Monday, 17th August 2026
Rev Xi An Poon
主題經文「摩西就站在營門中，說：『凡屬耶和華的，都要到我這裏來！』」——出埃及記32:26
引言
每一個人都渴望心裏有平安。
當我們不知道前面的道路、不知道事情何時改變，或者感受不到神的同在時，心裏很容易焦急。我們可能想找一個看得見的答案、一個可以掌握的方法，或者一個能立刻安慰自己的保證。
出埃及記第32章所記載的金牛犢事件，正是從這種不安開始。
摩西上山四十晝夜，領受神關於會幕、祭司和敬拜的吩咐。山上，神正在預備住在百姓中間；山下，百姓卻因為摩西遲遲沒有回來，開始失去平安。
他們對亞倫說：「起來！為我們做神像，可以在我們前面引路；因為領我們出埃及地的那個摩西，我們不知道他遭了甚麼事。」——出埃及記32:1
他們需要的本來不是一隻金牛犢，而是安全感。他們想知道誰會帶領他們，下一步應該怎樣走。可是，他們沒有在不安中繼續等候神，反而按照自己的感覺和方法，製造一個看得見、摸得到的神像。
這提醒我們：人若離開神去尋找平安，最後所抓住的，可能正是使我們遠離神的偶像。
真正的平安，不是事情都在我們掌握之中，也不是我們時刻都感覺得到神；真正的平安，是知道自己屬於神，在看不見的時候仍然等候祂，在眾人的聲音中仍然持守祂的話，在失敗以後仍然願意回到祂面前。
出埃及記第32章藉着百姓、亞倫、摩西和利未人的不同反應，帶領我們看見三個活在主裏平安的屬靈操練。
一、在看不見的時候，仍然等候神
經文「百姓見摩西遲延不下山，就大家聚集到亞倫那裏，對他說：『起來！為我們做神像，可以在我們前面引路。』」——出埃及記32:1
百姓的問題，是他們不能忍受「看不見」和「不知道」。
他們看不見摩西，也不知道摩西遭遇了甚麼事，更不知道接下來應該怎樣走。當他們失去一個看得見的領袖，心裏便失去安全感。
於是，他們要求亞倫造一個可以走在他們前面的神像。
金牛犢在古代近東文化中，常被視為力量、豐盛和能力的象徵。以色列人在埃及生活了四百多年，自然受到埃及宗教文化的影響。當他們感到不安時，便退回自己熟悉的方式，製造一個可以看見和掌握的形像。
他們甚至說：「以色列啊，這是領你出埃及地的神。」——出埃及記32:4
他們未必認為自己完全離棄了耶和華。亞倫後來更宣告：「明日要向耶和華守節。」但他們卻按照自己的感覺和文化重新塑造神，用自己的方法敬拜神。
這正是偶像最危險的地方：偶像不一定公開否認神，也可能仍然保留神的名字，卻把神塑造成我們想要的樣子。
今天，我們未必製造一隻金牛犢，卻可能同樣用感官來判斷神。
禱告後立即看見結果，我們便覺得神垂聽；事情沒有改變，便懷疑神是否仍然同在。聚會中有強烈感動，我們便覺得遇見神；沒有特別感覺，便以為神沒有工作。
感受不是錯的，但感受不能成為信仰的根基。環境也可以成為神的帶領，卻不能取代神的話語。
當我們只相信自己看得見、感受得到的事情，便很容易把短暫的感覺當成神的同在，也把自己的慾望誤認為神的帶領。
真正的平安，不是甚麼事情都看得清楚，而是在看不見的時候，仍然相信神沒有離開；在不知道下一步的時候，仍然安靜等候祂。
神沒有因為摩西仍在山上而離開以色列人。事實上，正當百姓以為神沒有工作時，神正在山上預備會幕，為他們打開一條親近祂的道路。
很多時候，我們看不見神，不等於神沒有工作；我們未得到答案，也不等於神忘記了我們。
活在主裏的平安，就是在看不見的時候，仍然相信神正在工作。
二、在眾人的聲音中，仍然持守神的話
經文「亞倫從他們手裏接過來，鑄了一隻牛犢。」——出埃及記32:4
亞倫是被神揀選的祭司，本來應當把百姓帶到神面前。可是，當百姓向他施加壓力時，他沒有按照神的話語帶領他們，反而按照百姓的要求滿足他們。
百姓要求神像，亞倫便造神像；百姓需要宗教儀式，亞倫便築壇、宣告節期。
他看似滿足了百姓的需要，實際上卻把他們帶進更深的罪中。
這對所有屬靈領袖都是嚴肅的提醒。
牧者和領袖需要體恤人的軟弱、聆聽人的需要，卻不能讓人的需要取代神的真理。真正的帶領，不只是讓人感覺舒服，而是按照神的話語，把人帶回神面前。
今天，很多人所鼓吹的「自由」，可能只是隨意而行：只要自己感覺良好，便認為是神的帶領；只要沒有傷害別人，便認為甚麼都可以。
然而，天國的文化不是沒有界線，也不是每一個人都可以任意而行。天國文化是神掌權的文化。
兒子的身份，本來就是神在基督裏白白賜給我們的恩典。但活出兒子的身份，不只是宣告「我是神的兒女」，更是按照天父的話語而生活。
真正的自由，不是我想做甚麼便做甚麼，而是我不再受罪、人的眼光和感覺轄制，可以自由地選擇順服神。
亞倫的問題，是他太在意人的聲音，以致失去了在神裏面的立場。後來摩西質問他時，他更把責任推給百姓，甚至說：
「我對他們說：『凡有金環的可以摘下來。』他們就給了我；我把金環扔在火中，這牛犢便出來了。」——出埃及記32:24
但經文早已清楚記載，是亞倫親手把金子鑄成牛犢。他不但沒有承擔責任，更企圖淡化自己的錯誤。
