What's Your Golden Calf? Confronting IdolatrySample

THE GOLDEN CALF 

Idolatry was plentiful in Old Testament times, and idol worship surrounded the Israelites while captive in Egypt. Egyptian culture was very idolatrous, exalting many gods and goddesses. Consequently, the Israelites remained influenced by pagan religions even after God guided their exodus from Egyptian bondage and rescued them miraculously. They soon forgot God's laws revealed to them by Moses on Mount Sinai, designed to guide them to a life of practical righteousness. 

When the people saw that Moses was taking such a long time to come down the mountain at Sinai, they gathered around Aaron and pleaded for him to make a god that would go before them. He fashioned an idol in the shape of a calf with all the golden earrings everyone had given him and said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of Egypt." (Exodus 32:2-4)

How quickly they ignored God's first two commandments: "You shall have no other gods before me" and "You shall not make for yourself an idol." How shocking that they turned so quickly from the God who had just delivered them from the hands of Egyptian slavery. The Israelites demonstrated a lack of faith, impatience and they sinned by creating and worshiping the golden calf as the god that delivered them. 

We, too, are often guilty of being impatient and sinful by trying to mold God into our own golden calf. When we try to make God in our image, or into whatever fits our expectations, wishes, timelines, and circumstances, we worship ourselves instead of worshiping the God who created us. The living God is not made by human design and skill. 

Ask yourself the following questions to see what or whom you're worshiping other than God: 

Who created you? 

To whom do you look for ultimate truth? 

Who is in charge of your future? 

In whom do you place your trust? 

Trusting in anything else for what God alone provides is idolatry, and we must flee from it. Clinging to worthless idols turns us away from God's abundant love for us, and we must be vigilant about turning away from them, even destroying them.