THE GOLDEN CALF OF CHRISTMAS

The WEDDING FEAST OF THE LAMB Online Interactive Class begins today December 19, 2016 at 1:00 PM MST. It’s not too late to register! We will be exploring choosing the Marriage Contract to the King of Kings or the Golden Calf => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2016/12/17/choose-this-day-the-golden-calf-or-his-marriage-contract/. We will be exploring choosing to be a wise virgin or a foolish virgin => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2016/12/17/choose-this-day-wise-virgins-and-foolish-virgins/. We will be exploring being tethered to eternity or the temporal realm => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/christmas-tether-to-space-time/.

Amazing at it may seem it all revolves around the Golden Calf of Christmas.  Have you ever looked at the story of the Golden Calf in Scripture in Exodus 32 and applied its lessons to yourself and your family? You and I should, especially since even the elect are being deceived (Matt 24:24).

Christians say Christmas only represents a truth in God’s Word and that the Baby Jesus is merely a representation of the Most High, whom we intend to worship in and through this image of Christmas, not the image itself. As with the Golden Calf, it is not a sufficient plea that we do not worship the image, but God through the image. A feast said to be a feast to Jehovah is not necessarily as we say. God will be the Judge.

Aaron and God’s people were so strongly and grossly sensual, they did not imagine that this image was itself a god nor did they plan to terminate their adoration. They made the Golden Calf a representation of the True God, whom they intended to worship in and through this image. Remember when you regard Christmas being the golden calf of America that His thoughts are not like ours, nor are His ways like ours (Isaiah 55:8). The more I contemplate the manger scenes at Christmas time, the more I see that it is indeed a “golden” commemoration of Christ’s birth.

The truth and beauty that Christ came as a babe in a manger does not give us license for it to be set aside for a particular purpose with the literal graven image of Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes funneling worship. This concept also applied to the Golden Calf. The truth and beauty of God bringing His people out of Egypt and taking them to the Promise Land did not justify the creation and worship of the Golden Calf. It seemed that the Israelites forgot that the Lord had already instituted a festival for His family called Passover for these exact same purposes; and He set it as a permanent or eternal ordinance (Exodus 12:14). WILL WE FOLLOW HISTORY IN CHOOSING TO PARTY WITH THE WORLD, OR WILL WE CHOOSE TO PARTY AT THE WEDDING FEAST OF THE LAMB WITH THE KING OF KINGS?

Does Aaron’s proclamation “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord” ring as our Christian proclamations for Christmas? Since the feast to honor Jesus’ birth is just a re-adaptation of the age-old Babylonian worship of the mother and child, we need to examine this lamb of Christmas that we have been offering as worship to the King. Every feast to the Lord is meant to be dedicated to Him. To dedicate something means to set it apart for a definite use or to devote to the worship of a divine being. Yet, this festival, which Aaron and God’s people dedicated to Jehovah, was not only offensive to Him; but it also invoked His judgment. They set aside the Golden Calf for “sacred use” to commemorate their being brought out of Egypt. It was to serve as an intermediary, like Moses, in leading them to the Promise Land. Harmless it seemed. They believed they were genuinely devoting themselves to worshipping the God of Israel. But God is neither fooled nor mocked.

The Lord saw into the heart of the matter, the people had corrupted themselves with crass idolatry. “If we had turned away from worshiping our God, and were worshipping idols, would God not know it? Yes, He knows the secrets of every heart” (Psalm 44:20-21_TLB). God’s people believed that they were worshiping the big “E” Elohim (the Most High God), but the Lord saw the motives of their hearts and said that they had worshiped little “e” elohim (gods/demons) instead. They had turned aside quickly out of the way for which God commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, worshipped it, sacrificed to it, and said, “This is your god, O Israel that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” (Exodus 32:7-8).

The Lord’s people were eager to celebrate the feast of the Golden Calf just as we have been with Christmas. “They rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play” (Exodus 32:6_NKJV). Had they offered these sacrifices to Jehovah without the intervention of an image, the sacrifices may have been accepted. “An altar of earth you shall make for Me, and you shall sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen, In every place where I record My name I will come to you, and I will bless you” (Exodus 20:24_NKJV). However, having set up an image before them as a symbol of God’s Presence and in their emulation of the idolatrous worship of Egypt, they “exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator” (Romans 1:23_NASB).

Rather than discouraging the people’s idolatrous hearts, Aaron’s demand for the people’s gold seemed to gratify their superstition. Their readiness to part with the wealth of their ears showed the extravagance with which they were willing to shower upon their affection for this form of worship. The Israelites seemed more ready, willing, and able to invest in their own invented form of worship; than abide by the worship God designed, and still desires. The big question that needs to be addressed by our royal switch in polarity: For Christians, does our own readiness to part with our hard-earned money in our extravagant indulgence of Christmas please God or not?

