MAKE US GODS
“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.” Exodus 32:1
When the children of Israel became unhappy with their leader, they went to Aaron and said, “Up, make us gods.” How could this be possible? This tendency to create new gods is definitely worth our consideration. On the surface, their actions are shocking. How could they turn away from God and Moses so quickly? How could they be tempted to forsake the living God, after all He had done for them?
The closer we look at their reaction, however, the more we realize it is not all that uncommon. What caused the Israelites to turn to idolatry? They “saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount.” They were displeased with their spiritual leader. They did not approve of Moses’ spending so much time with God. Therefore, the simple solution was to get a new commander and new gods. Herein lies the problem. People want gods and spiritual leaders who please them.
However, this is not what we really need. We do not need gods who please us. Rather, we ought to make it our life’s ambition to please God. We are not to search for men who seek to meet our conditions and desires, but for leaders who take us where God wants us to go. It is man’s selfishness and pride that causes him to seek gods of his own creation. What could be more arrogant than thinking we know better than God? There is a sense in which we can all be affected by this evil thinking.
The God of the Bible, the true God, is holy, perfect, all-wise, and does all things well. Our loyalty to Him should not be based on how His actions meet our approval. His decisions may not always be according to our preference, but we can know that they are always perfect. It is not our place to sit in judgment of God Almighty. Many people have made the same mistake the Israelites made in our text. When God or His leader disappoints them, they are ready to jump ship. When God does not do as they wish, or as soon as they wish, they are quick to blame God and go another direction. We do not need new gods, but we need faith to follow and love our great God and Savior.