(READ: EXO. 32:1-61And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 2And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 5And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord. 6And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. (Exodus 32:1‑6); DEU. 5:14; 25:4; PSA. 1:10; 144: 9-15; PROV. 15:1717Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. (Proverbs 15:17); Luke 15:18-2418I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, 19And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants. 20And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. 21And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. (Luke 15:18‑24); PHIL. 4:10-1310But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity. 11Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philippians 4:10‑13).)
XO 32:1-6{EU 5:14{EU 25:4{SA 1:10{SA 144:9-15{RO 15:17{UK 15:18-24{HI 4:10-13{
OXEN are very frequently met with in the pages of holy writ, not only mentioned as oxen, but also as cattle, bulls, cows, calves and heifers—all members of the same big family, and all used by the Jews not alone for purposes of sacrifice, but also largely employed where we should use horses for pulling carts and wagons or for plowing the fields. When we leave England we find to-day in many of the continental countries that much useful work is still undertaken by these creatures.
We have considered the sheep in connection with the offering of sacrifices to God—richer people would bring an ox—and so in this chapter I propose rather to look at some of the other ways to which the ox may profitably lead our thoughts.
If treated in an intelligent manner oxen can be trained to pull heavy loads, and in the Bible the idea of patient power seems frequently indicated by them. It is not hard to imagine teams of them drawing up material for building purposes when the Jews were established in the "land flowing with milk and honey." Certainly it must have been a land of much cattle, a land of plenty if only the people had recognized what they owed to the God who had delivered them from the hard taskmasters of Egypt. But alas! How soon they failed to remember their God, and then how their enemies inevitably triumphed over them.
On one occasion even the sacred ark of the tabernacle fell into hostile hands, but it did no good to its temporary owners, on whom an awful plague immediately fell, so that they decided to place it in a new cart to which were harnessed two "milch kine"—or, as we should say, cows—that had never done work of this sort before. And these kine, although deprived of their calves, brought the ark safely and miraculously back again without human guidance.
I propose now that we shall have four separate little talks suggested by the contemplation of this animal, and for the sake of simplicity, let us have four distinct headings, as follows: (1)God's claims.
Work and its reward.
Idolatry.
Contentment.
(1)God's Claims
Has it ever occurred to you that God has definite claims on each one of us? You may wonder how such a thought is suggested by oxen, so I will satisfy your curiosity at once. In Psa. 1 we read that God says, "Every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." An Israelite with a large number of well-favored cattle on the mountain side might proudly point to them and say, "My cattle, my oxen"—but think a moment, the psalm clearly states that the cattle upon a thousand hills belong to God. What does this mean? Surely that the Israelite held them, as it were, in trust for God, and God expects each one of us to use our possessions in His service. Oxen were an expression of the wealth of their owners, even as to-day in South Africa the Ber farmer will harness all his oxen to his wagon—thereby giving an idea of wealth, and many of the Jews' wealth in those days was measured by the amount of livestock they possessed.
Are we not often ready to assert our claims over our own things, do we not often find ourselves saying with an air of great satisfaction, "That's mine, all mine," and often if asked to share it with another may be tempted to say, "Why should I? it's mine!" But if it is yours, remember it is really God's, He allows you to hold it for Him. "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." How much there is that we all have that we do not use in His service! We are too ready to stand up for our rights, but do we consider enough God's claims on us, God's rights over us and all that we have? I think that if we did, we should less frequently use that big "I," and we should be far more ready to share our cherished possessions with others.
Think of the "cattle upon a thousand hills" belonging to God, when you are considering all the good things you have, and then it may lead you to think of others who have not so much. I have heard of young people who, whenever they were given a new toy, immediately gave one of their other toys to Dr. Barnardo's or some other organization that endeavors to brighten the lives of children not so favorably placed. Let us hope that in so doing they were recognizing God's claims. And above all remember that "the Lord loveth a cheerful giver.”
(2)Work and Its Reward the Ox Worked and Worked Hard; It Is No Easy Job for a Team of Oxen to Plow a Big Field or to Draw a Heavy Load, but Patiently the Big Beast Set About and Plodded Through Its Work. When David the Psalmist Was Looking Forward to a Day in Which the Voice of the People Would Be Loud in the Praise of Jehovah, He Exclaimed, "Happy Is That People Whose God Is the Lord," and One of the Things He Looks for in the Ideal State Is "That Our Oxen May Be Strong to Labor"—Ready to Work for the Good of Man; and What a Good Thing Hard Work Is! Even If "All Work and No Play Makes Jack a Dull Boy," It Is Still More True That All Play and No Work Would Make Him Absolutely Miserable, Dull and Stupid. the Ox Was Kept for the Good Work It Could Do; We Get a Thought of This in the Parable of the Wedding Supper, Where One of the Guests Made the Excuse That He Could Not Go to the Feast Because He Had "Bought Five Yoke of Oxen" and He Had to Go and Prove Them, That Is, He Wanted to Find Out Whether They Were Fit for Hard Work. Quite a Wise Thing to Do, but What a Very Poor Excuse for Absence! Let Us See That No Such Feeble Excuse Is Used by Us for Neglecting the Things of God.
