Exodus 32: v. 21 – 24 “What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?” “Do not be enraged, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know that the people are intent on evil. They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’ So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, let him take it off,’ and they gave it to me. And when I cast it into the fire, out came this calf!”
Prager tells us: “The expression “great sin” is a legal term found in ancient Near Eastern marriage documents: “It always refers to adultery, suggesting here that the worship of the Golden Calf is an act of gross infidelity.
Aaron realizes that he has failed miserably. In an effort to deflect Moses’ wrath, Aaron calls him “my lord,” despite the fact that Aaron is the older brother. Then Aaron goes on to try to blame the Israelites, as if that argument will protect him. But Aaron has been in a leadership position for a long time, even if he has acted as Moses’ second in command. Aaron just hasn’t been strong enough to stand up under the pressure.
v.23 “They told me, ‘Make us gods who will go before us. As for this Moses who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has happened to him!’”
Aaron’s next argument is that the calf was intended to be a substitute for Moses, to precede the Israelites as they travel, and not a substitute for God. (But the Israelites already have God’s pillar of cloud by day and His pillar of fire by night to lead and protect them. What do they need with any idol?) Aaron also appears to be making a veiled criticism of Moses for not having come down off the mountain sooner; however, this argument also is ridiculous. As the high priest, Aaron could have assembled the elders and even the judges and informed them that God was in control and that Moses would come down when God had completed all His instructions. Instead, Aaron sat in the camp, perhaps even feeling sorry for himself, because he didn’t want all this pressure in the first place.
By now, Moses is probably hitting his own forehead in frustration! All this time, Aaron has been with Moses as God has done miracles. Aaron and his sons and the seventy elders went up on the mountain and ate divine food, spending time with God. Aaron knows that Moses left him in charge, but now the excuses Aaron is bringing are equivalent to those of a teenager who invites a few friends over in the absence of his parents, only for the friends to bring in alcohol and tear up the house. The most incredible part of the excuses is the description of the creation of the golden calf. To hear Aaron tell it, he just threw the gold into the fire and the calf came out all by itself! This is a far cry from Aaron taking an engraving tool and MOLDING the calf!
What could possibly have caused Aaron to say such a thing? One possible explanation is that Aaron might have been in a demonically – influenced trance, under the control of territorial spirits. At that point, although Aaron’s hands were doing the work, his mind was under Satanic control. Several years ago, when I was at a summer camp with a Native American theme, we were divided into groups. There were totem poles throughout the camp, and each group was supposed to produce a new head for their totem pole. Having been entranced by Native Americans for years, I knew what such a carving should look like. Nobody else in my group was interested. One night I went to the crafts barn and turned out a credible – looking totem figure in a short time. I remember feeling as if I was under someone else’s influence. (I wasn’t a Christian at the time.) This might be what happened to Aaron.
v. 25 – 29 “Moses saw that the people were out of control, for Aaron had let them run wild and become a laughingstock to their enemies. So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me. And all the Levites gathered around him. He told them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each of you men is to fasten his sword to his side, go back and forth through the camp from gate to gate, and slay his brother, his friend, and his neighbor.’” The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people fell dead. Afterward, Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for service to the LORD, since each man went against his son and his brother; so He has bestowed a blessing on you this day.”
It’s a mistake to think that the Israelites were all alone in that wilderness. There were other nomadic tribes and shepherds, plus traveling caravans, and roaming bands of brigands. The people were making so much noise with their orgies that Joshua thought the camp was being attacked, so the noise probably carried for miles. This situation needed to be brought under control quickly, both so that the Israelites would not look foolish and also so that they would not be attacked while they were busy drinking and having indiscriminate sex.
Moses puts out a call for those who are committed to the Lord. All of the Levites join Moses, at which point, Moses orders them to go through the camp and to slay those who are out of control, even if they are near relatives or friends. Presumably, the Levites are supposed to single out the leading offenders. Three thousand people are killed that day.
APPLICATION: Reading this account, particularly the slaughter of the idol worshipers, we are shocked that God would allow or approve such an action. But consider this: there were 600,000 men who left Egypt, plus women and children. By now, some of the women have given birth so there are probably nearly two million or more people in the camp. The number of people killed represents 0.15% of the people in the camp. This suggests that even though there was a great deal of noise, perhaps the vast majority of the Israelites were not actively involved in the worst parts of the idol worship, but that it was only a small but highly vocal group.
The saddest part of this situation was that there was probably no other means by which this orgy could have been effectively brought to a swift end. Arguments would have been worthless. The longer the situation was allowed to go on, the worse things could have become. Nobody wants to be disciplined, but without discipline, the Israelites would be doomed. This is the only time God issued such an order; but in this particular situation, it was necessary.
Galatians 5:19 – 23 says, “The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and sorcery; hatred, discord, jealousy, and rage; rivalries, divisions, factions, and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
The Israelites who exhibited the acts of the flesh had given themselves over to demons and paid for it with their lives. Each of us has a choice: will we serve God or Satan? Whichever choice we make, our lives will exhibit the fruit of that choice.
PRAYER: Father God, help us to realize that You are serious about our worship of You! Thank You that when we allow Your Holy Spirit to fill us and to guide us, we will bear the fruits of the Spirit in our lives. Help us to grow closer to you each day. In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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