Exodus 32: 1 - 35
A whopper of an excuse
32 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for 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.” 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.” 3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” 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. 7 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’” 9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.” 11 Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: “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? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people. 15 And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. 16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. 17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” 18 But he said: “It is not the noise of the shout of victory, nor the noise of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing I hear.” 19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain. 20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it. 21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” 22 So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ 24 And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.” 25 Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the LORD’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’” 28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. 29 Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.” 30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.” 33 And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book. 34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.” 35 So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.
Pathological lying isn’t a clinical diagnosis, though it can sometimes be a symptom of other issues, such as a personality disorder or a manic episode. But some people get so accustomed to lying that they do so even when there is no clear purpose, and when their lies are easily disproven, leaving everyone scratching their heads over the point of their deceptions.
Over the years, I’ve experienced a large number of these people — pathological or compulsive liars — and gained some insight into the way they think. Believe it or not, their lying makes some sense, when you look at it through their eyes. Here are some of the reasons behind their lying.
1. The lie does matter to them. The number one reason people lie when it just doesn’t matter is because they actually do think it matters. While everyone around them thinks it’s an inconsequential issue, the liar believes it is critically important. They may be putting undeserved emphasis or pressure on themselves, or on the issue, but you won’t know unless you ask something like, “It seems like this issue is really important to you — why?”
2. Telling the truth feels like giving up control. Often, people tell lies because they are trying to control a situation and exert influence toward getting the decisions or reactions they want. The truth can be “inconvenient” because it might not conform to their narrative.
3. They don’t want to disappoint you. It may not feel like it to you, but people who tell lie after lie are often worried about losing the respect of those around them. They want you to like them, be impressed, and value them. And they’re worried that the truth might lead you to reject or shame them.
4. Lies lead to more lies. I am sure we all saw the movie Pinocchio where his nose grew ever time he lied. We tell a little bitty lie, but then to cover that lie, we have to tell another one, then another, and another — each gets bigger and bigger. Finally, we’re arguing about senseless points because to admit anything correct creates the potential of the entire house of cards tumbling. If a chronic liar admits to any single lie, they feel like they’re admitting to being a liar, and then you’ll have reason to distrust them.
5. it’s not a lie to them. When we are under pressure, our thinking about the big picture can be challenged. Our memory of things is actually quite unreliable: Multiple studies demonstrate that our memories are influenced by many things, that they change over time, and that they are essentially reconstructed each time we think about them. Often, repetitive liars feel so much pressure in the moment that their memory becomes simply unreliable. When they say something, it’s often because they genuinely believe, at that moment, that it is the truth. Their memory has been overwhelmed by stress, current events, and their desire to find a way to make this situation work. Sometimes, this can become so severe that the person almost seems to have created a complete alternate world in their head, one that conforms to their moment-by-moment beliefs and needs.
6. They want it to be true. Finally, the liar might want their lie to be true so badly that their desire and needs again overwhelm their instinct to tell the truth. Sometimes, liars hope that they can make something come true by saying it over and over, and by believing it as hard as they can. In today’s environment of “alternative facts,” it’s hard not to see this as somewhat justified.
People, by and large, are honest by default. Most people tell the truth most of the time. Our very capacity for language is built on an assumption of honesty — we agree that the words we use mean the same thing consistently, and we don’t use words deceptively because this would render language and the very communication of ideas impossible. Some people lie more than others, but even frequent liars are actually honest most of the time. But it stands out dramatically when their deceptions are so blatant, easily disproven, and seemingly unimportant.
As frustrating as it is when people tell whoppers, we can begin to understand the motivations behind them. Asking the person, “Why is this situation so important to you?” or, “Why do you need me to see this the same way you do?” can be a useful, non-threatening way to get at the foundations of stress and desperation that often underlie deceptions. Don’t ask, “Why are you lying?” We need to remember that the person is often motivated by not being seen as a liar, and this question paints them into a corner.
Of course, understanding a big fibber’s motivations and having empathy in such situations is valuable. But to function effectively in the real world, we also need people to learn to be more honest. Communicating empathy for a person’s desperation can be a valuable tool to give them permission to tell the truth. And then, recognizing and reinforcing when a person does tell the truth is a powerful way to get more truth-telling. It shows people that the truth is not scary, and that the world won’t end when the truth comes out.
Today we are going to learn how Moses’ brother Aaron when confronted for making a molten calf tells a whopper of a lie. Let’s jump into today’s scripture to find out all the details.
We have in this chapter an interesting contrast between man’s way of worship and God’s way of worship. Moses was in the Mount receiving from God careful instruction as to how future worship was to be conducted. Its aim was in order to prevent any misconception of God. But here at ground level the people, assisted by Aaron, worked out their own way of worshipping God, a way that could only have led them back into idolatry and rejection of all that was good and right in what the only living true God Yahweh had given them.
The chapter begins with the people being fearful of what has happened to Moses and rebelling against Yahweh.
While Moses was in the Mount for forty days and forty nights receiving his instructions from Father God Yahweh, the people waiting in the plain below became uneasy. They had somewhat fearfully seen him ascend and disappear into the cloud and then they had waited and waited and he had not returned. After that a whole moon period had passed and he had still not returned. And they knew personally the fearful nature of this God Who was in the Mountain and the warning of what would happen to any who approached the Mountain (19.21). Thus they began to be certain that they would not see Moses any more.
