Unrestrained

Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), - Exodus 32.25

Aaron had a lot to answer for. He was God’s man in the absence of Moses. He was supposed to lead the people to do right, but while he was in charge the people turned away from God to their own ways. He did not restrain them from the sin and wanton behaviour.

This word ‘unrestrained’ speaks of attitudes and behaviours that know no limits and has no control. It is a behaviour that knows no right and wrong. It is a behaviour that says ‘anything goes.’ A modern translation uses the phrase ‘broken loose’ to describe this behaviour. It means that the people had broken loose for any restraints and that every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

I can’t imagine a better description than that. God’s designs are ignored as the world seeks pleasure instead of principles.

Could there be a better way to describe the world we live in today? Doesn’t it seem like our world has broken loose of any sense of right or wrong? Our world is a world where we seem to have lost all absolutes. There is no longer right and wrong – our world has broken free of those restraints.

In these broken free world people are going to act like broken free people. We can’t expect them to act the way they think we should. We can’t expect an unrestrained world to do or know right from wrong. We can’t legislate or moralise a world which is unrestrained.

The only hope is Jesus. Without Christ this unrestrained world is just going to get worse and sin is going to grow more and more rampant. Jesus is the only answer to this messed up world we live in.