As a teenager, I recall a strong desire to be free of my parents’ command and overwatch. If only I could do what I wanted when I wanted—how wonderful would that be? As a parent, I now explain to my kids what my parents taught me. They cannot be free until they take full responsibility…
Christians often get heartburn trying to figure out passages such as Deuteronomy 9.13–10.11. It records the golden calf incident in which the Israelites at the foot of Mt. Horeb (Sinai) decided to make a golden graven image just weeks after God had audibly spoken from that same mountain, “You shall worship no other gods before…