Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry

Shared Sins

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Church Government

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2020-09-21

Synopsis: Pastor John Weaver explores the biblical concept of shared sins—sins that are not only individual but also corporate, affecting families, churches, and nations. Using Exodus 32 as the primary text, he demonstrates how the Israelites' idolatry with the golden calf was a shared sin involving Aaron and the people, leading to God's judgment. He extends the principle to show that sins have long-lasting consequences, often passed down through generations, and that modern Christians must be wary of participating in shared sins through compromised worship or national complicity.

[John Weaver] Let's open our Bibles today to Exodus chapter 32. Exodus 32. And we're just simply going to read verse 35. And Lord willing, we will start from there. Exodus 32, verse 35. The title of the message is shared sins, shared sins. Look, if you would, Exodus 32, just to begin with verse 35, the Bible says that the Lord plagued the people because they made the calf, which Aaron made. When you hear the words shared sins, it's almost like a slap upside the head, simply because we never really think of such a concept. Yet it's a concept that is clearly based in scripture and taught in scripture. We're usually more concerned with what we would call individual or personal sins. And in reality, all sins are individual and personal, but yet there are shared sins as well. We have to understand that each individual is responsible, accountable, and answerable to God, known for his personal and individual sins. but also for the sins in which he shares as well. When you stop and think about the principle of shared sins, it should become obvious that there are many shared sins.

[John Weaver] If you consider just for a moment the sin of adultery, and yes, Each individual is accountable and answerable and responsible. It is a personal sin, but it's also a shared sin in the sense that it involves the willfulness and the cooperation of at least two people. So it's not just individual sins. It's a shared sin as well. And if you would hold Exodus 32 and turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 3, and look if you would please at verses 6 and 7, because you're going to notice, I believe, that the very first sin that was ever committed was indeed a shared sin as well as an individual sin. So in Genesis 3 verse 6, the Bible says that when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, And then it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise.

[John Weaver] She took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

[John Weaver] Now obviously Eve was the very first one to sin. She took the fruit, She ate, and then she gave to her husband. Well, each one of them were accountable and answerable and responsible, but still it was indeed a shared sin. And interestingly enough, even though Eve was the first one to sin, sin actually came into the world through Adam. The Bible tells you in Romans chapter 5 and verse 12, wherefore as by one man sin entered in the world, and death by sin, and so death passed among all men. Why?

[John Weaver] For that all have sinned. Well, obviously God had his covenant with Adam, and sin came through Adam, even though Eve was the first one to transgress. And scripture teaches us that Eve was deceived, but not Adam. For in 1st Timothy 2 and verse 14, the Bible plainly says, and Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. So even though Adam and Eve sinned individually, they also sinned jointly. And so it was also a shared sin as well as an individual sin. So I think it's appropriate at this time to recall Romans chapter 14 in verse 7, where the Bible says, for none of us live unto himself and no man dies unto himself.

[John Weaver] So I believe one clear implication is this, is that our lives and our deaths and our sins always affect other people. There is no way in the world that you can sin just to yourself. There's no way in the world that you can just simply reap the consequences of your sin just to yourself. Our sins always affect others. It affects our spouses, our children, our family, our church, our friends. We cannot live selfishly.

[John Weaver] And usually when someone says, well, it's my life. It doesn't matter what happens to me. It's just affecting me. That's not true. Because sin always affects someone else. And in fact, let me put it to you like this. We're still suffering. from the sins of Adam and Eve. I mean, obviously, there's long reaching implications of our sins. And many times we overlook that and we we overlook the devastating families and the ruined homes and the spouses and the children that are hurt just simply because someone thought selfishly that, well, it's just my sin. It's not going to hurt anybody but me. That is certainly not true. Now, there are many passages in the Bible I believe that teach teaches this concept of shared sins.

[John Weaver] Let me show you some verses and then let me ask a question and then try to answer it for you. So I want you to look in your Bibles, first of all, to Exodus chapter 20 and look if you would please at verse five, Exodus 20 and verse five. God says this. part of the second commandment. We'll come back to it later. But God says, Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, that is to idols, nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me. Now I want you to look closely at that because God says he visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those that hate him. Now, if you look in Exodus chapter 34 and verse 7, Exodus 34, and look, if you would please, at verse 7. The Bible says, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children unto the third and to the fourth generation.

[John Weaver] And then if you will turn to Numbers chapter 14 and look, if you would please, at verse 18. Numbers 14 and verse 18. Again, we have this same truth. Numbers 14 verse 18. The Lord is long suffering and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. Now, one more passage, if you look in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter five and verse nine, Deuteronomy five and verse nine.

[John Weaver] Note, if you would, what God says again, Thou shalt not bow down by seven to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord, by God, am a jealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers. upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." Now, here's my question. How can God justly visit the iniquity of the fathers to the children up to the third and fourth generation?

[John Weaver] And the answer is very simple. The answer is that the sons and the remote descendants inherit the sins as well as the consequences of their father's sins. They inherit the consequences in disease, in poverty, in captivity, in every evil influence imaginable. And just to demonstrate this, all you have to do is think about the little babies that are conceived, carried, and born Already addicted to drugs because of their father or their mother was a drug addict. Same thing. Think of the babies that are born with horrible diseases, usually venereal diseases because of the sins of the parents. And so we can see an easy illustration, and like I pointed out before, and said that the sins of Adam and Eve, we're still reaping the consequences of that. Family sins are usually passed on. Idolatry is usually passed on. Wickedness is usually passed on.

[John Weaver] That's why in the book of Lamentations chapter 5 and verse 7, the Bible says, our fathers have sinned and are not, and we have borne their iniquities. Now, here's what I want you to see. I want you to turn with me to two passages particularly, and I want you to see that the sins of the fathers are not only normally passed on to their children, But oftentimes the children are even worse than the fathers. So if you'll turn to Jeremiah chapter 16, Jeremiah chapter 16, and let's begin reading there with verse 10. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 16. And look, if you would please, at verse 10. And look what God says to these wicked, wicked people. Jeremiah 16, verse 10.

[John Weaver] And it shall come to pass when thou shalt show this people all these words, and they shall say to thee, wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin that we've committed against the Lord our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law, watch it now, and you have done worse than your fathers. For behold, you walk everyone after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken to me. Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that you know not, neither you nor your fathers. And there you shall serve other gods day and night, where I will not show you favor." Now notice what God said. God said, I'm going to judge you because you are fulfilling the sins of your fathers. You're only doing what they've done.

[John Weaver] You're doing worse than they have done. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, right before the book of Malachi, and look in Zechariah chapter one. Zechariah chapter one. Hi guys, Zechariah. Zechariah chapter one. And let's begin reading the reverse three.

[John Weaver] Now I'm just trying to show you that usually family sins is passed from generation to generation. Idolatry is usually passed from generation to generation. So Zechariah 1 verse 3, Therefore say thou unto them, thus saith the Lord of hosts, Turn you unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. Now look what he says in verse 4, Be not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord God of hosts, Turn ye from your evil ways and from your evil doings. But they did not hear nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever? But my words and my statutes, which I committed in my service to the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us. And so what did God tell these people?

[John Weaver] Be not as your fathers. And the tendency For our descendants is for them to do exactly the way we do. And usually if we exhibit more depravity, they're going to exhibit far more depravity than we do because the progression is from worse to worse. And thus God said he will judge them to the third and fourth generation.

[John Weaver] Now sins and the consequences of the sins. are passed down between the sons and the descendants because they usually engage in the same sins.

[John Weaver] Now, the only exception would be if one repented and turned to God in obedience. That's why he said in Ezekiel 18 in verse 20, the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. So God says if someone repents, that's why he was saying in Zechariah, be not as your fathers.

[John Weaver] In other words, turn and listen to me and repent. Now, sins can be shared. And we think of that in reference to family sins. We can also think of it in reference to ecclesiastical sins. But here's the concept. Have you ever thought of shared sins in relationship to national sins? You see, I've heard people say, well, what they do in Washington doesn't bother me. It does. But what they do in Atlanta or what they do in Tallahassee, it doesn't bother me. Yes, it does. Because you can have shared national sins.

[John Weaver] Now, let me give you a principle. A principle that you find in scripture is this concerning rumors. When a rumor sins individually and privately, he is judged individually and privately. A good illustration is when David committed adultery with Bathsheba. The nation was not judged, just David and his household, because they reaped what David had sown. But the nation was not judged. But however, when a ruler sins openly and publicly, and the people do not stop him or even attempt to stop him, than the people are judged along with their rumors.

[John Weaver] So let me show you. Look in Jeremiah chapter 15. Jeremiah chapter 15. And I want you to see this awful, awesome, horrifying judgment that is going to fall upon Judah, the southern kingdom. And then I want you to see why. So look in Jeremiah chapter 15, beginning there with verse one. God says, then said the Lord unto me, though Moses and Samuel stood before me. That is, if they were trying to intercede for the Southern kingdom, God says, my mind could not be toward this people.

[John Weaver] Cast them out of my sight. Let them go forth. And it shall come to pass if they say unto thee, whither shall we go forth? Then thou shalt tell them, thus saith the Lord, such as for death to death, and such as for the sword to the sword, and such as for the famine to the famine, and such as for captivity to the captivity.

[John Weaver] Now look what he says in verse three. And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord, the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy." Now here's my question. Why is God going to judge the southern kingdom so strenuously? Here's the answer in verse four. And I will cause them to be removed into all the kingdoms of the earth because of Manasseh, the son of Hezekiah, king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem. Did you hear that? God is going to send the entire southern kingdom into captivity, death, disease, famine, pestilence, because of Manasseh, that which he did. Now, Manasseh was the most evil and most wicked king in the southern kingdom.

[John Weaver] When you get home, if you read 2 Kings 21, you'll see some of his heinous acts and serious crimes. But the question is, why are the people going into captivity because of that Bushman Nassau did? And the answer is, not only did they allow what he did, they participated in what he did. And so God is judging the people along with their ruler.

[John Weaver] Now, I mentioned David earlier, that when David committed adultery with Bathsheba, it was David who was judged. But when you get to First Chronicles chapter 21, now David wants to number his fighting men. And he tells Joab, I want you to go out and number these men for me. And Joab, as wicked as he was, and he was a murderer, Joab said, well, may the Lord increase his people a hundredfold or double or whatever, but why would you do this? In other words, even Joab knew it was wrong. You see, the people were not to be numbered except in a time of war. And when they were numbered, the half shekel of the sanctuary was to be taken for each man for his ransom or redemption money. And there was no war going on and no half shekel was taken. And the Bible tells us, nevertheless, the king's word prevailed over Joab. And so Joab went and started numbering the children of Israel.

[John Weaver] And he got so disgusted with it, he finally quit. He never even finished. And finally, the prophet of God came to David and said, now look, you sinned against God.

[John Weaver] Now choose one of these three things that I may do it to you. You can be chased of your enemies. You can have a famine or you can have a pestilence. And David said, let me fall in the hands of God, not in the hands of man. In other words, I'm not going to choose. Let God choose. And so God sent a pestilence. And in First Chronicles chapter 21 in verse 14, listen to this. So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel and there fell of Israel 70,000 men.

[John Weaver] Now ask yourself this question. Why did 70,000 men die? And the answer is Because everyone in Israel knew that what David was doing was wrong and wicked and unbiblical and ungodly, and nobody stopped him or even attempted to stop him. Their attitude was he's the king, he can do what he wants to do. No, he was not able to do whatever he wanted to do.

[John Weaver] Now, so the Lord then sent this pestilence and the people suffered because of their ruler. Now, obviously there's clear implications of shared sins in the Bible.

[John Weaver] Now I want you to go back to Exodus chapter 32, because I want you to understand that shared sins may be familial, that is in the family. They may be ecclesiastical, that is in the church, but they can also be national, that is in the nation. But when you look at Exodus chapter 32, and we're going to be looking at it, notice if you would please in verse one, and when the people saw that Moses was delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together onto Aaron. So the first question that we need to answer is why did the people go to Aaron? Well, you remember now that Moses is in the mount receiving the law of God. And if you look back to Exodus chapter 24 and verse 14, before Moses went into the mount, look if you would at the directions that he gave to the people. Exodus 24 and verse 14. And he said unto the elders, tarry ye here for us until we come again unto you.

[John Weaver] And behold, Aaron and her are with you. If any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them. So he left Aaron and her in charge. And so when you look in Exodus chapter 32 and verse one, the people now come to Aaron.

[John Weaver] Now Moses had been gone long enough. You remember he was in there 40 days. Moses had been gone long enough that they had assumed that he was dead. They showed great disrespect for Moses and reproach for Moses because they referred to him as this Moses, this Moses. It's kind of like in the book of Daniel, Daniel's enemies referred to him as that Daniel. So it's this Moses and that Daniel.

[John Weaver] And so they're just assuming that he's dead, or he was consumed by the fire, or he was taken to heaven, or God dumped him somewhere else. In other words, they're assuming he's not coming back. Which demonstrates not only their impatience, but their lack of faith as well. So look in verse one again of Exodus 32. And 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, who shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we want not, or we know not what is become of him." Well, obviously now, these people are wanting a God either, number one, to lead them through the wilderness, or number two, to enable them to return into Egypt. Now, Adam Clark, in his commentary, said that the people came to Moses in a tumultuous and seditious manner, insisting on an object of religious worship to be made for them and that they intended to return to Egypt under this Idle.

