Links for today’s readings:
Read: Exodus 32 Listen: (5:47) Read: Luke 14 Listen: (4:36)
Links for this weekend’s readings:
Read: Exodus 33 Listen: (3:49) Read: Luke 15 Listen: (4:19)
Read: Exodus 34 Listen: (5:48) Read: Luke 16 Listen: (4:27)
Scripture Focus: Exodus 32.1-6
32 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” 2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
Image Credit: Moses Indignant at the Golden Calf, painting by William Blake, 1799–1800
Reflection: Golden Calves
By John Tillman
The Golden Calf, Goliath, and the Good Samaritan are biblical stories that are fully integrated into our cultural vernacular.
These phrases embody cultural messages with metaphorical power. Sometimes these messages are not entirely biblically accurate or miss the point of the biblical narratives from which they are appropriated.
In the case of the Golden Calf, the cultural and biblical meanings are similar. Merriam-Webster defines “Golden Calf” as a noun, meaning “an object of materialistic or unworthy worship.” In our culture, this worship is not necessarily religious in nature.
In 1912, political cartoonist Joseph Keppler’s drawing of the Statue of Liberty replaced by a Golden Calf critiqued politicians for pursuing wealth and materialism. It wasn’t the first time Keppler used the image. In 1880, Keppler depicted former president Grant as the Golden Calf with Republicans clamoring for him to seek a third term.
The Golden Calf lesson applies to worship, politics, wealth, power, traditions, leaders, and other areas. Anytime a person or group betrays their principles or bows down to something or someone not worthy of admiration, the Golden Calf image appears and is applicable. (Exodus 32.24) It’s extraordinarily difficult to not think of the Golden Calf when some people or their followers literally build or share images of them as a golden statue…
Golden Calves are useful to the powerful. Centuries after Sinai’s Golden Calf, following Israel’s rebellion against Judah, Jeroboam made Golden Calves to prevent worshipers traveling to Judah. (1 Kings 12.26-28) Jeroboam’s politically-motivated calf idols repeated the cycle of replacing God with “worship.”
The worship was real. The object was false. There are still politically-motivated and religiously-motivated Golden Calves in our world.
Sometimes, like Moses, we must speak out to confront the calf worshippers. We also must examine ourselves to see if we are repeating the sins of Aaron or the people.
Like Aaron, are we caving to the crowd? Are we blessing or tolerating idolatry that enriches or empowers us? Are we lying (just a little) to avoid responsibility?
Like the people, have we given up on God or godliness? Are we impatient with the intangible? Are we replacing the spiritual with the political? Are we willing to worship a comfortable lie? Are we pressuring leaders to give us the god we want in place of the God of the Bible?
Watch out for Golden Calves in every part of your life. When (not if) you find them, grind them to dust.
Divine Hours Prayer: A Reading
Jesus taught the people, saying: “Now sentence is being passed on this world; now the prince of the world is to be driven out. And when I am lifted up from the earth, I shall draw all people to myself.” — John 12.31-32
– Divine Hours prayers from The Divine Hours: Prayers for Springtime by Phyllis Tickle.
Read more: Lasting Revivals and Normal Idols
The idols of a culture don’t always dress up in flamboyant costumes. They often hide in normality and ubiquity.
Read more: Slavery to Maturity
There will be false prophets and deceptions. We pressure our leaders to make Golden Idols and they, like Aaron, do so.