Golden Calf
We all have things that are very important to us. Subconsciously we may even hold these things higher than God. I know I have struggled with this. A particular moment in my life is what brought me to this particular study. My pick-up is my dream pick-up and I worked hard for it. When I had money I bought it. I had a dream since I was eight that I was going to own a Dodge Cummins Second Gen. When the time came I found a five-speed, 24-valve, 5.9 liter Dodge Cummins Second Gen and I bought it! I had my dream pick-up. I had some mechanical issues with it but nothing crazy. I was financially on my own living with my aunt and uncle at the time. On the highway, my pick-up broke down. Ultimately I lost the back end of my transmission and my transfer case. I was devastated. I could not afford to fix my pick-up. I was looking at selling it. I spent a lot of time praying over my pick-up and about the situation. I am a heavy believer that God will meet you where you need to be met. For me, it was in my seat at church on Sunday. The pastor was preaching on the Golden Calf and how we all have our form of the Golden Calf. I immediately was in denial, there was no way I had anything higher than God. My relationship with Him was too important. The preacher said we needed to identify the most important things in our lives and assess the importance next to God. I do not cry especially in church but I had tears rolling down my cheeks. I held my pick-up on a pedestal. I had my dream pick-up that I worked for and no one could take it away. I realized that even next to God my pick-up was the most important thing in my life. I had a hugeee heart change. I came home and I immediately spent time with God. I studied the Golden Calf and compared it to my life and my pick-up. I made my heart right with God. A couple of days later the mechanic called to tell me that the damage wasn’t as bad and it would cost me less to fix it. I strongly believe that God met me where I was. I needed some humbling and to understand that I can lose every material thing in my life no matter how important I think it is. I still have my pick-up but I continuously pray over it and my mindset towards my pick-up…I am so sorry for being long-winded. Let’s get into my study of the Golden Calf.
God brought Israel out of Egypt, freeing them from Egypt. When Moses was on Mtn. Sinai, the Israelites lost who God was and who they were in Christ. In relation, they formed a god in the form of a golden calf. We may be shocked and mortified that they did that, but sometimes how are we different? God has a plan for our lives. How many times have we grown impatient and dealt with the situations ourselves? We loose sight of God and create for ourselves our vision of life, putting things before God. Being impatient and doing everything on our time is losing what God wants for us. Other gods and idols can be work, phones, vehicles, or anything that takes precedence over God. God created us in His image, to carry His word to others and live in his purpose for us. We need to trust and pursue Him. Exodus 31:1-6
In Exodus 32:7-14 God wanted to take out the sinful Israelites as He did during the flood. This would give Moses a huge part in history like Nopah but instead, Moses asked God to spare them. Moses told Gold that He brought the people out of Egypt. God promised to never destroy again after the flood. The people’s lives were spared. Sod do we serve God or man? Moses clearly served God. He lost a huge recognition in history to spare the people. We need to put everything we prioritize behind God and put Him first. Give every situation to God instead of handling it on our own.
God offered the Israelites the Promiseland without Him or the Desert with Him. Moses told Him that if they wouldn't have HIs presents he didn’t want the Promiseland. The goal of getting the people out of Egypt was to get the Israelites to God not necessarily to the Promiseland. We need to value the giver over the gift. The Promiseland was an amazing gift, take God out of the equation and the Promisland is nothing. We need to focus and serve the Lord over our world desires. We need to look at our prioritizes and make sure we have God in them. Exodus 33:1-3, 15-17
Moses and David might not have all of their priorities in a row but when it came to God and living their lives through Him they had it. Moses denied the Promiseland because he would lose the glory of God. David desired to be close with God over od, over the crown. God wants you, God wants us to draw near to Him. We need to focus on drawing near to God instead of what will happen in the future. We can’t lose sight of God and how He has worked in our lives. We need God in our lives. When we handle situations on our own, things go wrong. Exodus 33:18-23 Psalm 27:4 Psalm 63:1
God is glorious and just. We do not deserve God’s grace and his presence but through God’s grace in repentance, we are freed from our sins. We all have our own golden calves. When God calls us to our purpose away from our idols we need to repent and come to deliverance. We need to desire God and draw near to Him. Exodus 34:6-9
We are not as strong as we think. We need to prioritize God. We need to value God over our blessings-gifts. We need to draw near to Him. We need to understand God. To draw near to God we need to be obedient. We need a desire to be close to God for godliness not to live up to His standards for goodness. We need to rely on God and listen to His instructions. Goodness is relying on God. Exodus 34:10-17, 27-28
God made us all in His image, meaning we don’t need anything in His image ie: a golden calf. The Israelites made a golden calf in the likeness of God. God already made man in His image. God is not a cow. It’s like telling God He is not good enough. Instead of constructing idols, we need to study the Word and grow closer to God. The more time we spend with God the closer we are to Him. God is enough. Genesis 1:27 Colossians 1:15 Hebrews 1:3 Exodus 34:29-35
God is enough! We may feel like we need to control the situation or that everything will be ok on our own but that is never a good idea. We need to set everything we have aside and focus on our relationship with God.
