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Golden Calves.



 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me.” Exodus 20:2-3

Growing up in our modern society, I think we sometimes struggle with the concept of false idols. In our minds an idol is an object with no real power. That is true, but it isn’t really addressing the issue. Some of us might try and make it relevant for us. Maybe we think of sports as an idol, or surfing the net, or grades, or . . . fill in the blank. That may also be true, but it’s also not addressing the bigger issue. Some might realize that idols are a bigger issue, because maybe all of our extended families aren’t Christian and maybe some of them worship idols or have an altar in their house or work. Some of them might even burn paper money to ancestors. What’s really going on? How does our understanding of this help us to understand what God is trying to tell us in His word?

When Moses returned and saw what they had done, he was furious, and immediately demanded an explanation from Aaron. Now, Aaron could have said, “I have sinned in allowing the people to do this thing.” Instead, we find him evading responsibility by saying,

And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

What a story! Aaron is the world’s first modern politician. They just cast gold into the fire, and lo and behold, a calf came out! Did Moses say, “Oh, OK. Well that explains what happened.” No. We find that 3,000 people died that day because they sinned against the God.

In many ways, we Christians are no different from the unbelievers. We’re fascinated with anything that promises convenience, instant gratification, and a better life. Anything that gives us an edge over the other guy seems irresistible. The bigger the item, the bigger we feel.

There’s nothing wrong with having possessions, but we have to be careful to keep them in perspective. They can steal too much of our time and attention. It’s all as ridiculous as the Israelites’ golden calf, except for one thing. We’re looking to material objects for what only God can give us; happiness, joy and peace. 

We, for some reason think we don’t need God. We believe all of our material possessions, as well as other idols in our lives, are security blankets. If this is you I’m talking about, you’re in trouble. What happens when all of these things start to disappear from you one by one?

Modern day idols may not be golden calves; they can be sports, video games, relationships, jobs, money or anything that takes a place above God in our lives. If you have your own golden calf and chances are that most of us do and we don’t even realize it. Turn back to God today and put him back in first place in your life where he belongs.


If we continue to put God on the back burner, we will eventually lose everything. Jesus said in Mark, chapter 8: “What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and in return loses his soul?” In the end, it’s just not worth the price.

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