The Lord Is Worshiped

Opening Prayer

Almighty God of grace and mercy, who always looks to restore your children:

Let us always rejoice in your gifts that, being led by your invitation, we may please you with our lives and obtain the good for which we pray;

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God forever and ever. Amen.

Pastoral Prayer

Loving God, your steadfast love is from one end of the earth to the other. While we are unable to tell all your mighty works, we still gather here before you and offer our worship. Receive our songs of praise to the glory of your holy Name.

IN the midst of your abundance we often fail to trust you. Although you have promised to meet our every need we depend upon our won abilities to meet the needs of the flesh. As we rely more and more upon our own desires and resources we erect false idols which become our gods. You call us to your fest, but we choose to follow our own ways. In all these things, we dishonor you and move further away from your gifts. O Lord, forgive us our sinful ways and make us your chosen people.

By the power of your Holy Spirit help us find contentment in what you provide. Give us a mind to let others know of your forbearance and that you are at hand, that in this way all the world might be brought to rejoice in your always.

O God whose mercy is always offered to those who seek it, visit your children who suffer and for whom we pray the aid of your mercy. Restore their health to them; make them whole in the way your will directs. Comfort those who mourn and give strength to the discouraged. Then grant that both they and we may give thanks to your in your Church.

Hear us, O God, as we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Scripture Reading

Exodus 32:1–14 ESV

1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. 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.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 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 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. 7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.” 11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

1. Worship is an innate desire within humanity. (vs. 1-6)

Exodus 32:1–6 ESV

1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Up, make us gods who shall go before us. 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.” 2 So Aaron said to them, “Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 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 And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.

Psalm 66:4 ESV

4 All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah

John 4:23 ESV

23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.

v1-6. Aaron, functioning as Moses' substitute, is confronted by the people of Israel who want a substitute for both Moses and the Lord. Aaron goes along with the building of an idol, although he doesn't seem to think that his actions are idolatrous. The writer of Exodus certainly views his actions this way (in the terms of Jeroboam's apostasy, 1Ki.12:28). So, the idol is built with the people providing the gold. It is unclear how Aaron makes the golden calf, but probably it is cast and then finished by hand. Why he chooses a calf is unclear. The Egyptian god Apis is represented by a bull, as is the Canaanite god Baal, but we do not quite know whether Aaron thought he was replacing the Lord, or just representing him. Certainly the people proclaim "These are your gods, O Israel." An orgy follows.

2. Worshiping other gods brings the judgement of the Lord to bear. (vs. 7-10)

Exodus 32:7–10 ESV

7 And the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’ ” 9 And the Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.”

Exodus 32:25–29 ESV

25 And when Moses saw that the people had broken loose (for Aaron had let them break loose, to the derision of their enemies), 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. 27 And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Put your sword on your side each of you, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill his brother and his companion and his neighbor.’ ” 28 And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And that day about three thousand men of the people fell. 29 And Moses said, “Today you have been ordained for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of his son and of his brother, so that he might bestow a blessing upon you this day.”

Exodus 32:35 ESV

35 Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.

Acts 7:42–43 ESV

42 But God turned away and gave them over to worship the host of heaven, as it is written in the book of the prophets: “ ‘Did you bring to me slain beasts and sacrifices, during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 43 You took up the tent of Moloch and the star of your god Rephan, the images that you made to worship; and I will send you into exile beyond Babylon.’

Amos 5:25–27 ESV

25 “Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings during the forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel? 26 You shall take up Sikkuth your king, and Kiyyun your star-god—your images that you made for yourselves, 27 and I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.

1 Kings 12:28 NRSV

28 So the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold. He said to the people, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long enough. Here are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

1 Corinthians 10:7 ESV

7 Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.”

Revelation 19:20 ESV

20 And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had done the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur.

v25-29. The text is quite critical of Aaron. In weakness he has let the people get out of control and has not properly distinguished between the Lord and other deities. Moses now calls for decision and only the Levities come forward to stand with him. They then become the agents of divine judgement. It is interesting that such a critical story, concerning the Aaronic priesthood, is retained in the tradition.

v30-35. Moses again intercedes for the people, even offering his own life for theirs. Although the Lord stays his hand from the people's destruction, they will still have to face a judgement of plague.

3. The Lord is worthy to be worshiped because he is quick to forgive and great in mercy. (vs. 11-14)

Exodus 32:11–14 ESV

11 But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” 14 And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

The scene now moves to the top of the mountain. The Lord burns with fury at Israel's sin and tells Moses he is about to annihilate his chosen people. Moses pleads for mercy on three grounds: First, these are the Lord's people whom he has rescued from Egypt; Second, the Egyptians would see Israel's destruction and it would bring shame on the Lord; Finally, the promise given to Abraham and his descendants must surely stand. In Deuteronomy 9:25 we are told Moses spent forty days interceding for Israel. Clearly, the Lord could immediately act to destroy Israel, but intends to act mercifully in line with his covenant promise. So, the Lord gives Moses the privilege of interceding on the people's behalf.