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Deception, Hypocrisy, Falsehood, and Unfaithfulness are threats of life that no one would like to be associated with either as a culprit or victim.

At the same time, the regrettable presence of these threats and their unfortunate consequence continue to form major part of our life.

In this massage it is our goal, through this topic, to remind all men and women, Christians in general,  that, if there is only one

aspect of our life where Deception, Hypocrisy, Falsehood, and Unfaithfulness must never be attempted, one aspect of our life where sincerity of commitment is required, it is in our relationship with God.

The scene in Exodus 32:1-6 is preceded by Moses going up the mountain to receive the tablets of stone, with the law and the

commandment (Exodus 24:12). As he heads up into the mountain of God, Moses tells the elders to wait for him and indicates that they

should consult Aaron and Hur if there is a dispute (Exodus 24:14). For forty days and night, Moses remained on the mountain

(Exodus 24:18), receiving instructions from Yahweh about the construction of the tabernacle as well as the vestments for and

procedures for the ordination of the priesthood. Yahweh and Moses are deep into the details when the scene suddenly shifts

away from the mountaintop in chapter 32. The people’s anxiety about Moses’ absence appears to have gone into overdrive because

almost immediately, they propose to Aaron:”come make gods for us, who shall go before us” (Exodus 32:1).

To help we better understand the depth of Deception, Hypocrisy and Unfaithfulness of

the people; it is important we recollect the extent of the relationship between the people and (God) Yahweh before now.

In chapter four of Exodus, we read of the first encounter the people had with God. Moses

and Aaron had informed them of the relation from God, and His promise and plan to deliver them from slavery and bondage in Egypt.

“And the people believed: and when they heard that the lord had visited the children of

Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.” (Exodus 4:31 KJV).

This sounds like a response from a people’s sincere heart. On His own part, God went into

action to accomplish His purpose and promise – the plagues against pharaoh and his people (Ex.7:14-12:30), granted Israel

favor of abundant material acquisition against the Egyptians (12:35-36), the presence of the pillar of cloud by day and

pillar of light by night (13:20-22), the miraculous crossing of the red sea(Ex.14),

the provision of food and water in the desert (16-17:1-7), victory over their enemies (17:8-16).

WHAT A FAITHFUL GOD! However, on the side of the people, just a couple of weeks of

the absence of Moses, they did not only look for a replacement of the man-Moses, but also for his God. WHAT A CONTRAST! In their

request to Aaron, the people do not show any ignorance of the need for “a god” or “gods”. But clearly demonstrate their lack of interest

in Moses and his God, “come make gods for us for us, who shall go before us” (Exodus
32:1).

Some of us reading this maybe wondering why the same people who, on hearing the plan and promise of Yahweh to deliver them

from bondage, “bowed their heads and worshipped” now are rejecting the same Yahweh as one dropping a piece of hot iron.

So also we wonder why the same people who shouted hosanna! Hosanna! On Palm Sunday shouting crucify him! On Good Friday? But do

we wonder why new churches and ministries attract large crowds that do not last? Why new prophets and “men and women of God”

attract large followers who end deserting them after a while? You must as well ask yourselves why are you, a Christian  jumping

from one ministry to the other; from one seer to the other and from one fellowship to the other. What are you gunning for; some

personal goal, or a relationship with God why are you having an epileptic commitment to the things of God? What is God to you? Your goal a means?

To the children of Israel, we ask why the sudden change coming to think of it is the change from bowing down and worshipping

Yahweh to utterly rejecting and immediately replacing him really sudden or has the thought always been there? Let us look for

the answer in the rest of our story. Once the people left Egypt, and faced their very first

challenge the challenge of the red sea in front and the Egyptians behind them listen to their reaction “and when pharaoh drew near, the

children of Israel lifted up their eyes and behold the Egyptians marched after them; and they were sore afraid: and the children of

Israel cried out unto the lord. And they said unto Moses, because there were no graves in Egypt hast thou taken us away to die in the

wilderness? Wherefore hast thou dealt thus with us to carry us forth out of Egypt? Is not this the word that we did tell thee in Egypt,

saying let us alone that we may serve the Egyptians; for it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians than that we should die

in the wilderness? (ex. 14:10-12 KJV). We all know this is a bunch of lies. when they needed food, “ and the whole congregation of

the children of Israel murmured against Moses and aron in the wilderness: and the children of Israel said unto them, God we had

lied by the hand of the lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, and when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have

brought us forth into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.(exodus 16:2-3 KJV) another lie when they needed

water, “wherefore the people did chide with Moses, and said give us water that we may drink.

