“When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, ‘Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ And [Aaron] received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.’ And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. And the Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.’ But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, ‘O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, “I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.” ‘ ” (v1,4-6,9-11,12b-13)
It doesn’t take long until the “stiff-necked” people of Israel forget about their true God and Moses and how they were delivered out of slavery in Egypt. In under 30 days they revert to their Egyptian culture and make a golden idol. Not only do they make this ridiculous thing, they build an altar and worship it as “the god that brought them out of Egypt”. I understand short-term memory problems, though this seems a little disappointing given the miracles they personally witnessed mere days/weeks ago.
God is absolutely furious (rightfully so) and promises destruction upon the entire people. Moses intercedes on behalf of Israel, “reminding” God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Israel (Jacob). God “changes His mind” and relents in His anger, allowing Moses to punish the people another way.
On a side note, Aaron delivers one of the flimsiest excuses in all of recorded history, even less plausible than “the dog ate my homework”: “So I (Aaron) said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.” Really? You threw gold into the fire and a calf idol just popped out? Of course that’s what happened, what other explanation could there be?
Though the total annihilation of the people is canceled, there are still serious consequences for this sin including the execution of three thousand people who were the ringleaders of the idolatry and “party” that ensued. God also sends a mysterious plague on the people. Moses grinds the golden calf into powder and forces Israel to drink it in their water – no doubt symbolic of the terrible texture and bitterness that sin leaves in God’s mouth.
I am reminded at just how quickly we can forget about God – sure it’s easy to remember Him when we attend a Bible study or a Sunday morning service, but how quickly can we forget Him the moment we’re not seeing reminders of His presence? Are we like the people of Israel? As soon as God’s representative (eg. Moses or our pastor) is out of sight for a few days we forget who our true God is, and replace Him with another god (eg. money, status, or family)? I can speak first-hand as to how easy it is to get distracted and go an entire week without once thinking of Him – until I get to the next church meeting and start the memory loss cycle all over again.
What can we do to avoid this trap? Are we willing to build more reminders into our lives to help us stay focused on the one true God? That’s the main reason I’ve begun these daily devotions – so at least once per day I am focusing on God and His leading in my life. Is that enough? Are there other times throughout the day where I should pause for prayer or worship? Many people in the Bible (eg. Daniel and David) set aside multiple times per day where they focused on God. I would like to do the same, so I don’t fall into the golden calf trap.
Father God, we come before you today a humbled people, reminded of the dangers of turning away from You. Please Father help us to build safeguards into our lives that will keep You at the forefront of our minds. Open our eyes to Your glory throughout the day, and fill our hearts with Your words so they echo in our daily activities. May You be the one and only Lord of our lives every minute of every day.
~ Conqueror in Training