Exodus 32:1-6

MOSES DELAYED

Verse 1, 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.

I.    The people have no idea as to God's will, thus they sin.

A.  A terrible interruption in the history of Israel.

1.      There are many terrible interruptions in the history of churches and God's people.

2.      These interruptions change the course of entire lives.

3.      Things will never be the same again.

B.   Eph. 5:17 - Be ye not unwise, but understanding the will of the Lord.

C.   When they lost Moses, they lost sight of God's leadership and went astray.

1.      They didn't lose sight of God's plan (verse 1 - make us gods to go before us).

2.      They understood God's plan for the land of milk and honey, but failed to see God's plan for a holy life before Him.

3.      Eph. 4:11-16 - God has given pastors and teachers to edify the church.

a.   When a church loses its pastor it often loses its leadership of the Lord.

b.   I have known churches to be without a pastor so long, they finally decided they didn't need a pastor at all.

c.   But they're not doing anything!

D.  Ex. 24:3-8 - In verse 3 and 7, the people say they will obey the Lord, but without a spiritual leader, they lose sight of the spiritual part of their lives.

E.   Make us gods, we don't know about Moses.

1.      Why is it necessary to make other gods?

2.   Is Moses their God?

3.      Some people are guilty of following the man God gave them instead of following God.  They will always fail.

4.      gods - How many do they want?

II.      Misinterpretations of the Lord's delays cause problems.

A.            Compare Verse 6 and 7 - the 39th day of Moses' absence.

1.      Matt. 24:44 - When ye think not, the Son of Man cometh.

2.   I Thess. 5:3 - When they shall say peace and safety, then cometh sudden destruction.

3.      Some people can't hold true worship for 6 weeks.  Revivals are soon over for them.

B.   I Sam. 13:8-16 - Saul didn't wait for Samuel and so lost the kingdom.

C.   II Peter 3:3-10 - Scoffers in the last days because God didn't come when they thought He should.

D.  Matt. 24:48 - The unfaithful servant says "My Lord delayeth His coming", and begins to act like the world.

Verse 2-6, 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.

III. I don't believe the people have in their mind to forsake the worship of a higher being, they just follow their natural instincts and worship their own created gods -- Rom. 1:21-23.

A.  Verse 1 - Gods to go before us - they still have in mind to serve a god.  They want a symbol of the invisible God, which is against His commands, Ex. 20:4,5.

1.      Verse 4 - The golden calf are the gods which brought you out of Egypt.

a.   The golden calf is a symbol of Egyptian worship.

b.   The devil has lost the victory in Egypt, but now tries to regain a foothold with Israel by claiming to be the one who led them out of Egypt!!

c.   Note: The devils' tactics haven't changed today.

2.      Verse 5 - A feast to the LORD (Jehovah).  The calf is being called Jehovah.

3.      Verse 6 - a carnal, fleshly, pleasing to the flesh worship.

B.   Acts 7:39,40 - Stephen says in their hearts, they have returned to Egypt.

1.      How little they thought of the journey God had brought them on.

2.      How little they thought of Moses.

a.   No mention of a time of mourning for this man.

b.   Heb. 13:17 - They really hadn't submitted themselves to Moses.

c.   I Thess 5:12,13 - They didn't follow this scripture which would help them to be faithful.

C.   Why make a calf?

1.      Acts 7:39,40 - Stephen said in their hearts, they had returned to Egypt.

2.      Ezekiel 20:5-8 - They didn't forsake the idols of Egypt.

3.      Ezekiel 23:8 - They didn't leave the whoredoms brought from Egypt.

4.   Ps. 106:19,20 - They made an ox.

IV. Aaron's part.

A.  His history.

1.   Ex. 4:14 - Moses' brother.

2.   Ex. 4:14,15 - Moses mouthpiece.

3.   Ex. 5:1 - Aaron had seen and summoned all the works of God in Egypt.

4.   Ex. 24:9-14 - He saw God on Mt. Sinai.

5.   Ex. 24:14 - Put in charge of the people.

B.   His actions.

1.      Didn't speak a word against the proposal of the people.

2.      Didn't seem to mourn for his brother.

3.   He was the one who received the gold, melted it and poured it into the mold and fashioned it with a graving tool.

4.      Made a proclamation about the next days feast to their new god.

5.      Apparently approved the whole scheme.

C.   Note: Rebelling (backsliding) doesn't seem like work, but it is.

1.      Verse 2-5 - Note all the work Aaron and the people went to in order to rebel against God.

2.      Verse 24 - Note that Aaron said the calf made itself.

3.      When we backslide (rebel) against God, we must put a lot of effort into it, but it don't seem like we've done any work.