What a whopper!

There are advantages to being self-employed. I as the employee (me) never have to waste time coming up with reasons (excuses, lies, whoppers) to tell my boss (also me) why I can’t make it in to work. (I’m a mean boss. I never let myself get away with anything!) I found some real whoppers on the internet to share with you now.

The ozone in the air flattened my tires.
My pressure cooker had exploded and scared my sister, so I have to stay home.
I had to attend the funeral of my wife’s cousin’s pet because I’m the uncle and pallbearer.
I was blocked in by police raiding my home.
I had to testify against a drug dealer, and the dealer’s friend mugged me.
My roots were showing, and I have to keep my hair appointment because I look like a mess.
I ate cat food instead of tuna and am deathly ill.
I’m not sick, but my llama is. (Okay, this one would work for me because we have llamas at the ranch.)
I used a hair remover under my arms and had chemical burns as a result. I couldn’t put my arms down by my sides due to that.
I’m bowling the game of my life and couldn’t make it to work.
I’m experiencing traumatic stress from a large spider found in my home. I have to stay home to deal with the spider.
I have better things to do.
I ate too much birthday cake.
I was bitten by a duck.

Did you know there are whoppers in the Bible too? I’m going to tell you one just one of them today.

Aaron, the brother of Moses, had been with him from the beginning of delivering the people from Egypt. He was present during the “discussions” with the Pharaoh, witnesses the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea and all of the miracles of God.

In Exodus 20 God gives out the Ten Commandments. The first one is, you may worship no other God but me. The second is, you shall not make any images resembling animals, birds, or fish. You must never bow down to an image or worship it. The first two, must be important then, right?

But later in verse 23, God reminds them again not to make or worship idols made of silver, gold, or anything else. Must be important if God gives another reminder.

In Exodus 29 Aaron and his sons become consecrated as priests to serve God.

Now comes the tale of the whopper. (See Exodus 32) Moses went up Mount Sinai to speak with God. When he didn’t come back down right away the people went to Aaron and asked him to make them a god to lead them, as Moses, who brought them from Egypt, has disappeared; something must have happened to him. So Aaron tells them to bring him all their gold earrings. Seriously Aaron? You couldn’t have told them to be patient and wait, remind them of all God has done for them so far, and refuse to bow down to their peer pressure? Nope, he didn’t.

Aaron melted the gold, then molded and tooled it into the form of a calf. Some Bible scholars think this took at least two days. So he made an idol in the shape of an animal out of gold. What a short memory of God’s commands. When Aaron saw how happy the people were about the golden calf, he also built an altar and told them there would be a big feast tomorrow to Jehovah. (Yikes!) So everybody gets up real early the next day and begins offering burnt offerings to the idol, then started the big party which included food and drink and orgies (sexual immorality).

Meanwhile, back on the mountain top, God tells Moses to get back down quickly as the people are defiling themselves and have abandoned all of His laws. God also told Moses that they molded a calf and worshiped it, sacrificed to it, while exclaiming, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of Egypt.”

Don’t go anywhere, it gets better. (Or worse, I should say.) Moses comes down, sees whats going on, gets mad, takes the calf, melts it in the fire, grinds the leftover powder from it, throws in upon the water and makes the people drink it. Then he turns to Aaron and asks him. “What in the world did the people do to you to make you bring such a terrible sin upon themselves?”

“Don’t get upset,” Aaron replies, “You know these people and what a wicked bunch they are. They told me to make them a god, so I told them to bring me their gold earrings, and I threw them into the fire, and…well…this calf came out!” Really, all by itself? Amazing!

What a whopper! Because I’ve never done anything like that! Ooooweeee talk about a whopper!

But there is encouragement in this for me and for you. Aaron was still allowed to be the priest attending to sacrifices in the Tabernacle. This was before the blood atoning sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. And because of this mind-blowing thing that Jesus has done, we are forgiven for our whoppers. Thank you!

But that does not mean we get to knowingly continue telling whoppers or committing sins. We should be so incredibly grateful that we pray the following:

“You didn’t have to do what you’ve done for me, so to show you how much I appreciate it, I commit myself to live beyond what you require. Not because I have to, but because I want and I desire to. Because I love you. Which wouldn’t have been possible but that You first loved me.” And God responds by wrapping His arms around me, and shares with me the full extent of His love and His presence.

I prefer to live with His constant presence enveloping me. Not bowing to peer pressure is the harder path, but the one with the eternally amazing outcome, being in heaven, forever, with Jesus!

So draw some lines in the sand, stand firm for Who you believe, and you will be richly rewarded, even when it gets hard.