By now they were not sure whether they wanted to have anything more to do with this terrible God Who revealed Himself in the way that He had, and made such terrible threats. They had agreed a covenant with Him out of a combination of gratitude and fear, but now they were not so sure that that was what they wanted. They preferred gods with whom they could be more familiar, like the gods they had known in Egypt whom others worshipped.
32 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for 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.”
It is understandable that the people would become alarmed. Their nerves had reached breaking point at some of the revelations from the mountain. And Moses had now been gone for a long time.
Yes, the God Yahweh had delivered them but they wanted nothing to do with this God of the mountains Who frightened them. Rather would they like to approach Yahweh through the kind of images they were familiar with in Egypt, awe inspiring but without causing trouble. They wanted a god made to their own requirements.
As you know up to this point it was Yahweh Who had gone before them in the pillar of cloud and fire (13.21). But that pillar had disappeared onto the mountain along with Moses. Now they wanted visible representations of Yahweh instead, so that He could go before them in a way that was controllable. They wanted Yahweh’s power on their behalf, but they wanted to feel comfortable with Him. They had had enough of this fierce God of the mountains, Who fortunately seemed to remain in the Mountain. They wanted to be on their way, and quickly, so that they could get away from Him. Thus they wanted Aaron to make a man-made God.
Now in a way you have to consider the pressure on Aaron. The people gathered together and sought him out. They were in an ugly mood and Aaron felt threatened.
Their confrontation with Aaron was a mixture of contempt and anger. After all he and Moses were the ones who brought all this upon them. But their resentment is loud and clear. No sympathy with Moses, only enmity. Yes, he had delivered them from Egypt, but what had happened to him now? He had trusted this mountain God, Who surely was not the Yahweh Who had delivered them out of Egypt. And look what good it had done him. Where was he? He had disappeared and they did not know where he was. Indeed he was probably dead. And he deserved it. What they wanted was help and assurance from someone they relied on, and to return to the old compromising ways
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.”
It is clear from this that both men (‘your sons’) and women in Israel wore earrings, and Genesis 35.4, where their earrings are closely connected to their false gods and have to be disposed of, makes clear that these had strong religious significance. They were thus very suitable for the making of ‘gods’ and would automatically give credence to the gods which were made.
3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.
The people responded willingly. This demonstrates how concerned they were and how urgently they felt the need to escape. After the extraordinary events of a month previously they felt a religious need, and that they had been deserted, and so they were willing to offer their valuables if it meant that they could have a god whom they could see.
4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
Aaron received the earrings from them, melted them down and fashioned a golden calf. Notice how specific this is. Later he will make the excuse that it just somehow happened.
Please take note that it is never described as ‘the golden calf’. It is a ‘molted calf’. One fashioned and shaped. The use of ‘calf’ rather than ‘bull’ is probably deliberate in order to put it in proper perspective. Before God this great bull was but an infant.
The significance of this raises complicated questions which are linked. Why did Aaron make a molted calf? What did the people see it to mean? Bull worship was common in Egypt in many forms. Quite apart from the Apis-bull of Memphis and the Mnevis bull of Heliopolis, there was combined bull worship and worship of Horus in Lower Egypt, which was near Goshen, and other traces are known of it. The bull was prominent in Egypt as a symbol of the fertility of nature and as a symbol of raw physical power.
But the Canaanite Baal was also worshipped in the form of a bull, again symbolizing fertility and strength, and Baal worship was also well known in parts of lower Egypt ( at Baal-zephon). It is true that the people knew that the bull-gods of Egypt had been defeated by Yahweh, but how more likely than by one who was Himself like a strong bull-calf? And ‘baal’ meant ‘lord’. So Aaron knew already of divine bulls called ‘lord’. Thus he might well have seen a bull-calf as a suitable way of representing the strong and powerful Yahweh, the Lord. (Later in Canaan confusion would arise between Baal and the Lord Yahweh because Yahweh could be called ‘baali’ (my Lord)).
The molted calf was made of many earrings which had all had occult significance. There was only one calf and therefore we are probably to see here a plural of intensity, ‘This is your God’. But we are also probably intended to see in it a sarcastic reference by the writer to the fact that this is no Yahweh, it is a conglomerate of all their earrings. The mockery extends to the ridiculous idea that this molten image could have delivered them from Egypt.
Please take also note of the words, ‘They said.’ This was expressing their view, but put in such a way as to mock them. They were so deceived, it is being suggested, that they intended it seriously. They rather foolishly saw the molten calf as the One Who had delivered them from Egypt, so ridiculous can men be. The writer saw that they had made the great Yahweh into a lump of metal made up of precisely the religious amulets that had been unable to deliver them before. How then could it be seen as the deliverer from Egypt?
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.”
Having produced the image Aaron, in spite of the fact that he had fashioned it, was impressed by it, and raised up an altar before it so that they could offer sacrifices to it. He recognized that it had been made of sacred gold, and saw it as a suitable way to represent Yahweh. And no doubt he persuaded himself that they would be able to see Yahweh in His invisible power behind the bull-calf. So does sinful man always reason before sliding into full blown idolatry?
We need to take our own inventory in evaluating this action by Aaron and the Israelites. We may feel that there is no way in which we could have been as deceived as these people were. But idol worship is insidious, and it is surprising how easy it is to begin to sense something other worldly when facing a great image in a religious setting, being worshipped and chanted to by adherents. Such an atmosphere can make people think foolishly.
