Exodus 32:1-8 KJVA And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. (2) And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] unto me. (3) And all the people brake off the golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] unto Aaron. (4) And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. (5) And when Aaron saw [it], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow [is] a feast to the LORD. (6) And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. (7) And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted [themselves]: (8) They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Introduction

There is a common idea in the world today that Christianity may be blended with other religions, other ideologies, other concepts and become better by the blending. I recently received a letter from a young lady who called herself a "Christian witch". She is thoroughly convinced that she knows Jesus Christ, believes Jesus Christ, and yet feels that God our Father has no problem with her worship of "Mother Earth" and nature as the goddess. She feels that she can worship both True God and false gods with the same vigor, that such behavior is not only acceptable but preferable to God. What the young lady is involved in is called "syncretism".

The old Webster's dictionary I use defines syncretism as "the attempted blending of irreconcilable principles or parties, as in philosophy or religion". A syncretist is "one who attempts to blend incongruous tenets or doctrines into a system". I believe that this young lady meets all the qualifications of the syncretist .... but so do many who are the most dedicated, most giving, and most upright members of our churches today. Though the young woman is blatantly blending Christianity with witchcraft, she is no more confused than many who have joined our local churches but who have never given their hearts and lives to God.

For our expository text we'll be looking at Exodus 32:1-8. When Israel left Egypt, the majority of that nation was unbelievers, or were believers acting like unbelievers. All of Israel watched as God punished Pharaoh with a series of ten plagues. The final, most terrible plague came when God sent the Death Angel into the land to kill all of the firstborn of that nation. Anyone who did not have the blood of the Lamb on their doorways lost their precious firstborn children that night. God showed Israel that very night what He thought about "blended religion". Exodus 12:5 tells us that the lamb sacrificed had to be pure, without blemish, and a LAMB. The blood of the Lamb, illustrative of the blood of Jesus Christ who would come and die for our sins, had to be placed on the doorposts just so. Israel huddled behind closed doors and, I am certain, heard the screams of unbelieving Egyptian mothers who mourned the loss of their children. What a symphony of horror! Can you imagine being alive on that night, sensing rather than feeling that Death passed your door to attack your neighbor's child?

Israel lived through this, then followed Moses and - more importantly - God from that place of horror. The Bible tells us that God Himself walked in front of the people:

Exodus 13:21-22 KJVA And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: (22) He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, [from] before the people.

As a pillar of Fire in the night, and a pillar of Cloud during the day. This did not happen just sporadically, but God left His presence before the people every day. And yet Israel, for all of that, refused to believe God in even the smallest thing. Israel constantly turned from the Pillar of Fire and Cloud, and turned back to the gods and goddesses that they worshipped while slaves in Egypt. If this was a nation of believers, it was a nation of pitifully ineffective and shallow believers.

If we, as believers, want to live a profitable and satisfying Christian life, we MUST avoid the mistakes that Israel made during the Exodus. Our God has never changed in any way. The same God who reached out and saved Israel with a mighty hand is the same God who reached out and saved you from your sins. The same God who left the first generation of Israel dead in the desert because of the evil heart of unbelief is the same God who will punish any person, believer or unbeliever, who fails to hear His voice.

If you are a Christian by faith in Christ, then you are on a remarkable journey, a wonderful relationship with Almighty God. We need to avoid the three errors that Israel made if we are to be happy in our Christian walk.

Error 1: Shallow Practice Makes For A Shallow Relationship With God

Exodus 32:1 KJVA And when the people saw that Moses delayed (buwsh {pronounced boosh}, Piel Imperfect, to delay <in shame>) to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together (qahal ’ {pronounced kaw-hal’}, Niphal Imperfect, to gather together <as a religious or political assembly>) unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, (quwm {pronounced koom}, Qal Imperative, <a command> Get Up!) make us gods, which shall go before us; for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

It is a truth in all areas of life that shallow practice makes for shallow endurance. The Olympic Gold Medalist didn't get where he or she is by missing practice, or by a halfhearted attempt at practice. The Gold Medalist practices, strains, suffers, and yet keeps his eyes on the goal without wavering. It is the same way with the Christian way of life. Many of us moan each time a trial comes our way. In fact, most of us begin to beg God for the removal of a trial as soon as it begins to exert pressure in our lives. Very rarely do we look for what God may be teaching us in the trial ... but that's exactly what we need to do.

