After God brings the Israelites across the Red Sea on dry ground, he leads them in the direction of the Promised Land. He had planned for them to stop in the Sinai region on the way there, so that he could have a special meeting with them in which they would receive the Law. Moses ends up hanging out on the mountain for a little too long, causing the people to react in an extremely reasonable manner:
[The Israelites to Aaron:] “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.” Ex. 32:1
Aaron, priest of the one true God, responds by asking them all to turn in their gold earrings so that he can fashion them into an idol! After he is done making the golden calf, the people declare, “This is your god, Israel, who brought you out of Egypt” (Ex. 31:4). All this because Moses delayed a little in coming down from the mountain. When reading through the entire book of Exodus, it’s hard to get through this chapter without seriously wondering whether the Israelites have lost their minds. However, when we look at the details of the situation a little closer, the pattern it communicates is all too familiar.
Why did the Israelites have so much gold jewelry? Where did all that bling come from? You’ll remember that God told both Abraham and Moses that when he was delivering his people from Egypt, he was going to allow them to plunder their captors (Gen. 15:13-14; Ex. 12:35-6). It must have been a strange situation, but it happened; all the firstborns of the Egyptians died, so they demanded that the Jews get out of their country. But before the Israelites left, they were like, “Hey, do you guys think we could get some gold and silver stuff from you?” “Sure! Here’s everything we’ve got!” replied every Egyptian that was asked. Interesting, to say the least. Nevertheless, this was how God wanted it to be. He chose to bless his people with expensive material goods. He does that sometimes, and there’s nothing wrong with it. He is a good Father who loves to lavish his children with good gifts. However, the Israelites later took those amazing gifts and used them to spit in the face of the one who gave them. They fashioned an idol out of those material blessings and worshiped it as though the God who gave the gifts was dead. How terrible!
Now to our context. God has made this world such that it is good and is full of things for us to enjoy. He designed it to be such because he wants us to enjoy our lives. God is cool with us liking things that aren’t explicitly “spiritual” or “religious.” He wants you to enjoy hikes in the forest, playing basketball, eating food, and all sorts of other things. We must keep in mind, though, that there exist both a right and a wrong manner in which to do these actions. The right way is to be conscious of God’s role in providing us with enjoyment, leading us to give thanks always and everywhere. In this scenario, we make sure that the gift he’s given us is prioritized far below God himself, and that every use of that gift is done in a grateful, reverent manner, essentially rendering that activity an act of worship. On the other hand, the wrong way entails taking the gift God has given and obsessing over it to the point that its giver is a faint memory. For instance, are you willing to take time out of your busy schedule for things such as a date night with your spouse or watching your child play a sport? That’s good. However, do you make time for those things, then use your busyness as an excuse to keep your family from church, not read the Bible, and avoid prayer? If so, you’ve just taken a beautiful gift that God graciously gave to you and turned it into a disgusting idol.
When we encounter examples of idolatry in the Word of God, it sometimes seems so foreign that even the thought of falling into such a sin is laughable. Granted, the chances of you bowing down to a carving of an animal is pretty slim. Notwithstanding, idolatry is simply an incorrect prioritization of devotions, and it is possible to misorder anything in our lives. Therefore, even the greatest of gifts with which you’ve been entrusted, even those that overwhelm you with joy and peace, have the potential to become idols, when made more important than the Lord. Avoid living in such a way, for when God’s gifts are pursued apart from the giver, the result is no different than worshiping an earring. Instead, let those wonderful gifts lead you to the giver, the one who has stored up for you unfathomable blessings far beyond what you can ask, think, or imagine.
At the Table 