出埃及記32:17-29

32:17 約書亞一聽見百姓呼喊的聲音，就對摩西說：「在營裡有爭戰的聲音。」
32:18 摩西說：「這不是人打勝仗的聲音，也不是人打敗仗的聲音，我所聽見的乃是人歌唱的聲音。」
32:19 摩西挨近營前就看見牛犢，又看見人跳舞，便發烈怒，把兩塊版扔在山下摔碎了，
32:20 又將他們所鑄的牛犢用火焚燒，磨得粉碎，撒在水面上，叫以色列人喝。
32:21 摩西對亞倫說：「這百姓向你做了甚麼？你竟使他們陷在大罪裡！」
32:22 亞倫說：「求我主不要發烈怒。這百姓專於作惡，是你知道的。
32:23 他們對我說：『你為我們做神像，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。』
32:24 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。」
32:25 摩西見百姓放肆（亞倫縱容他們，使他們在仇敵中間被譏刺），
32:26 就站在營門中，說：「凡屬耶和華的，都要到我這裡來！」於是利未的子孫都到他那裡聚集。
32:27 他對他們說：「耶和華─以色列的上帝這樣說：『你們各人把刀跨在腰間，在營中往來，從這門到那門，各人殺他的弟兄與同伴並鄰舍。』」
32:28 利未的子孫照摩西的話行了。那一天百姓中被殺的約有三千。
32:29 摩西說：「今天你們要自潔，歸耶和華為聖，各人攻擊他的兒子和弟兄，使耶和華賜福與你們。」

¹⁷ When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”

¹⁸ Moses replied:

“It is not the sound of victory,
    it is not the sound of defeat;
    it is the sound of singing that I hear.”

¹⁹ When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. ²⁰ And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.

²¹ He said to Aaron, “What did these people do to you, that you led them into such great sin?”
²² “Do not be angry, my lord,” Aaron answered. “You know how prone these people are to evil. ²³ They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.’ ²⁴ So I told them, ‘Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.’ Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!”
²⁵ Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. ²⁶ So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
²⁷ Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” ²⁸ The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. ²⁹ Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”

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    罪惡是要付出代價的，上帝必定追討的！上帝透過利未人來執行祂的做為，在那一天殺死了約三千人。也因為這樣，上帝揀選利未人成為祂的祭司，侍立在祂面前來服事。

    其實成為基督徒要像當時的利未人一樣，寧可得罪人仍然要討上帝的喜悅，因為我們要加入耶和華的軍隊，回應摩西的呼召：「凡屬耶和華的，都要到我這裡來」！並且要「要自潔，歸耶和華為聖」！

    因為耶穌基督已經將我們從世界中分別出來了，他的寶血洗靜我們一切的罪汙了，我們豈可仍然在罪中生活？仍可享受罪中之樂嗎？我們要得應許的永生福樂！