S240P7 – Loaded statements: Aaron
Exo. 32:1-3
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered together before 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.” So Aaron replied to them, “Take off the gold rings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron.
She had made her petition to God and asked her brothers and sisters to lift the issue up in prayer as well. Some decisions can be taken more lightly, but this decision was a big one. Each day she would awaken and wait for God to tell her or show her something, and each day would end without an answer. In the beginning of this process, she had no problem exercising patience. This was a big request, so she was willing to wait to make the right choice. As the days turned to weeks and the weeks turned to months, her patience wore thin. God was not responding, so she would ask whoever was willing to lend her advice. Instead of waiting on the Lord, she followed counsel as flawed as her own and motivated by worldly considerations.
Aaron was put in charge while Moses was gone. It was during this time that God was speaking to Moses and telling him what must be done to consecrate Aaron as a priest. While this grand plan was being unveiled, Aaron was being anything but priestly. The people had tired of waiting on Moses, which really is an indication that they had tired of waiting on the Lord. They cried out for Aaron to make them a god that they could worship, and he surprisingly complied. The most absurd thing of all is that Aaron knew exactly what he was doing, that he was building a god that did not exist. He took a pile of jewelry, melted it down, and formed a bunch of nothingness, and this actually satisfied the people’s desire for a god.
There is no other way to look at this passage. Everyone was aware that they were trying to make a god with their own hands, which is nonsense. However, it is no different than when we create our own idols to comfort and support ourselves knowing full well that they are empty. For those who have known the one true God, it is clear when we decide to worship or follow something else. It is often the case that we tire of waiting for the real thing and try to find a suitable substitute, but that only leads us to a counterfeit. Father, teach us what it means to wait on You, and make us too wise to try and form our own gods.