Israel's first business meeting and their decision to order Aaron to build gods was the result of a string of spiritual failures prior to this point. Israel didn't just reach the foot of Mount Sinai (also called Mount Horeb), but went through - and failed - a series of trials to get to this point. In Exodus 14 Pharaoh came after the escaping children of Israel and, though Israel crossed through the Red Sea without getting their feet wet, the army of Egypt was drowned in that same Sea. The Bible says:

Exodus 14:31 KJVA And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses.

Though Israel believed both God and Moses because of this mighty deliverance, their belief was only shallow and superficial. They did not comprehend what God had done for them. They did not dwell on His mighty hand, and on how He delivered them as a Father would deliver his precious son. No, Israel saw and believed, but their belief was only skin deep. It had no lasting value, and did not cause the people to evaluate their weakness and God's strength. They were relieved that they were delivered, but learned nothing from the experience. This was the case at every test that nation went through as they moved toward their final destination. God would test, they would cry, God would deliver, they would forget it. The tests had absolutely no effect on their lives for they lived in the moment and not for God their Savior.

Israel was like the failed marathon runner who, when asked why he came in last place in the race, said "I don't understand it . I read every book I could get my hands on about the subject. No, I never practiced running - I just read about it." Unless you put into practice what you study, you will continue to lose the race of life. You will remain terribly ineffective for both Christ and your Church. Beloved, you must watch the Lord deliver you from the trial, learn from the trial, and store what you have learned in your heart. Israel failed to do this - and suffered the consequences.

When Israel reached the foot of Mount Horeb the nation should have been prepared for what was about to occur. God our Father, who sees the heart of all people, knew that Israel was still terribly infected with the idolatry and worldliness of Egypt. The LORD sent Moses up into the Mountain to receive the Law by which He would govern that nation. When Moses failed to return from the Mountain immediately as each day passed Israel begin to ask itself, "What can I do to help"? Israel was used to helping the gods of Egypt out by building statues and offering their children for service. Moses was gone and they had done nothing. Perhaps the gods expect us to help!

As this idea percolated throughout Israel the people began to feel shame that they were so ineffective at helping God. What did they do? They had a business meeting, a majority rules business meeting where they discussed their options. They did not ask Aaron to call a business meeting, nor is there any indication as to what Aaron was doing prior to this meeting. He may have been praying. He may have been sleeping. But it is certain that he wasn't leading, nor did he stand up for our Creator God as Moses had done so many times before. He got up because the people ordered him to get up, and went into action at the whim of the people. No, Aaron was ineffective as a leader - but he is also indicative of many of the leaders we have in the church today. Is there racism in the church? Ignore it. Is there hate mongering in the church? Allow it. Is there separatism in the church? Support it. Are there members on the church roll, troublemakers that only pop up when they can fan the flames of riot? What of it? Call a business meeting and see what the majority has to say, regardless as to our God's input.

So Israel had a business meeting and determined that they could best help God by building some idols that they could follow. Maybe God was tired from leading them out of Egypt and needed a break. They followed a pillar of Fire and a pillar of Cloud to this point, but the pillar was gone: let's build a substitute pillar. Majority rules. Case closed.

Application

When a believer does not use the valid resources that God provides, that believer creates a vacuum in himself that must be filled. There is absolutely nothing wrong with going to the doctor when you're sick. But, Beloved, shouldn't a sick believer pray to the Creator before going to the doctor? There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting an education and pursuing employment in a rewarding career field. But shouldn't the believer also be concerned about his own Biblical education and the direction that God wants him to take in this life? Our Father has provided resources for each and every one of us to use. If we are saved by faith in Christ, we have the power of Prayer and Fasting. We have the Word of God, complete and necessary for our growth as believers. We have the various trials that our Creator send to us to hone us, to teach us to depend on Him and on His Words. Our leaders must learn to first count on God, the Only God, before they count on other things. As a church we need to cease making the "majority rule" the main determining factor in what we do. If what we want to do is not endorsed by the Scripture and by the leading of God the Holy Spirit as we pray, then our majority decision may not be the best. Israel had not been relying on God up to this point, but instead were relying on Moses. When Moses went up into the Mountain and remained gone, that leader which the nation had followed in the place of God had to be replaced. Israel had not devoted its heart to God their Savior. They had not cast everything on Jesus Christ. Their eyes were focused on Moses, their great leader, more than they were focused on God. Perhaps they even transferred the beliefs that they held in Egypt onto Moses. In Egypt it was believed that Pharaoh was a lesser god, and as Israel followed Moses perhaps they viewed him as a lesser god in much the same way. No matter. They had not prepared themselves as God intended them to do. They had not given themselves wholly over to God, but blended their religion with Pharaoh/ Moses worship, with the pantheon of Egyptian gods. Moses the god is gone - make us some more gods to follow.

