In Exodus 32, the people are complaining that Moses has been gone for too long. They go to Aaron and say, “Make us a god.” To this, Aaron replies, “NO WAY!” Not really, that’s what he should have told them. What really happened: Exodus 32:2 “ And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” Aaron proceeds to make them a fertility idol. That’s what a carved calf is in pagan worship. Next, we read this: Exodus 32: 5-6 “5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” 6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”
What did they do? They ate, drank, and got merry. I’m not going to go into great detail here, but – what kind of play goes on in front of a fertility idol? A week before this, they never planned to have a drunken sex party before a golden calf and pretend what they were doing was right and holy. That’s the funny thing about idols, nobody ever plans on having them… and we all have them.