" I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them tear it off.’
So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”"
Exodus 32:24
Moses had left Aaron in charge of the Israelites while he visited with God on the mountaintop. And now, tired of waiting for Moses to return, the people are grumbling and complaining and demanding that Aaron make them a god to go before them. And so Aaron tells them to gather up all their gold earrings and bring them to him. He takes what they give him and fashions it into a golden calf, and when the people call it their god Aaron plays along and proclaims a day of worship and celebration to the graven image. Later, when confronted with his sin by Moses, Aaron acts like he has no idea how it all happened. I have to say that whenever I read Exodus 32:24 I want to laugh out loud. Aaron seems so ridiculous. But really, is he any more ridiculous than I am when God confronts me with my sin and I try to shift the responsibility away from myself? No, I'm afraid not. I'm a lot more like Aaron than I care to admit. Can you relate?
I definitely can relate. "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." Romans 7:15
ReplyDeleteWe're in good company with the apostle Paul, Sue. I'm so glad he was transparent and included these words in his letter to the Roman church.
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