Who are our Sunday School teachers, our Bible teachers, our deacons, our elders? Hear and heed this Word, a Word surely from God. Christian leaders are only truly effective for Christ and their church when they follow the precepts laid down for us in the Scripture. My fellow-laborers, I know that this is a tough path to walk, but you must walk it. The path may seem like it is a blazing flame, but as you fire walk keep your eyes on Jesus and on His Precious Word. Flames may soar on all sides, but as long as the Pillar of Fire is in view, as long as you are focused on Jesus, whatever flame that may engulf you will have no hold. Just as the Hebrew children were thrown into the fiery furnace, you may be tossed and turned by unbelievers in the midst, maybe even by believers who are acting like unbelievers, carnal, babes in Christ. If you keep your eyes on God He will redeem you, He will vindicate you, He will stand beside you as He stood beside Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego so long, long ago (Daniel 3:25-26). But, my fellow laborers, you must lead in accordance with God's Word and God's Spirit. Stand in the flame, but look toward the Pillar!

If you as a Christian are not totally and absolutely dedicated to the will of God in Christ Jesus; if you do not accept the written Word of God as perfect and true; if you are following - in godlike wonder - any man outside of the God-Man Jesus Christ, then you are a syncretist. The power in Christianity comes from following Jesus Christ, just as our name implies. We must not follow our own idea of Christ, but must follow the Biblical-Historical Jesus Christ. If we make it a practice to follow Jesus while prayerfully storing up God's Word in our hearts, when the trial comes - when your leaders are absent, stumble, or fall, your faith will remain rock solid for you are standing on The Rock. Study the Word, Pray, Fast, Follow the Spirit, these resources help the believer avoid the trap of shallow practice.

Error 2: God Helps Those Who Help Themselves - and Needs Our Help

Exodus 32:2-3 KJVA And Aaron said unto them, Break off (paraq {pronounced paw-rak’}, Piel Imperative, tear off!) the golden earrings, which [are] in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring [them] unto me. (3) And all the people brake off (paraq {pronounced paw-rak’}, Hithpael Imperfect, tore off from themselves) the golden earrings which [were] in their ears, and brought [them] unto Aaron.

There is inside of each of us a terrible thought, always lurking, always waiting to trap us. This thought is that we are somehow good enough to be saved, and that God must have our support if He is going to prosper in this world. The Israelites commanded that Aaron get up and make them gods to worship and follow, a suitable god-replacement for Moses who was now gone. Aaron counters with his own command. If Israel wants a replacement god for the absent Moses, then they would have to do their part in this new religion. Aaron demands, not that the Israelites take off and donate their earrings, but that they tear the earrings from their lobes.

If you look at the ancient statues from this time in Egypt's history you would see that the people wore great, solid round disks of metal on their ears. These were not smallish earrings. They were huge, dangling things. The Egyptian ear was probably pierced, and the metal hung through the piercing so that it dangled, free but safe. The richer the Egyptian, the more jewelry he or she wore or, if a slave owner, the more jewelry was permanently affixed to the slave's ear. This was the case with the Israelites. Whether they pierced their ears, or if they were pierced by their Egyptian masters, these earrings were nearly permanently attached to the wearer. If they were to contribute to the new religion, these people would have to willingly tear these rings from their very flesh and, being in great pain because of it, every donator probably felt a great sense of religious pride in giving their all for their new leader-god. To just take the rings off of the ears was not enough. They needed to tear them off, suffer for their forming god. Their god would not be powerful enough unless they all chipped in and helped with the project.

How great is the true God's Power? Is it limited to what we allow, or is it unlimited? The Scripture says:

Hebrews 11:3 " Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear."

