Exodus 32:1-14
"Years later, Moses has indeed led the Israelite underclass out of Egypt, and into the desert between there and Canaan. But wouldn't you know it, change is hard? Exodus and the following books describe the ups and downs of a group of people trying to form a social identity and stay on a mission even when distracted and delayed. This passage is one of many moments in that drama.
Why in the world would people want Aaron to 'make gods' for them? One, Moses has been gone for a while, up on a mountaintop praying to God on behalf of the people. The absence of leadership has made people anxious. Also, there's an impulse to center their lives on something they can see and control, rather than a personal God they can't control and can't directly see. The scriptures call this idolatry--looking for security and protection and identity in things that we can control but don't in the end bring us much security or protection. They argue that this habit of people and cultures is a leading factor in human disappointment and misery."
I am guilty of idolatry.
When life disappoints me (usually in periods of waiting or lack of visible leadership), I turn to "lesser things" out of my need for control.
Letting go of that control is very hard, but I can't continue in this journey of faith if I don't. This morning, I wrote in my journal: "Lord, I don't have the faith to walk forward in this journey with You, but I've also come way too far to turn back!"
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