My two boys, Charles and Joel, and I had a great time skiing in the mountains of West Virginia last month. No one got hurt, and none of us even had a fall on the slopes. The only problem we had was, one day after skiing, we discovered our car had a flat tire. Fortunately we were able to inflate it with an electric tire pump. We knew we had to get it repaired before the long drive home, so we stopped at a quaint mountain service station. The owner and mechanic was very nice, and he invited us to look over his shop while he worked. My attention was drawn to a sign that read; “Baiting deer with corn is illegal. This corn is for squirrels and chipmunks and such. Any deer caught eating it will be shot!” What a great way to rationalize doing the wrong thing. In this passage from Exodus, Aaron tries to explain away what happened with an idol he made while Moses was up on the mountain. How strange to hear Aaron say, “They gave me the gold and I threw it into the fire and out came this calf!” (vs.24) We all have been guilty of trying to explain away our sins. God asks us to confess our sins and turn from them, and He will forgive. May God help us to do what is right, and when we fail, to be honest and quick to confess instead of trying to rationalize our wrongs away.
– Dr. Neil Epler