Make God's For Us

For 10/9/2011

All scriptures from The Message Version

This scripture follows the dramatic delivery of the 10 Commandments to Moses on the seemingly volcanic Mount Sinai with the nation of Israel gathered in fear and trembling described in Exodus 19.  The event described in Exodus 32 could be a second telling of the delivery of the Ten Commandments or describes a second meeting with God.  Moses, accompanied by Joshua, climbs up the Mount Sinai for a meeting with God that lasts 40 days and 40 nights.  While he is gone the people understandably get restless and impatient, then led by Aaron they break the very first of the Ten Commandments in a most blatant way:

 ¹ When the people realized that Moses was taking forever in coming down off the mountain, they rallied around Aaron and said, "Do something. Make gods for us who will lead us. That Moses, the man who got us out of Egypt—who knows what's happened to him?"

^2-4 So Aaron told them, "Take off the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters and bring them to me." They all did it; they removed the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from their hands and cast it in the form of a calf, shaping it with an engraving tool. The people responded with enthusiasm: "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up from Egypt!"

⁵ Aaron, taking in the situation, built an altar before the calf. Aaron then announced, "Tomorrow is a feast day to God!"

⁶ Early the next morning, the people got up and offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings and brought Peace-Offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and then began to party. It turned into a wild party!

·       What is making the people uneasy?  What do you think Moses represents to them?  Are they confusing Moses with God?  What do they want?  What went amazing experience had they just had at Mount Sinai (Exodus 19)? How long has it been since the parting of the Red Sea?  Is their reaction under the circumstances surprising? 

·       What do you think is at the root of their behavior?  Do you think that the people feel a connection with God?

·       Who is Aaron?  In Moses’ initial meeting with God Aaron’s name comes up when Moses complains that he is a poor speaker:

Exodus 4:14-17 God got angry with Moses: "Don't you have a brother, Aaron the Levite? He's good with words, I know he is. He speaks very well. In fact, at this very moment he's on his way to meet you. When he sees you he's going to be glad. You'll speak to him and tell him what to say. I'll be right there with you as you speak and with him as he speaks, teaching you step by step. He will speak to the people for you. He'll act as your mouth, but you'll decide what comes out of it. Now take this staff in your hand; you'll use it to do the signs."

·       What role is Aaron chosen by God to take on?  How do you think that he felt when the people came to him with a big problem and Moses is away on the mountain?  How much pressure must he have felt when the people clamored crying, “Do something”?  Have you ever had to respond to the pressure of making an important decision you did not feel prepared to make?  How did you resolve it? 

·       What do the people want that Aaron responds to by building the calf?  What is the material for the calf and what does it say about the importance of the idol?   Can building very expensive and grand edifices for worship be in any way equated with the motivation behind casting the calf? 

·       Where are the Israelites located and what might make them very, very insecure at that time?  What alternatives might Aaron have had for a response to their insecurities?  What does his response say about his sense of God’s presence with them?  Did Moses’ absence equate to God’s absence for them?  Can we have difficulty at times in sensing God’s presence?  What are some positive ways to deal with this problem?

·       What does their request say about the basic desires we have a humans to have sense the presence of something or someone greater than ourselves that we can rally around?  In what ways do we as modern day people seek this kind of reassurance in spiritual and secular ways?  Can this basic human need make us vulnerable to misguided decisions about whom or what to trust?

Exodus 4:7-8 God spoke to Moses, "Go! Get down there! Your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have fallen to pieces. In no time at all they've turned away from the way I commanded them: They made a molten calf and worshiped it. They've sacrificed to it and said, 'These are the gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt!'"

^9-10 God said to Moses, "I look at this people—oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people! Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them. But I'll make a great nation out of you."

·       Why do you think that God was so upset?  Is God’s reaction so surprising giving the circumstances? Have you ever felt really let down by someone or a group of people?  What was your reaction, how did you respond?
·       Would your vision of God do what God threatens to do here?  How would your vision of God respond?  Do we miss understanding all that God represents if we downplay judgment and reward and punishment?
·       What role does God promise Moses?  Is the promise to make a great nation out of Moses (Genesis 17 and see below) intended to connect him to the promise made to Abraham to do the same thing?

Exodus 4:11-13 Moses tried to calm his God down. He said, "Why, God, would you lose your temper with your people? Why, you brought them out of Egypt in a tremendous demonstration of power and strength. Why let the Egyptians say, 'He had it in for them—he brought them out so he could kill them in the mountains, wipe them right off the face of the Earth.' Stop your anger. Think twice about bringing evil against your people! Think of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants to whom you gave your word, telling them 'I will give you many children, as many as the stars in the sky, and I'll give this land to your children as their land forever.'"

¹⁴ And God did think twice. He decided not to do the evil he had threatened against his people.

·       Why do you think that Moses felt that he could argue with God?  Would any of the people in the valley have had the gumption to confront God?  Have you ever argued with or complained to God?  Should we voice our frustrations, confusion and doubts to God? 

·       What was the difference between Moses’ and the people’s relationship with God?  Why is a sense that God is approachable important to us?  What words does Jesus use to describe our relationship with God?  What are some things we can do to approach the type of relationship Moses had with God?

*       What arguments does Moses use to intercede for the Israelites?  What logic does he use? Do you think that we can influence God?  In what ways is this true and how do we go about it? 

·       What do you take away from thinking about these questions and what might you incorporate into you faith life?

Closing Prayer

Lord we seek your guidance and your Spirit as we live our daily lives for we know that your love for us has no bounds.  Forgive us when we ignore your presence and choose to worship our idols.   For we pray in the name of the one who interceded for us, Jesus Christ.  Amen

Next Week’s Scriptures:  Exodus 33:12-23, Psalm 99, 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10, Matthew 22:15-22