當我們依靠人的接納來獲得平安，便會害怕拒絕人，也會害怕承認自己的錯誤。可是，當我們知道自己屬於神，便不需要用討好所有人來證明自己的價值。
活在主裏的平安，不是得到所有人的認同，而是知道自己已經按照神的話語而行，在神面前有一顆無虧的良心。
對領袖而言，真正愛人，不是滿足人所有的要求，而是在愛中說出真理；不是讓人停留在自己喜歡的地方，而是把人帶回神所喜悅的道路。
三、在失敗以後，重新回到神的面前
經文「摩西便懇求耶和華他的神……求你轉意，不發你的烈怒；後悔，不降禍與你的百姓。」——出埃及記32:11–12
「凡屬耶和華的，都要到我這裏來！」——出埃及記32:26
當神告訴摩西百姓已經敗壞，並宣告要審判他們時，摩西沒有只顧自己的前途。
即使神提出要從摩西建立一個大國，摩西仍然站在神與百姓之間，為百姓代求。他的代求建立在三方面：
第一，這些百姓是神親自從埃及拯救出來的；第二，神的名和榮耀不能被外邦人誤解；第三，神曾向亞伯拉罕、以撒和以色列立約。
摩西沒有否認百姓的罪，也沒有為他們的行為找藉口；他卻願意站在破口中，求神憐憫他們。
後來，他甚至對神說：「倘或你肯赦免他們的罪……不然，求你從你所寫的冊上塗抹我的名。」——出埃及記32:32
這讓我們看見一位屬靈領袖的心：不是看見人失敗便放棄他們，而是一面持守真理，一面為他們代求，盼望他們悔改歸回。
摩西下山看見金牛犢和百姓跳舞，便發烈怒，把法版摔碎。法版的破碎表明百姓已經破壞了與神所立的約。他又焚燒金牛犢，把它磨成粉末，撒在水面上，叫百姓喝，顯明這個偶像毫無能力，最終只能成為灰塵。
不過，經文沒有記載神吩咐摩西摔碎法版，也沒有吩咐他把金粉放入水中給百姓喝。因此，我們不能把摩西每一個出於怒氣的行動，都視為今天需要模仿的榜樣。
摩西為神的聖潔而發怒，有其正當的原因；但這也提醒我們，即使我們站在真理的一邊，仍然需要讓自己的情緒接受神的管理。
我們不能因為自己的立場正確，便認為所有表達方式都是正確的。人的怒氣不能完全成就神的義。真正的屬靈領袖，不但要為人代求、勇敢對付罪，也要按照神的心意和方法處理問題。
最後，摩西站在營門中發出一個清楚的呼召：
「凡屬耶和華的，都要到我這裏來！」——出埃及記32:26
利未人在眾人仍然混亂的時候，選擇從人群中分別出來，重新站到神的一邊。這個選擇並不容易，因為他們所要離開的，可能包括自己的親人、朋友和熟悉的群體。
但真正的悔改不能只停留在感覺裏，必須包括一個清楚的選擇：離開錯誤，重新歸向神。
利未人在當時所執行的，是舊約立約群體特殊處境中的審判，不能成為今天使用暴力的根據。今天，我們不是拿刀對付犯罪的人，而是靠着神的話語，對付自己生命中的偶像、妥協和悖逆。
出埃及記第32章最後讓我們看見，罪仍然帶來嚴重後果，百姓受到審判和管教。真正的平安不是假裝沒有犯罪，也不是逃避罪的後果，而是承認自己的罪，接受神的管教，重新回到神面前。
對今天的信徒而言，摩西的代求更指向耶穌基督。摩西願意站在百姓與神之間，但他自己仍然是不完全的人；唯有耶穌是完全的中保，親自擔當我們的罪，使我們可以藉着祂重新與父神和好。
因此，我們的平安不是建立在自己從來沒有失敗，而是建立在基督已經為我們成就的救恩。
總結
出埃及記第32章讓我們看見，以色列人製造金牛犢，並不是因為他們不想要平安，而是因為他們用錯誤的方法尋找平安。
他們不能等候神，便製造一個看得見的神像；亞倫害怕人的聲音，便用妥協滿足百姓；摩西為百姓代求，也呼召他們重新站在神的一邊。
這一章帶領我們明白，如何活在主裏的平安：
第一，在看不見的時候，仍然等候神；
第二，在眾人的聲音中，仍然持守神的話；
第三，在失敗以後，藉着中保重新回到神面前。
真正的平安，不是所有事情都在我們掌握之中，也不是我們時刻都感覺得到神。
真正的平安，是即使看不見，仍然相信神正在工作；即使人的聲音很大，仍然選擇順服神；即使曾經失敗，仍然相信靠着耶穌基督，可以悔改並重新回到父神面前。
活出兒子的身份，不是隨意而行，而是相信父神、順服父神，也安心地把生命交在祂手中。
我們不需要為自己製造一個可以控制的「金牛犢」，因為我們已經有一位信實的父。當我們知道自己屬於祂，按照祂的話語而活，心裏便能得着世界不能給予、環境也不能奪去的平安。
省察
- 當我看不見神的作為時，我能否仍然相信神正在工作，安靜等候祂？
- 我是否過度依靠環境、感覺、人的肯定或自己能夠掌握的事物，來獲得安全感？
- 面對人的要求和壓力時，我是選擇討好人，還是帶着愛心持守神的話語？
- 我所追求的自由，是順服天父的自由，還是不願受神話語約束的隨意？
- 我生命中是否有甚麼正在取代神，成為我尋找平安的「金牛犢」？
- 今天，神是否正呼召我離開妥協，重新站到祂的一邊，活在基督所賜的平安裏？
Theme Verse
“Then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, ‘Whoever is on the LORD’s side—come to me!’”
