The Problem of Idolatry

Prayer

Our poor God-lite substitutes

Fun scene from TV show, Parks & Recreation, when Chris, as acting City Manager, removes hamburgers from the city hall commissary in an effort to make the food healthier. That leads to a cook-off between Chris & Ron, where Chris prepares an Asian Fusion turkey burger (east meets west), the recipe for which he has taken years to develop and Ron prepares a hamburger - made of just a ground beef patty placed between two buns, ketchup optional…ground beef hamburger wins in a landslide

Fun way for the show to poke fun of the idea that no matter how much the claim might be - it’s hard for the “lite” version to match the test of the original.

Which is pretty much the theme of our message today, as we look at the story of the Israelites carving a golden calf idol as their god. They essentially make a “god-lite”, which is a poor substitute for the one true God, for Yahweh.

And that’s true of all our idols, of all our God substitutes. The problem is, as John Calvin says, “the human heart is a perpetual idol factory.” We have a bad habit of continually making idols, turning to something else to take the place of God in our lives. It’s hard to find a better example than this than our story here in Exodus 32.

As you’ll recall, last week we took at look at the Ten Commandments, the covenant that God established between himself and his chosen people, the Israelites. This covenant was a moral framework, that established how the Israelites were to live - in relationship with God himself, and with one another. How God intended to use this covenant to shape and form his people.

We saw how, if they followed this, it would be not only for their own good - but for the good of other nations - that they would indeed become the kingdom of priests, the holy nation God established them to be, a nation through which all other nations would be blessed.

Quick note here on book of Exodus - last week we were in Exodus 19 & 20, this week, Exodus 32. These events happen right after each other. But we’re skipping over a lot of instruction - God giving them laws that are laid out in greater detail and the instructions for the Tabernacle (which we’ll talk about in a couple of weeks). In this part of the book of Exodus, it becomes a lot harder to follow the chronological timeline.

So, it’s hard to know exactly how all these events played out, but here’s the basic idea: after God, through Moses, makes the covenant agreement with the Israelites, Moses goes up to the mountain, Mt. Sinai, for 40 days and nights (there’s that 40 number again) in order to get the agreement written in stone, to get actual tablets, which lays out the covenant between God and the Israelites.

But for the Israelites down below the mountain, they start getting antsy - this is taking too long. Which is where we pick up the story.

The Making of an Idol

Exodus 32:1-6...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.

So, the Israelites start getting impatient, just listen to them: “we don’t know what happened to ‘this Moses fellow’ (you gotta like that tone)” - who, you know, just happened to bring us out of Egypt (where they were enslaved for hundreds of years!).

So they turn to Aaron, Moses’ brother, and tell him to “make us gods who will go before us”. Quick note here, the Hebrew word for “god” here, Elohim, is in the plural. But it doesn’t necessarily mean they are asking for multiple gods - because throughout the Old Testament, that’s the word used for God himself: Elohim, not El, which would be the singular. So, they may be asking Aaron to make them a god or gods, we don’t know. But note that what they want from this god they are asking Aaron to make - a god who will go before us, who will lead us. Moses seems to have disappeared, he was the connection to Yahweh, so we need something new - we need a god from you.

Aaron readily responds, tells them to get all their gold jewelry together - they melt it down and Aaron casts a god, an idol, in the shape of a calf. And notice what he declares to the people about this newly made god, “These are your gods (or this is your god), Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” Wait a minute, wasn’t that Yahweh, wasn’t that the great “I am,” the God of Abraham, and of Isaac and Jacob?

So, they have this new god, a golden calf, so they decide to celebrate - Aaron announces a festival, they offer sacrifices and offerings to this god, and after the offerings, it’s party time - they eat and drink and “indulge in revelry.” There’s some suggestion here that the revelry was sexual in nature - one, because calves were often seen as symbols of fertility, and two, the Hebrew word is sometimes used in that way.

I want us to note here what this teaches us about the nature of idolatry, why the human heart is a perpetual idol factory”, this temptation to constantly turn to something or someone else other than the Lord God, and why it’s so problematic.