And Moses said unto them, why chide ye with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the lord? and the people thirsted there for water; and the

people murmured against Moses, and said wherefore is this that thou hast brought us up out of Egypt to kill us our children and our cattle with thirst (Exod. 17:2-3KJV).

Looking at all these, this massage could only come to two conclusions. First is that the desire and plan to replace Moses and his God

have always been there even before they left Egypt. And secondly that the only interest the people had in Moses and his God that led

them to bow and worship was the promise to deliver them from slavery and bondage in Egypt.

 They had neither interest nor plan to have any relationship with moses’s God. to them

moses’s God was only a means of freedom and nothing more. Their loyality, reverence and worship still remain with the gods of the Egyptians.

This accounts for the little or even no reference to God in all their complaints and protest; rather it was all directed to Moses

who, to them brought them out to kill them. So when the opportunity presented itself and Moses was not present replacing both Moses

and his God with gods wasn’t difficult a move we believe they’ve made severally in the past. What a display of deception, hypocrisy, falsehood and unfaithfulness.

If we take a good look at the church today,we will see same high level of Deception and unfaithfulness towards God among those

who claim to be Christians. The proliferation of churches, ministries and prayer houses, and the periodic patronage surge they enjoy

point only to one thing and that is that people have some selfish interest that they hope to use the name of God to serve. And so the

initial zeal dies off once the interest is not served. Because it is honorable to be associated with God, many are now men and

women of God just for the honor. because Christian should be trusted, so many hide under the church to ask for public trust only

to reveal their real selves when their goals have been achieved. I challenged to ask ourselves individually why am I in the church ?

what goal am I set out to achieve? for all my outward commitment and labor in the name of God, what end product do I expect; what is my target?

There was a man who had great zeal for the things of God defended his religion with all

his might and destroying anything that stood on his way until he found that his motive and practice couldn’t have been any more wrong. now he says this “ but what things were gain

to me those I counted loss for Christ. yea doubtless and I count all things but loss for the Excellency of the knowledge of Christ

jesus my lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him not having mine own righteousness, which is of

the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is for God by faith: that I may know him and the power of

his resurrection, and the fellowship of his suffering being made conformable unto his death; (Philippians 3:7-10 KJV). that man is apostle Paul.

Therefore fellow Christians  we are being presented with the truth that anything we do in the name of God, no matter how sacrificial

or demanding it might be; whatever service we render no matter the level of commitment and devotion which our expected end result is

not to know Jesus Christ so intimately that we are ready to die for him is a total loss and

waste of time energy resources. For God is more interested in the depth of your relationship with him that in the level of your

service to him. For any service that is not borne out of relationship and sincere devotion is deceit and hypocrisy. We must remember

that God cannot be mocked, neither can he be deceived. The Israelites thought they were smart, close to worship the lord with their

mouth while their hearts were elsewhere. They paid dearly for that. “So the lord sent a disease on the people because they had

caused Aaron to make the gold bull calf”. (Ex. 32:35 GNB). Remember God is spirit and those that worship him must worship him in

spirit and in truth by seeking close relationship with and giving him undivided devotion, loyalty and reverence. We must

make an intimate relationship with God through Christ the goal of our Christian life for to do otherwise is to lose everything.

! And to him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you faultless before his

throne; to the only wise God be all glory honor and majesty now till the end of the age. Amen.

Shalom..

Also read this…

“The Truth And Consequences Of A Hardened Heart”