We may also feel like Aaron that a physical representation can do no harm. The bull-calf will make men recognize the strength and power of God. They will see God through the bull. But, alas, in the end the bull becomes all. And God is diminished. And men’s ideas of God become earthbound.
I had a guy who I use to work with have a whole bunch of statues on his lawn. I asked him why he put them there. He told me that they reminded him of Mary and other saints. I asked him if he had a picture of his wife in his wallet. He told me that he did. I asked him if he needed to pull out her picture to remind him who she was. He said no. I told him, is it because you know in your mind what she looks like. He said yes to my question. I then said there was one of Jesus apostles by the name of Phillip who asked Jesus to show them The Father. Our Lord Jesus’ reply was, ‘how long have I been with you Phillip that you do not know Me. If you have seen Me you have seen the Father. I told him to get to know Jesus personally like he knows his wife and he will not have to have statues on his lawn to remind him what God looks like.
Aaron then he proclaimed a feast to Yahweh on the morrow. This demonstrates again that the image was intended to represent Yahweh in some way. But he had by his action, probably unintentionally (he had probably not thought his ideas through), reduced Yahweh to a nature god, a fertility god, a divine being who was merely a part of natural forces, a beast, with all that that would entail for forms of worship, and not the great Lord of heaven and earth. He had dragged Him down, and that is how the people would worship Him, as a nature god and no longer the Lord Yahweh.
Ignorantly he was making his best effort to ensure the continued worship of Yahweh, Whom he and the elders had seen in the Mount. He informed them that they would on the next day celebrate Yahweh in His new form. It would appear that he, as well as the children of Israel, was not knowledgeable enough to strictly distinguish Yahweh from other gods, in spite of His great deliverance from Egypt. So while Yahweh was proposing him as ‘the Priest’ in the Mount, Aaron was demonstrating how much he still had to learn about God.
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.
The people were eager to begin their new relationship with this god. With no thought of deliberately diminishing Yahweh they quickly reduced Him to their own level. This god could be treated with awe, but there was no danger of fearful repercussions, and then he could be manipulated by their activities. He would not thunder from the mountains.
So they rose early to celebrate a great feast, and then, necessarily affected by how he had been fashioned, and by overmuch wine, they began to worship him as they interpreted he should be worshiped. ‘The people sat down to eat and drink’. There is a deliberate contrast here with the elders who ‘Beheld God and did eat and drink’ (24.11). So far had they fallen? ‘They rose to play.’ That is to sing, and dance, and engage in sexual and immoral activity, loosening up their clothes and stripping them off as they would have done had they been Baal worshippers. How Yahweh had been diminished in their eyes.
7 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’”
Our Holy Father God Yahweh was aware of all that was going on, for contrary to the people’s thoughts He had not taken His eye off them. He now told Moses to go down to his erring people. There was an irony in this. They had thought themselves overlooked. But He was perfectly aware of what was happening. Please take note of our Holy God’s statement, ‘your people.’ They were no longer to be seen as Yahweh’s people, for they had so quickly forsaken the covenant which forbade molten images.
Our Great God Yahweh gave a verdict on them -‘Have corrupted themselves.’ What they had done had come from their own inner yearnings. They had no one else to blame for leading themselves astray into false worship. They had become what they were from their own attitudes.
In only a month they had quickly pushed to the back of their minds the covenant that they had entered into so enthusiastically. They have forgotten His covenant. They would have argued that they were still worshipping Yahweh. But they were overlooking the fact that they had ignored the first two commandments. They had deliberately disobeyed Him.
Take a look again at The Holy Yahweh’s contemptuous comment on what they did make -‘a molten calf’. They had asked Aaron to ‘make us a god’, but all he had produced was an infused metal image. They would have argued that it was Yahweh that they were worshipping but their behavior demonstrated that this was not true Yahweh worship, for worship does not consist of using the correct name, but of how we see the object of worship. He was the gracious but demanding God of the covenant, and they now saw Him as just another nature and fertility god, malleable and well under control. They were at last on familiar, welcome ground. But God’s anger is patent. They have worshipped and sacrificed to this thing that they have made instead of worshipping and sacrificing to Him.
The people would see the molten calf as a god, and probably as representing Yahweh. Yahweh sees it as a bunch of earrings belonging to superstitious people. it can be seen as having in mind the religiously infused earrings, with their connections with occult practices and with the gods who were seen as lying behind them. They see their molten image, Yahweh sees their earrings. Their entire image really represented their old failing gods.
9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people! 10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a great nation.”
The way that Yahweh speaks passes judgment on the people but gives the hint to Moses that it is up to Moses to determine what happens. ‘Leave me alone’ is basically saying, ‘if you wish to prevent me you can’. It is not Yahweh’s intention at this stage to destroy this people (note the words ‘this people’) but to test Moses to see what he will do, and to see whether he has the heart for the task that lies ahead.
So He tells him that He has observed the behavior of this people and has found them wanting. Indeed has found them to be stubborn and rigid in their thinking, and even perverse. They are stiff-necked. They want their own way and not His. So He suggests that Moses lets Him exercise His anger against them so that He can consume them and then rise up a new nation from Moses’ seed. But His very words were an indirect reminder of what He had promised to Abraham’s seed (‘I will make of you a great nation’). That was indeed the basis of Moses’ call. It was the descendants of Abraham that God had sent him to deliver. The question is will Moses prove faithful to his calling, and to Abraham, or will he opt for his own glory?
