Making gods for Yourself

Exodus 32:1-6 -  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 said to them, "Take off the rings of gold which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me."  So all the people took off the rings of gold which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.  And he received the gold at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made a molten 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 proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD."  And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

A mixture of the people’s impatience…and Aaron’s need to placate them quickly …brought about a very dangerous …and eventually deadly situation.  The people had been waiting for Moses to come down from the mountain for about 40 days….around 6 weeks.  They believed something had happened to him…and they needed new leadership….so Aaron was sought out to make for them a physical god…one they could pray to…and ask for help.

As soon as I read it I saw myself mirrored in the both the heart of the Israelites and the heart of Aaron. It is so very hard to wait…to trust that God has some situations under his control. And sometimes…I get impatient…just like these people…and the leader they asked for help…and I step out a little too much on my own. The people allowed fear to grip their newly dedicated hearts….and they reverted back to the worship practices they had known in Egypt. Aaron saw the fear in their eyes…and he too allowed them to sway him into believing that a golden image….whatever it may be…would allow them some happiness while he awaited his brother…and the directions of the true God that had brought them to this point.

I believe that they thought they were worshiping Jehovah… they really had no clue the grave danger they had put themselves in…at first. It was not until Moses came back…because God saw the craziness in the camp….that they understood they were not worshiping Yahweh at all.  Their worship had gone a bit too liberal…it had become a twisted version of a god they created for themselves…to justify the immoral practices the wine and merriment had tempted them to become involved in.

God must look down at our world every morning and call out to someone to go down from their mountain…like Moses…to go and try to correct the craziness…to warn the people that they have drifted way too far from the true way we should honor and worship God. We have become a nation of people who allow everyone to do their own thing…demand an image be made for us that fits exactly what we want to do…instead of what God told us in the bible was right and holy.

So sad that only the Levites chose to come to Moses when he asked who wanted to be on the Lord’s side…and repent…and leave the wicked…immoral worship practices they had allowed to substitute for what God had told them to do.  Even sadder the cost of their choice to return to God…for they had to slay around 3,000 men… family…. friends… strangers…that chose to stay in their wickedness. But very sweet of Moses…who prayed to God on their behalf…and reminded God of his promise to Abram…and asked God to please reconsider.  This first of many intercessory prayers of Moses …decreased the punishment of the ones who chose to return to God. They got off with a plague…and some additional wandering in the wilderness….so God could teach them justice.

Father…help me to grasp this lesson this morning.  Help me to really understand that your book has specific rules that you gave me to follow…to keep me in a right relationship with you. Show me how to follow those rules…without tainting them…or twisting them into what makes me happy...what makes my selfish nature become a little to in control.  Reveal to me the idols I have built…and show me how to destroy them…and move closer to you …and your sweet love. Amen.