—Exodus 32:26, NKJV
Introduction
Everyone longs for peace.
When we do not know what lies ahead, when we do not know when our circumstances will change, or when we cannot feel God’s presence, anxiety can easily enter our hearts. We may begin looking for a visible answer, something we can control, or a promise that will immediately make us feel secure.
The golden calf incident in Exodus 32 began with this kind of insecurity.
Moses had been on the mountain for forty days and forty nights, receiving God’s instructions concerning the tabernacle, the priests, and worship. On the mountain, God was preparing to dwell among His people. At the foot of the mountain, however, the Israelites were losing their peace because Moses had not yet returned.
They said to Aaron:
“Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses…we do not know what has become of him.”
—Exodus 32:1, NKJV
What they truly needed was not a golden calf. They needed a sense of security. They wanted to know who would lead them and where they should go next.
However, instead of continuing to wait for God, they followed their own feelings and created something they could see and touch.
This reminds us that when we look for peace apart from God, the very thing we hold on to may eventually become an idol that draws us away from Him.
True peace does not mean that everything is under our control. Neither does it mean that we can always feel God’s presence. True peace comes from knowing that we belong to God—waiting for Him when we cannot see, holding on to His Word when other voices are loud, and returning to Him after we have failed.
Transition
Through the different responses of the people, Aaron, Moses, and the Levites, Exodus 32 shows us three spiritual practices that help us live in the peace of the Lord.
- When We Cannot See, Continue to Wait for God
Scripture
“Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron…”
—Exodus 32:1, NKJV
The problem of the Israelites was that they could not bear the uncertainty of not seeing and not knowing.
