The Gospel in Exodus: The Golden Calf

“Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” Now 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.” So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.”

“Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’””

Exodus 32:1-8

Our mother died recently. She had Alzheimer’s. Everyone came into town to remember her, and the ceremonies were nice. Funerals often cause us to think about our own death, about eternity, about life after death, about how we are living our lives, things we want to do, etc. Funerals can make us wonder if we are ready.  Ready to leave this earth.  Ready to meet Jesus face to face.  Will we rejoice, or will we run away when we see Him?

When Moses went up on Mt Sinai, the people of Israel grew tired of waiting on him to return, so they built themselves an idol, a golden calf, and begin to worship it.  When Moses returned, his anger burned against them for not waiting on him, and for their turning to an idol (verses 9-35).  He gives them a choice – choose God, or choose death.  Most of them chose God, but some did not, and they were put to death that day.  This is an amazing story, and if you have not read it recently, I urge you to do so. (Exodus chapters 19-32) Interestingly, it has profound applications for us today.

As Moses went up on the mountain, so Christ has left us and gone to heaven.  And just as Moses returned, so Jesus will return, either at our deaths or at the second coming (whichever comes first).  When Jesus returns, will he find faith or idolatry, worship or wild partying?  Will Jesus be interrupting our life, or will we rejoice at His return?  Will we be glad to see Him, or ashamed?  Will we be too busy with work, or will we welcome the opportunity to spend time with our Lord and Maker?  This is the first application of this story.  Are you ready for Christ to return to get you.  Are you ready, now, today, this very minute?  And if not, what do you need to do about it?

Another application of this teaching has to do with the golden calf that they made and worshipped when Moses was away.  What idols have we made to meet our needs while we wait on God to do something in our lives?  Are we using money to meet a need that we should be waiting on God to meet?  Are we doing something in our own strength rather than waiting on Him to do it?  Have we fashioned a golden calf somewhere in our life that we look to for security, identity, answers, significance, provision, etc.?  Is it our job?  Our marriage?  An affair?  A bank account?  A ministry? A trip? Our friends?  Something else?  Are we looking to anything other than God for our significance, our source of identity, our security, our hope, our life, to answer our questions, for happiness, etc.?  If so, we have become idolatrous while Jesus has been away, and we need to repent, turn away from it, and we must look to God to meet our needs and provide these things.

Just as the Israelites turned away from God at the base of Mt Sinai, and made the golden calf and became idolatrous, many of us have turned aside from truly following God while Jesus has been away, and we have fashioned for ourselves a golden calf of money, sex, work, power, position, possessions, a cause, a philosophy, a false religion, or some other modern form of the golden calf.  We are looking to this modern golden calf rather than waiting on God.

What area of your life are you waiting for something to happen in?  Are you waiting for a job?  Waiting for your marriage to become what you want it to be?  Waiting on your children to do something?  Waiting for something at work?  Waiting for something in your ministry to happen?  What are you waiting on today?  Are you waiting on God, or are you trying to do it yourself in some way?  Are you trying to meet the need in your own power, with your own resources?  Are you making a golden calf in some area of your life?  If so, I urge you to repent, and return to God, just as many of the Israelites did when Moses came back down from the mountain.

And just as Moses came down from the mountain, Jesus is coming back as well.  One way or another, we are going to meet Him face to face.  The same “gold” can be used to honor God or to make an idol.  What are we doing with the resources God has given us?  What do we need to do to make ourselves ready for His return in our life.  Take a hard look at your life.  Search out the golden calves you have made, and grind them to powder as Moses did.  Turn to God, and He will heal you.  He will deliver you. He will resume His work in your life, just as He did for the Israelites who repented thousands of years ago during the Exodus.