How thoughtful God is for all His creatures! He knew that it would be necessary for man to have rest from his daily toil, and he wanted him to have one day in which he would be able to remember his God. But His goodness did not stop here, it even extended to the animals, for in the fourth commandment of His law, relating to the sabbath, after saying that man must do no work, He goes on to add, "nor thine ox, nor thine ass"—the ox must be allowed his day of rest too, and dire would be the consequence to his master if he harnessed his ox on the seventh day. We, too, have our one day of rest in our Sundays: do we make good use of it?
But one thought more: "Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn" is another of God's laws, still further showing how He cared for the animals. He saw that greedy masters might try to stop their oxen from having a mouthful or two of food when hungry as they worked in the fields. I think we have very definite proof of this, for when this commandment is quoted in 1 Tim. 5:1818For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his reward. (1 Timothy 5:18) it goes on to say, "And the laborer is worthy of his hire." If God thus cares for the welfare of the ox, surely He will not let us go without our reward if we work in His service—not that we should work for the sake of the reward, we should rather work for love of Him.
(3)Idolatry the First Idol That We Read the Children of Israel Worshipped Was a Calf, a Calf of Gold, Made From the Golden Earrings That Were Brought Out of Egypt, Proof of the Wonderful Way in Which God Had Saved His People. You Remember How God Said to the Israelites, "I Am the Lord Thy God, Which Have Brought Thee Out of the Land of Egypt, Out of the House of Bondage. Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me"; This Was a Definite Command, and We Should Have Expected Obedience on the Part of His Chosen People, but Instead of This, As Soon As Moses, Their Leader, Had Ascended the Holy Mount, They Decided to Make the Golden Calf. Hastily They Gave up Their Golden Earrings, and These Were Melted Down, the Molten Mass Being Fashioned Into the Shape of a Calf. Then They Actually Bowed Down to This Graven Image Saying, "These Be Thy Gods, O Israel, Which Brought Thee up Out of the Land of Egypt." Such Is the Human Heart! Such Is Yours and Mine! Is It Any Wonder That Moses Was Angry When He Came Down, or That He Hurled Down the Tables of Stone so That They Broke? Is It Any Wonder That Plague Came and Vexed the People? Then Moses Put That Searching Question, "Who Is on the Lord's Side?" May I Too Put That Same Question to You to-Day: "Who Is on the Lord's Side?”
I know you are thinking that you would not have worshipped that golden calf, you would not have been guilty of idolatry! But what is an idol? Let me give you my definition: "An idol is something that takes the place of the true God." Does not that come home to each one of us? A man may make wealth his idol. Think of the rich man who had much goods laid up for many years, and said to his soul, "Take thine ease, eat, drink and be merry," but God said, "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee." He had made an idol of his wealth, but others may similarly devote their lives to pleasure. Many there are who seem to live only for pleasure, leaving God out of their thoughts.
Truly idolatry comes nearer home to us than we often imagine.
Sport, business, and many other things, quite right and proper in their place, may become idols unless we are watchful. If this were not so the Apostle John in his letter to Christians would not have said, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols." We all need this preservation, not once in a way, but daily, hourly.
(4)Contentment How Little Real Contentment We See Around Us Nowadays. a Writer for One of the Big London Newspapers Took Special Notice in Some of London's Busiest Thoroughfares Lately and Found That Not One in Ten of the People Who Hurried by Looked Happy and Contented. Surely Discontent Is Written on Many a Face to-Day. Every One Seems to Want Something New, Some New Pleasure, Some New Thrill, Some New Pastime, but True Joy and Happiness Are Lacking.
King Solomon, knowing the value of contentment, said in one of his proverbs, "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith." Certainly a dinner of herbs does not sound a very attractive dish, but the choicest banquet is absolutely ruined where there is strife, when contentment is absent. The ox was given to us for food, the stalled ox was specially fattened for the table, but all to no purpose when contentment was missing.
How different is the allusion in the parable of the prodigal son, who realized that he had sinned, and returned home repentant, to be welcomed by the father who said, "Bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat and be merry." There was truly a scene of contentment and joy.
In another section of this one great parable we read, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth." I wonder how much each of us knows of the spirit of confessing our sins at the feet of One who is "faithful and just to forgive us our sins"? This One, our Savior and Lord, can give spiritual contentment.
The Apostle Paul could say: "I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content"; he said he "knew how to be hungry," yes, and be content to be hungry. When we read of all the hardships he was called upon to suffer, all the persecution, surely we can but marvel at the divine grace which was evident in all his life, but we find the key to it in his own words: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me";—"all things" there is no limit to that, and I think you will agree that in his life this was no idle boast.
It has been said that millionaires are the most miserable of all people, they have everything that money can buy, but how little that is worth having can be purchased, certainly true contentment never came that way. "Give me neither poverty nor riches," said one who knew the vanity of wealth. Surely great happiness is to be found in a knowledge, a personal knowledge, of the Lord Jesus, the One who will give us strength to do what we are called upon to do, who would say to us, "My grace is sufficient for thee," and if we put our trust in Him and none in ourselves, we may be able to know true contentment and say, "I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content," and so to be ever to His praise and glory.
“O keep us, love divine, near Thee,
That we our nothingness may know,
And ever to Thy glory be
Walking in faith while here below.”