First, we were created to be in relationship with God. To know him and be known by him. To live in loving obedience to him, as creature to Creator. If we’re not in that relationship, we naturally look to find something to fill that gap. Something to root ourselves in, something we think will help us, give us meaning, significance, purpose.

When Moses wasn’t coming down that mountain, the Israelites immediately sought to fill that gap. We need a god - and we need someone to be our god-mediator - so, Aaron, make us a god who will go before us. Who will lead us, help us out, get us to the promised land.

Same thing is true for us - if we are not rooted in God, if he is not the One we look to lead us, to fulfill us - we will find something else. In ancient times, people turned more often to other named gods, that were made in some image or form (which is why Israelites did this). But our gods aren’t so physically identifiable. But they are often revealed in the things we devote our time, energy, thought life, our money towards.

Examples: political party…relationship…wealth…career (success, acclaim)…sex…social justice (that ideology, woke-ism as a religion).

Here’s often the tricky part, in why it may be hard to identify our idols - because they may bear a resemblance to the true God. I think it’s so fascinating - and telling - that Aaron immediately attributes what Yahweh did - brought you out of Egypt - to the golden calf he just made. He’s conflating the two. He (and many of the Israelites) may be thinking that this golden calf is Yahweh, they are one and the same - he’s just a physical manifestation of Yahweh.

Sometimes the god (small g) we worship may resemble the one true God, but we’ve twisted in our minds who God really is, making a god of our own liking. That’s often revealed in comments such as, “My god - or my Jesus - would never say that...”

I remember having a conversation once and the person told me that they didn’t believe in God - and I asked them who was the God they didn’t believe in - because maybe they were rejecting a false god, not the true God revealed in the Scriptures. I may not believe in that god either!

Here’s where the conflating part gets very dangerous - because we do it so that we can have a relationship with God, but on our terms. A god who thinks more like I do, affirms my views. And a god that’s too much like me, that is not a good thing.

That’s the thing about idols, they are a reduction of God, a poor substitute - they become a god we can control, who doesn’t make demands of us. It’s no wonder that as soon as the Israelites make their offerings to their idol, they “indulge in revelry.” Shackles are off, we can do what we want.

I want to walk us through the rest of Exodus 32, so we can take a look at how God responds to his people turning to other gods.

Now, Moses is still on top of the mountain with God, so he doesn’t know what’s happening - but God does. He always does. And he burns with anger against his people, declaring them to be a “stiff-necked” people. Which is such a great description, it comes out of the difficulty of trying to turn a stubborn animal.

Our dog, Baga, will act like she wants to go for a walk - you get the leash on her, she’s eagerly going out the front door, start walking down the street and boom. Dead stop. She will not move. You can urge, pull - it does not matter, she is in full stiff-necked mode. She is going to do what she wants to do - which is not go for a walk.

We are a stiff-necked people.

God declares that he is going to destroy the people, literally start all over again. He tells Moses, “I’ll destroy them in order that I may a great nation of you” - he’s going to start over again with Moses.

Moses intercedes on behalf of the Israelites - and it’s interesting to note that he doesn’t do make his appeal to God on the basis of the Israelites - that’s a losing cause, they are a stiff-necked people. He makes it on the character and reputation of God himself. He appeals to the promises that God himself made. And it works: Vs. 14, “And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoke of bringing on his people.”

Then Moses makes his way down the mountain, carrying two stone tablets, with the covenant written out on each tablet, back and front. (one for each member of the covenant agreement - one tablet for God, one for the people). Note this, vs. 16, The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. The tablets were written in God’s own hand! God is serious about this covenant!

When Moses himself sees the revelry, he becomes incensed, and he throws down the tablets - which is a way of signifying that the covenant they just made has already been broken! And broken in a big way - just go down the list, first three commandments (you shall have no other gods before, you shall not make for yourself an image, do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain…)

Then Moses destroys the golden calf completely - and I mean completely. He burns it up in the fire, grinds it into powder, scatters it on the water - then makes the people drink that water.

Next, Moses confronts Aaron, who tries to weasel his way out of blame, downplaying his role in the creation of the idol - he claims that he just threw the gold into the fire, “and out came this calf.”

Finally Moses does this, he issues a call, make your choice, vs. 26 - Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.

