Convenient, man-made gods
After God had given his Ten Commandments to Israel in awesome circumstances (Ex. 20), he gave detailed instructions to Moses for the building of the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary where Israel could worship him.
Israel’s worshiping of a golden calf came as a shocking anticlimax to the preceding history (Ex. 32). God saw it as revolt against his prohibition of idolatry. From the human viewpoint, it was a natural response to perceived tyranny.
The preparation for the meeting with God at Mount Horeb (Ex. 19) built up to a climax. They had to purify themselves over three days, wash their clothes, avoid sex, and approach the mountain humbly. Anyone trying to go up the mountain would be killed on the spot.
Then the mountain started smoking and rumbling, the earth quaked beneath their feet, and a thundering voice spoke from above. They probably thought a volcano was erupting.
While God gave them the Ten Commandments in deafening voice, they trembled in fear. This was real, not mere imagination. God scared them to such an extent that they asked Moses to act as mediator, for they could not bear to hear God’s voice directly.
Their overwhelming impression and memory of the event was raw fear. God seemed so holy and angry – he could be feared, not loved. People do not love someone who scares them to death.
So, when Moses disappeared for forty days, they began to have second thoughts about the God of Moses. Instead of a fear-inducing God, they would rather have a friendly one.
Since prehistoric times, people sought gods who could help and protect them. The Nile god in Egypt brought water for their crops; the sun-god let the crops grow; the bull-god looked after their livestock; and the under-world god took care of their afterlife.
Worshiping gods who demanded child sacrifices is totally incomprehensible and unacceptable (Gen. 22).
Israel forgot the many ways God had already shown his loving care to them: the plagues placed on the Egyptians skipped them; God parted the sea for them to escape Egyptian revenge; God provided water and food in the desert.
A calf threatens nobody; it looks cute and lovable; and it will grow into a strong bull or productive cow. They decided to make a golden calf, a friendly god, one they could worship with affection.
The problem was: the golden calf was not a god, only a man-made statuette, with no life, power, or influence.
The one true God – omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent – cannot be fired. He made the universe and is still controlling it. People can try to ignore him, but cannot evict him.
Jesus showed us how God really is: loving, helpful, friendly, caring, and approachable (John 14:9; Matt. 11:28-30).
Jacob Van Zyl of Lethbridge is a retired counsellor and the author of several faith-based books.