[John Weaver] Now, if you would hold, X is 32, but look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter seven. And if you mark that passage, we'll come back here just a little bit later. But look in Acts chapter seven, beginning there with verse 39. Acts seven, verse 39. Watch this if you would. Acts seven, verse 39. to whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them and in their hearts, turned back again into Egypt, saying unto Aaron, make us gods to go before us. As for this Moses, which brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we want not what has become of him.

[John Weaver] And they made a calf in those days and offered sacrifices unto the idol and rejoiced in the works of their own hands. So obviously now these people are lacking faith. I suppose it is impossible to know exactly the extent of the pressure that was placed upon Aaron. But in our text, in Exodus chapter 32, I believe the scripture shows that he was a willing participant in this idolatry. Now, this idolatry was so wicked and so vile that Moses assumed that somehow the people forced Aaron to do this. If you will look in your Bibles to Exodus 32 and verse 21, watch what Moses asked Aaron. And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

[John Weaver] In other words, what did they do to you? How could they threaten you? How could they coerce you? How could these people make you do something that is so vile and so wicked?

[John Weaver] Now, he is assuming that Aaron was forced to make this camp. However, when you read the context It appears that Aaron was indeed a willing participant. He was not only a willing participant, he was the one giving the directions. So look in Exodus 32 again, verse one. And when the people saw that Moses had laid to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together into 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 want naught that is become of him. And 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 to me. And all the people break off the golden earrings which are in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. So Aaron receives the golden earrings. He asks for them. Now later on, Aaron tries to indicate that the people forced him to do this.

[John Weaver] So if you look in Exodus 32 and verse 22, after Moses is asked, what did this people do to you to make you do this? Verse 22, and Aaron said, let not the anger of my Lord wax hot. Thou knowest the people that they are set on mischief. In other words, It was the people and their sins that push me."

[John Weaver] Now, the Hebrew word for mischief here refers to that which is evil, wicked, grievous, sinful, bad, and hurtful. In other words, what Aaron is saying is it's the depravity of their hearts working itself out. Now, it is exceedingly clear from the Bible that Aaron made the calf. Not only has he asked for the golden earrings, look in verse four. And he received them, that is those golden earrings, at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool after he had made it a molten calf.

[John Weaver] And they said, these be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. Now, note carefully what is said in this verse. Aaron received the gold fashioned it, and used a graving tool, and made it a molten calf. So he cast a mold, he made the calf, and then he took the graving tool and put all the fine features on it is what it amounted to. So here's the question. Why did he make a calf? Why did he not make an eagle? Why did he not make a man? Why did he make a calf?

[John Weaver] And the answer is very simple. Because the great idols of the Egyptians were Apis, Serapis, and Isis, which were oxen and cows. The Hebrew word for calf is also the Hebrew word for ox. And the Israelites were familiar with the worship of the ox in Egypt. And Heliopolis, which was right almost on the border of Goshen, they could have seen these rites over and over. And of course, they had to be acquainted with the great worship of Apis and Memphis in Egypt.

[John Weaver] And so they understood what this was all about. And by the way, I want you to understand that while they were in Egypt, they gave into this worship, and they continued this worship even afterwards, which I'm going to show you. But I want you to turn in your Bible, hold Exodus 32, but look in the book of Joshua chapter 24. Joshua 24, and look if you would please at verse 14. Just to show you, Joshua 24, and look if you would please at verse 14. Joshua tells them, now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the flood.

[John Weaver] That would be when they were back in Ur of the Chaldees and all that area. And then he says, and in Egypt, So evidently these people were used to worshiping a calf or an ox while they were in Egypt. And so Joshua was saying, you better put away all these false gods. You better get rid of them.

[John Weaver] Now, if you look in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel, and notice if you would, chapter 20 and verse 8. Ezekiel 20 and verse 8. Look at what God says, Ezekiel 20 and verse eight. He said, but they rebelled against me and would not hearken unto me. They did not every man cast away the abomination of their eyes. Neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt. Then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. He said they did not forsake the idols of Egypt.

[John Weaver] So the ox and the calf was indeed a religious object and an idolatrous symbol. And it was the emblem of Egyptian worship.

[John Weaver] Now, In referring now to shared sins, I want you to go back to Exodus chapter 32. I want you to watch this. Look at Exodus 32 in verse 4. Watch this. We're talking about shared sins. And he, that is Aaron, received them, that is the golden earrings, at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he, Aaron, had made it a molten calf, and they said, that is the people, these be thy gods, O Israel, which wrought thee up out of the land of Egypt. So he made it, but they said, these be thy gods, O Israel, which wrought thee up out of the land of Egypt. Now, when Aaron saw that they were making a god out of this calf, Wow.

[John Weaver] What did he try to do? Hmm. He tried to do that, which was impossible. Look in verse five. And when Aaron saw it, when he saw that they were worshiping this calf. He built an altar before it, and Aaron made a proclamation and said, tomorrow is a feast to the Lord, that is to Yahweh, to Jehovah, to the one true and the living God. So Aaron is now doing that which is impossible. He's attempting to do that which is impossible. He's endeavoring to make idolatry into the true worship of God. He's endeavoring to have God worship under the auspices of an Egyptian emblem. He gave orders throughout the camp that the people would come together and have a solemn feast. And this was to be a worship of God.

[John Weaver] Let me explain something to you. This is known as the reduction of Christianity or the reduction of the Word of God. How can I say it is a reduction of Christianity? What Aaron is attempting to do is this. Listen carefully. He's attempting to bring down the true spiritual worship of the one true living God and bring it down on a par and on a level with the worship of the Egyptian idols and oxen. That's what he's trying to do. Or he's trying to say, here's what God said, but that doesn't really matter. We're going to bring this down and we're going to put his word equal to the Egyptian word or to the Islamic word or to the Hindu word or whatever word you want to. In other words, it is bringing God down to the level of man. So he is saying that God now may be worshiped according to the flesh. God may be worshipped according to the will of man. God may be worshipped any way that man chooses to worship him.

[John Weaver] So it is a dethroning of God and an enthroning of man. It is setting ourselves up and thus bringing God down and making God to be in subjection to us. That's what he's attempted to do. Unhappily, in most of our churches, The same idolatry is taking place. The pastor and the people endeavor to worship God according to their own desires, their own wills, and their own way.

[John Weaver] They're not worshiping him based upon the scripture. They're trying to give him worship that pleases them. I've heard people say, well, the reason I go to that church is it makes me feel good. Well, I like the music, or I like the children's program, or I like the fact that we're out quickly. I'm serious. I've heard people say all of these things. It's not that we're there to worship God. It's not that we're there to give God honor and glory. No, no, no. We're determining for ourselves what we're going to give for God and give to God and not allowing God to speak to us.

[John Weaver] If you look in your Bibles, Exodus chapter 20, This was already clearly in place in Exodus 20. Notice if you would please verses four and five. God says thou shalt not make into thee any graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them or serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of fathers unto the children of the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.

[John Weaver] So obviously here what Aaron is doing, he's made this calf and now he's going to try to get the people to worship one true and the living God under the emblem of the camp. I've been in some churches you would think you stepped into a saloon or a bar. I've been in some churches where you could not tell the difference between the music there and a nightclub. I'm serious.

[John Weaver] In order to demonstrate this fleshliness, let me show you. Go back in your Bible, Sextus 32, and look, if you would please, at verse 6. Watch this, just to show you what I'm talking about. And 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. They sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to play.

[John Weaver] Now, the Hebrew word play is vital to our understanding of what is happening here. The word does mean to mock, to play, to laugh and to make jest. But it also means to sport and to make sport and to toy with and to make a toy off. Let me show you, I want you to hold Exodus 32 and turn back in your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 26.

[John Weaver] You remember when Aaron went down into the land, he said that Sarah was his sister. Well, it's true. She was his half sister. You remember Abimelech took her and, uh, But God plagued him and said, if you touch her, you're dead, man, because she's a man's wife. And God refused to have a Biblical toucher. Well, Isaac now plays the same trick. Notice, if you would, please. In Genesis 26 and verse 6. And Isaac dwelt in Gerah, and the people of the place asked him and his wife, and he said, She is my sister. For I fear to say she is my wife, lest that he, the men of the place, should kill me for Rebekah, because she was fair to look upon. Now watch. And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech, king of the Philistines, looked out at a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. Now the word sporting is the same exact Hebrew word that is rendered play in Exodus chapter 32.

[John Weaver] So Isaac was playing with Rebecca and he was playing with her in such a way that Abimelech says, that's not his sister. You don't act like that toward your sister.

[John Weaver] Now, When you understand that, go back, if you would, to Exodus 32, because now the Bible says, watch carefully in verse six, and 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. You have to remember that sex was always a part of the worship in heathen practices and heathen idolatries. Now, let me show you The impact of this, look in Exodus 32 and verse 25. Look at it. When Moses saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked under the shame of their enemies.

[John Weaver] So what were they doing? They were fornicating. They were committing adultery. All to God's honor and God's glory and trying to worship him. Wow. You don't know fleshly worship. You're talking about wicked worship.

[John Weaver] Now, in light of that, skip down to verse 26, Exodus 32, verse 26. Here's what happened. Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said to them, thus said the Lord God of Israel, put every man his sword on by his side and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp and slay every man his brother. and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses.

[John Weaver] And there fell of the people that day about three thousand men." Evidently, these were the ones that were involved in fornication and adultery.

[John Weaver] Now, we're given basically the same truth in the New Testament. in relationship, not just to this passage, but also to Numbers 25. So if you look in your Bibles to first Corinthians chapter 10, first Corinthians chapter 10, and look, if you would please, beginning there with verse seven, first Corinthians 10 and verse seven. The word of God says, neither be idolaters as for some of them, as it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Then he said, neither let us commit fornication as some of them committed and fell in one day, three and 20,000. That's 23,000 that were killed in one day. Now, when you read numbers 25, and this is in reference here, verse eight, to when the Midianites seduce the people and they committed adultery. When you read that, you'll find in Numbers 25, there's 24,000 killed. You say, well, there's a discrepancy. No, there's not a discrepancy. Because in verse eight, the apostle is telling us how many were killed in one day, 23,000.

[John Weaver] Numbers 25 tells us how many were killed altogether, 24,000. So obviously God is not pleased with this type of fleshly worship at all.

[John Weaver] Now, go back if you would please and look in Exodus chapter 32. I think you're at the point that you can see this now. And look in verse 35. I find this extremely clear and concise. And the Lord plagued the people. because they made the calf, which Aaron made. Well, who made the calf? Aaron made the calf. But the people made the calf. In other words, it was the people who wanted it, provided the materials.

[John Weaver] He just cast it into a mold and fashioned with an engraving, too. I mean, it was just that simple. Here you have shared sins. The Lord plagued the people because they made the camp that Aaron made.

[John Weaver] Now, let me show you something. Besides all of the fleshliness, besides all of the wickedness, besides all of the idolatry, let me show you something else they did. Look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 7 and verse 41. We read this passage earlier, but I did not emphasize this. Look at it. Acts 7 verse 41, the Bible says, and they made a calf in those days and offered sacrifice unto the idol and rejoiced in the work or in the works of their own hands. Wow!

[John Weaver] They were not rejoicing in what God had done, they were rejoicing in what they had done. Here's the difference between God's salvation and man's salvation. Here's the difference between God's worship and man's worship. Note if you would, Acts 7 verse 41 said they rejoiced in the works of their own hands. If you look now to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, 1 Corinthians chapter 1, begin reading there with verse 29. Watch carefully, 1 Corinthians 1, verse 29, God says that no flesh should glory in his presence. And then he says, but off him, that is God the Father, are you in Christ Jesus, who off God is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption, that according as it is written, he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord." In other words, the difference between God's salvation and man's salvation is simple. Man always rejoices in his own works. God's salvation, we rejoice in what God has done. In the worship of God, As we give him that which he demands in light of the way that he demands, we give a God-honored glory.

[John Weaver] When we do not give him what he demands in the way that he demands, we're rejoicing in what we've done. Our stained glass windows, our padded pews, our beautiful building, the way we sing, the way we deport ourselves, the way we dress, whatever.

[John Weaver] Now, let me try to make some applications of this. I want you to think this through with me. When you look at Exodus 32, Aaron blamed the people and the people could rightly blame Aaron because Aaron made it. Well, who's responsible? The answer is all of them. They were not only responsible individually, personally, they were also responsible corporately because it was indeed a shared sin.

[John Weaver] Now here's something we don't like to think about. We do not like to think about the long-lasting consequences of our sins. We like to think, well, we'll sin, we'll repent, and it'll be over with. Really? David sinned and committed adultery with Bathsheba, right? He repented. That is true. But look at what he reaped over a period of time. Hamnon, his son, raped his own sister, Tamar. Absalom murdered his own brother, Hamnon.

