Brief comparison of the Aaron's decision to craft the golden calf with the state of the church.

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August 28, 2012

Aaron saw how excited the people were, so he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, "Tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord !" The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry. -- Exodus 32: 5-6 (NLT)

How quickly we can corrupt the things of God. How quickly we can forget who He is and seek to recreate Him in our own image. The key verses are from the story of the golden calf in Exodus. Moses had left to go meet with God and receive the Ten Commandments. But it was taking some time and the people got restless. They turned to Aaron, who was leader in the absence of Moses. Aaron gave in to the desires of the many and asked for their gold jewelry, which he then melted and crafted into a golden calf.

We see this today in the people of God as well. God is reinvented through theories of church growth and slick marketing. Leaders turning to satisfy what the masses want instead of what God wants. In modern churchianty pastors are viewed as a failure based upon human metrics and measurements. People think that higher attendance or tithing must mean favor from God when quite often the opposite is true. Church is not meant to be community at the cost of Jesus. It is meant to be community because of Jesus. Let us look at the key verses and see the comparisons to today.

First of all, Aaron saw how excited the people were at the sight of the golden calf so he built and altar in front of it. The altar is an attempt to dress up the gross disobedience to God with the appearance of holiness. We call that religion today. We have too many Aaron leaders today who are quick to give in to demands of the many in fear of losing what they lead. Paul warned about this:

For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. -- 2Timothy 4: 3 (NIV)

We all may know this verse but note that it is the hearers that gather around them the teachers -- not the other way around. Most people want a watered down Gospel. Most people want to hear about the love and grace of God instead of the wrath and judgment. Most people would prefer to not be challenged about their sins. Most want their ears tickled and yet still feel as if they are ok with God. That was what the people here wanted when they approached Aaron. His job according to his calling was to tell them what God says, not give in to what their flesh wanted. The same is true today as there are too many churches feeding the flesh of the congregants and as always, wrapping it up in the name of Jesus...

Which brings us to the next point from the key verses. Aaron proclaims after the altar is built that tomorrow will be a festival to the Lord! There are far too many churches who have built altars to their golden calves in the name of Jesus. We have confused the power of His name as somehow being all that is needed to excuse anything that we do. Secular based programs devoid of Christ in the church? In the name of Jesus! Compromising the Gospel to reach the next generation? It's all for Jesus! Leaven is leaven is leaven and according to the Bible it ruins the whole batch. Saying that your heresy is in the name of the Lord does not change the fact that it is heresy. There are too may churches today that are building a building instead of building the kingdom. Holding festivals to the Lord while dancing around their golden calf.

The next point is that the people will even sacrifice for their created gods. The key verses say that they got up the next day and sacrificed burnt and peace offerings to the golden calf. Later in the story we find out that they actually gave the calf credit for delivering them from Egypt! Sometimes we think of false teachings as something that is going to be so obvious that we don't have to worry about discerning. Yet the holy laughter debacle of the 1990's was greeted favorably by a great swath of American churchgoers. The more insidious however are the teachings that are largely correct but have an underbelly of apostasy. These deceive more easily. People will come out for them. People will serve in ministry for them. People will make their burnt and peace offerings to it.

The final point is that these reinventions of God will not only be embraced but they will be celebrated! The key verses say that the people feasted and drank and indulged in pagan revelry. How much pagan (worldly) revelry do we see in the church today? Plenty! Social media is used as a tool to brag about the revelry. Prosperity preachers boast about their private jets paid for on the backs of the poor. Wannabe prophets revel in the false predictions they make. People are quick to anoint themselves ministers, prophets or apostles. They run to TBN to promote their latest book on dire prophecy or self help. Go into a Christian bookstore and browse the aisles. See the onslaught of books written by famous pastors and how little you will see about God in the titles alone. But God will not be mocked:

The Lord told Moses, "Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned away from the way I commanded them to live! They have melted down gold and made a calf, and they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They are saying, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt.'" -- Exodus 32: 7-8 (NLT)

What are we bowing down to today? What are we sacrificing to? I understand the need for community and so does God but not at the expense of Christ. You start with Jesus and build your community or your church upon Him. Because only He will sustain it over time. If it is a work of the flesh then man will have to maintain it. How quickly we turn away from how God has commanded us to live. We wrap it up in the name of Jesus and excuse the little leaven here and the little leaven there. I know, I know -- I take things too seriously. I have heard that before. I guess I would rather take the things of God seriously since His way is what is best for me anyway. I do not want to build an altar to the golden calf because the calf didn't save me from anything. Jesus did.

Rev. Anthony

Authors Bio:
Credentialed Minister of the Gospel for the Assemblies of God. Owner and founder of 828 ministries. Vice President for Goodwill Industries. Always remember that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.