April 17, 2023

The Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1-14

Emily Hill
Monday's Devo

April 17, 2023

Monday's Devo

April 17, 2023

Monday's Devo

April 17, 2023

Monday's Devo

April 17, 2023

Big Idea

God reveals the way and His will through His Word.

Key Verse | Exodus 32:8

"They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'"

Exodus 32:1-14

The Golden Calf

1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. 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 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden 1 32:4 Hebrew cast metal; also verse 8 calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD.” 6 And they rose up early the next day and 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 down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” 9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, 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, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

11 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? 12 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. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

Footnotes

[1] 32:4 Hebrew cast metal; also verse 8

S2:071 Exodus 32:1-14

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Exodus 32:1-14

Perspective matters. As a mom of young kids, I see this more clearly than ever, because you know what a two-year-old and a three-year-old are generally lacking? Perspective. It makes no sense to them why I won't let them have ice cream for every meal, why they have to wait for something they want vs. getting it right away, etc.

As you read this devotional, I hope you understand the reason we sometimes say "no" to our kids isn't because we don't love them. It's because we do. My husband and I have the perspective that they currently lack. No one on earth loves our kids more than we do, and we want good things for them. But sometimes, what we know is good for our kids doesn't look like what they want or think is good for them in the moment.

Ahem . . . so about the Israelites. Let's just say perspective wasn't their strong suit either. We're not sure how long exactly Moses had been on Mount Sinai meeting with the Lord, but it was too long for their liking. What started as a healthy fear and awe of God's presence (Exodus 20:18-19) quickly turned into impatiently grasping for a quick fix in the form of a man-made idol. The Israelites lacked the perspective of where they had come from and were quick to forget what God had done for them. And honestly (and unfortunately), I get it. When I'm walking through something hard or find myself in a season of waiting, I'm just like my two-year-old who wants her snack now. Perspective is a lot harder when it means practicing things like perseverance and patient trust when things don't look like what I want them to. 

But even here, we see that the Lord is gracious and does not give us what we deserve. God had every reason and right to allow His wrath to burn against the Israelites for turning away from Him. Instead, "the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people." (Exodus 32:14) Praise God that we can trust His perfect perspective in light of our shortsightedness.

This month's memory verse

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand;

– Philippians 4:4-5

Discussion Questions

1. What are the things you tend to elevate above the Lord, especially in seasons of suffering, waiting, or struggling to experience God's presence? (E.g., food, social media, relationships, etc.)

2. The Israelites lacked perspective that they were still in the middle of the story God was writing for them. Where might the same be true for you? How does the truth that God's perspective is better and fuller than yours bring you comfort? How is it scary?

3. The Israelites forgot the Lord who had delivered them from slavery in Egypt and attributed glory to something artificial. Spend time reflecting on your own story and make a list of things the Lord has saved or rescued you from so that you can review the list when you're tempted to attribute glory elsewhere.

4. Even though Aaron held a position of leadership over the Israelites, he was easily swayed by their faithlessness. Think about your spheres of influence (family, work, neighborhood, etc.). Where are you spurring others on to look more like Jesus? Where are you sometimes tempted to be influenced away from God's commands?

As we gear up to release even more features for Join The Journey in 2025, our staff team, unfortunately, no longer has the margin to continue to support the comment functionality. We have big things in store for Join The Journey 2025. Stay tuned!