11 Then Moses pleaded with the LORD his God, and said: “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? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’”
Moses responded correctly. There was in Moses no desire for personal gain and advantage. His only concern was that Yahweh might be seen in a good light, and that Yahweh might be found faithful to His promises. He was concerned only for the good name of Yahweh.
Moses did not realize that it was a test. His honest heart was filled with a determination that men should honor the God he loved, and so he pleaded with Him. He reminds Yahweh God that He had delivered ‘His people’ (Moses will not take credit for doing the miraculous work of God) He acknowledges that the Israelites are His people.
So his first plea was on the basis of what a sad thing it would be if such exertion of God’s almighty power, resulting from His compassion for His people, should go to waste. How sad if Yahweh’s love for them did not receive its reward. It is based on the idea that a sovereign God could surely not possibly have so acted without finally bringing about His ends.
Secondly, he thinks with horror of what the Egyptians might say as the rumors spread back to Egypt, and he cannot bear it. Smarting from their own wounds they would jeer and point out what kind of a God Yahweh was. They would say that He had delivered the Israelites only to destroy them. Powerful He may be, they would say, but He was also abundantly cruel. It is clear that His whole purpose in leading the people from Egypt had been in order to lead them into the mountains and destroy them. It was not true of course. And Moses knew that Yahweh was not like that. But he cannot bear to think of the Egyptians or anyone else being able to say it. It would humiliate the One he loves. And so he pleads with Yahweh to ‘rethink’. He acknowledges that He has a right to be angry but pleads that He will assuage His anger for the sake of His own reputation and good name.
Finally he thinks of his ancestors. He thinks of Abraham, that faithful man of God. He thinks of Isaac and Jacob (Moses uses ‘Israel’ for Jacob’s name because he is pleading for the children of Israel). And he thinks of what Yahweh promised them. Why He had even sworn by Himself (Genesis 22.16), and he cannot bear to think that Yahweh will withdraw from what He has promised, and thus prove dishonorable. The people may have forgotten the covenant, but Yahweh cannot do so. So let Yahweh think again. Let Him remember His covenant. He had promised them the land. He had promised the survival of their seed. He had promised that they would be a great nation. How then could He possibly renege on it so that men could scoff at His failure to keep His promises and fulfill His covenant? What a great man was Moses. This is an important fact we need to take to heart. Do we have the same genuine concern only for the glory of God?
14 So the LORD relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.
God isn’t going to change His mind. The stress here is on the fact that Yahweh responded to Moses. The actual physical evidence of the fact would come later. In other words Yahweh would not actually do what He had said He would do. He would not destroy what are now again described, not as ‘this people’, but as ‘His people’. It is but looking from a human point of view. Humanly speaking this was how it appeared. He appeared to have changed His mind.
But it was only outward appearance; He had not really done so. His threats had in fact only been words. He had not intended to do what He had said at all, for he had known what Moses would do. All He had wanted to do was to discover whether Moses’ heart was right for the work he still had to do, and to express His great displeasure at the behavior of the people. It expresses how He wants the world to see things.
15 And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. 16 Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets.
So having unknowingly passed his test Moses went back down from the mountain. And in his hands he held the two tablets of stone on which God had caused the covenant to be written.
The fact that the tablets were of stone and were engraved brings out the intended permanence of the covenant. This testimony was to last through the ages. The permanence of the tablets compares with the total unreliability of the people.
17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a noise of war in the camp.” 18 But he said: “It is not the noise of the shout of victory, nor the noise of the cry of defeat, but the sound of singing I hear.”
Moses had once again been joined by his servant, Joshua, who had been faithfully waiting for him on the mountain. All we are told about Joshua is that he went up into the mount with Moses (24.13.)
Joshua must have been bursting to know what had happened in the mount but the impression given is that they came down in silence. He could see that Moses had something very much on his mind, something of great import, and did not wish to talk, and he honored his wishes. No doubt he would learn what had happened when Moses chose to reveal it.
And as they came down together that was when they heard noises coming from down below. Joshua was concerned. It appeared that fighting had broken out, either with some unknown enemy. But Moses, grim-faced, gave a noncommittal reply, for he knew what it was. He had been given prior knowledge. It was not the cry of victory or defeat; it was the sound of wild, unrestrained shouts ringing out in degraded worship.
19 So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
When the camp loomed into sight, Moses and Joshua saw the molten calf and the wild dancing, evidence, not of a people eagerly awaiting the return of Moses, but of a people who were not concerned about him, and had lost all restraint and were engaged in wild religious celebrations. Indeed they were a people who did not want him back and were in no mood to listen. They had found another god who had clearly won their support.
This likening to the anger of God suggests that what followed had a twofold purpose. It was on the one hand necessary in order to gain control, but it was also a deliberate act in order to bring home the seriousness of what they had done.
Moses had had plenty of time to consider what he would do as he was coming down in his grim silence from the mount. His anger was like the anger of God. And God had prepared him for what he saw. What followed was not due to loss of temper but a deliberate act of righteous anger against sin and rebellion. He knew that he was acting in the name of God and so before all the people, at the bottom of the mount, he hurled the tablets of the covenant onto the hard ground and broke them. We should note that he was never rebuked for this. It was a deliberate, dramatic gesture like that of a man tearing up a contract publicly. By it he was bringing home to the people what they had done. They had in fact broken the covenant.
