The Golden Calf (Exodus 32)

How quickly do our churches fall away from the truths taught by Jesus and the apostles, and build golden calves of alternate traditions? How quickly can apostasy occur? Let’s look at Exodus 32.

How quickly and easily was it for Israel and its spiritual leaders to slide down into idolatry?

When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” (Exodus 32:1-2 NLT)

Would our churches be so enthusiastic about apostasy as Israel was?

All the people took off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He received what they handed him, fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it a molded calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:3-4 WEB)

Do people still celebrate apostasy as if it is a good thing?

When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf. Then Aaron announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord!” They got up early the next day and offered up entirely burned offerings and brought well-being sacrifices. The people sat down to eat and drink and then got up to celebrate. (Exodus 32:5-6 CEB)

What did God say to Moses about the idol worship that Israel had slid into?

The Lord said to Moses: Hurry back down! Those people you led out of Egypt are acting like fools. They have already stopped obeying me and have made themselves an idol in the shape of a young bull. They have bowed down to it, offered sacrifices, and said that it is the god who brought them out of Egypt. Moses, I have seen how stubborn these people are, and I'm angry enough to destroy them, so don't try to stop me. But I will make your descendants into a great nation. (Exodus 32:7-10 CEV)

Like Moses, do we intervene in prayer for our churches when they stray?

But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. (Exodus 32:11-12 ESV)

Did God really need reminding or was He speaking to Moses in anthropomorphic terms, similar to the manner of a parent with a child?

Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel—You swore to them by Your very self and declared, ‘I will make your offspring as numerous as the stars of the sky and will give your offspring all this land that I have promised, and they will inherit it forever.’” So the Lord relented concerning the disaster He said He would bring on His people. (Exodus 32:13-14 HCSB)

What did Moses return with after forty days on the mountain? Can you spot how many depictions of the tablets are just plain wrong?

Then Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two Tablets of the Testimony in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides. They were written on one side and the other. The tablets were the work of God and the writing was God’s writing, inscribed on the tablets. (Exodus 32:15-16 ISV)

What did Joshua think he heard as he descended the mountain with Moses?

And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear. (Exodus 32:17-18 KJV)

What did Moses do when he realized what was going on? Would we get angry if the church slid into idolatry? What are some modern idols?

Now it happened, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain. Then he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it. (Exodus 32:19-20 LSB)