Have you ever read one of the Old Testament accounts of the Israelites' journey out of Egypt and thought to yourself HOW could they have been so stupid/rebellious/disobedient?
How many times have you read those accounts and come away thinking surely you would have done better/the right thing?
How many times have you later realised that really you are no better than those same Israelites?
THE GOLDEN CALF
Let’s take a look at when the golden calf entered the scene. The Israelites were at the foot of Mount Sinai approximately four months after leaving Egypt. They had travelled for miles and had been led day and night by the presence of God; a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God has by this time parted the Red Sea, turned bitter water into sweet water and fed them daily with quail and manna.
When Moses ascended the mountain to spend time with God he was gone for 40 days and 40 nights. Bear in mind that this was not Moses’ first excursion up the mountain. He had been a number of times before and came back each time with reports for the Israelites. In Exodus 32 we see however that the Israelites became anxious to the point of action.
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.” All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and moulded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!” Exodus chapter 32 verses 1 to 4
AMNESIA
Let’s look at the facts. After a series of plagues in Egypt, which the Israelites had been saved from, Moses under God’s instruction led the Israelites out of Egypt. They were brought safely across the Red Sea, they were guided by God’s presence twenty four hours a day and they were never without food and water. Upon arrival at Mount Sinai, Moses ascended, spent time with God and descended several times. Each time he met with the people at the foot of the mountain he brought back a report from God Himself yet what was the cry of the people?
“We need gods who can lead us”
“We don’t know what has happened to Moses”
40 days and 40 nights produced a great amnesia amongst the Israelites.
GOLD RUSH
Aaron’s response to this request was to instruct the Israelites to gather gold jewellery, melt it down and mould it all into a golden calf for them to worship.
Where did the Israelites get all of this gold in the wilderness?
Let’s look back again.
And the people of Israel did as Moses had instructed; they asked the Egyptians for clothing and articles of silver and gold. The Lord caused the Egyptians to look favourably on the Israelites, and they gave the Israelites whatever they asked for. So they stripped the Egyptians of their wealth! Exodus chapter 12 verses 35 to 36
God Himself had orchestrated favour towards the Israelites and so when they made their escape they did so with great wealth.
APPLICATION
What is the purpose of my history lesson?
We are just like the Israelites.
Many of us are in wilderness journeys, God Himself is leading us out of and through terrible situations. We encounter a season of seeming stagnation; the people we are used to being with are no longer around, God is no longer speaking or so it seems. We cry out to be led, we cry out for companionship, we cry out for provision. Because of the mountains we are presently facing we fail to remember; just like the Israelites we have terrible amnesia.
Desperate times call for desperate measures they say and so we desperately seek out a new saviour, a hero to cling to, to save us from our current angst.
Just as with the Israelites when we feel abandoned we take that which God has provided, 'gold', and we repurpose it, mould it into an idol, place it at an altar in our lives and exalt it as a god over God.
IT IS IDOLATRY
What is your gold?
Is it that job that God provided in the middle of the pandemic that now consumes your every waking moment leaving no time for family or ministry?
Is it that friendship that truly kept you propped up during a rough season but has now crossed emotional boundaries and threatens the stability of your marriage? Is it the medication that kept you from going insane when pain coursed through your body but you have continued to take for years because you have become so addicted?
God provides people, possessions and positions in our lives ultimately for His Glory and the advancement of His kingdom. When that which God has provided becomes something or someone we can't release it is now nothing but idolatry.
Danelle M. Pinnock first emerged as a writer when she began chronicling her journey with God, through a debilitating sickness. Her authentic reflections provided encouragement to many and resulted in her first publication “31 Day Devotional- Quiet Time.”
This full time homemaker, a proud Jamaican, lives in Kingston with her husband Raul and their two children Levi and Zhuri. Along with her freelance writing, she is a worship leader at her church where her husband, a cancer survivor, serves as a deacon.
Follow her on Instagram @danellewritesstuff to learn how God guides a woman with a background in Chemistry, Business Management and Public Health to skillfully pen His methods and His ways through sickness, marriage and parenting.