"Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, 'Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.' Aaron said to them, 'Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.' Then all the people tore off the gold rings which were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.' Now when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation and said, 'Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord.' So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." -Exodus 32.1-6
Moses has been on the mountain for a while, a long while, and the people are beginning to get restless, maybe even a bit scared, worried, and desperate. They turn to Aaron for guidance and leadership, and ask him to make them a god to go before them. And here we see Aaron, the man chosen by God to serve as High Priest, leads the people away from God.
Think about what Aaron has been through in the recent past. He's been the mouthpiece of God to Pharaoh. He's performed the wonders of God. He has been side by side with his brother Moses as they have done God's work to free the people. He has spoken God's messages, and had God's power flow through him. And God has selected him to represent the nation of Israel before Him. Aaron should have pointed them to God, but instead he makes them an idol of gold.
Aaron, in his role, is supposed to point the people to God. Instead, he makes them a golden calf, and points them towards a lifeless idol. He is supposed to offer sacrifices to God for the people, instead he builds an altar to the idol he has made and organizes a festival of worship to it. He is doing everything he was called to do as a priest, but the focus is away from God. Instead of drawing the people to the true Lord, he has led them astray. He has failed to lead.
Men, we've been called to lead others to God. When people look to us, where do we point them? Do we lead them towards God by our words and actions, or do we point them towards a golden calf? We have been called to serve as priest, pointing others to God, but are we living out this calling? How often do we point people away from God by our attitudes and actions? How often do we fail to lead?
Aaron may have caved under the pressure. He may have given in after hours, or even days, of resisting wore down his resolve. But I think it was something deeper as we'll see when we look at another man called to lead. The one we choose to be like will determine whether or not we fail to lead.
"Iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."
To God alone be the Glory!
Strength and Honor
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