Week 37: The Golden Calf

God is the ultimate loving Father. He proved His fatherly love over and over again to the children of Israel. He labored to do good to them from the very beginning. When the book of Exodus began, the Israelites were under the harsh bondage of Pharaoh, and God came to their rescue. Below are a few of the things God did for the Israelites up to this point in Exodus: 

• God heard their groaning (2:24).
• God remembered His covenant (2:24).
• God saw the people of Israel (2:25).
• God knew their suffering (2:25).
• God called Moses and sent him to Pharaoh (3:4, 10).
• God revealed His name and character to Moses and the Israelites (3:15).
• God gave the Israelites signs so that they would trust Him (4:1-9).
• God told Pharaoh to let the Israelites go (5:1).
• God gave the Israelites wonderful promises to give them hope and comfort (6:1-8).
• God sent signs and plagues against Egypt (7-12).
• God protected Israel from all the plagues (7-12).
• God turned the hearts of the Egyptians toward the Israelites (12:35-36).
• God led Israel through the wilderness by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night (13:21-22).
• God parted the Red Sea so that Israel could cross (14:21, 29).
• God drowned Israel’s enemies in the sea (14:27-28).
• God fought for them (15:1-10).
• God led them in His steadfast love (15:13).
• God redeemed them (15:13).
• God provided water and food for them (15:22-17:7).
• God met the Israelites at Mount Sinai (19).
• God made a covenant with them (19).
• God gave the Israelites laws (19-25).

A quick scan of the list above makes it clear that God had been fiercely faithful to the children of Israel. He also showed His love for Israel by giving Moses instructions concerning the tabernacle (Exodus 26-31). God gave these instructions so that the Israelites would have a safe place to fellowship with Him. Instead of returning God’s faithfulness with devotion to Him, our Treasure Story today will show how the Israelites failed to trust God and chose idolatry instead.

The opening words of Exodus 32 are shocking, and the description of what takes place at the bottom of the mountain is numbing. At the very moment Yahweh is making provisions for a place where He can dwell with His people (the tabernacle), His people are already forsaking Him to seek comfort from an idol.

“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.’ So Aaron said to them, ‘Take off the rings of gold that 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 that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden 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 a proclamation and said, ‘Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.’ And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play” (Exodus 32:1-6).

The people asked Aaron to make a god (or gods) for them, and Aaron fashioned a golden calf that the Israelites claimed led them out of Egypt. Idol worship is the very first thing prohibited in the Law that God gave them:

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:2-6). 

The people’s disobedience could not be more obvious. They did exactly what God had forbidden. The people knew God’s Law and broke it anyway. What makes this even worse is that just a few chapters before the people had pledged their obedience to God: “All that the LORD has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient” (Exodus 24:7b). Not only were the people guilty of forsaking God for an idol, but they also broke their word to Him.

“The Bible, then, does not consider idolatry to be one sin among many (and a rare sin found only among primitive people). Rather, all our failures to trust God wholly or to live rightly are at root idolatry—something we make more important than God. There is always a reason for a sin. Under our sins are idolatrous desires.” - Tim Keller, “Talking About Idolatry in a Postmodern Age,” http://thegospelcoalition.org/resources/entry/Talking-About-Idolatry-in-a-Postmodern-Age

The Disastrous Exchange

The idolatry of Israel at Mount Sinai was a disastrous exchange; the Israelites exchanged Yahweh (the real God who created all things) for a metal image fashioned by their own hands. Israel’s idolatry is a graphic portrayal of the idolatrous exchange that every human being is guilty of. Psalm 106 speaks of this exchange accordingly:

“They made a calf in Horeb [another name for Mount Sinai] and worshiped a metal image. They exchanged the glory of God for the image of an ox that eats grass. They forgot God, their Savior, who had done great things in Egypt, wondrous works in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea” (19-22, emphasis added). 

At the bottom of Mount Sinai, Israel forgot their Savior. They abandoned God’s glory for the image of a calf. Can you think of a more foolish exchange? The deceptive part about this exchange is that it seemed like wisdom to the Israelites. Listen to how the Apostle Paul described this exchange in the book of Romans:

“Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things . . . they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever!” (1:22-25, emphasis added)

Yet Paul was not merely describing Israel in these verses—he was describing all of humanity (Romans 3:9-23). Every one of us has exchanged God, the Person who created us, for something else. Again, idolatry is worshiping or desiring anything greater than we worship or desire God. Often, we limit our thoughts on idolatry to the worship of physical images. But the full picture of idolatry in the Bible centers on internal desires. Idolatry occurs when there is a fundamental shift in affection from Creator to creation. The Bible repeatedly brings the heart and affections into view when discussing idolatry (Deuteronomy 6:5; Ezekiel 14:1-7). God is the one who deserves our complete devotion, trust, fear, worship, and love. Idolatry robs God of these things that He rightfully deserves.

All created things—even good things—can become idols in our lives. Money, sex, power, food, careers, relationships, and even religion may be functional “gods” in a person’s life. In other words, any of the things that we trust in to help us cope or function can become for us a functional god. When we exchange God for any created thing, the bargain is a bad one. What we lose is infinitely more valuable in comparison to what we gain.