MS

Michael Scaman

The Bible puts off serious discussion of idols until Exodus and the golden calf incident appears long long into the Bible. Some holy books of other faiths also from the middle east jump fairly quickly into the issue of idols and the golden calf. The Bible unfolds who God is before saying what God is not.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

Good morning Emily. Great point about perspective. I love Randy Alcorn’s work at Eternal Perspective Ministries, (EPM.org). I also love these links- https://www.epm.org/blog/2015/Jul/10/eternal-perspective-changes https://www.gotquestions.org/eternal-perspective.html https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/an-eternal-perspective-changes-everything.html Q1. I have come to understand the importance of resting in his promises. All I can say is I’m “less worse” than I used to be. In suffering, I’m better at stepping back and seeking to learn what he’s teaching me. But my heart is still short on patience. Patience in suffering is more doable but the idea that I can glorify God by having joy amidst suffering is a challenge to embrace and live out. I deeply desire “rest”. My struggles produce rest-less-ness. It’s hard to feel as connected to God as Philippians 4:6-7 and Matthew 11:28-30 promise. The shortfall is on my end. Q2. The perspective He has for me gets more and more clear. Even so, it’s not natural to live it out in real time. Q3. He has saved me from many forms of “slavery”. Regardless, I have zero desire to go back there. I have seen how the movie ends. It’s a horror show. Q4. I’ve seen how critical leadership is. And how rare. The consequences of bad leadership lasts generations. The notes point out that the interactions between God and Moses in this chapter make a strong statement about Moses growth as the leader of the people and as their intermediary.
HS

Hugh Stephenson

The impatience of the Israelites is amazing. The covenant has been confirmed. All sorts of descriptions and instructions have been given about the tabernacle and the elements. The link to Eden is clear, (see this link back to Friday’s entry that contains Constable’s chart), https://www.jointhejourney.com/4968-the-sabbath-as-a-covenant Yet, just like Eden, there was a fall and a break in the covenant. The Pillar Seminary has great podcasts, including this one on Exodus 32. https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pillar-podcast/id1167131282?i=1000430629034 What amazed me was their point that the Israelites here wanted the presence of God. What I see is impatience could also be fear. The podcast posits that they deeply desire the God that delivered them from Egypt and want Him to lead them into battle. The golden calf was a desire to bring Him to them. They have bad judgment about how to be in the presence of God. And right there the Tabernacle will stand with the promises of God that He will dwell with them. https://www.gotquestions.org/dwell-house-Lord-forever.html https://www.gotquestions.org/Most-Holy-Place.html
HS

Hugh Stephenson

This links me to John 15:5 as well as John 15:10-11 and the preamble in John 14…then ultimately to John 17. https://www.gotquestions.org/abide-in-Christ.html There is a point in here that gets me to a brain melt. Where I do get “rest” is an understanding that God desires an intimate personal relationship with me. Whether it’s described as dwell or abide it seems to be calling me to the same thing; know-trust-surrender.
MS

Michael Sisson

Re: Ex 32:1,4 Ex 32:1 (NASB) Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, >>>“Come, make us a god who will go before us;<<< as for this Moses, >>>the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt,<<< we do not know what has become of him.” Ex 32:4 (NASB) He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, >>>“This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”<<< Why do the Israelites attribute their liberation to Moses in Ex 32:1 and to a god in Ex 32:4? To what is the text calling our attention? Is it hinting at Moses as a type of Messiah (Christ)…a type of G-d the Son? (See “departure” [Gk “exodus] in Lk 9:31) Compare with Ex 29:46 "...I am the LORD their God who brought them out of the land of Egypt…" If so, the allusion is not entirely different from the fourth man seen in the fiery furnace. (Dan 3:25) See also Mt 7:21-23. Re Ex 32:2-5 It’s a mystery worthy of contemplation why Aaron’s role in this scandalous affair did not cost him and his descendants the Aaronic priesthood. See also Ex 32:21-24; Dt 9:20; Pr 25:2. Re: Ex 32:7 Here G-d refers to the Israelites as >>>Moses’ people that Moses brought out of Egypt.<<< In response (Ex 32:11), Moses has both the faith and the chutzpah to remind G-d they are >>>His people whom He brought out of Egypt. <<< G-d knew what the Israelites were up to even as He was giving Moses the Torah. See “while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” in Rom 5:8. Re: Ex 32:10 Ex 32:10 (NASB) “Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and >>>that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.”<<< G-d is ready to destroy all but Moses, and through him begin again. Re: Ex 32:11-13 In Ex 32:11-13, Moses makes a four pronged appeal to G-d’s mercy: 1) Moses has the faith and chutzpah to remind G-d the Israelites are >>>His people, whom He brought out of Egypt.<<< Their disappearance would be G-d’s loss. Ex 32:11 (NASB) Then Moses entreated the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against >>>Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt<<< with great power and with a mighty hand? 2) Moses asks G-d to consider His deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt had been intended to demonstrate His sovereignty to Egypt [and the nations]. Exodus 7:5 (NASB) >>>“The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD,<<< when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” If G-d now annihilates the Israelites, how will His character be perceived by the world when only the Egyptians spin on the Exodus remains? Ex 32:12 (NASB) >>>“Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’?<<< Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. 3) Moses appeals to G-d NOT to give the Egyptians an opportunity to deride G-d’s liberation of Israel or His character. [Ex 32:12,25] 4) Moses reminds G-d of His promise to the Patriarchs, even referring to Jacob as “Israel.” Ex 32:13 (NASB) “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and >>>Israel,<<< Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” SEASONAL NOTE: Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is Monday (4/17) from sundown to sundown Tuesday (4/18).
MS

