God has just done wondrous things for the children of Israel and He's given them His law from Mount Sinai, and the people have promised, "All that You've said we will do!"
Then Moses goes back up the mountain to talk with God and he doesn't come back down right away! He is delayed... and so the children of Israel get panicky and decide to take things into their own hands. They decide to build a back-up plan since it seems that Moses has forsaken them. So they ask Aaron to make a golden calf that can lead them out of the wilderness. Next we know they are looking at this golden calf as they proclaim, "This is our god that has brought us out of the land of Egypt." (WHAT??? DID WE JUST READ THAT CORRECTLY?)
This story is so puzzling... for one that they could forget God so quickly and were so quick to revert back to their idols, and for two that Aaron, who should have been holding the standard high, didn't seem to object. He just goes right along with it! Isn't he the one who was the mouth piece for Moses this whole time of deliverance! Wasn't he supposed to be the high priest?
Yet how fast we are prone to do the same. We may not make an engraved calf to worship, but when it seems like God isn't coming through for us, when it seems like the answer to our prayers our desires our hopes is delayed, instead of waiting and trusting on God the ONE who has promised, the ONE who cannot fail, we quickly begin to build a back-up plan. It's really a back-up god. It's a golden calf of self. Oh Lord forgive us!
When Moses does eventually come down, he asks Aaron how he could do this, Aaron's response is perplexing as well. "Well the people gave me their gold and I put it into the fire, and out came a calf! Poof! Just like that!" Hmmmm....
God is merciful. Moses prayed and God forgave, although about 3,000 lost their lives that day as a result of their idolatry. But the nation of Israel was not blotted out, because someone stood up as an intercessor on their behalf! Praise God we have an Intercessor in heaven standing on our behalf.
Tomorrow's Reading: Ex. 33-34 and Acts 2
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