According to the ancient rites of worship, the people offered sacrifice(s) to this new made deity, and they feasted on the sacrifice.” Likewise, Christians make sacrifices to celebrate Christmas in style. We eagerly rise early on Christmas morning to celebrate this festival memorializing Christ’s birth. We feast on the sacrifices we have made in giving gifts to one another in honor of Jesus’ birth.

Having at the expense of their gold earrings made their god, God’s people endeavored at the expense of their beasts to make their golden god propitious. The Israelites thought their God-ordained sacrifices would make the Lord favorably disposed toward their benevolent gestures.  Christians believe that our generous giving to worthy charitable causes at Christmastime in fulfillment of God-given directives is evidence that Jesus is pleased, and favorably disposed, to our celebration of His birth. The propitious end the Israelites accomplished was neither advantageous, nor prosperous as they had hoped; but it did portend a future event whose sacrifices are also atrocities in His eyes.

When the folly of the Golden Calf is spoken about in 1 Corinthians 10:7, it says, “they sat down to eat and drink.” They consumed what was sacrificed, then “rose up to play.” What do we do on Christmas morn? We consume the gifts given to us in the honor of our Savior and we rise up to play with them usually for the rest of the day. The Israelites rose up to play the fool – to play the wanton. Don’t the believers in Jesus Christ of Nazareth who celebrate Christmas do that too?

“When Moses saw that the people were out of control,” he called for “whoever is for the Lord, come to me!” (Exodus 32:25-26). Lacking self-control and extravagance were fruits of the celebrants of the Golden Calf, as it is evident today at Christmastime too. I’m all for abundance and giving generously. Just ask anyone who’s been to one of my tea parties! In fact, giving gifts is one of my love languages, but we don’t have to look too deep to find that all of the definitions for the word “wanton” above fit perfectly with the fruits of the Christmas season.

Choose this day the Marriage Contract to the King of Kings or the Golden Calf.

~ Robin Main

www.sapphirethroneministries.com
www.santa-tizing.com
www.mysticmentoring.com

Copyright Dec.19, 2016 – Sapphire Throne Ministries – Robin Main

*****

RELATED ARTICLES:

• NORTH POLE GOING SOUTH? => http://wp.me/p158HG-kH

• CHRISTMAS TETHER TO SPACE-TIME => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2016/12/16/christmas-tether-to-space-time/

• CHOOSE THIS DAY: THE GOLDEN CALF OR HIS MARRIAGE CONTRACT => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2016/12/17/choose-this-day-the-golden-calf-or-his-marriage-contract/

• WEDDING SUPPER OF THE LAMB => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2016/12/06/marriage-supper-of-the-lamb/

• PURE OIL OF WISE VIRGINS => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2015/12/30/pure-oil-of-the-wise-virgins/

• MARRIAGE CONTRACT => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/marriage-contract-hanukkah-8/

• HERE COMES HIS GOLDEN BRIDE => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/here-comes-his-golden-bride-hanukkah-7/

• DIAMOND BRIDAL JUBILEE => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/diamond-bridal-jubilee-hanukkah-6/

• BRIDAL DNA DANCE => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2015/12/17/bridal-dna-dance-hanukkah-5/

• NINE BRIDAL FEASTS => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2016/12/04/nine-bridal-feasts/

• BRIDE WITHOUT SPOT OR BLEMISH => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2016/12/12/bride-without-spot-or-blemish/

• DO NOT JUDGE ABOUT HOLYDAYS => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2016/12/04/do-not-judge-about-holydays/

• ONE TO BE SACRIFICED IS CALLED LAUGHTER => http://wp.me/p158HG-rV 

 

• THE ROOTS OF CHRISTMAS => https://santatizing.wordpress.com/2014/12/06/the-roots-of-christmas/

• THE FEAST #1 => https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QbEuq3Tz2Q8

• MY LAST CHRISTMAS => http://wp.me/p158HG-4E

• CRUX FOR GOD’S DWELLING PRESENCE => http://wp.me/p158HG-Dx

*****

RESOURCES AVAILABLE:

• Ascension Manual book => https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578188511

• Understanding the Order of Melchizedek: Complete Series book => https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Order-Melchizedek-Robin-Main/dp/0998598240/

• MEL GEL Study Guide book => https://www.amazon.com/dp/0578188538/

• MEL GEL Study Guide: Volume 2 book => https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998598232/

• SANTA-TIZING: What’s wrong with Christmas and how to clean it up book => https://www.amazon.com/SANTA-TIZING-Whats-wrong-Christmas-clean/dp/1607911159/

• Blazing New Wine of Hanukkah book =>https://www.amazon.com/Blazing-New-Wine-Hanukkah-Understanding-ebook/dp/B010MHNZMK/

• Let There Be Light! Hanukkah Meditations book => https://www.amazon.com/dp/0998598208/

• Set of Hebrew Living Letter Flash Cards => https://www.sapphirethroneministries.com/flashcards

*****

PHOTO: Modified photo from the Golden Calf scene in the movie “The Ten Commandments.” Notice the “Christmas” garland and wreaths.

*****

Advertisement