He crushed the calf into dust, poured it into water, and gave it to the Israelites to drink (Ex. 32:20).

Why did Moses give the Israelites water to drink that contained dust from a crushed golden calf? It wasn’t out of vindictiveness. Rather, he wanted to destroy their sin and lead them to redemption. But how? By giving the Israelites water with gold dust in it to drink, Moses ensured that they would never again worship idols. Using gold dust as an additive to drinking water destroyed the false belief that idols had power.

By giving them this water, Moses also instructed them in an unforgettable way about the consequences of their sin so they could truly repent. We condemn the Israelites for their lack of faith, yet we are no different. Our trust in God also wavers when we encounter difficulties or wait for him to answer our prayers. We, too, apparently turn to our “idols” to fill the void instead of waiting patiently for God.

However, we don’t need to drink water with gold dust to free ourselves! Instead, we can rely on the grace of the Holy Spirit to open our eyes and see the idols that occupy the Lord’s place—property, status, comfort, and pleasure—which can lead us to sin. Let us ask him to show us that these idols have no real power over us. Jesus overcame all sin and gave us the power to overcome the desires of the flesh (see Galatians 5:19-21).

Finally, let us ask the Spirit to lead us to repentance whenever we sin. Through repentance, we experience the Spirit’s power to transform and heal us in ways we could never have done on our own. Brothers and sisters, our God is a God of mercy. Just as he did with the Israelites, he can lead us on the path of forgiveness and redemption whenever we call on Him.