Creating Our Own Golden Calf

Daily Reading: Exodus 32, Psalm 82, Romans 10, Proverbs 23

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’”

Exodus 32:1-8

Flashback 40 days…

On the first day of the third month after the Israelites left Egypt—on that very day—they came to the Desert of Sinai. After they set out from Rephidim, they entered the Desert of Sinai, and Israel camped there in the desert in front of the mountain.

Then Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the descendants of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.”

So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

The Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.”

Exodus 19:1-9

The Israelites were slaves in Egypt before God intervened.

They were present during the various plagues that God sent against Pharoah, while they remained untouched.

They observed the parting of the Red Sea.

They saw God miraculously provide quail and manna for their journey day after day.

The faithfulness of God had been on full display.

On the first day of the third month they declared their devotion to the Lord.

So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the Lord had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, “We will do everything the Lord has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the Lord.

They see God descend upon the mountain in a cloud to speak with Moses and deliver the rest of his commandments for the people to follow.

All of this, and less than 40 days go by with Moses on the mountain, and the people grow restless. Human nature takes over. Their desperate desire for controlling their own circumstances kicks in.

Time for a Golden Calf.

It is easy to read stories of the Israelites throughout the Old Testament and wonder how their faith could be so easily shaken over…and over…and over again.

They saw God part the Red Sea! There was miracle after miracle! How could they be so dense?

And yet, we are all Israelites from time to time. At least I know that I am.

God has shown up in my life so many times. There are so many blessings I can point to and so many miracles in my life, big and small, where I have seen God’s hand at work.

However, it frequently doesn’t even take 40 days of trials to revert back to stress, frustration, and questioning God’s plan during a particular season. It might be 1-2 really challenging weeks where it feels like everything is going wrong, and I want to create a metaphorical Golden Calf.

Instead of allowing God to be fully behind the wheel of my life, I want to wrestle back control. I want to go into problem solving mode, roll up my sleeves, and fix everything under my own power.

Don’t get me wrong, we have a role to play. 

God doesn’t want us sitting on the sidelines, unwilling to make positive changes in our life that can help our current circumstances, not doing our part that God has called us to, and then just hoping God works a miracle.

However, where we get in trouble is when the scales tip to us being entirely focused on ourselves, our challenges, and how we want to fix them; and we nudge out God.

In these moments, we create an idol.

That idol might be our bank account, our job, our workout schedule, our morning routine, or a whole host of habits we feel confident will solve all of our problems. These might all be great things, but do them with God as our guide, or are we like the Israelites who get restless after 40 days and decide it is time to go on our own?

Jesus gives us a beautiful picture of striking the correct balance in Matthew 11:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

When two oxen are yoked together, they are still both putting in work. However, they are now fully in the toil together. They are sharing the load.

God wants to share the load.

God wants us to trust him fully, even when we are growing impatient, wondering when this Moses guy is going to come back down from the mountain.

So, next time you are wondering why God has you in the season that you are in, resist the urge to create a Golden Calf. Fight back against the natural urge to “figure this out on your own”, because you are tired of waiting on God.

Take his yoke upon you. Turn back in prayer and ask what God’s desire is for you in this season.

We are all like the Israelites from time to time, but God is always there waiting when we turn back and recommit our hearts to him.

Daily Reflection & Dialogue

What areas of life are you currently struggling to trust God with and wanting to control on your own?