Michael Scaman

3000 people die at the giving of the law, resulting from the golden calf. By tradition this was at Pentecost. 3000 people have life as a result of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit at pentecost with Peter's preaching. They only had enough gold for a baby cow? Likely, those who gave to the golden calf fund didn't have it to give towards God's tabernacle.
SB

Sue Bohlin

Thank you, Emily, and I am so sorry to see you are a member of the "club" no one wants to be in, those of us who have buried a baby and await our reunion in heaven. This section of Exodus 32 is a sobering example of how easy it is to pridefully believe we can write our own rules for how to relate to God rather than submit to Him according to HIS ways. It's never going to be right. Friday's reading on Exodus 31 was one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, and there was a technology glitch that kept my comment from posting before we had to leave for the weekend. So I'd like to share it here . . . God supernaturally gifted Bezalel and Oholiab with creativity, artistry, and craftsmanship skills. There is not the slightest whiff of suggestion about their sexuality. But our culture wrongfully equates males gifted with sensitivity, creativity, and art and music skills, with being gay. No!! They're not gay, they're gifted, and deserve to be celebrated with thanksgiving for God's gifts. I love this chapter for its invitation to shift our wrong beliefs to a simple acceptance of the fact that God blesses different people in different ways, and it has nothing to do with broken gender identity.
AL

Amy Lowther

1. I do not currently elevate anything above the Lord. 2. It’s an everyday thing for me to understand God is writing a story for me. Because of the specific knowledge and specific experience God contributes to my life, God is very comforting. I have no reason to find God scary. 3. God has saved me from slavery to work and from idolizing superstars. 4. Work, family, church, and stores are great places to spur people on to be more like Jesus. To me, temptations exist everywhere in the world because of the variety of choices and opportunities available.
CL

Chris Landry

Hi Emily! I'm a day late here. Give Sean a hug for me. We don't see y'all as much as we used to. We so sincerely love your story and how you are using it for Gods glory. Thank you for modeling that for me. For us. For many. So thanks for question No. 1. You're basically asking what sin struggles I have. What idols I have in the midst of my suffering. Where I cope or find comfort outside of His presence. Right? Well, often times it's food. I eat for pleasure out of boredom or stress and I have an opportunity to practice self control. Yet I don't. Another coping tool in seasons of stress can be watching a Netflix series nightly before bedtime. I justify it because Melody normally gets a head scratch/massage for the whole show. So it teeters on the fence of servanthood and escapism. But it's probably more escapism. Just being honest and raw here. I didn't read the other questions, this one kicked me hard enough. I'll process more. Truly. Thank you!