Then he relays God’s command to go among the people and put to death all those involved in the revelry, the worshiping of the golden calf. And so they do, the Levis kill 3,000 of their fellow Israelites, their relatives, their companions, their neighbors. And this is before God himself pours out a plague on the people.

Now, all of this may seem overly harsh - that God would have wrought such punishment upon his people for engaging in idolatry. But it’s a sobering reminder of how destructive idolatry is - what happens when we turn to serve other gods instead of the one true God. And remember, the Israelites had just agreed to the covenant - they were in the infancy of trying to be faithful to it, and were already breaking the covenant. Talk about getting off on the wrong foot - which is quickly going to take you down the wrong path.

Last week, we went to go see movie, Sound of Freedom, the story of Tim Ballard, who served with Department of Homeland Security pursuing people caught up in child pornography, but then moved to engaging in rescuing children caught in sexual trafficking. And of course you know that’s what the movie about, and so when the movie opens showing these precious little girl singing in her bedroom, deep sadness comes on you.

Since I was preaching on this topic, I began to think about how it gets to this, how do seemingly ordinary people start kidnapping and selling children…as well as those who buy them?

And the verse came to mind…“For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” Idolatrous greed - they can make a lot money selling children. And making your sexual desire your god, that’s a form of idolatry - you serve your fleshly desires, even if that includes sexual abuse of children. Who or what our god is makes all the difference. You are conformed, or shaped into the image of the god you serve - and God made us in his image, to be shaped to be like him.

It all begins here - Whom will we serve, who (or what) is our God?

Make no mistake - someone or something - is your god. If you and I aren’t intentional about making the Lord our God, it will be something else. It may be a god of your own fashioning, a god who always confirms your views, doesn’t make demands. It may be you, yourself - your personal happiness or security or well-being or comfort. Sometimes, our gods are the good things God has given us, and we’ve made them into idols - our families, our pets, ministry, a cause for good

But all of these gods are poor substitutes, they are god-lite, they are like plant based meat, or let’s be honest, diet soda. They can never do what the Lord God can do for us, they are (like the golden calf) impotent, powerless. They cannot save us from our troubles, help us in our time of need. They can never fully satisfy our hearts - they can’t give us joy, peace, the life, we long for. They cannot give us meaning, true knowing of who are and what we were made for. Only he can - everything else falls short.

He alone is worthy. He alone is the God of all power and might and glory and honor. He alone is love. Whose faithfulness reaches to the heavens, whose mercies are never-ending, who lavishes us with the richness of his grace. He alone is the one True God, the Way, the Truth and the Life. The author of our salvation. The Morning Star. Emmanuel, God with us. There is no substitute.

But here is the challenge, why we all-too-often resist God as our God - because he comes to us as Lord, he makes demands of us - full obedience, complete allegiance. God does not want just part of us, he wants all of us. We belong - heart, mind, body, and soul, to him. That requires a willingness to surrender, to give my will over to God - not my will, but thine be done. I will obey and serve you - over myself, over my family, above everything else. So, again - will we willingly serve him above all others?

Spiritual Disciplines - What was the first thing the Israelites did after the golden calf was created? - they brought offerings. It was the right idea, but the wrong god. Offerings are how we give of ourselves to God? How can you live offering yourself more fully to God?

Time with Jesus / Discipline of Solitude - there’s no better reflection of our commitment to Jesus than our schedule. We all have busy lives, plenty of distractions. Each of us get the same amount, 24 hours in a day. How does our schedule reflect that Jesus is the Lord of our lives? If this is not true of you, challenge you to schedule time alone with Jesus for every single day. Make him the priority - your first love. Start with 15 minutes of quiet prayer, reflecting on Scripture. Essential “can’t miss” part of your day.

Second discipline - Begin your day with a prayer of offering yourself to the Lord. That you will obey him, serve him, love him in all things. Tell the Lord you love him with all your heart and mind and soul and strength. Idea of a body prayer (mind, eyes, ears, mouth, heart, hands, feet). Prayer Romans 12:1, Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God - this is your true and proper worship.

Let it be our true and proper worship - that we would live lives holy and pleasing to God - and offer ourselves to him because he is our Lord. He is our one true God, whom we alone will love and serve, no other gods before him.