24. MAKING OF A GOLDEN CALF
The grandeur of God’s holiness and display of His love are fresh in the minds of the people.
Is it possible to forget something so personal about God like this?
Have you special encounters of God’s goodness and love? Are you cherishing those special moments with God?
While Moses was absent it was a time of waiting and suspense to Israel.
I was deeply impressed when I read the following statement:
The people knew that he had ascended the mount with Joshua, and had entered the cloud of thick darkness which could be seen from the plain below, resting on the mountain peak, illuminated from time to time with the lightnings of the divine Presence.
They waited eagerly for his return. Accustomed as they had been in Egypt to material representations of deity, it had been hard for them to trust in an invisible being, and they had come to rely upon Moses to sustain their faith.
Now he was taken from them. Day after day, week after week passed, and still he did not return. Notwithstanding the cloud was still in view, it seemed to many in the camp that their leader had deserted them, or that he had been consumed by the devouring fire.
During this period of waiting, there was time for them to meditate upon the law of God which they had heard, and to prepare their hearts to receive the further revelations that He might make to them.
They had none too much time for this work; and had they been thus seeking a clearer understanding of God’s requirements, and humbling their hearts before Him, they would have been shielded from temptation.
But they did not do this, and they soon became careless, inattentive, and lawless. Especially was this the case with the mixed multitude.
They were impatient to be on their way to the Land of Promise–the land flowing with milk and honey. It was only on condition of obedience that the goodly land was promised them, but they had lost sight of this.
There were some who suggested a return to Egypt, but whether forward to Canaan or backward to Egypt, the masses of the people were determined to wait no longer for Moses.
Feeling their helplessness in the absence of their leader,
they returned to their old superstitions. The “mixed multitude” had been the first to indulge murmuring and impatience, and they were the leaders in the apostasy that followed.
Among the objects regarded by the Egyptians as symbols of deity was the ox or calf; and it was at the suggestion of those who had practiced this form of idolatry in Egypt that a calf was now made and worshiped.
The people desired some image to represent God, and to go before them in the place of Moses. God had given no manner of similitude of Himself, and He had prohibited any material representation for such a purpose.
The mighty miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea were designed to establish faith in Him as the invisible, all-powerful Helper of Israel, the only true God.
And the desire for some visible manifestation of His presence had been granted in the pillar of cloud and of fire that guided their hosts, and in the revealing of His glory upon Mount Sinai.
But with the cloud of the Presence still before them, they turned back in their hearts to the idolatry of Egypt, and represented the glory of the invisible God by the similitude of an ox!
Exodus 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.
It is worthy of note that Moses’ apparent delay became the occasion of backsliding among the people of God (see Eze. 12:21–28; Hab. 2:2–4; Matt. 25:1–13)
Have you at times waited upon the Lord to help you just to discover that He is absent?
Likewise, some will fail to be ready for the Lord when He appears “the second time” (see Heb. 9:28).
Many will say in that day, “My lord delayeth his coming,” and give way to wickedness (Matt. 24:45–51; Luke 12:37–48; 2 Peter 3:3–18).
The Israelites feared that their leader, on whom they had come to depend, had forsaken them. So long as they had Moses with them, to encourage them by his exhortations and to support them by his example, they managed to maintain the higher life of the Spirit, to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7).
When his presence was removed a reaction set in, and the “flesh” triumphed over the “spirit.”
Though the cloud of thick darkness into which Moses entered when he ascended the mountain with Joshua could be seen from the plain below. Resting upon the mountain peak and illuminated from time to time with lightning from the divine presence, it seemed to many in the camp that Moses had deserted them or had been consumed by the devouring fire.
The stage was set for a grievous exhibition of idolatry.
This experience presents another of those striking contrasts so characteristic of the Bible, as, for example, Christ in glory on the mount of transfiguration and His disciples in the valley below in chagrin and defeat (Matt. 17:1–18).
Here, while Moses was in the mount receiving the tables of the law, and instructions regarding true worship and the high and holy office of the high priest, the people below were flagrantly disobeying the Lord.
Paradoxically, they were led into idolatry by the very man called to minister to the Lord.
The people gathered themselves together to Aaron, and said to him Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we know not what is become of him.
Do you think this great leader would yield to the demonic demands?
Had the brother of Moses been strong in faith and character, this unfortunate incident in the history of Israel might have been avoided.
Aaron’s weakness of character and spirit of compromise not only rendered his spiritual leadership ineffective but placed him in the position of a leader in rebellion.
Make us gods.
Inasmuch as their sojourn in Egypt had accustomed the Hebrews to material forms of deity, it was difficult for them to trust in an invisible God.
Though the word for “gods” in Hebrew is ’Elohim, the plural form of the word, some Bible scholars affirm that “gods” here and in vs. 4, 8, and 31 should be translated “a god,” considering that the plural is used intensively to emphasize the fact that the golden calf was a false god in contrast to the Lord, the true God.
Go before us.
Weary of waiting so long at Sinai and eager to continue their journey to the Promised Land, the people demanded a visible god at their head to inspire them with confidence and courage (see 1 Sam. 4:3–8).
How well it would have been had they used this period of waiting in meditation upon the law of God, and thus prepared their hearts to receive further revelations from Him.
