Exodus 32:17-21: a reflection

When Moses comes down from the mountain and finds the people worshiping the golden calf, we see how quickly a people can turn from God to a substitute, even after great deliverance, and how the sin must be confronted and removed. As soon as Moses came near the camp, the account says, he saw the calf and the dancing; and his anger grew hot. He took the calf they had made, burned it, ground it to powder, and confronted Aaron over the great sin. Not long before, these people had been delivered by God with great signs; yet already they had turned from him to a calf of their own making, worshiping a substitute. And the sin was not glossed over but confronted, the idol destroyed, ground to powder. This shows how quickly the heart turns to idols, and the need to deal decisively with what has taken God's place. The heart can turn quickly from God to a substitute, even after great deliverance. Deal decisively with what has taken God's place. An idol, once found, must be confronted and removed, not glossed over. Guard against how quickly the heart turns to substitutes for God.

Notice two things here: how quickly the people turned, and how decisively the sin was dealt with. First, the speed of the turning is startling. These people had, not long before, been delivered by God with great signs, brought out of slavery, met at the mountain; and yet already they had turned from him to a golden calf of their own making, worshiping and celebrating before a substitute they had fashioned. The heart can turn from God to an idol with alarming quickness, even after great mercies. Second, the sin was not glossed over or tolerated; it was confronted decisively. Moses destroyed the calf, burning it and grinding it to powder, and confronted Aaron over the great sin the people had been led into. This holds a warning and a pattern for us. The warning: our hearts, too, can turn quickly from God to substitutes, idols of our own making, the things we put in God's place, even soon after his mercies. We must guard against this quickness to turn. The pattern: when we find that something has taken God's place, an idol has crept in, we are to deal with it decisively, not gloss over it or tolerate it, but confront and remove it, as Moses destroyed the calf. We do well to guard against how quickly the heart turns to idols, and to deal decisively with whatever has taken God's place. Guard against how quickly your heart can turn to substitutes for God. When an idol has crept in, deal with it decisively; do not gloss over it. Even after great mercies, the heart can turn to a substitute. Confront and remove what has taken God's place.

That is worth taking to heart, for the heart can turn quickly from God to a substitute, and we must deal decisively with what has taken his place, as Moses found the calf and destroyed it. Even soon after great mercies, we can turn from God to idols of our own making; and when an idol has crept in, it must be confronted and removed, not glossed over. Deal with it decisively. Guard against how quickly your heart turns to substitutes for God, and when you find an idol has taken his place, confront and remove it decisively, as Moses destroyed the calf. Guard against how quickly the heart can turn from God to a substitute, even after great deliverance, and deal decisively with whatever has taken his place, confronting and removing it rather than glossing over it, as when Moses came down from the mountain and found the people worshiping the golden calf we see how quickly a people can turn from God to a substitute and how the sin must be confronted and removed, since as soon as Moses came near he saw the calf and the dancing and his anger grew hot, and he burned the calf, ground it to powder, and confronted Aaron over the great sin; for not long before these people had been delivered by God with great signs, yet already they had turned from him to a calf of their own making, worshiping a substitute, and the sin was not glossed over but confronted and the idol destroyed, which holds a warning and a pattern for us, the warning that our hearts too can turn quickly from God to substitutes and idols of our own making even soon after his mercies, so that we must guard against this quickness to turn, and the pattern that when we find something has taken God's place we are to deal with it decisively rather than gloss over or tolerate it, confronting and removing it as Moses destroyed the calf, so that we do well to guard against how quickly the heart turns to idols and to deal decisively with whatever has taken God's place.