Golden calves

Most of us are probably familiar with the story commonly referred to as the incident of the “The golden calf.” The incident is found in Exodus 32, and it records the first act of corporate Idolatry by the people of God. And as with so many stories in the Bible, this incident not only gives us insight about the people of God then, but about us as Christians today as well.

The first thing we notice about this story is the setting in which it unfolded. The people of God were camped at the base of Mount Sinai - the place where God had already met and spoken them (Ex. 19-20). So holy was this location that it would come to be referred to as “The Mountain God.” And yet it was here, right at the base of the very mountain where God had revealed himself to them, that the Israelites fell into blatant idolatry. The powerful implication in this is that sometimes it is right at a place and just after a time of a great revelation of God that we will be most tempted with evil. (See Matt. 16:16-23)

The next thing we notice about this story is that Moses was gone when it happened. In fact, not only did this incident happen when Moses gone, it happened because Moses was gone. Verse one begins with these words: “When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain…” Moses was on the mountain for 40 days, and over the course of this time, the people first began to wonder, then to waiver, then to worry, and finally to wander. (For another powerful example of this process, see 1 Samuel 13:8-14)

This same progression often applies to us in times of temptation, which often comes during a season of separation from our leader, Jesus. Over the course of this period of separation, we begin to wonder, then waiver, then worry, and finally we wander off, being “enticed” and “carried away” into something harmful. (James 1:14)

What is also indicative is that the Israelites referred to Moses as “The man who brought us up from the land of Egypt.” Certainly God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, but God also made it clear that He was actually the one who brought them out of Egypt. (Exodus 29:46) By turning their eyes away from the supernatural (God) and onto the natural (man,) the Israelites really set themselves up for the fall they took. (Notice this same thing in Matthew 14:28-31)

Another insight we gain from this story concerns Aaron’s involvement. Verses 2-4 tell us that it was actually Aaron who, at the peoples request, made the golden calf. The reason this is so significant is because, even though Aaron was recognized as a leader along with Moses, it was not God’s perfect will. In fact, it was only because Moses would not do what God commanded him that God conceded to allow Aaron to accompany him. (Ex. 4:10-16) This principle and its application to us is discussed in the February 23^rd article titled, “God’s concession brings spiritual recession.”

Still another insight to be drawn from this story is the fact that when Aaron fashioned the idol that was to represent God, it was in the form of a calf. This was most likely a throwback to the time they had spent in Egypt, where sacred bulls and cows were both worshipped, most likely by some of the Israelites as well. (See Joshua 24:24) It has been said that, “a man with no vision for his future will always return to his past.” Like the Israelites, we too find ourselves from time to time without a clear connection to our leader and his vision for our lives. At such times, we will always be tempted to go back to something familiar in our past, and if we yield to that temptation, we will soon find ourselves “out of control” as they did. (verse 25).