Idol Hands

“When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, ‘Up, make us gods who shall go before us. 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 Aaron said to them, ‘Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’ So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’”
Exodus 32:1-4 (ESV)  

I watched as a paralyzed man struggled, pulling himself across a grassy park toward a grazing bull. 

As the man grew closer, with his hand outstretched, my Mumbai travel companion explained, “He believes the bull is a god, and that touching it will heal him.” My heart broke from this man’s misplaced hope, and I prayed. 

In the passage above, God meets with Moses on Mt. Sinai to provide ten guidelines of His love and care. As days turn to weeks, the people grow impatient. Lost in the desert, they panic, crave some sense of assurance, and ask Aaron to make gods for them.

Idolatry moves us to deny the one, true God.

The Hebrew word for “calf” in this passage means “a young bull in his full strength,” representing Apis, the Egyptian Bull-god. The people turn their back on and deny the true God to worship an idol from their times as Egyptian slaves. 

Though we may not hear about idolatry often, it is alive and well across the church and throughout every corner of the world. When we assume God cannot satisfy or comfort us, our hearts and hands stretch toward other things.

We take matters into our “idol hands,” calling the shots because we think we know what’s best. Basic idolatry is making yourself equal with God. When we do this, we inevitably grow disappointed because gods with a little “g” never deliver a path to peace, meaning, and fulfillment as the capital-G God of the Bible.

No people in history witnessed signs and wonders like ancient Israel. Yet, even miraculous signs do not guarantee faithfulness to God. Every day, no matter what we face, we must put our complete trust in the only true God. 

Jesus Christ remains faithful even when we are faithless, for He cannot deny Himself. If you have denied Him, repent, for He will not deny you. 

Waiting on God for an answer? Are you considering taking matters into your own hands? Don’t allow your heart to be moved toward a god with a little “g.” 

He is the only God with a capital “G,” so stretch out your hands and trust Him completely.  

Prayer: Dear Father, like the people of Israel, I can wonder if You will come through for me. But I read of Your faithfulness to Your children, and I believe you are still faithful. Help me give my full loyalty, complete love, and absolute life to You, the only true God. In Jesus’ name, amen.