Some thoughts I've had after rereading the account of Aaron gathering the gold from the Israelites in order to make them a god in Exodus 32.
The Golden Calf was the result of...
Impatient people, tired of waiting on God, grumbled to have things their own way, and the leader left in charge.....caved!
When Moses comes down from the mountain after spending time with God he got this response from his brother:
Aaron tells Moses, "Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!"
Poof....Out popped a cow!
REALLY? Well it seemed like a well organized effort to me. They even planned a festival in honor of the "accidental cow"!
Exodus 32: 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD." 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. [c] Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
Just like that, no craftsmen, no planning, no involvement...just popped out all shiny and looking like a cow! So naturally, let's celebrate our sin...eat, drink and get up to indulge in revelry!
Do we do that? Do we make excuses to God? "I wasn't sinning, just opened my mouth and out popped this lie!" or "I didn't mean to have an affair, just drove by this place and fell into someone's bed!"...
Did you notice in the passage in verse 4 Aaron "fashioned it with a tool"?
Aaron skillfully planned this sin against God. He melted the precious metal, poured it in some sort of mold, artfully fashioned it with skill and thought.
What sin have you "Fashioned" instead of waiting for God to speak?
In Deut chapter 9 we see Moses' response to this horror...the golden calf...
HE BURNED IT
HE CRUSHED IT
HE THREW IT
HE MADE THEM DRINK IT...
Are we willing to completely destroy the idols/sins that are keeping us from obedience to God?
Just Thinkin',
Kathy