“Pride makes a god of self, covetousness makes a god of money, sensuality makes a god of the belly; whatever is esteemed or loved, feared or served, delighted in or depended on, more than God, that (whatever it is) we do in effect make a god of.” - Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Vol. 1, pg. 217

Idolatry Incites God’s Anger

While the Israelite people were forgetting God at the foot of the mountain, God informed Moses of what was taking place. God’s response to the people’s idolatry is frightening:

“I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you” (Exodus 32:9b-10).

God was ready to start over, just as He did through the flood in Noah’s time. God’s anger toward idolatry is not unjustified. He is the Creator of all things, including the people of Israel. He had also shown them mercy and patience in rescuing them. If God does not uphold the worth of His name, He Himself would be an idolater. If God did not punish disobedience with just wrath, He would be an unjust judge. When we replace God with an idol, it is a personal affront to His character and worth. Listen to how God spoke of idolatry in the book of Jeremiah:

“Has a nation changed its gods, even though they are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water” (2:11-13, emphasis added).

Idolatry is appalling and shocking. To turn away from the fountain of living water to broken vessels that cannot even hold water is evil. To turn away dishonors the sufficiency of the fountain. Why anyone would refuse the fountain of grace and mercy found in God is unfathomable—yet we do it every day.

The Need for a Mediator

As God’s wrath burned hot against Israel, Moses stook between God and Israel. At the top of the mountain, Moses interceded for the people before God. He did not plead their innocence—their guilt was obvious. He did not plead their ignorance—they knew God had commanded them not to turn to idols. Instead, Moses appealed to God’s character, His glory among the nations, and His promise to the patriarchs (Exodus 32:11-13). 

Moses played an intercessory role as God stood ready to punish the Israelites. He was the only one standing between God and the people. At the top of the mountain, Moses represented the people to God. At the bottom of the mountain, Moses represented God to the people. Moses was the mediator for the Israelites, and his prayers prevented the complete destruction of their nation (Exodus 32:14).

Moses stood between God and Israel, but he could not take away Israel’s sins. He could never take the punishment they deserved.

Jesus is both fully God and fully man; thus, He is able to represent both mankind and God in a way that Moses never could. Jesus came down to earth to show us God. In a magnificent display of God’s love, Jesus took the punishment that we deserve for our idolatry, and he died on the cross. Yet, He was raised from the dead and now makes intercession for us in God’s presence. All those who trust in Jesus as their mediator can be united to Him and forgiven of their idolatry. Moreover, Jesus sends His Holy Spirit to help us fight idolatry in our hearts. The Holy Spirit opens our eyes to the true worth of God so that we can begin to love and cherish the Creator above the creation.

Gospel Truths About God

God is worthy of our worship, trust, love, and obedience. He is irreplaceable. Nothing in creation can serve as a true substitute for Yahweh, who created all things.

“Whatever thy heart clings to and relies upon, that is properly thy god.” - Martin Luther 

Gospel Truths About Man

We are idolaters. We are inclined to exchange worship of the Creator for worship of the creation. This exchange is unprofitable and evil. We deserve God’s just wrath because our hearts are inclined to prefer creation over the one who created all things. Without a mediator, we will live a life separated from God and ultimately suffer His burning anger against our sin (Ephesians 2:1-3, 12).

“Like the ancient Egyptians, postmodern Americans have many gods, but our supreme deity seems to be Self. We honor, admire, and love ourselves more than anyone or anything else.” - Phillip Ryken, Exodus, pg. 306 

Gospel Truths About Redemption

God sent Himself as a mediator to take the punishment that we deserve. Those who believe in and trust Jesus as their mediator are freed from the punishment of idolatry and given a new heart¾a heart that loves the Creator over creation.

For Your Edification (continued…)

Acts 7:37-42
Psalm 115:4-8
Jeremiah 25:6
1 Corinthians 10:14
Colossians 3:3-5
1 Thessalonians 1:4, 9-10
1 John 2:15-17
1 John 5:21

Preparing My Heart:

What do you love? What do you want, crave, lust, and wish for? What desires do you serve and obey? What makes you tick? Where do you run for refuge, comfort, pleasure and escape? Whom or what do you trust? What do you pray for? What is your “if only” in life? These questions among others can help you identify possible idols in your life. What is competing with God for your worship?

Read Jeremiah 2 and list the reasons why God takes idolatry so personally. What do you deserve when you turn away from Him?

Meditate on the atoning work of Jesus that paid for your idolatry and freed you from its tyrannical power. Also consider spiritual disciplines such as confessing your sin, seeking accountability, and praying for help from the Holy Spirit. 

“To trust in anything more than God, is to make it a god.” - Thomas Watson, The Ten Commandments, pg. 55

Paint a picture of the evil of Israel’s idolatry and the shock that it should bring. God had done so much good for the Israelites. Yet they responded with an act of treason at the very time God was making provisions to dwell with them.

Make sure your students understand that idolatry is not just about the worship of statues—it is about exchanging God for anything in creation, including our own happiness. 

Through the Scriptures, show your class why God is against idolatry and what idolaters deserve. Explain why Jesus’ death was the only way to remove the punishment and power of idolatry from our lives.