[John Weaver] Adonijah tried to usurp the throne from Solomon. Absalom did try to usurp the throne, ran his own daddy off the throne and tried to kill him. That didn't happen overnight. That was a long lasting consequence of that sin. Aaron and the people made the calf. You say, well, Moses ground that sucker up and put it in the water and made the people drink it. It was over. No, no, no, no. If you remember, the first king of Israel, Jeroboam, made two golden calves, put one in Dan, one in Bethel, And the people worshiped those calves. And it was the destruction of the northern kingdom because they never, ever got over calf worship.

[John Weaver] I'm just simply saying, folks, we have to understand the consequences of our sins. We may be forgiven, but those consequences last for a lifetime, oftentimes. Here's the second thought. I really think and believe that this, that I've just preached to you, is one of the great pretensions of modern day Christianity. We pretend like we're worshiping God. We pretend like we're serving God. We pretend that we want his will. We pretend that we want to give him honor and glory. And in all of our pretensions, in all of our pretended submission and subjection to him, what we really and truly want is our own will and our own way. And we want God to subjugate himself to us and to what we desire. This thought hit me this morning. If you would stop and think of all the churches in America, I just saw this this morning.

[John Weaver] Andy Stanley, who is Charles Stanley's son, is supposed to have one of the biggest churches in the Atlanta area, said they were not going to have service until next year because worship is not essential. Well, his kind of worship probably is non-essential, I would say so. In fact, his church is probably non-essential. He's non-essential. But the point I'm trying to make is this. When you have churches where the pastor is not interested really in teaching and preaching the word of God, And the people are not interested in really hearing and learning and obeying the word of God.

[John Weaver] You not only have individual sins, you have shared sins. You have shared, and the support of those churches is sharing in their sins. God takes his worship. very, very seriously. And they that worship him, the scripture says, must worship him in spirit and in truth. So the true worship of God is bounded on one side by spirit and bounded on the other side by truth. So it must be not only in the Holy Spirit, but it must be in the truth of the word of God. So if it's not in spirit, if it's not in truth, it is not the worship of God. And what we're doing in most of our churches is just participating in shared sins.

[John Weaver] We can do that in the family. We can do that in the church. We can do that in the nation. And God will hold the rulers and the people accountable and responsible. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, I pray that you would impress this concept of shared sins upon our minds.

[John Weaver] Help us to understand it. And help us, Lord, to do as you have commanded. Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil. And Lord, if a multitude of people are failing to worship thee aright, may we not join with them. May we worship thee aright, even if we have to do so individually. Lord, help us to love thee. Help us to learn. Teach us, we pray, that we may give thee all of the honor and glory. We recognize that thou art God, and besides thee, there is none other. We ask these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and Savior. Amen. Amen.

[John Weaver] you you

Shared Sins

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	zkkK-AyweUI
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-09-21
Dictation Name
Book	Book 040: Church Order and Worship - Volume 2 — Chapter 35
Source Timed Segments	76

Formatted Transcript

Introduction to Shared Sins

Weaver introduces the concept of shared sins, noting that while all sins are individual, many are also shared, involving the cooperation of multiple people. He uses adultery and the sin of Adam and Eve as initial examples.

Let's open our Bibles today to Exodus chapter 32. Exodus 32. And we're just simply going to read verse 35. And Lord willing, we will start from there. Exodus 32, verse 35. The title of the message is Shared Sins, shared sins. Look, if you would, Exodus 32, just to begin with verse 35, the Bible says that the Lord plagued the people because they made the calf, which Aaron made. When you hear the words shared sins, it's almost like a slap upside the head, simply because we never really think of such a concept. Yet it's a concept that is clearly based in scripture and taught in scripture. We're usually more concerned with what we would call individual or personal sins. And in reality, all sins are individual and personal, but yet there are shared sins as well. We have to understand that each individual is responsible, accountable, and answerable to God, known for his personal and individual sins, but also for the sins in which he shares as well. When you stop and think about the principle of shared sins, it should become obvious that there are many shared sins.

If you consider just for a moment the sin of adultery, and yes, each individual is accountable and answerable and responsible. It is a personal sin, but it's also a shared sin in the sense that it involves the willfulness and the cooperation of at least two people. So it's not just individual sins. It's a shared sin as well. And if you would hold Exodus 32 and turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 3, and look if you would please at verses 6 and 7, because you're going to notice, I believe, that the very first sin that was ever committed was indeed a shared sin as well as an individual sin. So in Genesis 3 verse 6, the Bible says that when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and then it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise.

She took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Now obviously Eve was the very first one to sin. She took the fruit, she ate, and then she gave to her husband. Well, each one of them were accountable and answerable and responsible, but still it was indeed a shared sin. And interestingly enough, even though Eve was the first one to sin, sin actually came into the world through Adam. The Bible tells you in Romans chapter 5 and verse 12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:12

Well, obviously God had his covenant with Adam, and sin came through Adam, even though Eve was the first one to transgress. And scripture teaches us that Eve was deceived, but not Adam. For in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 14, the Bible plainly says, "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." So even though Adam and Eve sinned individually, they also sinned jointly. And so it was also a shared sin as well as an individual sin. So I think it's appropriate at this time to recall Romans chapter 14 in verse 7, where the Bible says, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself."

The Ripple Effect of Sin

Sin always affects others, not just the sinner. Weaver emphasizes that no one sins in isolation, and the consequences impact spouses, children, churches, and even future generations, as seen in the ongoing effects of Adam and Eve's sin.

So I believe one clear implication is this, is that our lives and our deaths and our sins always affect other people. There is no way in the world that you can sin just to yourself. There's no way in the world that you can just simply reap the consequences of your sin just to yourself. Our sins always affect others. It affects our spouses, our children, our family, our church, our friends. We cannot live selfishly. And usually when someone says, "Well, it's my life. It doesn't matter what happens to me. It's just affecting me." That's not true. Because sin always affects someone else. And in fact, let me put it to you like this. We're still suffering from the sins of Adam and Eve. I mean, obviously, there's long-reaching implications of our sins. And many times we overlook that and we overlook the devastating families and the ruined homes and the spouses and the children that are hurt just simply because someone thought selfishly that, "Well, it's just my sin. It's not going to hurt anybody but me." That is certainly not true. Now, there are many passages in the Bible I believe that teach this concept of shared sins.

Generational Consequences of Sin

God visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. Weaver cites Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9 to show that descendants often inherit both the sins and consequences of their ancestors, unless they repent.

Let me show you some verses and then let me ask a question and then try to answer it for you. So I want you to look in your Bibles, first of all, to Exodus chapter 20 and look if you would please at verse five, Exodus 20 and verse five. God says this, part of the second commandment. We'll come back to it later. But God says,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:5

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them,"

that is to idols,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:5

"nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."

Now I want you to look closely at that because God says he visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those that hate him. Now, if you look in Exodus chapter 34 and verse 7, Exodus 34, and look, if you would please, at verse 7. The Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:5

"Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation."

And then if you will turn to Numbers chapter 14 and look, if you would please, at verse 18. Numbers 14 and verse 18. Again, we have this same truth. Numbers 14 verse 18. "The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." Now, one more passage, if you look in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter five and verse nine, Deuteronomy five and verse nine. Note, if you would, what God says again, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." Now, here's my question. How can God justly visit the iniquity of the fathers to the children up to the third and fourth generation?

And the answer is very simple. The answer is that the sons and the remote descendants inherit the sins as well as the consequences of their father's sins. They inherit the consequences in disease, in poverty, in captivity, in every evil influence imaginable. And just to demonstrate this, all you have to do is think about the little babies that are conceived, carried, and born already addicted to drugs because of their father or their mother was a drug addict. Same thing. Think of the babies that are born with horrible diseases, usually venereal diseases because of the sins of the parents. And so we can see an easy illustration, and like I pointed out before, and said that the sins of Adam and Eve, we're still reaping the consequences of that. Family sins are usually passed on. Idolatry is usually passed on. Wickedness is usually passed on.

That's why in the book of Lamentations chapter 5 and verse 7, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 5:7

"Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities."

Now, here's what I want you to see. I want you to turn with me to two passages particularly, and I want you to see that the sins of the fathers are not only normally passed on to their children, but oftentimes the children are even worse than the fathers. So if you'll turn to Jeremiah chapter 16, Jeremiah chapter 16, and let's begin reading there with verse 10. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 16. And look, if you would please, at verse 10. And look what God says to these wicked, wicked people. Jeremiah 16, verse 10.

"And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; and ye have done worse than your fathers. For, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me: Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour." Now notice what God said. God said, "I'm going to judge you because you are fulfilling the sins of your fathers. You're only doing what they've done."

You're doing worse than they have done. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, right before the book of Malachi, and look in Zechariah chapter one. Zechariah chapter one. And let's begin reading at verse three.

Now I'm just trying to show you that usually family sins are passed from generation to generation. Idolatry is usually passed from generation to generation. So Zechariah 1 verse 3,

Scripture Reading — Zechariah 1:3-6

"Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts."

Now look what he says in verse 4,

Scripture Reading — Zechariah 1:3-6

"Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us."

And so what did God tell these people?

"Be not as your fathers." And the tendency for our descendants is for them to do exactly the way we do. And usually if we exhibit more depravity, they're going to exhibit far more depravity than we do because the progression is from worse to worse. And thus God said he will judge them to the third and fourth generation. Now sins and the consequences of the sins are passed down between the sons and the descendants because they usually engage in the same sins.

Now, the only exception would be if one repented and turned to God in obedience. That's why he said in Ezekiel 18 in verse 20,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 18:20

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."

So God says if someone repents, that's why he was saying in Zechariah, "Be not as your fathers." In other words, turn and listen to me and repent. Now, sins can be shared. And we think of that in reference to family sins. We can also think of it in reference to ecclesiastical sins. But here's the concept. Have you ever thought of shared sins in relationship to national sins? You see, I've heard people say, "Well, what they do in Washington doesn't bother me." It does. "But what they do in Atlanta or what they do in Tallahassee, it doesn't bother me." Yes, it does. Because you can have shared national sins.

National Shared Sins

When rulers sin openly and the people do not stop them, the nation shares in the guilt. Weaver contrasts David's private sin with Bathsheba (judged individually) with his public sin of numbering Israel (resulting in 70,000 deaths) and Manasseh's sins leading to Judah's captivity.

Now, let me give you a principle. A principle that you find in scripture is this concerning rulers. When a ruler sins individually and privately, he is judged individually and privately. A good illustration is when David committed adultery with Bathsheba. The nation was not judged, just David and his household, because they reaped what David had sown. But the nation was not judged. But however, when a ruler sins openly and publicly, and the people do not stop him or even attempt to stop him, then the people are judged along with their rulers.

So let me show you. Look in Jeremiah chapter 15. Jeremiah chapter 15. And I want you to see this awful, awesome, horrifying judgment that is going to fall upon Judah, the southern kingdom. And then I want you to see why. So look in Jeremiah chapter 15, beginning there with verse one. God says, "Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me," that is, if they were trying to intercede for the Southern kingdom, God says, "my mind could not be toward this people."

"Cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity." Now look what he says in verse three. "And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy." Now here's my question. Why is God going to judge the southern kingdom so strenuously? Here's the answer in verse four. "And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem." Did you hear that? God is going to send the entire southern kingdom into captivity, death, disease, famine, pestilence, because of Manasseh, that which he did. Now, Manasseh was the most evil and most wicked king in the southern kingdom.

When you get home, if you read 2 Kings 21, you'll see some of his heinous acts and serious crimes. But the question is, why are the people going into captivity because of that which Manasseh did? And the answer is, not only did they allow what he did, they participated in what he did. And so God is judging the people along with their ruler.

Now, I mentioned David earlier, that when David committed adultery with Bathsheba, it was David who was judged. But when you get to 1 Chronicles chapter 21, now David wants to number his fighting men. And he tells Joab, "I want you to go out and number these men for me." And Joab, as wicked as he was, and he was a murderer, Joab said, "Well, may the Lord increase his people a hundredfold or double or whatever, but why would you do this?" In other words, even Joab knew it was wrong. You see, the people were not to be numbered except in a time of war. And when they were numbered, the half shekel of the sanctuary was to be taken for each man for his ransom or redemption money. And there was no war going on and no half shekel was taken. And the Bible tells us, nevertheless, the king's word prevailed over Joab. And so Joab went and started numbering the children of Israel.

And he got so disgusted with it, he finally quit. He never even finished. And finally, the prophet of God came to David and said, "Now look, you sinned against God." "Now choose one of these three things that I may do it to you. You can be chased of your enemies. You can have a famine or you can have a pestilence." And David said, "Let me fall in the hands of God, not in the hands of man." In other words, "I'm not going to choose. Let God choose." And so God sent a pestilence. And in 1 Chronicles chapter 21 in verse 14, listen to this. "So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men."

Now ask yourself this question. Why did 70,000 men die? And the answer is because everyone in Israel knew that what David was doing was wrong and wicked and unbiblical and ungodly, and nobody stopped him or even attempted to stop him. Their attitude was, "He's the king, he can do what he wants to do." No, he was not able to do whatever he wanted to do.

Now, so the Lord then sent this pestilence and the people suffered because of their ruler. Now, obviously there's clear implications of shared sins in the Bible.

