His willingness to rescue – might be a more effective way to touch hearts. There's a hell, yes, but there's also a Savior who wants to save.
It is said that especially us Adventists, when presented with these four words: Many of us might find ourselves drawn to the more ominous options – Judgment and Wrath.
I feel that at times it looks very skeptical and can be counterproductive in mission.
Thank you for this message. It's time to look and see the good in others. You know what! It is through this that your heart will lean towards interceding. Interceding has love as an ingredient, and that's what's special.
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.
Thank you Stanley, good points how you clarify what leadership demands and how it fails.
Yes, I had not thought of this before. Moses is willing to give up his own life for that of the Israelites, but when Aaron is confronted by Moses, he blames the people. Aaron's attitude is "it's the people's fault, punish them, not me."
Christianity is NOT what we do for God, but WHAT Christ has already done for us which is substitutionary atonement- Christ standing in our place, taking our guilt, and giving us His righteousness. Christianity is not about striving to earn heaven, but trusting in the One who already secured it for us through His death and resurrection. The good news of the gospel is that our salvation does not rest on our works, efforts, or attempts to be “good enough,” but on Jesus’ finished work on the cross. Isaiah puts this in perspective.....“He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Peter declares: “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds we have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24). Paul explains that in a divine exchange, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Just like we stay alive driving down the road by our eyes on the road, so do we stay on the path of righteousness by keeping our eyes on Christ, rather than putting our eyes on the defective lives of professing Christians.
By scaling the upward heights , and planting our feet on solid higher ground, we can still be humble about it. Yet others will still look at our attainment and say he/she thinks they are better than I. Yet with a humble attitude there are those who look at us and say that I also can let the Lord to lift me up and plant my feet on higher ground.
Yes, Lord lift us up and we shall stand.
Luke 18:13-14 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Psalm 51:10-12 - ”Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your Salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.”
God’s 'work' is to restore the right spirit within man. We humbly ask Him to remain ‘willing’ to do so. It is essential for us to remain focused on loving God with all our heart for Him to do His Work in us. Regardless of the circumstances we experience, our hope is in being loved by and loving the God of our Salvation.
Loving to love God, seeking Him and fellowshipping with Him in Spirit and in Truth, keeps our heart and mind in the only ‘safe place' from which to withstand the onslaught of this world's spirit of destruction, death and decay.
It spurs us on to engage in life for the purpose of promoting the Love of God, so with promoting true Life. By the Holy Spirit's presence in us and working through us, our God equips our new nature to live Life to the fullest - Heb.13:20-21; Exodus 34:6-7; Isaiah 42:1-4; Matt.27:51; John 17:20-21.