Thus they would know that He was no longer with them, and he was no longer accountable to them. He was firmly indicating that they no longer had a part in the covenant of Yahweh and were therefore fair targets unless they surrendered. It was probably his hope that by his action he would shake some of them into supporting him. Certainly it would make them uneasy, and he could only hope.
But once the situation had been recovered it would also bring out something else, there was now a subtle change in the nature of Yahweh’s attitude towards Israel. Up to now it had been direct and personal. From now on they would receive all at second hand, for they were not worthy. Only Moses would be allowed to see the glory of Yahweh (33.19). Israel would receive a second hand covenant (34.27-28). It was thus also an early grim prophecy of what lay before them, not only now but in the more distant future.
20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it.
This verse is unique in that it clearly could not happen before verse 21 onwards for he could not make the people drink it until he had gained full control. It is placed here to indicate his final victory before the detail of the encounter is gone into, finishing off the analysis we have seen above with victory. The result is that as we now view the battle we need not worry for Moses has already won.
That this must have happened after what follows is confirmed by the fact that in verse 25 the people are still running loose, and still had to be brought under control. It is described here, not chronologically, but because it is the final result of Moses response to what had happened
So it is saying that once he was again master of the situation the molten calf, that had been so carefully shaped, was hurled back into the fire from which it had come that it might lose its shape, and was then ground to powder and scattered on to water. And then he made the children of Israel drink the water. They would be made to drink their own god. It is put in the perfect tense (the tense of completeness) because it was seen as certain, as something that would happen. Thus we could translate, ‘he smashed the tablets -- and in his mind, to be fulfilled later, he took the calf which they had made --- and made the children of Israel drink it.’
‘The calf which they had made’ is a pointed description. It was manmade and therefore useless. And it was made at their choosing. They had wanted it and so now they could have what they wanted.
‘And burnt it with fire’ reveals to us that it is always a symbol of judgment on something (Joshua 7.25). It was to be rendered useless to anyone and committed to God in judgment.
The fallen Israelites had to drink their god. It was not something that they would forget easily. So they wanted a visible god? Well, here he was. Let them drink it. Thus they would be made to recognize that their god was not heavenly, but very much earthy. And that this god was unpleasant to drink, and would soon turn into waste matter.
In the wider context this drinking must be seen as significant. The elders had previously eaten and drunk before Yahweh (24.11). The people had eaten and drunk before the molten image (verse 6). Both had thought in terms of sealing a covenant. Now they had to drink their folly. Their covenant with their new god had turned sour.
This next section covers two points of concern, that of Yahweh’s sovereignty with all under perfect control, and that of Moses tactics in the face of the very dangerous situation that was awaiting him. Outwardly he went on his triumphant way without much of a problem, but if we read the account more carefully we discover that (humanly speaking) it was a close run thing. It is only this that explains what Moses did in ordering what may seem otherwise to be indiscriminate killing.
From the point of view from which it was written therefore, verses 21-28 reveal Yahweh’s sovereignty over the matter. It is a looking back after the event. It describes how Moses, having seen what was happening, and having broken the covenant tablets, dealt with what he discovered so that the opposition who were in reality leading a rebellion collapsed. It comes chronologically before verse 20. Verse 20 had finalized the description of his descent from the mount in victory. Now we are to go back and see the detail behind the victory.
Basically the writer is saying in verse 20, ‘this is how Moses taught the people a lesson’. Then it goes back to explain how he was able to do so.
The conversation with Aaron probably occurred as he approached the camp with Joshua walking beside him. It is then followed by the support that came from his fellow-tribesmen, the Levites, and the further punishment of Israel in the killing that had to take place
For if we look at that fatal day from a human point of view we see a dangerous underlying situation. As events unfolded through the day, things would have been very different for Moses from what a casual reading suggests. Indeed it is probably true to say that humanly speaking it was only due to his brilliant tactics and dependence on our Holy God Yahweh that he survived the day. For we should consider the fact that when Moses arrived the people would unquestionably be angry, and hostile to him, especially the leaders with their sense of guilt and resentment, and they would feel that Aaron was on their side. After all he had set the whole thing in motion. So they might well have been ready to do violence to Moses, and even cut him down if he opposed them. They now had the God they wanted. It would be the whole nation against one man. So he had better watch his step. And Aaron’s desertion would only increase their anger and fear of what Moses would do to them unless they got rid of him. They would not submit easily.
Moses must have known this. We naively become accustomed to thinking that Moses was always in control and had little trouble in remaining so. We somehow believe that the people were always subservient. But sometimes a closer reading indicates that this was outwardly far from the case. There were factions that constantly rose up dissatisfaction and dissent. There were factions who were ready to oppose him.
Indeed he must have been aware from what The Lord God Yahweh had said that trouble lay ahead. Yahweh had warned him that the people were no longer following Him but were worshipping a molten image. That could only mean that they had disowned both Yahweh and Moses, and that Moses would be no longer welcome. If he went among them, therefore, he must have known that he might well be in grave danger. For there were an awful lot of them, and he only had Joshua.
Furthermore to Moses, as he considered the situation, there was the problem of Aaron. What had happened suggested that Aaron was no longer in authority, for surely had he been he would not have allowed such a thing to happen? What then could have happened to him? Perhaps he had already been put to death? So Moses in his quiet musing as he approached the camp would be more than a little concerned about his brother and very wary about what he might find when he arrived there, and what kind of a reception he would receive.