The Golden Calf Incident as Shared Sin

In Exodus 32, the people demanded an idol, and Aaron willingly made the golden calf. Both parties were responsible: the people provided the materials and worshiped, while Aaron fashioned it. This illustrates shared sin, as God plagued the people for making the calf that Aaron made.

Now I want you to go back to Exodus chapter 32, because I want you to understand that shared sins may be familial, that is in the family. They may be ecclesiastical, that is in the church, but they can also be national, that is in the nation. But when you look at Exodus chapter 32, and we're going to be looking at it, notice if you would please in verse one, "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron." So the first question that we need to answer is why did the people go to Aaron? Well, you remember now that Moses is in the mount receiving the law of God. And if you look back to Exodus chapter 24 and verse 14, before Moses went into the mount, look if you would at the directions that he gave to the people. Exodus 24 and verse 14. "And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you."

"And, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them." So he left Aaron and Hur in charge. And so when you look in Exodus chapter 32 and verse one, the people now come to Aaron. Now Moses had been gone long enough. You remember he was in there 40 days. Moses had been gone long enough that they had assumed that he was dead. They showed great disrespect for Moses and reproach for Moses because they referred to him as "this Moses," this Moses. It's kind of like in the book of Daniel, Daniel's enemies referred to him as "that Daniel." So it's "this Moses" and "that Daniel." And so they're just assuming that he's dead, or he was consumed by the fire, or he was taken to heaven, or God dumped him somewhere else. In other words, they're assuming he's not coming back. Which demonstrates not only their impatience, but their lack of faith as well. So look in verse one again of Exodus 32. "And 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." Well, obviously now, these people are wanting a God either, number one, to lead them through the wilderness, or number two, to enable them to return into Egypt. Now, Adam Clarke, in his commentary, said that the people came to Moses in a tumultuous and seditious manner, insisting on an object of religious worship to be made for them and that they intended to return to Egypt under this idol. Now, if you would hold Exodus 32, but look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter seven. And if you mark that passage, we'll come back here just a little bit later. But look in Acts chapter seven, beginning there with verse 39. Acts seven, verse 39. Watch this if you would. Acts seven, verse 39. "To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him." "And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands." So obviously now these people are lacking faith. I suppose it is impossible to know exactly the extent of the pressure that was placed upon Aaron. But in our text, in Exodus chapter 32, I believe the scripture shows that he was a willing participant in this idolatry. Now, this idolatry was so wicked and so vile that Moses assumed that somehow the people forced Aaron to do this. If you will look in your Bibles to Exodus 32 and verse 21, watch what Moses asked Aaron. "And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?" In other words, what did they do to you? How could they threaten you? How could they coerce you? How could these people make you do something that is so vile and so wicked? Now, he is assuming that Aaron was forced to make this calf. However, when you read the context, it appears that Aaron was indeed a willing participant. He was not only a willing participant, he was the one giving the directions. So look in Exodus 32 again, verse one.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 32:1-6

"And 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. And 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. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron."

So Aaron receives the golden earrings. He asks for them. Now later on, Aaron tries to indicate that the people forced him to do this. So if you look in Exodus 32 and verse 22, after Moses is asked, "What did this people do to you to make you do this?" Verse 22, "And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief." In other words, "It was the people and their sins that push me." Now, the Hebrew word for mischief here refers to that which is evil, wicked, grievous, sinful, bad, and hurtful. In other words, what Aaron is saying is it's the depravity of their hearts working itself out. Now, it is exceedingly clear from the Bible that Aaron made the calf. Not only has he asked for the golden earrings, look in verse four.

Scripture Reading — Exodus 32:1-6

"And 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." Now, note carefully what is said in this verse. Aaron received the gold, fashioned it, and used a graving tool, and made it a molten calf. So he cast a mold, he made the calf, and then he took the graving tool and put all the fine features on it is what it amounted to. So here's the question. Why did he make a calf? Why did he not make an eagle? Why did he not make a man? Why did he make a calf?

Aaron's Attempt to Syncretize Worship

Aaron tried to blend idolatry with the worship of Yahweh by building an altar and proclaiming a feast to the Lord. Weaver calls this a reduction of Christianity, where man dictates worship according to his own desires rather than God's commands.

What did he try to do? He tried to do that which was impossible. Look in verse five. "And when Aaron saw it," when he saw that they were worshiping this calf, "he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord," that is to Yahweh, to Jehovah, to the one true and the living God. So Aaron is now doing that which is impossible. He's attempting to do that which is impossible. He's endeavoring to make idolatry into the true worship of God. He's endeavoring to have God worship under the auspices of an Egyptian emblem. He gave orders throughout the camp that the people would come together and have a solemn feast. And this was to be a worship of God.

Let me explain something to you. This is known as the reduction of Christianity or the reduction of the Word of God. How can I say it is a reduction of Christianity? What Aaron is attempting to do is this. Listen carefully. He's attempting to bring down the true spiritual worship of the one true living God and bring it down on a par and on a level with the worship of the Egyptian idols and oxen. That's what he's trying to do. Or he's trying to say, "Here's what God said, but that doesn't really matter. We're going to bring this down and we're going to put his word equal to the Egyptian word or to the Islamic word or to the Hindu word or whatever word you want to." In other words, it is bringing God down to the level of man. So he is saying that God now may be worshiped according to the flesh. God may be worshipped according to the will of man. God may be worshipped any way that man chooses to worship him.

So it is a dethroning of God and an enthroning of man. It is setting ourselves up and thus bringing God down and making God to be in subjection to us. That's what he's attempted to do. Unhappily, in most of our churches, the same idolatry is taking place. The pastor and the people endeavor to worship God according to their own desires, their own wills, and their own way. They're not worshiping him based upon the scripture. They're trying to give him worship that pleases them. I've heard people say, "Well, the reason I go to that church is it makes me feel good." "Well, I like the music," or "I like the children's program," or "I like the fact that we're out quickly." I'm serious. I've heard people say all of these things. It's not that we're there to worship God. It's not that we're there to give God honor and glory. No, no, no. We're determining for ourselves what we're going to give to God and not allowing God to speak to us.

If you look in your Bibles, Exodus chapter 20, this was already clearly in place in Exodus 20. Notice if you would please verses four and five. God says, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." So obviously here what Aaron is doing, he's made this calf and now he's going to try to get the people to worship the one true and the living God under the emblem of the calf. I've been in some churches you would think you stepped into a saloon or a bar. I've been in some churches where you could not tell the difference between the music there and a nightclub. I'm serious.

Fleshly Worship and Its Consequences

The people's worship involved eating, drinking, and sexual immorality ("rose up to play"), leading to Moses' command to slay 3,000 men. Weaver connects this to 1 Corinthians 10, warning against idolatry and fornication.

Now, the Hebrew word play is vital to our understanding of what is happening here. The word does mean to mock, to play, to laugh and to make jest. But it also means to sport and to make sport and to toy with and to make a toy of. Let me show you, I want you to hold Exodus 32 and turn back in your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 26. You remember when Abraham went down into the land, he said that Sarah was his sister. Well, it's true. She was his half sister. You remember Abimelech took her and, but God plagued him and said, "If you touch her, you're dead, man, because she's a man's wife." And God refused to have Abimelech touch her. Well, Isaac now plays the same trick. Notice, if you would, please. In Genesis 26 and verse 6. "And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon. And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife." Now the word sporting is the same exact Hebrew word that is rendered play in Exodus chapter 32.

So Isaac was playing with Rebekah and he was playing with her in such a way that Abimelech says, "That's not his sister. You don't act like that toward your sister." Now, when you understand that, go back, if you would, to Exodus 32, because now the Bible says, watch carefully in verse six, "and 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." You have to remember that sex was always a part of the worship in heathen practices and heathen idolatries. Now, let me show you the impact of this, look in Exodus 32 and verse 25. Look at it. "And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)"

So what were they doing? They were fornicating. They were committing adultery. All to God's honor and God's glory and trying to worship him. Wow. You don't know fleshly worship. You're talking about wicked worship.

Now, in light of that, skip down to verse 26, Exodus 32, verse 26. Here's what happened. "Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses." "And there fell of the people that day about three thousand men." Evidently, these were the ones that were involved in fornication and adultery.

Now, we're given basically the same truth in the New Testament, in relationship, not just to this passage, but also to Numbers 25. So if you look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 10, 1 Corinthians chapter 10, and look, if you would please, beginning there with verse seven, 1 Corinthians 10 and verse seven. The word of God says, "Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand." That's 23,000 that were killed in one day. Now, when you read Numbers 25, and this is in reference here, verse eight, to when the Midianites seduced the people and they committed adultery. When you read that, you'll find in Numbers 25, there's 24,000 killed. You say, "Well, there's a discrepancy." No, there's not a discrepancy. Because in verse eight, the apostle is telling us how many were killed in one day, 23,000.

Numbers 25 tells us how many were killed altogether, 24,000. So obviously God is not pleased with this type of fleshly worship at all. Now, go back if you would please and look in Exodus chapter 32. I think you're at the point that you can see this now. And look in verse 35. I find this extremely clear and concise. "And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made." Well, who made the calf? Aaron made the calf. But the people made the calf. In other words, it was the people who wanted it, provided the materials.

Rejoicing in Man's Works vs. God's Works

The Israelites rejoiced in the works of their own hands (Acts 7:41), contrasting with true worship that glories in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:29-31). Weaver applies this to modern churches that prioritize human preferences over biblical worship.

They were not rejoicing in what God had done, they were rejoicing in what they had done. Here's the difference between God's salvation and man's salvation. Here's the difference between God's worship and man's worship. Note if you would, Acts 7 verse 41 said they rejoiced in the works of their own hands. If you look now to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, 1 Corinthians chapter 1, begin reading there with verse 29. Watch carefully, 1 Corinthians 1, verse 29, God says "that no flesh should glory in his presence." And then he says, "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." In other words, the difference between God's salvation and man's salvation is simple. Man always rejoices in his own works. God's salvation, we rejoice in what God has done. In the worship of God, as we give him that which he demands in light of the way that he demands, we give a God-honored glory.

When we do not give him what he demands in the way that he demands, we're rejoicing in what we've done. Our stained glass windows, our padded pews, our beautiful building, the way we sing, the way we deport ourselves, the way we dress, whatever. Now, let me try to make some applications of this. I want you to think this through with me. When you look at Exodus 32, Aaron blamed the people and the people could rightly blame Aaron because Aaron made it. Well, who's responsible? The answer is all of them. They were not only responsible individually, personally, they were also responsible corporately because it was indeed a shared sin.

Long-Lasting Consequences and Modern Application

Sins have enduring consequences, as seen in David's family turmoil and Israel's persistent calf worship. Weaver warns that modern Christians often pretend to worship God while actually seeking their own will, participating in shared sins through compromised churches and national complicity.

Now here's something we don't like to think about. We do not like to think about the long-lasting consequences of our sins. We like to think, "Well, we'll sin, we'll repent, and it'll be over with." Really? David sinned and committed adultery with Bathsheba, right? He repented. That is true. But look at what he reaped over a period of time. Amnon, his son, raped his own sister, Tamar. Absalom murdered his own brother, Amnon.

Adonijah tried to usurp the throne from Solomon. Absalom did try to usurp the throne, ran his own daddy off the throne and tried to kill him. That didn't happen overnight. That was a long-lasting consequence of that sin. Aaron and the people made the calf. You say, "Well, Moses ground that sucker up and put it in the water and made the people drink it. It was over." No, no, no, no. If you remember, the first king of Israel, Jeroboam, made two golden calves, put one in Dan, one in Bethel, and the people worshiped those calves. And it was the destruction of the northern kingdom because they never, ever got over calf worship.

I'm just simply saying, folks, we have to understand the consequences of our sins. We may be forgiven, but those consequences last for a lifetime, oftentimes. Here's the second thought. I really think and believe that this, that I've just preached to you, is one of the great pretensions of modern day Christianity. We pretend like we're worshiping God. We pretend like we're serving God. We pretend that we want his will. We pretend that we want to give him honor and glory. And in all of our pretensions, in all of our pretended submission and subjection to him, what we really and truly want is our own will and our own way. And we want God to subjugate himself to us and to what we desire. This thought hit me this morning. If you would stop and think of all the churches in America, I just saw this this morning.

Andy Stanley, who is Charles Stanley's son, is supposed to have one of the biggest churches in the Atlanta area, said they were not going to have service until next year because worship is not essential. Well, his kind of worship probably is non-essential, I would say so. In fact, his church is probably non-essential. He's non-essential. But the point I'm trying to make is this. When you have churches where the pastor is not interested really in teaching and preaching the word of God, and the people are not interested in really hearing and learning and obeying the word of God. You not only have individual sins, you have shared sins. You have shared, and the support of those churches is sharing in their sins. God takes his worship very, very seriously. And they that worship him, the scripture says, must worship him in spirit and in truth. So the true worship of God is bounded on one side by spirit and bounded on the other side by truth. So it must be not only in the Holy Spirit, but it must be in the truth of the word of God. So if it's not in spirit, if it's not in truth, it is not the worship of God. And what we're doing in most of our churches is just participating in shared sins.

