Golden Calves and Deliverance Paths

This was a special week - it's not often that the pastor requests to teach your class!!  What a special blessing to get some one-on-one time with Pastor Bryan, and I'm sure everybody enjoyed the break from Bill and me :)

We continue our study of the Exodus with a look at what is probably the lowest point in the saga -- the idolatry of the Israelites.  Moses has gone up on Mt Sinai to meet with God, and he's been gone for what seems like a really long time.  It was about 6 weeks, which IS a good spell (as we say in the South), but...

Somebody (or somebodies) got the idea to construct an idol and worship it, and they pressured Aaron to build it for them.  For whatever reason, he agreed and he "fashioned" an idol of a calf,  paying careful attention to the details and overlaying it with gold.  As if that wasn't bad enough, he built an altar in front of it and threw a party the next day, complete with burnt offerings to "the gods who brought them out of Egypt."

REALLY??  Yep, really.  I think a lot of times we read that account and shake our bewildered heads in disbelief.  We "tsk-tsk" the Israelites and sit back in smug satisfaction with the confident assurance that WE wouldn't do anything so rebellious and irreverent.  BUT...

How many times have we prayed for the Lord to deliver US from something (health problems, financial woes, relationship issues, job situations, etc) and then He parts the seas and brings us through.  We stand on the dry banks and give Him thanks for our deliverance, only to have a little time pass... say 6 weeks or so... and then give credit to something or someone else??

"That doctor knew JUST what to do..."
"That bonus came at the PERFECT time..."
"WOW, that was a 'lucky break'..."

REALLY??  Yep, really.  A little time passes, and we look back and see the path of deliverance as the deliverance itself.  Rewind that and put GOD back in where He belongs, or at least where we can see Him:

"The LORD gave that doctor the insight..."
"The LORD timed that bonus perfectly..."
"The LORD provided that opportunity..."

Our deliverance might not be as dramatic as the Red Sea parting or a pillar of fire or manna in the desert, but it's just as impressive.

For me, a significant lesson in this account is the importance of surrounding yourself with godly people.  Maybe Aaron could have stood up against the crowd if he'd had some faithful and godly friends who could advise him, hold him accountable and take a stand WITH him. When the crowd is chanting and the pressure is mounting, it's hard to be a Lone Ranger and stand against it all by yourself.  Eccl 4:12 says "Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

Imagine how strong a cord of 6 or 8 strands would be??