Skip to main content

What the Golden Calf Thought

 In Exodus 32 we read the familiar story of Aaron making a golden calf for the people to worship because Moses was taking too long receiving the Ten Commandments. Do you remember what he used to make the golden calf? He asked for the earrings to be donated to the cause, so these Israelites essentially worshipped the very jewelry they were wearing just the day before.  

 

In verses 3-4 we read: “So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf.”

 

I think it is ridiculous that they worshipped a golden calf, but I wonder what the calf thought of the whole thing. 

 

“Take off your jewelry,” Aaron said,

“And bring me all you have.”

He took all the peoples’ earrings 

And made a golden calf.

 

I wonder what that calf would think

—hypothetically, 

As it watched the people that day

Bowing down on their knees.

 

Yes, I wonder what that calf thought,

Listening to them pray;

“Do these people really think

I’ve anything to say?

 

“Don’t they remember yesterday?

I was gold in their ears.

Now they’re falling down before me

In chants, in cries, in tears!”

 

I wonder what that calf would think 

With everything it saw;

In truth, it was just elements,

It couldn’t think at all.

 

We make the same mistake today,

Mistakes we can’t afford;

Putting our trust in anything

At all, besides the Lord.  

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

To Save a Life

(Like my blog about the peace symbol, this blog was written as a default response to all the parents, students, and other people who are asking my opinion of To Save a Life.) By now you have probably heard of the movie To Save a Life, which opened nation-wide in theaters on January 22nd. The movie deals with so many issues that teens face today, like suicide, cutting, drinking, drugs, premarital sex, teen pregnancy, and abortion. At first glance this movie looks like an awesome resource that we should recommend for our teens, parents, youth pastors, and youth workers. But a closer look at the movie reveals a few disturbing things. For starters, according to pluggedin.com, there are 2 uses of the “A” word, 5 uses of hell (used as a curse word), and once the “D” word is used. There are other crude terms used to describe a girl, and crude terms for referring to sexual activity. There is also a bedroom scene that shows a girl removing a boy’s shirt, then afterwards the girl putting he...
38 comments
Read more

All Things To All Men

One of our favorite verses to use in our evangelism methods is where Paul said that he “becomes all things to all men” so that he might “by all means save some (I Corinthians 9:22).” This is certainly a good idea if we keep it in its proper context and application. For example, I remember a time in high school where I knew a kid that loved skateboarding. Being the chicken that I am, I was never a skateboarder. All he would talk about was skating, and I knew none of his lingo. But to help develop a relationship with him (he was new to our church and didn’t know many people), I brushed up on my skating lingo so I could ask if he had done any sick ollies lately (impressed?). This would be like Paul saying “to the skateboarder, I became a skateboarder.” This is effective and necessary. But then there are the people that use this verse to justify doing sinful things in the name of evangelism. The first one that comes to mind is about drinking. Some people will go into the bars to evan...
23 comments
Read more

Evangelism

“Preach the gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words.” St. Francis of Assisi is given credit for this famous quote (although that exact phrasing does not appear in any of his writings), and a lot of people would think that this is a great philosophy. His actual quote was that everyone should “preach by their deeds.” Preaching with our deeds is not just a strategy, it is a necessity. We are commanded all through the Scriptures to let our light shine and be a peculiar people. People should be able to look at our lives and see that we are Christians. They should see the love of Christ readily on display, and thus feel compelled to live their lives in the same way. The sermon that we should preach with our lives is a sermon of love, joy, peace, patience, self-control, forgiveness, conviction, etc. But this idea that has emerged that says we should ONLY preach with our deeds is a heresy straight from the devil himself. Think about it: who is the one that does not want you t...
18 comments
Read more