Corrupted שָׁחַת

We are in chapter thirty-two of Exodus with our word for today. שָׁחַת ruin, destroy, annihilate, behave corruptly. It is used 142 times in the Old Testament. Our word is used the most in the sense to destroy completely or damage irreparably. A good example of this is in God’s description of how he will respond to the people’s sin at that time. Genesis 6:13, 17 I מַשְׁחִיתָ֖ם will destroy them … I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth לְשַׁחֵ֣ת to destroy all flesh. What is interesting is that right before this God describes how bad the people’s sin actually is with our word. Genesis 6:11-12 Now the earth וַתִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת was corrupt in God's sight ... it נִשְׁחָ֑תָה was corrupt, for all flesh הִשְׁחִ֧ית had corrupted their way on the earth. Did you catch this? Because the people had destroyed themselves God would then destroy them and the earth he made for them. This is the same word but in the sense of corrupting oneself. This sense of the word is how our word is used in our chapter for today. Our word is used in connection with making and worshiping idols. Deuteronomy 4:16, 25 Beware lest you תַּשְׁחִת֔וּן act corruptly by making a carved image for yourselves, in the form of any figure. This corrupting one’s self with the making and worship of idols is what our chapter is about. Exodus 32:7-8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, שִׁחֵ֣ת have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” Did you catch how God describes what this corruption entails? He says that they have turned aside out of the way he commanded them. We know he is talking about his very first commandment he gave them which was to have no other gods before him. And in the next verse, which is Exodus 20:4, God says not to make carved image or anything in heaven or earth to bow down and worship it. This is exactly what they were doing. The irony is also very heavy with the people asking Aaron to make for them gods instead of worshiping the true God who created them and all things. What was the motivation for such corruption? We find this early in our chapter that Moses was taking too long. Exodus 32:1 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. This is also interesting that they would say that Moses brought them up out of Egypt when it was always God. But people like us like to have visual people and things in front of us to believe and trust in. And we struggle to have patience for the invisible God to work things out in his timing. It is also interesting that Aaron not only makes these gods, makes an altar to sacrifice to them but flat out says that they would have a feast to YHWH. This is another way to say they are the true god. He even claims these idols actually brought them up out of the land of Egypt! Wow that is crazy! He is actually redefining or making the true God YWHW into what he and the people want. This is what is so dangerous with idolatry. We project what we want on to God instead of humbly submitting to who he is the reality God, YWHW the ever existing reality. Well true to his name the reality God will show Aaron and the people what is really going to happen. Because again whatever God desires to happen becomes reality in his time and in his way. I’ll close with two great passages in the New Testament. The first is a warning and the second is a good report of how the Christians in Thessalonica were embracing their new life in Christ. Notice how this transformation is described as turning to God from idols. 1 John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. 1 Thessalonians 1:6-10 For they themselves report ... how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.