They could not see Moses. They did not know what had happened to him, and they did not know where they should go next. When they lost sight of their visible leader, they also lost their sense of security.
Therefore, they asked Aaron to make an image that could go before them.
In the ancient Near East, a calf or bull was often regarded as a symbol of strength, power, and fertility. The Israelites had lived in Egypt for more than four hundred years and had naturally been influenced by its religious culture.
When they became anxious, they returned to something familiar and created an image they could see and control.
They even declared:
“This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
—Exodus 32:4, NKJV
They may not have believed that they were completely rejecting the LORD. Aaron even announced, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” However, they reshaped God according to their own feelings and culture, and they tried to worship Him in their own way.
This is what makes idolatry so dangerous. An idol does not always openly reject God. It may continue to use God’s name while reshaping Him into the kind of God we want Him to be.
Today, we may not build a golden calf, but we can still judge God by what we see and feel.
When we pray and immediately see an answer, we believe that God has heard us. When nothing changes, we begin to wonder whether He is still with us. When we feel deeply moved during worship, we believe that we have encountered God. When we feel nothing special, we may assume that God is not working.
Feelings are not necessarily wrong, but they cannot become the foundation of our faith. Circumstances may sometimes be used by God to guide us, but they cannot replace His Word.
If we only believe what we can see and feel, we may mistake temporary emotions for God’s presence and our own desires for God’s direction.
True peace does not mean that we can see everything clearly. It means that when we cannot see, we still believe God has not left us. When we do not know the next step, we continue to wait quietly for Him.
God had not abandoned Israel simply because Moses was still on the mountain. In fact, while the people believed that nothing was happening, God was preparing the tabernacle and opening a way for them to draw near to Him.
When we cannot see God, it does not mean that He is not working. When an answer has not yet come, it does not mean that God has forgotten us.
To live in the peace of the Lord is to believe that God is still working, even when we cannot see Him.
- When Other Voices Are Loud, Continue to Hold On to God’s Word
Scripture
“And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.”
—Exodus 32:4, NKJV
Aaron had been chosen by God to serve as a priest. His responsibility was to bring the people before God.
However, when the people pressured him, he did not lead them according to God’s Word. Instead, he gave them what they demanded.
When the people asked for an image, Aaron made one. When they wanted a religious ceremony, he built an altar and announced a feast.
It appeared that Aaron was meeting the people’s needs, but he was actually leading them more deeply into sin.
This is a serious warning for every spiritual leader.
Pastors and leaders must care about people’s weaknesses and listen to their needs, but human needs must never replace God’s truth. True leadership is not simply making people feel comfortable. It is leading them back to God according to His Word.
Today, what some people call “freedom” may simply mean doing whatever feels right. If something feels good, they assume it must be God’s leading. If they believe it does not harm anyone, they think everything is acceptable.
However, the culture of the kingdom is not a culture without boundaries. Neither is it a culture in which everyone does whatever they want. The culture of the kingdom is a culture in which God reigns.
Our identity as God’s children is a gift of grace that we receive through Christ. But living out that identity involves more than declaring, “I am a child of God.” It means living according to the Word of our heavenly Father.
True freedom does not mean that I can do whatever I want. It means that I am no longer controlled by sin, people’s opinions, or my feelings. I am free to choose obedience to God.
Aaron’s problem was that he cared too much about the people’s voices and lost his position before God. When Moses confronted him, Aaron blamed the people and even said:
“I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”
—Exodus 32:24, NKJV
However, the passage had already made it clear that Aaron himself fashioned the gold into a calf. Instead of taking responsibility, he tried to minimise his failure.
When we depend on people’s approval for peace, we become afraid of disappointing them. We may also become afraid of admitting our mistakes.
But when we know that we belong to God, we do not need to please everyone in order to prove our worth.
Living in the peace of the Lord does not mean gaining everyone’s approval. It means knowing that we have acted according to God’s Word and that our conscience is clear before Him.
For spiritual leaders, truly loving people does not mean fulfilling every request. It means speaking the truth in love. It means not allowing people to remain where they are comfortable, but leading them back to the way that pleases God.
- After We Fail, Return to God
Scripture
“Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God…‘Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.’”
—Exodus 32:11–12, NKJV
“Whoever is on the LORD’s side—come to me!”
—Exodus 32:26, NKJV
When God told Moses that the people had corrupted themselves and declared that judgment would come upon them, Moses did not think only about his own future.
