Apostasy and the Exodus Generation Lesson # 2

The subject of apostasy is dealt with extensively in the Old Testament in relation to the nation of Israel.

Israel was in danger of abandoning God from her earliest days.

The Old Testament frequently warns against apostasy and identifies its likely consequences.

There was a large corporate apostasy in the nation while she was in bondage in Egypt and after she was delivered by the Lord. (cf. Ps. 78:9-41; Ex. 32:25-29; Lev. 17:7; 20:1-6; Num. 14:9-12; 14:31-35; 25:1-4; 32:10-11; Deut. 31:16-18; 32:15-21; Ps. 95:7-8; 106:13-33; Heb. 3:15-19).

There was great apostasy in Israel during the time of the judges (cf. Ps. 78:55-64; Jdg. 2:6-23; 8:27,33-34; Neh. 9:26-31; Ps. 106:34-39).

After the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel had a civil war and was divided into a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom.

The latter took the name Judah.

There was apostasy in the northern kingdom of Israel (cf. Hos. 5:3-4; 2 Kgs. 17:7-20; Hos. 1:2; 4:10-19; 7:4).

There was also apostasy in the southern kingdom of Judah (cf. Jer. 3:1-25; 2 Kgs. 23:26-27; 2 Chron. 29:6-9; 30:7-9; Isa. 1:1-6; 30:1-5; Jer. 2:7-13,19-25; 5:5-7; 7:9-15; 9:2; 13:23-27; 17:5-6,13; 23:10-15; Jer. 31:22; Ezek. 6:9; 16:15-42; 23:1-35; Dan. 9:5-14).

Israel’s corporate apostasy began very shortly after the Lord delivered her from the bondage to Egypt and established a covenant with them through Moses.

Exodus 32 presents a great tragedy as far as the children of Israel are concerned and yet it is here in this chapter we see one of the greatest teachings and revelations concerning our God.

Also, this chapter presents one of the greatest lessons on intercessory prayer that is found in the Bible and of one of the greatest prayer warriors in the Bible, namely, Moses.

Repeatedly in the book of Exodus the Israelites rebelled against God and Moses whom God sent.

Their response to God’s mercy and compassion and grace and love was complaining, idolatry, rebellion and unbelief (Deuteronomy 4:23-24; 6:12-15; 10:29; Psalm 103:1-2).

This incident of Israel’s idolatry recorded in Exodus chapter 32 is mentioned in a hymn recorded in Exodus 32 is mentioned again in Deuteronomy 9, Psalm 106:19-23 and Nehemiah 9.

Exodus 32:1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 Aaron said to them, “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5 Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.” 6 So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. (NASB95)

Verse 1 tells the reader that when the Israelites saw that Moses was delayed in coming down from the mountain, they confronted Aaron and demanded that he make them a god that would go before them.

The absence of Moses has resulted in their impatience, which led to the practice of idolatry.

Exodus 32:2 records that Aaron did not offer any resistance to the angry, aggressive mob of malcontents since he was in fear for his life.

His immediate response to the mob’s angry demand to build an idol indicates that Aaron had serious doubts about Moses being alive as well.

If he did believe Moses was alive and coming back, he certainly would have hesitated in giving this command for an idol from the gold of the people.

The “golden calf” was copied from the Egyptian Apis but for all that, it was not the image of an Egyptian deity.

Aaron decided on a calf, or, better, a young bull, as the symbolic representation of God.

It was not a symbol of the generative or bearing power of nature, but an image of Yahweh.

For when it was finished, those who had made the image, and handed it over to the people, said, “This is your God, O Israel, who brought thee out of Egypt.”

This is the explanation adopted in Psalm 106:19-20.

The children of Israel led by Aaron are exchanging the glory of the incorruptible God for an image of a corruptible four-footed creature (Romans 1:18-25).

Israel’s actions recorded here in Exodus 32:1-6 are in violation of the second commandment recorded in Exodus 20:4-6, which is summarized in Exodus 20:23.

They ignored the law they solemnly agreed to obey.

Exodus 20:4 “You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth.” (NASB95)

This commandment also addresses the Israelites’ relationship with Yahweh.

It is a prohibition against the practice of idolatry.

In the Hebrew, it means “You must never make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water beneath the earth.”

This prohibition denotes that nothing in creation must ever be copied and used as an object of worship by the Israelites.

It prohibited the Israelites from making images or likenesses of Yahweh.

In Romans 1:18-23, Paul describes the entire human race as involved in idolatry.

Deuteronomy 32:17 and 1 Corinthians 10:20 teach that the worship of idols is connected to the worship of demons since the sacrificing to idols is in reality sacrificing to demons who promote the worship of idols.

Idolatry is the worship of something created as opposed to the worship of the Creator Himself.

Scores of references to idolatry appear in the Old Testament.

The most noteworthy instance of idolatry in the history of Israel was Aaron’s making of the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai (Ex 32:1-4).

Idolatry originally meant the worship of idols, or the worship of false gods by means of idols, but came to mean among the Old Testament Hebrews any worship of false gods, whether by images or otherwise or the worship of the Lord through visible symbols (Hos 8:5-6; 10:5).

Idolatry is not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion, which belongs to God alone, but also is putting anything ahead of your relationship with God and which would prevent you from doing His will (1 Cor 10:14; Gal 5:20; Col 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).

Ultimately in the New Testament idolatry came to mean, not only the giving to any creature or human creation the honor or devotion which belonged to God alone, but the giving to any human desire a precedence over God's will (1 Cor 10:14; Gal 5:20; Col 3:5; 1 Peter 4:3).

Exodus 32:7 Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9 The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are an obstinate people. 10 Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation.” (NASB95)

In Exodus 32:10, God then threatened to annihilate the entire nation, to wipe them out, and to start over, making a new nation of Moses: “Now then let Me alone, that My anger may burn against them, and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you a great nation” (32:10).

Exodus 32:11 Then Moses entreated the Lord his God, and said, “O Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, ‘With evil intent He brought them out to kill them in the mountains and to destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your burning anger and change Your mind about doing harm to Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants to whom You swore by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people. (NASB95)

Exodus 32:12-14 records Moses pleading with God to withhold judgment upon idolatrous Israel.

Moses does this by appealing to the Word of the Lord and in particular to His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Deuteronomy 9 also refers to Moses intense intercessory prayer for mercy on behalf of the children of Israel and gives us more details as to what took place when Moses interceded for Israel.

Many times, Moses interceded on behalf of the children of Israel when they rebelled against the Lord (Numbers 14:5; 16:3-4 43-45; 20:6).