I Can't Believe You Would Do That
Exodus 32:21
And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?"
Has someone you loved and respected ever done something that you couldn't believe? That is exactly what Moses felt about Aaron when he allowed the children of Israel to build a golden calf. While Moses received the commandments from God on Mt. Sinai, Aaron was supposed to care for the children of Israel. Because Moses had been on the top of the mount for so long, the children of Israel asked Aaron to build them a new god. The new god he built was a golden calf. When Moses came down from the mount, he saw the people dancing naked around this calf. Apparently, Moses thought the people must have forced Aaron to do this because he said, "What did this people unto thee,..." Moses never thought that Aaron was capable of committing this great sin.
The older I get, the less I am surprised when good people fall in sin. I have watched people who have a great respect for someone excuse someone's sin away, or cover their eyes when they compromise. In their heart they are like Moses, they don't believe this person whom they love and respect would ever do what they were accused of or what they actually did. Let me give you some thoughts about this subject.
First, anyone is capable of any sin. You must realize that everyone is a sinner. Because everyone is a sinner, then that means everyone is capable of committing any sin. Just because you love and respect a person does not put them above sin. If I were to tell you some of the things I've heard good people do, you would be shocked. At best we are all sinners; therefore, we are all capable of committing any sin.
Second, nobody made them commit their sin or compromise. Let me make this clear, everyone has a will with which they can do whatever they want. Nobody makes a person commit sin. When they sin, they chose to sin. Don't fall for the trap of blaming their sin on health or tough circumstances. Everyone chooses to sin; therefore, it is their own fault.
Third, don't justify their sin when you find out about it. Herein is one of the greatest mistakes I see people make. Because we love someone dearly, we will justify their sin and make it sound as if their sin is not really a "bad" sin. Let me make this clear, all sin is bad sin. In our attempt to justify in our minds why someone committed a sin, we will water down sin for the sake of keeping a person on the pedestal we set them upon in our minds. The worst thing you can do is to justify a person's sin. When you justify sin, you are setting them up for greater sin.
Last, realize everyone is human. I make this statement for two reasons. First, don't build anyone so big that you will fall for the trap of excusing their sin away. Second, when someone you dearly love and respect sins, don't attack and kill them, rather try to restore them. If you are not careful you will lose faith in people, and become suspect of everyone. That is not a good attitude to have. If you will realize people are human, then that will keep you from setting them higher in your estimation than you should, thus keeping you from trying to destroy them when they fall. Just remember, sin affects everyone, including you.