Word to the Wise
Thursday, April 4, 2019 - 4th Week of Lent - Thurs
[Exod 32:7-14 and John 5:31-47]The Lord said to Moses, "Go down at once to your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, for they have become depraved. They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them, making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it, sacrificing to it and crying out, 'This is your God, O Israel, who brought out out of the land of Egypt!'" [Exodus]
The story of the "Golden Calf" in Exodus is worth our reflection. The facts are fairly simple. Moses goes up on Mount Sinai where he would receive the Ten Commandments. It took awhile and the People of Israel became impatient. They wanted SOMETHING to worship and God's agent, Moses, had disappeared. So, they get his brother, Aaron, to make a "god" for them. Aaron appears to have been something of a wimp to give in but he wasn't going to take the fall. Needless to say, Moses' reaction was dramatic, giving rise to the old joke about him being the only person who broke all ten commandments at one time! He found himself dealing with a fickle people and an angry God!
The temptation to create another God of our own designs is a powerful one. We may even try to force God to put on whatever identity we want that will serve our desires. This story is ancient, but so is the tendency.
Aaron also offers a lesson. When religious leadership gives in to consumer pressure of the wrong kind, the result is idolatry and disaster. Aaron lost control of the situation by not standing firm for the truth.
If we take a "What have you done for me lately?" attitude toward God and start looking for a God that "works for us.." we are truly lost in the desert. The theological virtue of faith has to hold hands with the moral virtue of patience, or all can be lost. AMEN