God's spoken Word brought all things into existence. The only things that I see God used His hands on in the six days of creation was the formation of man and woman. All else was spoken into being. Would the Creator need our help to do His will? The Apostle said:

Acts 17:24-26 "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;"

We may call the church where we meet "God's house", but this is a misnomer. Jesus is in our midst when two or three of us are gathered together in His name (Matthew 18:20), but this building cannot contain God. Jesus is not only with us, but in every local church in every place in every country holding services at this very moment. This is not God's house - YOU are God's house. Hear His Word:

Ephesians 2:20-22 KJVA And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone]; (21) In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: (22) In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

God in Christ dwells in His people. He is capable to do all that He has said He will do, whether we help or not. God is sovereign, immense, all knowing, all powerful. Any God who needed our efforts to be God would be no God at all.

Application

This is the heart of blended religion, the heart of syncretism. When we begin to think that God is incapable of doing anything without our help, when we believe that we must help God by suffering a little, by bleeding a little, by sacrificing a little ... then we start down a pathway that can only end in blasphemy and destruction. Does the wind need our help in pushing a sailboat across a stormy sea? Does the sun need our help in warming the surface of the earth, bringing new life to all of nature? Though God, in His graciousness, allows us to participate in His greater Plan, if we, for some sinful reason, refuse to serve - then His hand is not paralyzed.

As Christians we are called on to make sacrifices for Jesus Christ our Savior. Jesus warned us that, as He was persecuted, we too will also be persecuted for our faith (John 15:20). As Christians we must be careful not to compromise that which God has told us in His Word in order to secure a more peaceful path in this life. The Christian way of life is not an easy way of life. If you want an easy way of life, stay a heathen. Follow the heathen stream of god consciousness. Join all the right clubs, pursue a good education, get hired at a good job, place God out of your mind while you follow self gratification. Sure, one day you will be judged by the very God you spurn. Sure, you can expect eternal damnation for your failure to heed His Word. But this life, this life will be much easier.

Beloved, you cannot make God in your own image and serve that image as the true God. The god of your imaginings, the god created outside of the Scripture, this god is none other than that old Deceiver, Satan himself. I don't know how to say this, but it must be said - even gropingly - so that you can understand it. Our Creator forbade the worship of any other gods besides Himself. In fact, this is the basis of the first and second commandments of the Law (Exodus 20:2-3). If you depart from the Scripture and begin to fashion a god of your own imaginings, you are not following the True God. Jesus never demanded that we rip off our golden earrings and melt them down into an idol to worship. The message of Christ is very clear, but it is also very exclusive. Jesus said:

John 14:6 KJVA Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

That closes the book. The deal is made. There's nothing more to be said. Jesus Christ is the only way to God the Father. What does this say of the good person who gives to good causes? It says that he's going to eternal damnation unless he accepts Christ as Savior. It doesn't matter how much he suffered for the god he fancies. It doesn't matter if he tore his earrings out of his ears and gave them to a holy man. It doesn't matter if he donates regularly to Billy Graham or some other viable evangelist. What matters is what the God of the Scripture has said, and whether we are devotedly following that One True God or not. Help God? No, avoid this trap of syncretism by returning your gaze to Jesus, the Author and Finisher of your salvation. And if you know not Jesus, cry out for salvation in His name - even at this very moment - lest you depart this life believing in your own golden calf.

Error 3: If I Feel Good About It, It's Fine. My Feelings Are All That Matter.

Exodus 32:4-6 KJVA And he received [them] at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These [be] thy gods, (‘elohiym {pronounced el-o-heem’}, gods, though often used to refer to the Godhead, the Holy Trinity, as in Genesis 1:1 and following) O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. (5) And when Aaron saw [it], he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow [is] a feast to the LORD. (Yhvh {pronounced yeh-ho-vaw’}, Jehovah, the name of our Creator God) (6) And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. (tsachaq {pronounced tsaw-khak’}, Piel Infinitive, to jest, make sport with, make a toy of)

The third trap that leads to a blended religion is the "If I feel good about it, it's fine" trap. This is exactly what the Israelites were doing. After sacrificing their earrings (and some of their earlobes) to the creation of this golden calf, Aaron reminded the people that they were just in time for a church fellowship dinner! Aaron felt so good about all the good he had done - the people were riotous under Moses, but now they were in one accord and all happy because of this calf - that he declared the next day would be a festival of worship, song, and food to all the goodness that had been done. Bear in mind that Aaron had no Biblical direction in what he did. Nothing in Scripture gave him the authority to build a golden calf as an idol. Nothing in Scripture told Aaron to build an altar to this idol. Nothing in Scripture told Aaron to declare a festival day to Jehovah. Yet it felt oh so good to the people, and thus they thought they were right in what they did.

