seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Exodus 32:1 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[a] 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,(b) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
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,(b) Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
a. Exodus 32:1 Or a god; also in verses 23 and 31
b. Exodus 32:4 Or This is your god; also in verse 8
I just could not spend any more time reading the pattern. At the end of Chapter 31 God completes His discussion with Moses. Now Moses, at long last, has the two Tablets with the Ten Commandments. The Law is written in stone and Moses is supposed to go down the mountain, explain the plans for the Tabernacle Tent, and all the equipment. He's supposed to have special clothes made for the priests, appoint, and anoint them. Then Moses is supposed to put the two tablets in the Ark of the Covenant that is to be kept in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle Tent.
Now attention is being drawn to what's going on down at the foot of the mountain.
Here's a commentary from the easy English site.
Moses had stayed away on the mountain for a long time on. The people became impatient. They gathered round Aaron. Perhaps they had become an angry and dangerous crowd. But perhaps just their leaders approached Aaron on the people’s behalf. Some translations use the plural word gods because the Hebrew word ‘elohim’ is plural. But the Jews use the word to mean God himself. The people spoke about Moses as ‘this man’. This showed that they did not respect him now. They said that Moses had brought them there from Egypt. They spoke as if Moses had forced them. They forgot that the LORD had rescued them from Egypt’s king and his army.
Aaron was probably afraid. He knew that earlier the Israelites were angry with Moses. They had almost killed him (Exodus 17:4). This time Moses had told the people to wait. And he had appointed Hur to help Aaron with the people (Exodus 24:14). They must deal with problems together. But Aaron forgot to talk to Hur about that. Also, the Israelites had 70 other leaders who should have supported Aaron and Hur (Exodus 24:9). Perhaps Aaron thought that the people would not want to give away their valuable possessions. Perhaps he hoped so, but he made a mistake. The people had received the gold rings in their ears as gifts. Their Egyptian neighbours gave those gifts to them when they left that country.
When Aaron had melted their rings, he shaped the gold lump. He made it into an image like a young bull. This image was probably like the bull called Apis. The Egyptians worshipped the image of Apis. The Israelites asked the image to help them. Probably they also wanted something to look at when they worshipped God. But the LORD does not allow anyone to make an image in order to worship it. People who worship like that are not obeying God’s first and second commandments. Many years later, king Jeroboam made two gold images of young bulls that the Israelites worshipped. He placed one image at the place called Dan. And he placed the other image at the place called Bethel. Jeroboam used the same words to persuade the people. He said that those images were their gods. And he said that those gods had brought them from Egypt (1 Kings 12:28-30). But those images were false gods. They were not the real God.
Aaron was probably afraid. He knew that earlier the Israelites were angry with Moses. They had almost killed him (Exodus 17:4). This time Moses had told the people to wait. And he had appointed Hur to help Aaron with the people (Exodus 24:14). They must deal with problems together. But Aaron forgot to talk to Hur about that. Also, the Israelites had 70 other leaders who should have supported Aaron and Hur (Exodus 24:9). Perhaps Aaron thought that the people would not want to give away their valuable possessions. Perhaps he hoped so, but he made a mistake. The people had received the gold rings in their ears as gifts. Their Egyptian neighbours gave those gifts to them when they left that country.
When Aaron had melted their rings, he shaped the gold lump. He made it into an image like a young bull. This image was probably like the bull called Apis. The Egyptians worshipped the image of Apis. The Israelites asked the image to help them. Probably they also wanted something to look at when they worshipped God. But the LORD does not allow anyone to make an image in order to worship it. People who worship like that are not obeying God’s first and second commandments. Many years later, king Jeroboam made two gold images of young bulls that the Israelites worshipped. He placed one image at the place called Dan. And he placed the other image at the place called Bethel. Jeroboam used the same words to persuade the people. He said that those images were their gods. And he said that those gods had brought them from Egypt (1 Kings 12:28-30). But those images were false gods. They were not the real God.
I'm the oldest of five children. I remember what it was like when mom left the room, leaving me in charge, and was gone too long. Kids, like the Israelites have a very short attention span. They start trouble. Moses had, in all fairness, been gone a long time. On top of that, Moses hadn't come down the mountain yet so they didn't know that they were breaking the first tow commandments, because the commandments had not been brought down the mountain and read to them yet.
On the other hand.... they had agreed to do everything God told them to do.
These people had been raised in Egypt. They had been slaves in the homes and at the work sites of the Egyptians. These people were use to having lots of idols around. So it does seem natural to me that they would feel the need to have some kind of image in their worship. They're still on Egyptian scale..... God hasn't really shown His plan to anyone except Moses and Moses has been gone up on what appears to be a volcano for quite a while.