Call to True Worship

Weaver concludes by urging believers to worship God in spirit and truth, not following a multitude to do evil. He prays for understanding and obedience, emphasizing that God holds both rulers and people accountable for shared sins.

We can do that in the family. We can do that in the church. We can do that in the nation. And God will hold the rulers and the people accountable and responsible. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, I pray that you would impress this concept of shared sins upon our minds.

Help us to understand it. And help us, Lord, to do as you have commanded. "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil." And Lord, if a multitude of people are failing to worship thee aright, may we not join with them. May we worship thee aright, even if we have to do so individually. Lord, help us to love thee. Help us to learn. Teach us, we pray, that we may give thee all of the honor and glory. We recognize that thou art God, and besides thee, there is none other. We ask these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and Savior. Amen. Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Shared Sins

Summary: Sins are not only individual but can be shared among families, churches, and nations, involving collective responsibility and judgment.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'We have to understand that each individual is responsible, accountable, and answerable to God, known for his personal and individual sins, but also for the sins in which he shares as well.' (00:12.1-01:41.5) He uses Exodus 32:35 to show that the people were plagued for making the calf that Aaron made.

Generational Consequences of Sin

Summary: God visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation, as descendants often inherit both the sins and their consequences.

Evidence: Weaver cites Exodus 20:5, 34:7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9, explaining that 'the sons and the remote descendants inherit the sins as well as the consequences of their father's sins.' (08:50.6-10:00.1)

National Shared Sins

Summary: When rulers sin openly and the people do not intervene, the entire nation shares in the guilt and judgment.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'When a ruler sins openly and publicly, and the people do not stop him or even attempt to stop him, then the people are judged along with their rulers.' (15:40.5-16:26.9) He gives examples of Manasseh and David's census.

Idolatry as Shared Sin

Summary: The golden calf incident demonstrates how idolatry involves both leaders and followers in shared guilt, leading to divine judgment.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'The Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.' (45:33.2-46:13.4) Both Aaron and the people were responsible.

Reduction of True Worship

Summary: Aaron's attempt to syncretize calf worship with the worship of Yahweh represents a reduction of Christianity, where man dictates worship according to his own desires.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'He's attempting to bring down the true spiritual worship of the one true living God and bring it down on a par and on a level with the worship of the Egyptian idols.' (35:47.2-36:58.3)

Fleshly Worship

Summary: The Israelites' worship involved sexual immorality, illustrating how man-centered worship leads to gross sin.

Evidence: Weaver explains that 'the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play' (Exodus 32:6) refers to fornication, as seen in the word 'play' and the nakedness in verse 25. (39:51.9-42:55.0)

Rejoicing in Man's Works vs. God's Works

Summary: True worship glories in what God has done, while false worship rejoices in human achievements.

Evidence: Weaver contrasts Acts 7:41 ('rejoiced in the works of their own hands') with 1 Corinthians 1:29-31 ('He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord'). (47:18.3-48:50.2)

Long-Lasting Consequences of Sin

Summary: Even forgiven sins can have enduring consequences that affect future generations and communities.

Evidence: Weaver points to David's family turmoil and Israel's persistent calf worship under Jeroboam, stating, 'We may be forgiven, but those consequences last for a lifetime, oftentimes.' (49:44.6-51:25.9)

Key Arguments

Sin is never purely individual

Summary: All sins affect others, and the Bible teaches that individuals are accountable for shared sins as well as personal ones.

Evidence: Weaver argues, 'There is no way in the world that you can sin just to yourself... Our sins always affect others.' (04:25.2-05:02.9) He cites Romans 14:7.

God justly visits iniquity on descendants

Summary: Descendants inherit sins and consequences because they typically engage in the same sins, making God's judgment just.

Evidence: Weaver explains, 'The answer is that the sons and the remote descendants inherit the sins as well as the consequences of their father's sins.' (08:50.6-10:00.1) He cites multiple passages.

National judgment comes when people tolerate ruler's sin

Summary: A nation is judged for a ruler's open sin when the people fail to oppose it, as seen in Manasseh's case and David's census.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'God is going to send the entire southern kingdom into captivity... because of Manasseh... not only did they allow what he did, they participated in what he did.' (17:35.9-19:08.8)

Aaron was a willing participant in idolatry

Summary: Despite Moses' assumption that Aaron was forced, the text shows Aaron actively directing the idol-making, making him equally guilty.

Evidence: Weaver notes, 'Aaron receives the golden earrings. He asks for them... it appears that Aaron was indeed a willing participant.' (27:30.4-28:47.6)

Syncretism is a reduction of true worship

Summary: Aaron's attempt to worship God through an Egyptian emblem represents the modern tendency to bring God down to man's level and worship according to human preferences.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'It is a dethroning of God and an enthroning of man... the same idolatry is taking place' in churches today. (36:58.8-37:31.8)

Fleshly worship leads to immorality

Summary: The Hebrew word 'play' in Exodus 32:6 implies sexual immorality, showing that man-centered worship quickly degenerates into gross sin.

Evidence: Weaver connects 'rose up to play' with Isaac 'sporting' with Rebekah (Genesis 26:8) and the nakedness in Exodus 32:25, concluding they were fornicating. (39:51.9-42:55.0)

True worship glories in God, not man

Summary: The difference between true and false worship is whether one rejoices in God's works or man's works, as seen in Acts 7:41 and 1 Corinthians 1.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Man always rejoices in his own works. God's salvation, we rejoice in what God has done.' (47:18.3-48:50.2)

Modern Christianity often practices shared sins

Summary: Many churches and Christians participate in shared sins by supporting compromised worship and prioritizing personal preferences over biblical truth.

Evidence: Weaver warns, 'When you have churches where the pastor is not interested really in teaching and preaching the word of God... you not only have individual sins, you have shared sins.' (52:56.7-53:41.6)

Scripture References

Exodus 32:35

Context: The Lord plagued the people because they made the calf which Aaron made, illustrating shared sin.

Genesis 3:6-7

Context: Adam and Eve's sin was both individual and shared, as Eve ate and gave to Adam.

Romans 5:12

Context: Sin entered the world through one man, Adam, showing the corporate effect of sin.

1 Timothy 2:14

Context: Adam was not deceived, but Eve was, yet both sinned jointly.

Romans 14:7

Context: None of us lives or dies to himself, implying our sins affect others.

Exodus 20:5

Context: God visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.

Exodus 34:7

Context: God visits iniquity on descendants, showing generational consequences.

Numbers 14:18

Context: The Lord visits iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generation.

Deuteronomy 5:9

Context: God is a jealous God, visiting iniquity on descendants.

Lamentations 5:7

Context: Our fathers sinned and are not, and we have borne their iniquities.

Jeremiah 16:10-13

Context: God judges the people because they did worse than their fathers, fulfilling their sins.

Zechariah 1:3-6

Context: God calls the people not to be like their fathers who did not hearken.

Ezekiel 18:20

Context: The soul that sins shall die; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father if he repents.

Jeremiah 15:1-4

Context: God judges Judah because of Manasseh's sins, showing national shared sin.

1 Chronicles 21:14

Context: 70,000 men died because David's sin of numbering Israel was not opposed.

Exodus 24:14

Context: Moses left Aaron and Hur in charge, setting the stage for Aaron's leadership failure.

Exodus 32:1-6

Context: The people demand gods, Aaron makes the calf, and they worship with feasting and play.

Acts 7:39-41

Context: The fathers turned back to Egypt, made a calf, and rejoiced in their own works.

Joshua 24:14

Context: Joshua commands Israel to put away the gods their fathers served in Egypt.

Ezekiel 20:8

Context: Israel did not forsake the idols of Egypt, showing persistent idolatry.

Historical References

Egyptian idolatry of Apis, Serapis, and Isis (oxen and cows)

Context: Weaver explains that the golden calf was modeled after Egyptian idols, which the Israelites were familiar with from their time in Egypt.

Manasseh, king of Judah

Context: Manasseh's wickedness led to God's judgment on the entire southern kingdom, illustrating national shared sin.

David's census and the resulting pestilence

Context: David's public sin of numbering Israel led to 70,000 deaths because the people did not oppose him.

Jeroboam's golden calves in Dan and Bethel

Context: The first king of Israel perpetuated calf worship, leading to the destruction of the northern kingdom.

Andy Stanley's church decision during COVID-19

Context: Weaver references Andy Stanley's statement that worship is not essential as an example of modern shared sin in churches.

Important Quotes

The Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Significance: This is the key verse (Exodus 32:35) that introduces the concept of shared sin, showing both the people and Aaron were responsible.

There is no way in the world that you can sin just to yourself. There's no way in the world that you can just simply reap the consequences of your sin just to yourself.

Significance: Emphasizes the corporate nature of sin and its inevitable impact on others.

When a ruler sins openly and publicly, and the people do not stop him or even attempt to stop him, then the people are judged along with their rulers.

Significance: Summarizes the principle of national shared sin and collective responsibility.

He's attempting to bring down the true spiritual worship of the one true living God and bring it down on a par and on a level with the worship of the Egyptian idols and oxen.

Significance: Describes Aaron's syncretism as a reduction of true worship, a key application to modern Christianity.

They were not rejoicing in what God had done, they were rejoicing in what they had done.

Significance: Highlights the contrast between man-centered and God-centered worship, based on Acts 7:41.

We may be forgiven, but those consequences last for a lifetime, oftentimes.

Significance: Warns that even forgiven sins can have long-lasting effects, using David and Israel as examples.

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.

Significance: A concluding exhortation from Exodus 23:2, urging believers not to participate in corporate sin.

Discussion Questions

How does the concept of shared sins challenge the common belief that sin is only a private matter between an individual and God?

Context: Weaver argues that all sins affect others and that we are accountable for shared sins.

In what ways have you seen the generational consequences of sin in families or communities?

Context: Weaver discusses how God visits iniquity on the third and fourth generation, using examples like drug-addicted babies.

What responsibilities do citizens have when their rulers sin openly? How can we apply the principle from David's census and Manasseh's reign today?

Context: Weaver explains that when rulers sin publicly and the people do not oppose it, the nation shares in the judgment.

Why do you think Aaron was a willing participant in the idolatry, and how does his excuse ('the people are set on mischief') reflect common ways we shift blame?

Context: Weaver notes that Aaron tried to blame the people, but the text shows he actively directed the idol-making.

How does Aaron's attempt to syncretize calf worship with the worship of Yahweh parallel modern attempts to blend worldly practices with Christian worship?

Context: Weaver calls this a reduction of Christianity and gives examples of churches prioritizing entertainment over biblical truth.

What does it mean to 'rejoice in the works of our own hands' in worship, and how can we ensure our worship glories in God alone?

Context: Weaver contrasts Acts 7:41 with 1 Corinthians 1:29-31, emphasizing that true worship focuses on God's works.

How can we avoid participating in shared sins within our churches, especially when the majority may be compromising biblical standards?

Context: Weaver warns that supporting churches that neglect God's Word makes us sharers in their sins.

What are some practical steps to break the cycle of generational sin in our families, based on the call to 'be not as your fathers'?

Context: Weaver cites Zechariah 1:4 and Ezekiel 18:20, showing that repentance can stop the pattern.

Applications

Recognize the corporate nature of sin

Summary: Believers should acknowledge that their sins affect others and that they may be sharing in the sins of their family, church, or nation.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'Our sins always affect others. It affects our spouses, our children, our family, our church, our friends.' (04:25.2-05:02.9)

Oppose public sin in leadership

Summary: Christians have a duty to oppose open sin in rulers and not passively accept it, lest they share in the judgment.

Evidence: Weaver explains that when David numbered Israel, 'everyone in Israel knew that what David was doing was wrong... and nobody stopped him,' leading to 70,000 deaths. (21:10.1-21:40.6)

Worship God according to His Word, not human preferences

Summary: True worship must be in spirit and truth, bounded by Scripture, not by what pleases man.

Evidence: Weaver warns against churches where 'the pastor and the people endeavor to worship God according to their own desires, their own wills, and their own way.' (37:32.8-38:12.8)

Break generational patterns of sin through repentance

Summary: Individuals can stop the cycle of inherited sin by turning to God in obedience, as Ezekiel 18:20 teaches.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'The only exception would be if one repented and turned to God in obedience.' (14:14.6-14:49.7)

Evaluate church participation carefully

Summary: Supporting a church that compromises biblical teaching makes one a sharer in its sins; believers should seek churches that faithfully preach God's Word.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'the support of those churches is sharing in their sins.' (53:44.1-54:43.6)

Consider the long-term consequences of sin

Summary: Even forgiven sins can have lasting effects; believers should weigh the potential generational impact of their actions.

Evidence: Weaver notes that David's sin led to family turmoil and Israel's calf worship persisted for generations. (49:44.6-51:25.9)

Do not follow the multitude to do evil

Summary: When the majority engages in sinful worship or practice, believers must stand apart and worship God rightly, even if alone.

