The Golden Calf

Exodus 32:1

1"Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for 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.' " 

400 years the Israelites were slaves in Egypt.  400 lo-o-o-ng years. Hard life; no pay. Then in relatively short order, just prior to their exodus from Egypt, their situation turned around 180°.  

It was God's doing, of course.  He even arranged to compensate them for all those years, too; back pay with interest, you might say.  That's is a who-o-o-ole lot of money!  That's why the Holy Spirit records in Psalm 105:37 that "He {God} also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes."  They were not only very, VERY HEALTHY, every single one was very, VERY WEALTHY.   

Where did all this wealth come from?  Their Egyptian neighbors gave them "gifts of gold, silver, precious stones," all the wealth they possessed. Egypt was practically stripped of everything!  That's what they used to fashion that golden calf.  Kind of a painful reminder of how gifts can be misused when the leader is absent and their vision has either dimmed or is gone altogether, isn't it?     

Remember this for later on:  All of it--the gold and everything they had--was a "FREE GIFT." 

Gold, in the Bible, is a depiction of divine righteousness.  A calf in those days, being a beast of burden for doing hard labor, represents human effort.  The whole story of the golden calf is a picture of the righteousness by works model. In other words, "self-righteousness." 

You'll notice that all of this transpired in the absence of TRUE leadership.  Moses had just left them and had gone up on the mountain with God.  That's when the people approached Aaron with their request to have him make them "gods to go before them;" the work of human hands.  

Where did they get the idea to make a golden calf?

Remember, when they came out from Egypt?  The Jews weren't the only ones who left.  It was a mixed multitude.  Many Egyptians came along with them.  “A mixed multitude went up with them also, and flocks and herds—a great deal of livestock.”  Exodus 12:38

The Hebrew word for mixed is "Ereb."  It means "Arabia."  They were Gentiles!

After nine plagues that nearly decimated their land, some of them FINALLY wised up and figured out that this God of the Israelites was the real deal and no One to trifle with.  DUH!  They left Egypt along with the Jewish people and were most likely the ones who came up with the idea. 

Just as money or any other form of wealth can be perverted from it's proper use so, too, our own  "gold" of divine righteousness that we receive as a FREE GIFT can also be perverted from it's proper use. 

How did this golden calf come to be?  Did it just magically "appear," as Aaron said it did?  How ridiculous that story must have sounded to Moses.  Well of course it didn't just "appear."  It was the work of human hands.  Aaron's to be precise.  He made the thing and then totally lied about it!

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit has chosen to record certain events.  While these things actually happened, each was specifically chosen to explain spiritual truths to us, like an object lesson or a visual aid.  This entire passage is a picture of the misuse and perversion of our own "GOLD--divine righteousness," which is a "FREE GIFT," and fashioning it into our own "GOLDEN CALF" of righteousness by works. This scenario spells out in no uncertain terms God's opinion of works-based or legalistic Christianity: IT IS IDOLATRY,  pure and simple or, to put it more crudely, SPIRITUAL ADULTERY.

This is the "other gospel" to which Paul was referring in the book of Galatians. It seems to have become accepted by most Churches in these last days as the real gospel.  IT'S A COUNTERFEIT.  The REAL gospel, GRACE, is barely even recognized.  It's even been labeled "heresy!"  

Now "who" do you think could be behind that?  Three guesses and the first two don't count.  That's right.  The one who's sole purpose is to steal, kill and destroy.

Under the teaching of this false gospel, the church can never be very effective or flourish the way God intended.  Pastors, if you're wondering why enthusiasm is "somewhat" lagging among your flock and true revival is fleeting at best or has been just beyond their grasp, perhaps you might ask the Holy Spirit to help you unveil Jesus to your people.  That's the only way they can be transformed.  Because if all they hear are laws, rules and regulations, they will never see true and lasting breakthrough.  We are transformed by BEHOLDING JESUS, not SCOLDING.

It's bad enough that there are undesirable effects amongst our flocks.  There's the not-so-little matter of the double curse Paul mentions in Galatians 1:8-9 on the pastors who preach this heretical doctrine.  See for yourself:

8"But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, "LET HIM {the one teaching; not the people} BE ACCURSED." 9 As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, "LET HIM {the one teaching it; not the body} BE ACCURSED." 

See?  DOUBLE CURSE.  He mentions being cursed TWICE.  Ouch!  I really hate to bring up stuff like this but I hate even more to see God's people struggling and her leaders suffering.  It's so unnecessary and so easily avoidable. 

The only antedote is to preach PURE, UNADULTERATED, RADICAL GRACE!  That way you and your church will be under a DOUBLE BLESSING!  Lives will be RADICALLY changed, healings and miracles will happen left, right, center and revival will simply explode!

As eyes are opened, hearts are transformed and old mindsets are changed by the real gospel, the Bride will rid herself at last of every last vestige of this other "gospel."  This self-focused righteousness by works heresy will be history!  She will tear down at last and completely destroy the false god known as The Golden Calf!