He must have been very much aware of the large numbers of people down there, and how unreliable they could be. For this was not the first time, they had demonstrated their belligerence before. So he knew that when he arrived near the camp they might well seek to kill him in order to prevent his interference. For was it not clear that they had rejected his authority and would have appointed other leaders? And strength in numbers was on their side. Apart from God’s faithfulness, and Moses was keenly aware that he had after all rejected God’s solution for his own, his one consolation must have been that Joshua was with him so that they were lacking their best military leader. But he would know that he had to think carefully and plan how he should approach the situation. His thoughts must have been on how he could seize the initiative? Such were the things that must have been occupying his mind as they came down the mountain.
When the campsite came suddenly into view it must have been immediately clear how bad things were. The people were dancing round the molten calf in various states of undress, and their cries were ringing out as they threw themselves in abandon into their sexual perversions. The sight would have filled him with anger. Was this what they had come to? But he must have been well aware that he could not just walk into the camp and take over. Things had clearly gone too far for that. They were in no mood or condition to receive him. Indeed the likelihood might well be the opposite. He was a reject, and they would know that he had come to stop them. So he had to think carefully how to approach the situation.
We tend to forget that Moses had developed into a brilliant strategist. Somehow he knew that he had to regain his authority over the camp. But the question was, how? For in their present mood they were unlikely just too meekly surrender.
He then fixed on his plan of action. It would require great courage, and he knew that unless Yahweh was with him it would not work. But that was a situation he had got used to, and he determined to go ahead. It had to be a question of quick action and surprise attack.
Striding forward within sight of the camp he lifted the covenant tablets above his head and smashed them to the ground. And because they saw it, it would be to them a public declaration that they were no longer within the covenant and that he was assuming no further responsibility for them as they were. That he was no longer bound to them. That he wanted nothing further to do with them. It indicated that he was rejecting them, and so was God. It was a challenge to them either to surrender to Yahweh or face up to his wrath.
Then he bravely advanced towards the camp entrance with Joshua in the hope that some would gather to his support. That was his only hope, for without that he was lost. To his relief the first thing he saw was Aaron coming out to meet him. And from him he quickly learned the sad story of what had happened. He was probably very disappointed with his brother but that could wait another day. And no doubt from Aaron he learned the resentment and anger that there was in the camp against him.
At least they were now three, and an important three -The two deliverers from Egypt and Israel’s general (17.9) who would face down the camp which was without a recognized supreme chieftain, and would be in some disarray. On the other hand he knew the antagonism that there was against him in the camp. Possibly even that when they saw him they intended to kill him. The camp was in a drunken state as a result of the feast, and in an ugly mood because he had been so long away, and they would be very conscious that he would consider that they had rejected him. Moreover they now had their God with whom they were very satisfied. They would brook no interference from Moses. They had found their alternative and would not easily give it up. And it was no doubt at this stage that he recognized that he had, humanly speaking, to gamble everything on the final daring move that he had planned, trusting in Yahweh to stand by him. Everything would depend on it. If he failed all would be lost. So coming to the main entrance to the camp he stood there with his two companions and cried out his challenge. “Who is for Yahweh?-To me.” The question was left hanging in the air. The question was, would anyone respond? What would they do?
We need to stop and consider the situation in order to appreciate it. Again we see Moses and Joshua alone, with a repentant Aaron behind them. On the other side were the rest of the people seemingly against them. It was undoubtedly a tricky situation. Fortunately for him Yahweh had prepared the way, indeed had probably shown him this way for that reason. For his own tribe, the tribe of Levi, knowing of the plots against Moses and the dangers that awaited him, rallied to his support, probably accompanied by any loyal Levite who were pleased to see Moses. For once the sentries had announced that he was coming it is probable that the leading Levites had hurriedly gathered their fighting men together for the very purpose of supporting Moses. Moses was back. They knew that he would need them. Perhaps some had already been uneasy at the turn of events. He was after all of their tribe and they may well have felt that they should support him, come what may. So they now came to Moses and Aaron with that offer of support.
In the crowd various divisions occurred. Some would creep to their tents to arm themselves with weapons. Others would mutter and discuss what to do among themselves. And large numbers would simply ignore him and go on dancing and engaging in their sexual activity. After all, they must have thought, what could he do?
Moses must have been relieved that at least his own tribe stood by him, and by Yahweh, and his response was immediate. They may be outnumbered but if they acted quickly surprise was on their side. If they acted with speed they could retrieve the situation and gain the upper hand. They must make the first, surprise strike. So he commanded that they obtain their swords from their tents and immediately attack and slay some of the opposition and some of the blasphemous, drunken revelers before they could rally and find someone to lead them, for with Aaron being with Moses the rebels would for a short while be bereft of a central authority. Thus speed was of the essence while they were unprepared.
His fellow-tribesmen immediately obeyed him unquestioningly, obtained their weapons, and began their assault, taking all by surprise. It would be in such a context that the ‘three thousand’ were killed.
Meanwhile some of the leaders of the other tribes had undoubtedly also become aware of Moses’ approach and must have been wondering what to do, for they did not know what he was going to do. But they were seemingly caught unprepared by the assault, and found that they were under attack before they even had chance to make their plans or collect their people together with their own weapons. And there were so many of the people who were in no state to listen to them. So without weapons to hand, and with little support, they would know instinctively that there was only one thing to do and that was to escape the avenging Levites, and hope to rally later. Thus hastily they would flee the camp and leave it in Moses’ hands, calling on their people to follow. And others would also flee as they saw the Levite slayers among them, although some no doubt sought to put up resistance. They would be among the slain. But why else would only three thousand be killed among so large a number with a fairly powerful group on the attack?