Evidence: Weaver prays, 'Lord, if a multitude of people are failing to worship thee aright, may we not join with them.' (55:18.0-56:01.4)

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:26:59Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T02:56:24Z

Clean Transcript

Shared Sins

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Let's open our Bibles today to Exodus chapter 32. Exodus 32. And we're just simply going to read verse 35. And Lord willing, we will start from there. Exodus 32, verse 35. The title of the message is Shared Sins, shared sins. Look, if you would, Exodus 32, just to begin with verse 35, the Bible says that the Lord plagued the people because they made the calf, which Aaron made. When you hear the words shared sins, it's almost like a slap upside the head, simply because we never really think of such a concept. Yet it's a concept that is clearly based in scripture and taught in scripture. We're usually more concerned with what we would call individual or personal sins. And in reality, all sins are individual and personal, but yet there are shared sins as well. We have to understand that each individual is responsible, accountable, and answerable to God, known for his personal and individual sins, but also for the sins in which he shares as well. When you stop and think about the principle of shared sins, it should become obvious that there are many shared sins.
#1 | 0:12 to 1:41 | cleaned
If you consider just for a moment the sin of adultery, and yes, each individual is accountable and answerable and responsible. It is a personal sin, but it's also a shared sin in the sense that it involves the willfulness and the cooperation of at least two people. So it's not just individual sins. It's a shared sin as well. And if you would hold Exodus 32 and turn in your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 3, and look if you would please at verses 6 and 7, because you're going to notice, I believe, that the very first sin that was ever committed was indeed a shared sin as well as an individual sin. So in Genesis 3 verse 6, the Bible says that when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and then it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise.
#2 | 1:42 to 2:37 | cleaned
She took of the fruit thereof and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
#3 | 2:38 to 2:53 | cleaned
Now obviously Eve was the very first one to sin. She took the fruit, she ate, and then she gave to her husband. Well, each one of them were accountable and answerable and responsible, but still it was indeed a shared sin. And interestingly enough, even though Eve was the first one to sin, sin actually came into the world through Adam. The Bible tells you in Romans chapter 5 and verse 12, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."
#4 | 2:54 to 3:31 | cleaned
Well, obviously God had his covenant with Adam, and sin came through Adam, even though Eve was the first one to transgress. And scripture teaches us that Eve was deceived, but not Adam. For in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 14, the Bible plainly says, "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." So even though Adam and Eve sinned individually, they also sinned jointly. And so it was also a shared sin as well as an individual sin. So I think it's appropriate at this time to recall Romans chapter 14 in verse 7, where the Bible says, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself."
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So I believe one clear implication is this, is that our lives and our deaths and our sins always affect other people. There is no way in the world that you can sin just to yourself. There's no way in the world that you can just simply reap the consequences of your sin just to yourself. Our sins always affect others. It affects our spouses, our children, our family, our church, our friends. We cannot live selfishly.
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And usually when someone says, "Well, it's my life. It doesn't matter what happens to me. It's just affecting me." That's not true. Because sin always affects someone else. And in fact, let me put it to you like this. We're still suffering from the sins of Adam and Eve. I mean, obviously, there's long-reaching implications of our sins. And many times we overlook that and we overlook the devastating families and the ruined homes and the spouses and the children that are hurt just simply because someone thought selfishly that, "Well, it's just my sin. It's not going to hurt anybody but me." That is certainly not true. Now, there are many passages in the Bible I believe that teach this concept of shared sins.
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Let me show you some verses and then let me ask a question and then try to answer it for you. So I want you to look in your Bibles, first of all, to Exodus chapter 20 and look if you would please at verse five, Exodus 20 and verse five. God says this, part of the second commandment. We'll come back to it later. But God says, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them," that is to idols, "nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." Now I want you to look closely at that because God says he visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generation of those that hate him. Now, if you look in Exodus chapter 34 and verse 7, Exodus 34, and look, if you would please, at verse 7. The Bible says, "Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation."
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And then if you will turn to Numbers chapter 14 and look, if you would please, at verse 18. Numbers 14 and verse 18. Again, we have this same truth. Numbers 14 verse 18. "The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation." Now, one more passage, if you look in the book of Deuteronomy, chapter five and verse nine, Deuteronomy five and verse nine.
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Note, if you would, what God says again, "Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me." Now, here's my question. How can God justly visit the iniquity of the fathers to the children up to the third and fourth generation?
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And the answer is very simple. The answer is that the sons and the remote descendants inherit the sins as well as the consequences of their father's sins. They inherit the consequences in disease, in poverty, in captivity, in every evil influence imaginable. And just to demonstrate this, all you have to do is think about the little babies that are conceived, carried, and born already addicted to drugs because of their father or their mother was a drug addict. Same thing. Think of the babies that are born with horrible diseases, usually venereal diseases because of the sins of the parents. And so we can see an easy illustration, and like I pointed out before, and said that the sins of Adam and Eve, we're still reaping the consequences of that. Family sins are usually passed on. Idolatry is usually passed on. Wickedness is usually passed on.
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That's why in the book of Lamentations chapter 5 and verse 7, the Bible says, "Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities." Now, here's what I want you to see. I want you to turn with me to two passages particularly, and I want you to see that the sins of the fathers are not only normally passed on to their children, but oftentimes the children are even worse than the fathers. So if you'll turn to Jeremiah chapter 16, Jeremiah chapter 16, and let's begin reading there with verse 10. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 16. And look, if you would please, at verse 10. And look what God says to these wicked, wicked people. Jeremiah 16, verse 10.
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"And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against the Lord our God? Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law; and ye have done worse than your fathers. For, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken unto me: Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you favour." Now notice what God said. God said, "I'm going to judge you because you are fulfilling the sins of your fathers. You're only doing what they've done."
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You're doing worse than they have done. If you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Zechariah, right before the book of Malachi, and look in Zechariah chapter one. Zechariah chapter one. And let's begin reading at verse three.
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Now I'm just trying to show you that usually family sins are passed from generation to generation. Idolatry is usually passed from generation to generation. So Zechariah 1 verse 3, "Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts." Now look what he says in verse 4, "Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us." And so what did God tell these people?
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"Be not as your fathers." And the tendency for our descendants is for them to do exactly the way we do. And usually if we exhibit more depravity, they're going to exhibit far more depravity than we do because the progression is from worse to worse. And thus God said he will judge them to the third and fourth generation.
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Now sins and the consequences of the sins are passed down between the sons and the descendants because they usually engage in the same sins.
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Now, the only exception would be if one repented and turned to God in obedience. That's why he said in Ezekiel 18 in verse 20, "The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him." So God says if someone repents, that's why he was saying in Zechariah, "Be not as your fathers."
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In other words, turn and listen to me and repent. Now, sins can be shared. And we think of that in reference to family sins. We can also think of it in reference to ecclesiastical sins. But here's the concept. Have you ever thought of shared sins in relationship to national sins? You see, I've heard people say, "Well, what they do in Washington doesn't bother me." It does. "But what they do in Atlanta or what they do in Tallahassee, it doesn't bother me." Yes, it does. Because you can have shared national sins.
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Now, let me give you a principle. A principle that you find in scripture is this concerning rulers. When a ruler sins individually and privately, he is judged individually and privately. A good illustration is when David committed adultery with Bathsheba. The nation was not judged, just David and his household, because they reaped what David had sown. But the nation was not judged. But however, when a ruler sins openly and publicly, and the people do not stop him or even attempt to stop him, then the people are judged along with their rulers.
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So let me show you. Look in Jeremiah chapter 15. Jeremiah chapter 15. And I want you to see this awful, awesome, horrifying judgment that is going to fall upon Judah, the southern kingdom. And then I want you to see why. So look in Jeremiah chapter 15, beginning there with verse one. God says, "Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me," that is, if they were trying to intercede for the Southern kingdom, God says, "my mind could not be toward this people."
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"Cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. And it shall come to pass, if they say unto thee, Whither shall we go forth? then thou shalt tell them, Thus saith the Lord; Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for the famine, to the famine; and such as are for the captivity, to the captivity."
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Now look what he says in verse three. "And I will appoint over them four kinds, saith the Lord: the sword to slay, and the dogs to tear, and the fowls of the heaven, and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy." Now here's my question. Why is God going to judge the southern kingdom so strenuously? Here's the answer in verse four. "And I will cause them to be removed into all kingdoms of the earth, because of Manasseh the son of Hezekiah king of Judah, for that which he did in Jerusalem." Did you hear that? God is going to send the entire southern kingdom into captivity, death, disease, famine, pestilence, because of Manasseh, that which he did. Now, Manasseh was the most evil and most wicked king in the southern kingdom.
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When you get home, if you read 2 Kings 21, you'll see some of his heinous acts and serious crimes. But the question is, why are the people going into captivity because of that which Manasseh did? And the answer is, not only did they allow what he did, they participated in what he did. And so God is judging the people along with their ruler.
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Now, I mentioned David earlier, that when David committed adultery with Bathsheba, it was David who was judged. But when you get to 1 Chronicles chapter 21, now David wants to number his fighting men. And he tells Joab, "I want you to go out and number these men for me." And Joab, as wicked as he was, and he was a murderer, Joab said, "Well, may the Lord increase his people a hundredfold or double or whatever, but why would you do this?" In other words, even Joab knew it was wrong. You see, the people were not to be numbered except in a time of war. And when they were numbered, the half shekel of the sanctuary was to be taken for each man for his ransom or redemption money. And there was no war going on and no half shekel was taken. And the Bible tells us, nevertheless, the king's word prevailed over Joab. And so Joab went and started numbering the children of Israel.
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And he got so disgusted with it, he finally quit. He never even finished. And finally, the prophet of God came to David and said, "Now look, you sinned against God."
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"Now choose one of these three things that I may do it to you. You can be chased of your enemies. You can have a famine or you can have a pestilence." And David said, "Let me fall in the hands of God, not in the hands of man." In other words, "I'm not going to choose. Let God choose." And so God sent a pestilence. And in 1 Chronicles chapter 21 in verse 14, listen to this. "So the Lord sent pestilence upon Israel: and there fell of Israel seventy thousand men."
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Now ask yourself this question. Why did 70,000 men die? And the answer is because everyone in Israel knew that what David was doing was wrong and wicked and unbiblical and ungodly, and nobody stopped him or even attempted to stop him. Their attitude was, "He's the king, he can do what he wants to do." No, he was not able to do whatever he wanted to do.
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Now, so the Lord then sent this pestilence and the people suffered because of their ruler. Now, obviously there's clear implications of shared sins in the Bible.
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Now I want you to go back to Exodus chapter 32, because I want you to understand that shared sins may be familial, that is in the family. They may be ecclesiastical, that is in the church, but they can also be national, that is in the nation. But when you look at Exodus chapter 32, and we're going to be looking at it, notice if you would please in verse one, "And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron." So the first question that we need to answer is why did the people go to Aaron? Well, you remember now that Moses is in the mount receiving the law of God. And if you look back to Exodus chapter 24 and verse 14, before Moses went into the mount, look if you would at the directions that he gave to the people. Exodus 24 and verse 14. "And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you."
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"And, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them." So he left Aaron and Hur in charge. And so when you look in Exodus chapter 32 and verse one, the people now come to Aaron.
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Now Moses had been gone long enough. You remember he was in there 40 days. Moses had been gone long enough that they had assumed that he was dead. They showed great disrespect for Moses and reproach for Moses because they referred to him as "this Moses," this Moses. It's kind of like in the book of Daniel, Daniel's enemies referred to him as "that Daniel." So it's "this Moses" and "that Daniel."
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And so they're just assuming that he's dead, or he was consumed by the fire, or he was taken to heaven, or God dumped him somewhere else. In other words, they're assuming he's not coming back. Which demonstrates not only their impatience, but their lack of faith as well. So look in verse one again of Exodus 32. "And 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." Well, obviously now, these people are wanting a God either, number one, to lead them through the wilderness, or number two, to enable them to return into Egypt. Now, Adam Clarke, in his commentary, said that the people came to Moses in a tumultuous and seditious manner, insisting on an object of religious worship to be made for them and that they intended to return to Egypt under this idol.
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Now, if you would hold Exodus 32, but look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter seven. And if you mark that passage, we'll come back here just a little bit later. But look in Acts chapter seven, beginning there with verse 39. Acts seven, verse 39. Watch this if you would. Acts seven, verse 39. "To whom our fathers would not obey, but thrust him from them, and in their hearts turned back again into Egypt, saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him."
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"And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands." So obviously now these people are lacking faith. I suppose it is impossible to know exactly the extent of the pressure that was placed upon Aaron. But in our text, in Exodus chapter 32, I believe the scripture shows that he was a willing participant in this idolatry. Now, this idolatry was so wicked and so vile that Moses assumed that somehow the people forced Aaron to do this. If you will look in your Bibles to Exodus 32 and verse 21, watch what Moses asked Aaron. "And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?"
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In other words, what did they do to you? How could they threaten you? How could they coerce you? How could these people make you do something that is so vile and so wicked?
