Golden Calf

"They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. they have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.'"
Exodus 31:8

As long as mankind has existed, we have created idols. The Israelites were only one nation of many who turned to idols. After this unfortunate episode, they went on to worship Baal, Astarte, and others. All this happened after God had given the commandments, proclaiming himself as the one, true God. They knew he was God, they had seen his hand of deliverance, help, provision, and miracles. Yet they still chose to turn away and follow other gods.
    The making of the golden calf was a result of a basic desire within man. We want a god. Moses had been gone for many days and they quickly forgot the amazing experiences they had gone through with the true God. So they created one of their own. In fact, when Moses confronted his brother, Aaron, about it, Aaron said: "Then they gave me gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came the calf!" (Exodus 32:24b). This illustrates how ludicrous the following of idols is. Everything changes when we worship idols.
    Of course, we have very few actual carved and crafted idols in our advanced western world, today. However, we continue to struggle with idols. We may not be able to see or touch them, but idols exist everywhere. Like the Israelites, we can make idols out of anything. The first commandment tells us that we are to have no other God besides our God. God said to Moses: "Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God." (Exodus 34:14). It seems God does not tolerate idols. Since this is true, we must remove the idols from our lives.
    I could name many things that are potential idols; money, recreation, sports, alcohol...and the list goes on and on. But the heart of the matter is this: We must examine our own lives and ask God to reveal idols. Anything that has become a god must go, because God is jealous. Nothing can fill his place. There is nothing and no one equal to our God. So examine your life today. Is there anything that you have made into a god? This doesn't mean that you must abandon the activity or thing, it means that you must return to God fully, and return the activity to its proper status. The words of the old hymn apply: Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will brow strangely dim, In the light of His glory and grace."