In the course of the conflict ‘three thousand’ of the opponents and revelers were slain, but the result of this was that the battle was quickly over and the camp was in Moses’ possession, with his opponents routed. Now the only thing necessary was to await the surrender of the scattered tribes, once they had sobered up and sought to return. And then he could carry out his planned punishment on them and make them drink their own god. That is how it almost certainly happened. So let us now confirm it from the text.
Having described the final certain victory punishment the account goes into more detail of how the victory came about.
21 And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”
Having described the event that followed the final victory the narrative now goes back to Moses’ approach on the camp, in order to explain how it happened. Moses was clearly in two minds at this stage, not knowing what lay ahead, but he was no doubt relieved, although puzzled, as he approached the camp and found his brother coming out to meet him. He recognized that Aaron had no doubt been alerted by a watchman, and that he was clearly free. Thus he wanted to know how on earth they had persuaded Aaron to do what he had done. Here was the one whom God had intended to appoint as the bringer of great blessing on His people and instead he had brought a great sin on them. He wanted to know what method they had used to persuade him. He was probably trying to find some kind of excuse for his brother as well as assess the situation in the camp.
This incident in fact brings out that although Moses was crystal clear that Yahweh was the only God, and that all others were as nothings, the same was probably not true of all, or even the majority, of Israel. Possibly not even fully of Aaron. We only have to think today how even convinced Christians can be superstitious, believing in some kind of fate that affects the world when they spill salt, or walk under ladders, or see black cats.
22 So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people that they are set on evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’
Aaron’s extreme anxiety is brought out in his words. His brother has just seemingly come back from the dead, but instead of giving him a rapturous welcome he addresses his younger brother as ‘my lord’, a clear indication of submission and guilt. But he tries to allay his sense of having failed God by suggesting to Moses that surely he is well aware of what these people are like. They are always set on sin. And they had had enough of things as they were. That is why they had asked for an image of God. So what could he have been expected to do about it?
24 And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”
So we see here how Aaron comes up with a whooper of an excuse. In a way he was trying to appear innocent. His tale was trying to indicate that he had hardly been involved at all. The ‘earrings’ he had actually targeted had now become a vague ‘gold’. And the calf one that emerged from the fire having made itself! It simply came out. It was a wonder indeed. So the fault was all external, the people set on sin, the gold simply there available, and a self-manufacturing calf. It was not his fault. But he knew in his heart that that was not so. He knew that he had been deeply involved. It was he who had selected and decided on the use of religious talismans. It was he who had carefully prepared the gold and had equally carefully fashioned the molten calf. But he did not want to have to admit that to Moses while he was so angry. He was deeply ashamed.
We almost see here again a repetition of the Garden of Eden. God asking what man has done, and man replying that it was nothing really; he had simply eaten what the woman had given him. For while others sin grievously our own sins never seem too serious. We tend to minimize our sins while maximizing other people’s sins.
But Moses was not deceived. He knew that a great deal of the blame lay at Aaron’s door. For Yahweh knew all the truth And it was in the event only the intervention of Moses that saved him. It is actually remarkable that God did not insist on him being cast off, or even make him face the death penalty. Certainly he must surely be excluded from the priesthood. And yet in His graciousness God heeded Moses and still allowed Aaron to be installed as ‘the Priest’. Oh, the grace of God. He understood man’s heart. And He knew that Aaron had learned a lesson he would never forget.
25 Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies),
This description must also be referring to a time before the final disposal of the calf, as Moses next action after speaking to Aaron for he would not have been able to enforce the drinking of the calf powder until things were under control. Indeed when he arrived at the entrance to the camp, all he found was chaos and wild behavior and men and women satisfying their lusts without regard. And he knew now that Aaron must take much of the blame. Aaron, who should have maintained order and firm discipline, had instead encouraged this kind of behavior, by his actions if not by his words. He was deeply at fault. It was the kind of behavior that brought shame to the name of Yahweh and made them a source of whispered mockery among their enemies. The very use of the word ‘whisper’ indicates how shameful what was happening was felt to be. It was not the kind of thing that even their enemies spoke of openly. The ways of Canaan were despised by the desert tribes.
26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the LORD’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.
Why did Moses stand at the main entrance to the camp? It could surely only be because this happened at the time of his arrival. But the sudden arrival of Moses had either been disregarded or had gone unnoticed by many. Their attitude may well have been that he no longer counted and they were not interested. They could deal with him later. And no doubt most of them were drunk. However, they were not expecting any trouble. After all he was by himself. As usual they underestimated Yahweh and Moses.
The scene that follows is electric. Moses stands boldly at the entrance to the camp and issues a sharp and loud cry. “Whoever is for Yahweh, to me!” He no doubt hoped that the command would result in some response from the less degraded, and that therefore his other plan would not need to be carried into effect. But it was not to be. It was only his fellow-tribesmen who came in response. The remainder ignored him. Thus he recognized the danger signs and that he had no choice.