I have no doubt that these people were sincere in what they did, but look at the result of their syncretism. The Bible says that they "sat down to eat and drink, but rose up to play". The word play literally means, in the Hebrew text, to make sport of or make a toy of something. The god that they had created with their own hands, this god now became their plaything. They gave themselves over to an idol but, now that they invested so much of themselves into this god, that god became an object of ridicule, a useless thing.

Application

The true God to Whom we have been called to have a relationship with is much more immense than anything imaginable, either inside or outside of creation. This is why God forbids us to make an image and then worship that image that we made. God is neither a figment of our imagination, nor is He a small part of the creation around us. So immense is His majesty that, when Moses went up into the Mountain to receive the Law, God told him:

Exodus 33:20-23 KJVA And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. (21) And the LORD said, Behold, [there is] a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: (22) And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: (23) And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.

Those things which we make with our hands, those things are subject to us. Many Christians in our era have fallen into fads and fangles, tricks and mystical things that the believer can do to "get God on his side". I have heard everything from "name it and claim it", to "prayer by this formula", to "give and God will give it back tenfold". Beloved, if it feels good, it may not be righteous. Rather than going by our feelings we need to go by what the Holy Scripture tells us. If a teacher makes a claim and can support that claim with the whole counsel of God, then it is Scriptural and should be followed. If a teacher gives you an opinion but that opinion does not find support in Scripture, RUN!

Our God is immense, our Jesus perfect and Holy, the Spirit in every believer sharing our innermost thoughts. We cannot create God in our image and then, once we make Him the way we want Him, play with Him as if He were a child's toy. Unless you see God in His immensity and, in seeing Him fall at His feet to worship - then you are deceiving yourselves.

I would not want to go through this life depending on a god that I fashioned with my hands. I am too weak to stand on my own. I need to broad shoulders of the True God - God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit - to lean on. And you need this same God in your life, too.

The Final Word

Exodus 32:7-8 KJVA And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted (shachath {pronounced shaw-khath’}, Piel Perfect, have perverted themselves) [themselves]: (8) They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These [be] thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

What is God's attitude toward the alleged believer who claims to know Him, but clearly worships an idol that is not Him? Look at the pronouns used in these verses. God says to Moses: "Go down the mountain, Moses, for YOUR people that YOU brought out of Egypt have fallen into sin. They have turned to perversion".

What does God think of your blending Christianity with other religions, other thoughts, other systems of belief? First, if we do this He is ashamed to claim us as His own. He, at this moment in time, did not call Israel "My People". These were "Moses' people", people that God wanted nothing to do with. They are perverts, and God wants nothing to do with them while they are in this state.

When an alleged Christian stands up and professes that there are many ways to God, that good people can get to Heaven on their own, that other religions are just as effective for salvation as is Christianity - then that person is a pervert. Why? Do you not remember how Christ hung on the Tree for your sins? Do you not remember Him crying out in the midst of agony and darkness, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Do you not know that His rich red blood was spilled on your behalf? Oh, don't move to perversion! Don't every claim any way is a good way to Heaven. If this were true then Jesus wouldn't have had to die for us. If this were true then God wouldn't have given us the first and second commandments against idolatry. If this were true then God wouldn't have punished Israel and the nations round about Israel for idolatry as He has, according to the Scriptures, done

When an alleged Christian stands up and speaks for that which God has expressly forbidden in the Scripture - sexual indiscretion, homosexuality, bestiality, and the like - then that person is a pervert that God wants nothing to do with. We cannot follow a God of our own choosing. As the Scripture says:

James 4:4 KJVA Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

Each and every person has a choice to make. Are you for God, the God of the Scripture, or are you for the golden calf? The decision you make will have eternal consequences.