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Now, he is assuming that Aaron was forced to make this calf. However, when you read the context, it appears that Aaron was indeed a willing participant. He was not only a willing participant, he was the one giving the directions. So look in Exodus 32 again, verse one. "And 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. And 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. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron." So Aaron receives the golden earrings. He asks for them. Now later on, Aaron tries to indicate that the people forced him to do this.
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So if you look in Exodus 32 and verse 22, after Moses is asked, "What did this people do to you to make you do this?" Verse 22, "And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief." In other words, "It was the people and their sins that push me."
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Now, the Hebrew word for mischief here refers to that which is evil, wicked, grievous, sinful, bad, and hurtful. In other words, what Aaron is saying is it's the depravity of their hearts working itself out. Now, it is exceedingly clear from the Bible that Aaron made the calf. Not only has he asked for the golden earrings, look in verse four. "And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf."
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"And they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Now, note carefully what is said in this verse. Aaron received the gold, fashioned it, and used a graving tool, and made it a molten calf. So he cast a mold, he made the calf, and then he took the graving tool and put all the fine features on it is what it amounted to. So here's the question. Why did he make a calf? Why did he not make an eagle? Why did he not make a man? Why did he make a calf?
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And the answer is very simple. Because the great idols of the Egyptians were Apis, Serapis, and Isis, which were oxen and cows. The Hebrew word for calf is also the Hebrew word for ox. And the Israelites were familiar with the worship of the ox in Egypt. And Heliopolis, which was right almost on the border of Goshen, they could have seen these rites over and over. And of course, they had to be acquainted with the great worship of Apis and Memphis in Egypt.
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And so they understood what this was all about. And by the way, I want you to understand that while they were in Egypt, they gave into this worship, and they continued this worship even afterwards, which I'm going to show you. But I want you to turn in your Bible, hold Exodus 32, but look in the book of Joshua chapter 24. Joshua 24, and look if you would please at verse 14. Just to show you, Joshua 24, and look if you would please at verse 14. Joshua tells them, "Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood."
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That would be when they were back in Ur of the Chaldees and all that area. And then he says, "and in Egypt." So evidently these people were used to worshiping a calf or an ox while they were in Egypt. And so Joshua was saying, "You better put away all these false gods. You better get rid of them."
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Now, if you look in your Bibles very quickly to the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel, and notice if you would, chapter 20 and verse 8. Ezekiel 20 and verse 8. Look at what God says, Ezekiel 20 and verse eight. He said, "But they rebelled against me, and would not hearken unto me: they did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt: then I said, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt." He said they did not forsake the idols of Egypt.
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So the ox and the calf was indeed a religious object and an idolatrous symbol. And it was the emblem of Egyptian worship.
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Now, in referring now to shared sins, I want you to go back to Exodus chapter 32. I want you to watch this. Look at Exodus 32 in verse 4. Watch this. We're talking about shared sins. "And 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." So he made it, but they said, "These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Now, when Aaron saw that they were making a god out of this calf, wow.
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What did he try to do? He tried to do that which was impossible. Look in verse five. "And when Aaron saw it," when he saw that they were worshiping this calf, "he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the Lord," that is to Yahweh, to Jehovah, to the one true and the living God. So Aaron is now doing that which is impossible. He's attempting to do that which is impossible. He's endeavoring to make idolatry into the true worship of God. He's endeavoring to have God worship under the auspices of an Egyptian emblem. He gave orders throughout the camp that the people would come together and have a solemn feast. And this was to be a worship of God.
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Let me explain something to you. This is known as the reduction of Christianity or the reduction of the Word of God. How can I say it is a reduction of Christianity? What Aaron is attempting to do is this. Listen carefully. He's attempting to bring down the true spiritual worship of the one true living God and bring it down on a par and on a level with the worship of the Egyptian idols and oxen. That's what he's trying to do. Or he's trying to say, "Here's what God said, but that doesn't really matter. We're going to bring this down and we're going to put his word equal to the Egyptian word or to the Islamic word or to the Hindu word or whatever word you want to." In other words, it is bringing God down to the level of man. So he is saying that God now may be worshiped according to the flesh. God may be worshipped according to the will of man. God may be worshipped any way that man chooses to worship him.
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So it is a dethroning of God and an enthroning of man. It is setting ourselves up and thus bringing God down and making God to be in subjection to us. That's what he's attempted to do. Unhappily, in most of our churches, the same idolatry is taking place. The pastor and the people endeavor to worship God according to their own desires, their own wills, and their own way.
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They're not worshiping him based upon the scripture. They're trying to give him worship that pleases them. I've heard people say, "Well, the reason I go to that church is it makes me feel good." "Well, I like the music," or "I like the children's program," or "I like the fact that we're out quickly." I'm serious. I've heard people say all of these things. It's not that we're there to worship God. It's not that we're there to give God honor and glory. No, no, no. We're determining for ourselves what we're going to give to God and not allowing God to speak to us.
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If you look in your Bibles, Exodus chapter 20, this was already clearly in place in Exodus 20. Notice if you would please verses four and five. God says, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."
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So obviously here what Aaron is doing, he's made this calf and now he's going to try to get the people to worship the one true and the living God under the emblem of the calf. I've been in some churches you would think you stepped into a saloon or a bar. I've been in some churches where you could not tell the difference between the music there and a nightclub. I'm serious.
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In order to demonstrate this fleshliness, let me show you. Go back in your Bible, Exodus 32, and look, if you would please, at verse 6. Watch this, just to show you what I'm talking about. "And 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." They sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to play.
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Now, the Hebrew word play is vital to our understanding of what is happening here. The word does mean to mock, to play, to laugh and to make jest. But it also means to sport and to make sport and to toy with and to make a toy of. Let me show you, I want you to hold Exodus 32 and turn back in your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 26.
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You remember when Abraham went down into the land, he said that Sarah was his sister. Well, it's true. She was his half sister. You remember Abimelech took her and, but God plagued him and said, "If you touch her, you're dead, man, because she's a man's wife." And God refused to have Abimelech touch her. Well, Isaac now plays the same trick. Notice, if you would, please. In Genesis 26 and verse 6. "And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon. And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife." Now the word sporting is the same exact Hebrew word that is rendered play in Exodus chapter 32.
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So Isaac was playing with Rebekah and he was playing with her in such a way that Abimelech says, "That's not his sister. You don't act like that toward your sister."
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Now, when you understand that, go back, if you would, to Exodus 32, because now the Bible says, watch carefully in verse six, "and 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." You have to remember that sex was always a part of the worship in heathen practices and heathen idolatries. Now, let me show you the impact of this, look in Exodus 32 and verse 25. Look at it. "And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)"
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So what were they doing? They were fornicating. They were committing adultery. All to God's honor and God's glory and trying to worship him. Wow. You don't know fleshly worship. You're talking about wicked worship.
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Now, in light of that, skip down to verse 26, Exodus 32, verse 26. Here's what happened. "Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour. And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses."
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"And there fell of the people that day about three thousand men." Evidently, these were the ones that were involved in fornication and adultery.
#60 | 43:46 to 43:55 | cleaned
Now, we're given basically the same truth in the New Testament, in relationship, not just to this passage, but also to Numbers 25. So if you look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians chapter 10, 1 Corinthians chapter 10, and look, if you would please, beginning there with verse seven, 1 Corinthians 10 and verse seven. The word of God says, "Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand." That's 23,000 that were killed in one day. Now, when you read Numbers 25, and this is in reference here, verse eight, to when the Midianites seduced the people and they committed adultery. When you read that, you'll find in Numbers 25, there's 24,000 killed. You say, "Well, there's a discrepancy." No, there's not a discrepancy. Because in verse eight, the apostle is telling us how many were killed in one day, 23,000.
#61 | 43:55 to 45:20 | cleaned
Numbers 25 tells us how many were killed altogether, 24,000. So obviously God is not pleased with this type of fleshly worship at all.
#62 | 45:20 to 45:33 | cleaned
Now, go back if you would please and look in Exodus chapter 32. I think you're at the point that you can see this now. And look in verse 35. I find this extremely clear and concise. "And the Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made." Well, who made the calf? Aaron made the calf. But the people made the calf. In other words, it was the people who wanted it, provided the materials.
#63 | 45:33 to 46:13 | cleaned
He just cast it into a mold and fashioned with an engraving tool. I mean, it was just that simple. Here you have shared sins. The Lord plagued the people because they made the calf that Aaron made.
#64 | 46:15 to 46:31 | cleaned
Now, let me show you something. Besides all of the fleshliness, besides all of the wickedness, besides all of the idolatry, let me show you something else they did. Look in your Bibles to the book of Acts chapter 7 and verse 41. We read this passage earlier, but I did not emphasize this. Look at it. Acts 7 verse 41, the Bible says, "And they made a calf in those days, and offered sacrifice unto the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own hands." Wow!
#65 | 46:31 to 47:17 | cleaned
They were not rejoicing in what God had done, they were rejoicing in what they had done. Here's the difference between God's salvation and man's salvation. Here's the difference between God's worship and man's worship. Note if you would, Acts 7 verse 41 said they rejoiced in the works of their own hands. If you look now to 1 Corinthians chapter 1, 1 Corinthians chapter 1, begin reading there with verse 29. Watch carefully, 1 Corinthians 1, verse 29, God says "that no flesh should glory in his presence." And then he says, "But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord." In other words, the difference between God's salvation and man's salvation is simple. Man always rejoices in his own works. God's salvation, we rejoice in what God has done. In the worship of God, as we give him that which he demands in light of the way that he demands, we give a God-honored glory.
#66 | 47:18 to 48:50 | cleaned
When we do not give him what he demands in the way that he demands, we're rejoicing in what we've done. Our stained glass windows, our padded pews, our beautiful building, the way we sing, the way we deport ourselves, the way we dress, whatever.
#67 | 48:50 to 49:04 | cleaned
Now, let me try to make some applications of this. I want you to think this through with me. When you look at Exodus 32, Aaron blamed the people and the people could rightly blame Aaron because Aaron made it. Well, who's responsible? The answer is all of them. They were not only responsible individually, personally, they were also responsible corporately because it was indeed a shared sin.
#68 | 49:04 to 49:42 | cleaned
Now here's something we don't like to think about. We do not like to think about the long-lasting consequences of our sins. We like to think, "Well, we'll sin, we'll repent, and it'll be over with." Really? David sinned and committed adultery with Bathsheba, right? He repented. That is true. But look at what he reaped over a period of time. Amnon, his son, raped his own sister, Tamar. Absalom murdered his own brother, Amnon.
#69 | 49:44 to 50:27 | cleaned
Adonijah tried to usurp the throne from Solomon. Absalom did try to usurp the throne, ran his own daddy off the throne and tried to kill him. That didn't happen overnight. That was a long-lasting consequence of that sin. Aaron and the people made the calf. You say, "Well, Moses ground that sucker up and put it in the water and made the people drink it. It was over." No, no, no, no. If you remember, the first king of Israel, Jeroboam, made two golden calves, put one in Dan, one in Bethel, and the people worshiped those calves. And it was the destruction of the northern kingdom because they never, ever got over calf worship.
#70 | 50:27 to 51:24 | cleaned
I'm just simply saying, folks, we have to understand the consequences of our sins. We may be forgiven, but those consequences last for a lifetime, oftentimes. Here's the second thought. I really think and believe that this, that I've just preached to you, is one of the great pretensions of modern day Christianity. We pretend like we're worshiping God. We pretend like we're serving God. We pretend that we want his will. We pretend that we want to give him honor and glory. And in all of our pretensions, in all of our pretended submission and subjection to him, what we really and truly want is our own will and our own way. And we want God to subjugate himself to us and to what we desire. This thought hit me this morning. If you would stop and think of all the churches in America, I just saw this this morning.
#71 | 51:25 to 52:54 | cleaned
Andy Stanley, who is Charles Stanley's son, is supposed to have one of the biggest churches in the Atlanta area, said they were not going to have service until next year because worship is not essential. Well, his kind of worship probably is non-essential, I would say so. In fact, his church is probably non-essential. He's non-essential. But the point I'm trying to make is this. When you have churches where the pastor is not interested really in teaching and preaching the word of God, and the people are not interested in really hearing and learning and obeying the word of God.
#72 | 52:56 to 53:41 | cleaned
You not only have individual sins, you have shared sins. You have shared, and the support of those churches is sharing in their sins. God takes his worship very, very seriously. And they that worship him, the scripture says, must worship him in spirit and in truth. So the true worship of God is bounded on one side by spirit and bounded on the other side by truth. So it must be not only in the Holy Spirit, but it must be in the truth of the word of God. So if it's not in spirit, if it's not in truth, it is not the worship of God. And what we're doing in most of our churches is just participating in shared sins.
#73 | 53:44 to 54:43 | cleaned
We can do that in the family. We can do that in the church. We can do that in the nation. And God will hold the rulers and the people accountable and responsible. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to thee this day. We thank you for your word. We thank you for your truth. And Lord, I pray that you would impress this concept of shared sins upon our minds.
#74 | 54:46 to 55:16 | cleaned
Help us to understand it. And help us, Lord, to do as you have commanded. "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil." And Lord, if a multitude of people are failing to worship thee aright, may we not join with them. May we worship thee aright, even if we have to do so individually. Lord, help us to love thee. Help us to learn. Teach us, we pray, that we may give thee all of the honor and glory. We recognize that thou art God, and besides thee, there is none other. We ask these things in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is our Lord and Savior. Amen. Amen.
#75 | 55:18 to 56:01 | cleaned
you you
#76 | 56:17 to 56:18 | cleaned

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T14:26:59Z

Shared Sins

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

Pastor John Weaver explores the biblical concept of shared sins—sins that are not only individual but also corporate, affecting families, churches, and nations. Using Exodus 32 as the primary text, he demonstrates how the Israelites' idolatry with the golden calf was a shared sin involving Aaron and the people, leading to God's judgment. He extends the principle to show that sins have long-lasting consequences, often passed down through generations, and that modern Christians must be wary of participating in shared sins through compromised worship or national complicity.

