Exodus 32:1-6

Introduction

It can be hard for us to imagine idolatry. Why in the world would people ever be tempted to worship an object they created? While the average evangelical will acknowledge that we can be tempted to worship something/someone before God, the idea of "crafting an image" is much harder to imagine. Why in the world would an object of gold, metal or wood compete with worshipping God? Sadly, most scoff this temptation, considering they are much to sophisticated to be tempted, thus ignoring John's exhortation, Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

But perhaps a look at one of the most famous "idol exchanges" can show us the tendency of the human heart to craft an image.

Commentary

v1
Moses delayed. Since the Lord answered Moses with thunder (19:19) it is possible that the mountain thundered the entire time the Lord spoke to Moses. Perhaps, when the Lord was finished speaking (31:18) it quit thundering? Perhaps the thunder quit, or perhaps they were simply in awe of the whole encounter, but when Moses did not at first reappear, the people panic and look for alternative means. As they speak to Aaron, they share their concern is that they have no idea what happened to Moses.

Make us a god. Since Moses has disappeared, the people call for Aaron to make them a god. Just the idea of "making" a god sounds foolish to us, for wouldn't he who crafted the object have dominion over that which he crafted? The people have credited Moses with leading them out of Egypt and now they appear stranded alone in the desert. Could Aaron make a god to go before them?

v2
Tear off the gold rings... Aaron agrees, but it is going to cost the Israelites something. The material for the idol will come from those who want it.

(Yes, wives, sons and daughters all had earrings. This was probably a sign of their former slave status in Egypt, though it may have simply been a fashion decision.--Exodus 21:6)

v3
Then all the people tore off the gold rings... This sounded like a reasonable proposal from Aaron and the people obliged.

v4
Fashioned it with a graving tool. Aaron melts down the gold and begins to fashion it into an idol. Though he claims, I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf," clearly he was more involved in the process.

Molten calf. Why a cow? Though the Israelites were traditionally shepherds, the Egyptians highly esteemed tending to livestock. In fact, Egyptians considered shepherds loathsome (see: Genesis 46:34). Perhaps the calf represented status? Perhaps it represented Egypt (either negatively or positively)? Perhaps it was just an adaptation of the sacrifical system?

This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. At this point, it becomes very difficult to connect with the people of Israel. Not only does Aaron call this idol, whom he has crafted with material the Israelites provided, but now he is crediting it with delivering them from Egypt. It seems difficult for us to understand. How could the Israelites, who were removed from Egypt "B.C." ("Before Calf") now credit the calf for delivering them? Not only are they foolishly calling an object made by a man with their earrings a god, but now they credit it with bringing them to the wilderness even though it was crafted in the wilderness. This is very difficult for us to grasp.

v5
Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD. This phrase helps us peer into their motive. Aaron builds the altar before the calf. Clearly their worship is directed toward it. He has called a god (twice) and now he attributes the name "LORD." LORD (in all caps) is the way most English translations depict "Yahweh" or "Jehovah," the personal name for God. This is the name God revealed to Moses and the Israelites (Exodus 6:3). Why would they attribute the name of their God to a calf? They really couldn't think of an original name?

v6
Offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. Not only have the Israelites given the idol Jehovah's name, but they also begin to worship the idol in ways appointed only for God. This is probably not a display of the lack of their creativity, but rather, evidence of their motive. All of these features presented together suggests that the Israelites were not looking to replace God with a calf, but looking at replacing their means of worship (as prescribed through Moses).

Exposition

The author of Hebrews offers some interesting insight into the life and role of Moses:

Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law; who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN." But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises.Hebrews 8:4-6

First, and most important, God intended for Moses to play a mediatorial role that "typed" Christ. Moses was not merely a good leader or a quality man that God used to get His people out of an oppressive land. Moses, and his function was to be an imperfect preview of the Ultimate Mediator who would initiate the Greater Covenant.

Therefore, secondarily, God cares very much about the detail. The Hebrews were to pay close attention to the pattern they were shown, for this pattern should lead them to seeing Christ. God was not simply interested in Who they worship, but also how they worship. In fact, how they worship directly tied to Who they worshipped.

Israel's first sin was that they neglected the role of Moses. They actually thought they could worship Yahweh without Moses...and they could have, had God desired to point to Christ in another way. However, the LORD chose to work through Moses to point people to Jesus. In fact, at they time they are carving up a calf, God was giving Moses the Law that would point people to Christ (Galatians 3:24)! Israel naively thought that details didn't matter. They would still give credit to God (naming the calf after Him) and would still practice forms of sacrificial worship. (Though Moses is concurrently receiving the written details for sacrificial worship, Genesis 4 reminds us that sacrificial worship already existed, and was acceptable to God.) They still wanted the same end (worship of God) but determined a different means. A new mediator would serve them just fine.

God, however, did not share their perspective. To ignore His mediator was to ignore His means. It is incredibly hard to worship Him as LORD when you will not obey how He says to do it.

Conclusion

Who is the liar but the one who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son. Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father; the one who confesses the Son has the Father also.--1 John 2:22-23

Ultimately, it is impossible to worship God the Father without acknowledging the divinity of His Son. For all religious systems who redefine Christ's divinity or humanity are of the Antichrist. They may claim to worship God (and even use the name Jehovah), but their is not middle ground. You are either worshipping God through His Mediator, or you are not.

But we can also be tempted to worship a god in our own making. As Calvin said, "Our hearts are an idol factory." This means we are not capable of discovering God on our own, or knowing Christ simply by our own musings. We must be firmly committed to the Word, to see how God has defined Himself and worship Him accordingly. Details do matter, for details point us toward His Beloved Son.

It is rare today that a Christian will intentionally replace Jesus Christ with something else. However, when we choose to serve ourself, or when we choose to define Jesus according to our own terms, and not the Word, this is exactly what we are doing. Just like the Hebrews believed they were worshipping Yahweh by using His name and performing the sacrifices, when the messed with the Mediator, they ceased to truly worship God. In the same way, when we worship a Messiah who does not match the Biblical picture, we do not simply find ourselves mistaken, we find ourselves worshipping an idol.