Have you ever misused God’s blessings? I know I have. There’s a hidden warning about this in the story of the golden calf. And it starts with a question:

Where did the Israelites get the gold to build the golden half?

So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf.

Exodus 32:2-3

It’s an interesting statement to make to recently freed slaves living in the wilderness: give me all of your gold. Why did they have it? Where did it come from?

When Moses meets The Lord at the burning bush he receives a prophecy along side the command to go deliver his people from Egypt:

And I [The Lord] will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.

Exodus 3:21-22

Later, the prophecy comes to pass:

The Egyptians were urgent with the people to send them out of the land in haste. … The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked the Egyptians for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. And the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they plundered the Egyptians.

Exodus 12:33-36

The Israelites built the golden calf from the gold they received from the Egyptians on behalf of the Lord! That gives the story of the golden calf quite a different perspective, doesn’t it? My goal here is not to cast stones at the Israelites but rather to point out this poignant illustration.

Rather than take the wealth the Lord gave them use it to buy supplies for the travel back to Israel, or save it for land and a home when they get back, they chose turn it into an idol.

I’ve done the same as the Israelites many times over; taking a blessing from the Lord and completely wasting it or turning it into an idol. This both costs us what the blessing was and even worse it moves us away from the Lord and damages our relationship with Him.

Instead, we are called to be a good steward:

His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’

Matthew 25:21

But there is good news! God forgives:

For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;

as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:11-12

My prayer for you:

Lord thank you for your many blessings. Please show me how to be a good steward of what You have bestowed upon me. Identity to me what blessings I have used well, and others I could use better, and others I have wasted. Forgive me for what I have wasted and give me new sight and direction for how to use them for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.