Introduction to Shared Sins

Scripture Reading — Romans 5:12

Well, obviously God had his covenant with Adam, and sin came through Adam, even though Eve was the first one to transgress. And scripture teaches us that Eve was deceived, but not Adam. For in 1 Timothy 2 and verse 14, the Bible plainly says, "And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." So even though Adam and Eve sinned individually, they also sinned jointly. And so it was also a shared sin as well as an individual sin. So I think it's appropriate at this time to recall Romans chapter 14 in verse 7, where the Bible says, "For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself."

The Ripple Effect of Sin

Generational Consequences of Sin

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:5

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them,"

that is to idols,

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:5

"nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me."

Scripture Reading — Exodus 20:5

"Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation."

That's why in the book of Lamentations chapter 5 and verse 7, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Lamentations 5:7

"Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities."

Now I'm just trying to show you that usually family sins are passed from generation to generation. Idolatry is usually passed from generation to generation. So Zechariah 1 verse 3,

Scripture Reading — Zechariah 1:3-6

"Therefore say thou unto them, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts."

Now look what he says in verse 4,

Scripture Reading — Zechariah 1:3-6

"Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil doings: but they did not hear, nor hearken unto me, saith the Lord. Your fathers, where are they? and the prophets, do they live for ever? But my words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? and they returned and said, Like as the Lord of hosts thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings, so hath he dealt with us."

And so what did God tell these people?

Now, the only exception would be if one repented and turned to God in obedience. That's why he said in Ezekiel 18 in verse 20,

Scripture Reading — Ezekiel 18:20

"The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him."

National Shared Sins

Now, so the Lord then sent this pestilence and the people suffered because of their ruler. Now, obviously there's clear implications of shared sins in the Bible.

The Golden Calf Incident as Shared Sin

Scripture Reading — Exodus 32:1-6

"And 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. And 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. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron."

Scripture Reading — Exodus 32:1-6

"And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf."

Aaron's Attempt to Syncretize Worship

Fleshly Worship and Its Consequences

Rejoicing in Man's Works vs. God's Works

Long-Lasting Consequences and Modern Application

Call to True Worship

Shared Sins

John Weaver | YouTube

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	YouTube
Media ID	zkkK-AyweUI
Subject	Church Government
Course	Church Order: Preaching and Pastoral Ministry
Genre	Sermon
Date	2020-09-21
Dictation Name
Book	Book 040: Church Order and Worship - Volume 2 — Chapter 35
Source Timed Segments	76

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction to Shared Sins: Weaver introduces the concept of shared sins, noting that while all sins are individual, many are also shared, involving the cooperation of multiple people. He uses adultery and the sin of Adam and Eve as initial examples.
The Ripple Effect of Sin: Sin always affects others, not just the sinner. Weaver emphasizes that no one sins in isolation, and the consequences impact spouses, children, churches, and even future generations, as seen in the ongoing effects of Adam and Eve's sin.
Generational Consequences of Sin: God visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. Weaver cites Exodus 20:5, Exodus 34:7, Numbers 14:18, and Deuteronomy 5:9 to show that descendants often inherit both the sins and consequences of their ancestors, unless they repent.
National Shared Sins: When rulers sin openly and the people do not stop them, the nation shares in the guilt. Weaver contrasts David's private sin with Bathsheba (judged individually) with his public sin of numbering Israel (resulting in 70,000 deaths) and Manasseh's sins leading to Judah's captivity.
The Golden Calf Incident as Shared Sin: In Exodus 32, the people demanded an idol, and Aaron willingly made the golden calf. Both parties were responsible: the people provided the materials and worshiped, while Aaron fashioned it. This illustrates shared sin, as God plagued the people for making the calf that Aaron made.
Aaron's Attempt to Syncretize Worship: Aaron tried to blend idolatry with the worship of Yahweh by building an altar and proclaiming a feast to the Lord. Weaver calls this a reduction of Christianity, where man dictates worship according to his own desires rather than God's commands.
Fleshly Worship and Its Consequences: The people's worship involved eating, drinking, and sexual immorality ("rose up to play"), leading to Moses' command to slay 3,000 men. Weaver connects this to 1 Corinthians 10, warning against idolatry and fornication.
Rejoicing in Man's Works vs. God's Works: The Israelites rejoiced in the works of their own hands (Acts 7:41), contrasting with true worship that glories in the Lord (1 Corinthians 1:29-31). Weaver applies this to modern churches that prioritize human preferences over biblical worship.
Long-Lasting Consequences and Modern Application: Sins have enduring consequences, as seen in David's family turmoil and Israel's persistent calf worship. Weaver warns that modern Christians often pretend to worship God while actually seeking their own will, participating in shared sins through compromised churches and national complicity.
Call to True Worship: Weaver concludes by urging believers to worship God in spirit and truth, not following a multitude to do evil. He prays for understanding and obedience, emphasizing that God holds both rulers and people accountable for shared sins.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Sin is never purely individual

All sins affect others, and the Bible teaches that individuals are accountable for shared sins as well as personal ones.

Weaver argues, 'There is no way in the world that you can sin just to yourself... Our sins always affect others.' (04:25.2-05:02.9) He cites Romans 14:7.

God justly visits iniquity on descendants

Descendants inherit sins and consequences because they typically engage in the same sins, making God's judgment just.

Weaver explains, 'The answer is that the sons and the remote descendants inherit the sins as well as the consequences of their father's sins.' (08:50.6-10:00.1) He cites multiple passages.

National judgment comes when people tolerate ruler's sin

A nation is judged for a ruler's open sin when the people fail to oppose it, as seen in Manasseh's case and David's census.

Weaver states, 'God is going to send the entire southern kingdom into captivity... because of Manasseh... not only did they allow what he did, they participated in what he did.' (17:35.9-19:08.8)

Aaron was a willing participant in idolatry

Despite Moses' assumption that Aaron was forced, the text shows Aaron actively directing the idol-making, making him equally guilty.

Weaver notes, 'Aaron receives the golden earrings. He asks for them... it appears that Aaron was indeed a willing participant.' (27:30.4-28:47.6)

Syncretism is a reduction of true worship

Aaron's attempt to worship God through an Egyptian emblem represents the modern tendency to bring God down to man's level and worship according to human preferences.

Weaver says, 'It is a dethroning of God and an enthroning of man... the same idolatry is taking place' in churches today. (36:58.8-37:31.8)

Fleshly worship leads to immorality

The Hebrew word 'play' in Exodus 32:6 implies sexual immorality, showing that man-centered worship quickly degenerates into gross sin.

Weaver connects 'rose up to play' with Isaac 'sporting' with Rebekah (Genesis 26:8) and the nakedness in Exodus 32:25, concluding they were fornicating. (39:51.9-42:55.0)

True worship glories in God, not man

The difference between true and false worship is whether one rejoices in God's works or man's works, as seen in Acts 7:41 and 1 Corinthians 1.

Weaver states, 'Man always rejoices in his own works. God's salvation, we rejoice in what God has done.' (47:18.3-48:50.2)

Modern Christianity often practices shared sins

Many churches and Christians participate in shared sins by supporting compromised worship and prioritizing personal preferences over biblical truth.

Weaver warns, 'When you have churches where the pastor is not interested really in teaching and preaching the word of God... you not only have individual sins, you have shared sins.' (52:56.7-53:41.6)

Scripture References

Exodus 32:35: The Lord plagued the people because they made the calf which Aaron made, illustrating shared sin.
Genesis 3:6-7: Adam and Eve's sin was both individual and shared, as Eve ate and gave to Adam.
Romans 5:12: Sin entered the world through one man, Adam, showing the corporate effect of sin.
1 Timothy 2:14: Adam was not deceived, but Eve was, yet both sinned jointly.
Romans 14:7: None of us lives or dies to himself, implying our sins affect others.
Exodus 20:5: God visits the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.
Exodus 34:7: God visits iniquity on descendants, showing generational consequences.
Numbers 14:18: The Lord visits iniquity on the children to the third and fourth generation.
Deuteronomy 5:9: God is a jealous God, visiting iniquity on descendants.
Lamentations 5:7: Our fathers sinned and are not, and we have borne their iniquities.
Jeremiah 16:10-13: God judges the people because they did worse than their fathers, fulfilling their sins.
Zechariah 1:3-6: God calls the people not to be like their fathers who did not hearken.
Ezekiel 18:20: The soul that sins shall die; the son shall not bear the iniquity of the father if he repents.
Jeremiah 15:1-4: God judges Judah because of Manasseh's sins, showing national shared sin.
1 Chronicles 21:14: 70,000 men died because David's sin of numbering Israel was not opposed.
Exodus 24:14: Moses left Aaron and Hur in charge, setting the stage for Aaron's leadership failure.
Exodus 32:1-6: The people demand gods, Aaron makes the calf, and they worship with feasting and play.
Acts 7:39-41: The fathers turned back to Egypt, made a calf, and rejoiced in their own works.
Joshua 24:14: Joshua commands Israel to put away the gods their fathers served in Egypt.
Ezekiel 20:8: Israel did not forsake the idols of Egypt, showing persistent idolatry.

Historical References

Egyptian idolatry of Apis, Serapis, and Isis (oxen and cows): Weaver explains that the golden calf was modeled after Egyptian idols, which the Israelites were familiar with from their time in Egypt.
Manasseh, king of Judah: Manasseh's wickedness led to God's judgment on the entire southern kingdom, illustrating national shared sin.
David's census and the resulting pestilence: David's public sin of numbering Israel led to 70,000 deaths because the people did not oppose him.
Jeroboam's golden calves in Dan and Bethel: The first king of Israel perpetuated calf worship, leading to the destruction of the northern kingdom.
Andy Stanley's church decision during COVID-19: Weaver references Andy Stanley's statement that worship is not essential as an example of modern shared sin in churches.

Important Quotes

The Lord plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

This is the key verse (Exodus 32:35) that introduces the concept of shared sin, showing both the people and Aaron were responsible.

There is no way in the world that you can sin just to yourself. There's no way in the world that you can just simply reap the consequences of your sin just to yourself.

Emphasizes the corporate nature of sin and its inevitable impact on others.

When a ruler sins openly and publicly, and the people do not stop him or even attempt to stop him, then the people are judged along with their rulers.

Summarizes the principle of national shared sin and collective responsibility.

He's attempting to bring down the true spiritual worship of the one true living God and bring it down on a par and on a level with the worship of the Egyptian idols and oxen.

Describes Aaron's syncretism as a reduction of true worship, a key application to modern Christianity.

They were not rejoicing in what God had done, they were rejoicing in what they had done.

Highlights the contrast between man-centered and God-centered worship, based on Acts 7:41.

We may be forgiven, but those consequences last for a lifetime, oftentimes.

Warns that even forgiven sins can have long-lasting effects, using David and Israel as examples.

Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil.

A concluding exhortation from Exodus 23:2, urging believers not to participate in corporate sin.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does the concept of shared sins challenge the common belief that sin is only a private matter between an individual and God?

[Context]

Weaver argues that all sins affect others and that we are accountable for shared sins.

[Question]

In what ways have you seen the generational consequences of sin in families or communities?

[Context]

Weaver discusses how God visits iniquity on the third and fourth generation, using examples like drug-addicted babies.

[Question]

What responsibilities do citizens have when their rulers sin openly? How can we apply the principle from David's census and Manasseh's reign today?

[Context]

Weaver explains that when rulers sin publicly and the people do not oppose it, the nation shares in the judgment.

[Question]

Why do you think Aaron was a willing participant in the idolatry, and how does his excuse ('the people are set on mischief') reflect common ways we shift blame?

[Context]

Weaver notes that Aaron tried to blame the people, but the text shows he actively directed the idol-making.

[Question]

How does Aaron's attempt to syncretize calf worship with the worship of Yahweh parallel modern attempts to blend worldly practices with Christian worship?

[Context]

Weaver calls this a reduction of Christianity and gives examples of churches prioritizing entertainment over biblical truth.

[Question]

What does it mean to 'rejoice in the works of our own hands' in worship, and how can we ensure our worship glories in God alone?

[Context]

Weaver contrasts Acts 7:41 with 1 Corinthians 1:29-31, emphasizing that true worship focuses on God's works.

[Question]

How can we avoid participating in shared sins within our churches, especially when the majority may be compromising biblical standards?

[Context]

Weaver warns that supporting churches that neglect God's Word makes us sharers in their sins.

[Question]

What are some practical steps to break the cycle of generational sin in our families, based on the call to 'be not as your fathers'?

[Context]

Weaver cites Zechariah 1:4 and Ezekiel 18:20, showing that repentance can stop the pattern.

Applications

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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-06T02:56:24Z