They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ —
Exodus 32:8
Israel had experienced God’s miraculous deliverance after 430 years of bondage in Egypt. They had seen God demonstrate His power in awesome ways, split the Red Sea and destroy their enemies right before their eyes. However, after rebelling against God and creating their own idol or golden calf out of their earrings, they now actually referred to it as the god that brought them out of Egypt. How could anyone be so insincere and disingenuous?Exodus 32:8
This was a clear distortion of history and facts. Human nature sometimes has a tendency to subtly and systematically replace truth with falsehood. When we fall out with a person, institution or government, we easily dismiss or trivialise all the good they have done in the past. It is commonplace to hear divorcees totally condemn everything about their former partner, including what they extolled as their virtues in the good times.
Embracing falsehood is like walking down a slippery path. The Bible says the people turned aside quickly. This form of self-deception starts subtly and easily degenerates into a rapid spiral of retrogression. Beyond a point, a person living a lie audaciously attempts to rewrite history or distort the sequence of past events in their lives just to make their point. This deliberate distortion of facts ultimately has a negative effect on individuals, organisations and even nations. Psalms 34:13 says “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from telling lies.”
Prayer:
Lord, may my life be anchored in the unwavering pillars of truth and integrity.Scripture Reading:
Exodus 32:7-14
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