Had they done so they would have been able to resist this temptation. To a large extent the spirit of apostasy was generated by the “mixed multitude,” who had joined the Israelites to escape the plagues of Egypt.
They were a constant hindrance and a snare to Israel (Ex. 12:38; Num. 11:4). They are to be compared to the “lewd fellows” of Acts 17:5.
Verse 2 And Aaron said to them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.
Alarmed by the heedless folly and threatening attitude of the people, and fearing for his own safety, Aaron surrendered to the demands of the multitude instead of nobly and stoutheartedly upholding the honor of God (see ch. 23:2).
Hoping they would refuse to give up their cherished possessions, he ordered a collection of the “golden earrings.”
But he was mistaken in this hope. Having taken the first compromising step, he could not retreat.
Someone wrote these words:
“Feeling their helplessness in the absence of their leader,
they returned to their old superstitions. The ‘mixed multitude’ had been the first to indulge murmuring and impatience, and they were the leaders in the apostasy that followed.
“Among the objects regarded by the Egyptians as symbols of deity was the ox or calf; and it was at the suggestion of those who had practiced this form of idolatry in Egypt that a calf was now made and worshiped. The people desired some image to represent God, and to go before them in the place of Moses. God had given no manner of similitude of Himself, and He had prohibited any material representation for such a purpose.
“The mighty miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea were designed to establish faith in Him as the invisible, all-powerful Helper of Israel, the only true God. And the desire for some visible manifestation of His presence had been granted in the pillar of cloud and of fire that guided their hosts, and in the revealing of His glory upon Mount Sinai. But with the cloud of the Presence still before them, they turned back in their hearts to the idolatry of Egypt, and represented the glory of the invisible God by the similitude of an ox! {PP 315.3}
In the absence of Moses, the judicial authority had been delegated to Aaron, and a vast crowd gathered about his tent, with the demand, “Make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.”
The cloud, they said, that had heretofore led them, now rested permanently upon the mount; it would no longer direct their travels.
They must have an image in its place; and if, as had been suggested, they should decide to return to Egypt, they would find favor with the Egyptians by bearing this image before them and acknowledging it as their god. {PP 316.1}
One can hardly believe that people could back slide in such a short space of time.
What did they need at a time like this?
Such a crisis demanded a man of firmness, decision, and unflinching courage; one who held the honor of God above popular favor, personal safety, or life itself.
But the present leader of Israel was not of this character. Aaron feebly remonstrated with the people, but his wavering and timidity at the critical moment only rendered them the more determined.
The tumult increased. A blind, unreasoning frenzy seemed to take possession of the multitude. There were some who remained true to their covenant with God, but the greater part of the people joined in the apostasy.
A few who ventured to denounce the proposed image making as idolatry, were set upon and roughly treated, and in the confusion and excitement they finally lost their lives. {PP 316.2}
Aaron feared for his own safety; and instead of nobly standing up for the honor of God, he yielded to the demands of the multitude.
His first act was to direct that the golden earrings be collected from all the people and brought to him, hoping that pride would lead them to refuse such a sacrifice.
But they willingly yielded up their ornaments; and from these he made a molten calf, in imitation of the gods of Egypt.
Verse 3,4 And all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.
And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a engraving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
The “calf” would naturally suggest itself to the Israelites because they had witnessed in Egypt the worship of Apis the bull.
But the golden calf was presumably a material representation of the true God, not of some heathen deity (see v. 5).
Verse 5 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.
Sensing popular approval, Aaron further committed himself to this apostasy by announcing a “feast.” Strangely enough, it was to be “a feast to the Lord.”
This spirit of compromise, the endeavor to harmonize the worship of the Lord with that of idols, was not manifested by Israel in this case alone; it was also to motivate much of the idolatry that plagued them in the future (1 Kings 12:26–33; 2 Kings 17:32, 33; Zeph. 1:5).
Verse 6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
So enthusiastic and wrought up were the people over their new-found religion that they could not rise early enough to begin its worship.
Sat down to eat.
Only certain portions of sacrificial victims were commonly burned, the rest being eaten by the offerers.
Rose up to play.
This was a sensual exercise. Heathen sacrificial feasts terminated in the most profligate orgies (Num. 25:1–9; 1 Cor. 10:7, 8).
This episode illustrates the warfare that is constantly going on in human nature between the flesh and the Spirit (Rom. 7:23; 8:1–13).
From the time the Israelites left Egypt they had been leading a spiritual life, depending upon the unseen God and reposing under His protection.
At length, however, when the restraining influence of Moses’ example and guidance was removed, evil prevailed. They reverted to idolatry, and in so doing, to the licentiousness that was inseparably connected with heathen worship.
Sensual pleasure masqueraded as religion (2 Tim. 3:4, 5). Such religion is as pleasing to the multitudes now as it was in the days of Israel.
And there are still pliant leaders to yield to the desires of the unconsecrated and encourage them in sin (PP 317).
Verse 7 And the LORD said to Moses, Go, get you down; for your people, which you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
After the break we are going to see how Moses reacted. Why did God say to Moses that the Israelites were his people?
Did God reject them?
Come and listen to the most amazing way God deals with repentant and unrepentant people.
And my God give us a heart that is soft, a heart that is confessing and a heart that is yielding to the influence of the Holy Spirit.