Thousands of years ago, Yahweh rescued Israel from the Egyptians. After showing great signs and wonders, the Israelites arrived at the wilderness of Sinai. However, it didn’t take long for this newly formed nation to descend into idolatry and build the golden calf.

We read in Exodus 32:1:

​¹ Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”

So, there are two things that pushed these people to turn away from the true God to create their own gods. They became impatient and they didn’t know. In short, impatience and uncertainty drove the Israelites to idolatry. Even today, the same reasons can make people make idols or gods of their own.

People don’t want to wait. People want to know everything. Why? Waiting and not knowing to make people feel they are not in control. They can’t have all those if they are going to rely on God. So, what do they do? They turn to false gods. With false gods, you can determine the rules. You don’t have to wait. You can work on your own time. You get more control.

Making an offering to a golden calf

Thus, the Israelites did what they think is good for them. We read in Exodus 32:2-4:

² And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” ³ So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.

Did you see that, brethren? The Israelites gave their precious belongings to Aaron not as an offering to Yahweh, but rather to their created idol!

Foolishness in idolatry

To top it all, notice the foolishness of idol worship in Exodus 32:4: 

Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

Do you know how foolish that is? They just created this statue of the golden calf or young bull and they consider it to be the god that brought them out of the land of Egypt a few months ago!

Mixing true and false worship

Notice what they continue to do in Exodus 32:5-6:

⁵ So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.”

That’s kind of interesting, brethren. Did you see that? Aaron and the Israelites did not reject God outrightly. They thought that they could worship God through the golden calf. Then in verse 6, we read:

⁶ Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.

As you can see, these people are willing to make the necessary sacrifice to serve their idol. You know something is important when people are willing to wake up early in the morning.

What did they do next? They offered burnt offerings and peace offerings.

What are burnt offerings? Burnt offerings are animal sacrifices that were burnt completely on the altar. Its main purpose is to atone for sin. On the other hand, a peace offering was given to express gratitude and fellowship with God and others. Only a portion of the offering was burnt and the rest was eaten by the priest, offerer, and others.

So, by offering both burnt offerings and peace offerings, these people thought that they could improve their idol worship. They thought that they could make their worship more acceptable to God!

Making an offering with a sinful lifestyle

Yet, look at this, “And the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” They sat down to eat indicates gluttony. Their drink indicates drunkenness. They rose up and play, this actually suggests sexual play, orgies, and fornication!

Now, you might say, “Oh, I don’t have a golden calf in my house. So, this will never happen to me.” Well, here’s the thing, your idol doesn’t have to be a golden calf. Your idol is the one that you believe is more important than your worship and relationship with God!

If you spend too much money on entertainment, travel, and gadgets, then that’s your idol! If you’re spending too much time on social media, Netflix, and mobile games, then those are your idols. If you’re spending too much energy on your work and hobby, those are your idols.

Now, I’m not saying that those things are evil or immoral. Entertainment, work, and hobbies are important. My main point is that you need to evaluate how you spend your resources and see if you’re putting more importance on these things than God. When you let those things come between you and God, then let me tell you, you just found your idol.

Taylor Swift and Idolatry

Just to give you an example, brethren. You probably have heard about the Eras Tour. It’s a concert by Taylor Swift. The Eras Tour in the United States has face values ranging from $49 to $499, with additional fees depending on the section. However, resale prices soar even higher, reaching up to $11,000 for some tickets. Front-row floor seats come with a hefty price tag, ranging from $746 to $20,000, depending on the venue and location. Last-minute tickets are available at prices ranging from $300 to $1,800, with cheaper options often found for later dates.

I thought that the price was just insane. Yet, I learned that there are a lot of Filipinos who are willing to buy tickets as much as 100,000 pesos and to fly to Singapore, which of course, would lead to bigger expenses.

There are a lot of people who are willing to fly thousands of miles just to watch their favorite artist perform. They are willing to pay hundreds or thousands of dollars. They are willing to sacrifice their sleep and energy.

Now, imagine, what if people will have the same zeal and passion for the work of God? What if, the great enthusiasm they show for Taylor Swift is the same enthusiasm we show for God? Yet, God is greater than Taylor Swift, but people would rather sacrifice more for this artist than for God!

Offer Your Life to the One, True God

So, my question for you today, brethren, is this: To whom do you give your offering, whether it is your time, energy, or money? Is it to God or your idol? Because we can be giving an offering, but to the wrong being.

With that, as we give our offering to Yahweh, may we remember the lessons from the golden calf incident. Don’t make the mistake of creating an idol out of people, your possessions, entertainment, and your job. By giving an offering to Yahweh today, we are reminded who truly deserve our worship, loyalty, and praise.

P.S. Do you want to learn more powerful lessons from insightful stories like this in the Bible? If yes, I highly recommend you check out our online course, “Inspiring Stories.” In this course, you’ll read 40 intriguing stories that will help you learn how to live a victorious life! (Click HERE to learn more.)

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