Even when God offered to make a great nation from Moses, he continued to stand between God and the people and intercede for them.
Moses based his intercession on three things.
First, these were the people whom God had personally delivered from Egypt. Second, the honour of God’s name must not be misunderstood by the surrounding nations. Third, God had made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.
Moses did not deny the people’s sin or make excuses for their actions. Nevertheless, he stood in the gap and asked God to show mercy.
Later, Moses even said:
“Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”
—Exodus 32:32, NKJV
This reveals the heart of a spiritual leader. He does not abandon people when they fail. He holds on to the truth while interceding for them, longing for them to repent and return to God.
When Moses came down from the mountain and saw the golden calf and the people dancing, he became angry and broke the tablets.
The broken tablets visibly demonstrated that the people had broken their covenant with God. Moses then burned the calf, ground it into powder, scattered it on the water, and made the people drink it. This showed that the idol had no power and would ultimately become nothing more than dust.
However, the passage does not tell us that God commanded Moses to break the tablets or to make the people drink the water containing the gold powder. Therefore, we should not assume that every action Moses took in anger is an example for us to follow.
Moses had a legitimate reason to be angry over the people’s sin, but this also reminds us that even when we stand for the truth, our emotions must still come under God’s control.
We cannot assume that every method we use is right simply because our position is right. Human anger cannot fully produce the righteousness of God.
A spiritual leader must intercede for people and confront sin courageously, but he must also deal with problems according to God’s heart and God’s ways.
Moses eventually stood at the entrance of the camp and issued a clear call:
“Whoever is on the LORD’s side—come to me!”
—Exodus 32:26, NKJV
While the camp was still in confusion, the Levites separated themselves from the crowd and chose to stand on the Lord’s side.
This would not have been an easy decision. They may have had to separate themselves from relatives, friends, and people with whom they had close relationships.
But genuine repentance cannot remain only as a feeling. It requires a clear decision: to leave what is wrong and return to God.
The judgment carried out by the Levites belonged to Israel’s unique covenant setting in the Old Testament. It must never be used to justify violence against those who disagree with us today.
Our battle is not against flesh and blood. Today, we use God’s Word to confront the idols, compromises, and rebellion within our own lives.
At the end of Exodus 32, we see that sin still brought serious consequences. The people experienced God’s judgment and discipline.
True peace does not come from pretending that we have not sinned or escaping the consequences of our actions. It comes from confessing our sin, receiving God’s correction, and returning to Him.
For believers today, the intercession of Moses points us to Jesus Christ.
Moses was willing to stand between God and the people, but he was still an imperfect man. Jesus is the perfect Mediator who bore our sins and made it possible for us to be reconciled to the Father.
Therefore, our peace is not based on never having failed. It is based on the salvation that Christ has already accomplished for us.
Conclusion
Exodus 32 shows us that the Israelites made the golden calf not because they did not want peace, but because they tried to find peace in the wrong way.
They could not wait for God, so they made a visible image. Aaron feared the voices of the people, so he compromised to satisfy them. Moses interceded for the people and called them to return to the Lord’s side.
This chapter teaches us how to live in the peace of the Lord:
First, when we cannot see, we continue to wait for God.
Second, when other voices are loud, we continue to hold on to God’s Word.
Third, after we fail, we return to God through our Mediator.
True peace does not mean that everything is under our control. Neither does it mean that we can always feel God’s presence.
True peace means believing that God is working even when we cannot see Him. It means choosing to obey God even when other voices are loud. It means believing that even after we have failed, we can repent and return to the Father through Jesus Christ.
Living as a child of God does not mean doing whatever we want. It means trusting our Father, obeying Him, and confidently placing our lives in His hands.
We do not need to create a “golden calf” that we can control, because we already have a faithful Father.
When we know that we belong to Him and live according to His Word, our hearts can receive a peace that the world cannot give and our circumstances cannot take away.
Reflection
- When I cannot see what God is doing, can I still believe that He is working and wait quietly for Him?
- Am I depending too much on my circumstances, feelings, people’s approval, or things I can control in order to feel secure?
- When I face pressure from others, do I try to please them, or do I lovingly hold on to God’s Word?
- Is the freedom I pursue the freedom to obey my heavenly Father, or the freedom to live without the boundaries of His Word?
- Is there anything in my life that has become a “golden calf”—something I depend on for peace in place of God?
- Is God calling me today to leave compromise behind, stand on His side again, and live in the peace that Christ gives?
Zion Bread of Life Christian Church 
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