The arrival of the Levites as one body indicated that the fact of his arrival had certainly been notified to the people of his own tribe. They must have been quickly brought together by their leaders. And now they came to the entrance to welcome him. They were almost certainly aware that he would need their support, and tribal feeling was strong. Aaron was a tribal leader and they had no doubt supported him too. But at the arrival of Moses they had come to recognize their responsibilities, and their duty towards Moses, their fellow-tribesman and erstwhile leader, and thus their duty towards Yahweh. They were in fact almost the only ones who did come to Moses and take any notice of his plea, an indication of the danger of the situation. It indicated that the mass were against him. (There would, of course, have been some others who had not participated and had hoped for his arrival. But they were seemingly not many).
27 And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’” 28 So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.
At this point Moses knew that he had to act swiftly. He had in mind three things when he made his plan, quick and severe action in the face of likely opposition, punishment for the guilty and finally the eventual restoring of order. The worst cases would be selected out simply by the fact that those who put up resistance would mainly be the most antagonistic. Any others would flee once the vengeance began. But the lesson was to come home to all that what they all deserved was death, so serious was their sin. This command was commensurate with Yahweh’s command concerning dealing with idolaters.
Note that the Levites first had to collect their swords and gird them on. So they too had been in the middle of feasting. But they had come to their senses on the arrival of Moses. Now they had to go from tent to tent, ‘from entrance to entrance throughout the camp’, as commanded, and do their grisly work, quickly and ruthlessly without regard, before hostile factions could gather their senses.
All who were still involved in their own wild behavior and failed to make their escape were to be dealt with, although the idea was clearly not to kill all, but to administer a harsh, short lesson indiscriminately and drive the others into flight. Thus would they rapidly diffuse the situation and quell any opposition.
Moses’ shout in itself would have alerted many to the danger, and, once the Levites began their work, realization of what was happening would quickly spread, and they would recognize that things were not quite going according to plan. So, disorganized and panic stricken, for they were not brave fighters, the rest would make for safety. And that was what he wanted. Disorganized they would represent no danger to his authority
Thus the feast which had been so blasphemous ended in a short, sharp blood bath, and the re-establishment of Moses’ authority. By this action the camp was now his and order could now be finally restored among a chastened people when they crept back to the camp, all opposition having been crushed. The number who died was ‘about three thousand men’.
We tend to be horrified at such loss of life because we see Moses as almost invulnerable and not needing to use such tactics. Why, we ask, would Moses do this thing? But possibly that is because we have not recognized the true situation. Moses was clearly aware that he was at the time very vulnerable and that they might well in their present mood kill him. That if he did not act quickly all might be lost, both for himself and Yahweh. For he could see that they had turned against what he stood for and were in no mood to yield. They were in rebellion against him and against Yahweh. He thus acted as he did to save the people of Yahweh.
29 Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.”
The question is, were these words spoken to the Levites, or were they spoken to the other tribesmen as they crept back and yielded?
If it was to the Levites it calls on them, having fulfilled their duty, to consecrate themselves, if necessary even at variance with sons and brothers. No human relationship must interfere with a man’s consecration to Yahweh. Then He will indeed bless them. But there is no real indication of disunity among the Levites. They had acted united as a tribe defending their own.
Thus we must more probably see this as Moses’ response to those who had fled the camp, once they returned and were assembled. They were to submit themselves again to Yahweh regardless of what the rest of their families did. This would actually fit better the reference to choices in respect of ignoring close family, for they may have been divided by their flight. Then Yahweh would bring them back into blessing.
30 Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”
But Moses knew that the death of the three thousand men had not removed the guilt of the whole, and Moses now calls on them on the day after their consecration and warns them how serious their sin has been. They had deliberately and flagrantly disobeyed God’s commandments in a major way within weeks of accepting the covenant. It was a great sin indeed. He could give them no guarantees but he promised that he would again go up to Yahweh, and this time he would pray that they might be forgiven. It is clear that he was now confident that things were under control. New leaders had no doubt been appointed, with Joshua there to give Aaron vital support. And the three thousand who had died may well have included some of his most bitter opponents.
This period of prayer also lasted forty days and forty nights. It was a triumph of persevering prayer. Spiritual battles are not easily won.
His prayer was typical of the man. He prayed that if God would not forgive them then he must blot Moses’ own name out of His book.
33 And the LORD said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.
Yahweh’s reply was clear. The soul that sins will die. Even a Moses could not pay the price for another. (There would be only One Who would be able to do that). The principle of individual accountability was clearly enunciated.
34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.” 35 So the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.
Now Yahweh makes clear that the people as a whole will not be destroyed, for He commands Moses to go forward with the people to the land He had promised them, and assures him that as He had previously promised His angel would go before them (. This was a gracious promise in view of the fact that the people had themselves wanted the molten calf to go before them. But what they would enjoy would now only be second best (33.3). Yahweh would no longer be with them in person.
However, the matter is not totally settled. Yahweh may have restrained from destroying the people because of Moses’ intercession, but punishment there must be. He would visit the camp, and at that point He would ‘visit’ them. And this was clearly followed by some dreadful judgment which smote many of the people. It was probably some plague or illness.
We are certainly justified in comparing Israel here with ourselves and seeing their behavior as a warning to us not to go after idols not possibly golden idols in a literal sense, but the idols of celebrities and sporting heroes. Once any of these become too important to us they have become an idol. Once they keep us from reading the word of God or from prayer they have become an idol. Once they cause us to behave in an unseemly way they have become an idol. Once they take up too much of our thoughts or of our time, they have become an idol.
We should also recognize that the way God Is revealed here has not changed. We must not be deceived. God Is not mocked. What men sow they will reap (Galatians 6.7-8).
