We’ve all been there. You expect or desire one thing but get another. This virtually happens all the time. I want X or expect Y and get Z. Maybe for you it is in marriage, your spouse disappoints you again, is unthoughtful, sins again, or just doesn’t meet your expectations in an area. Or it could be your vocation. The people, the customers, the contractors, the coworkers, the supervisor, the company, you name it. There’s a thousand options of ways people can disappoint you at work. Or it could be something you purchased, someone you trusted, or literally anything which provides you the opportunity to say, “Well, that didn’t go my way!”
Here’s my question: when that happens, how do you respond? How often do you, when you do not get what you want, give up on God or change gods?
Before you answer, consider this scenario. You might actually do this more than you imagine. Let’s go back to our marriage example.
Your spouse disappoints you. Then what do you do? If you are trusting and serving God, you respond to the disappointment in a God-honoring way and move forward aware of the disappointment but guided by the greater desire to trust God in the midst of it. Or do you give up on God and change gods? Do you determine that what you want is better than what God has given you so you are going to do what is necessary to control your circumstance. Maybe you determine to manipulate, hold a grudge, stay angry, fail to forgive, or use ugly words and tones. When these things happen, you have essentially given up on God or changed your god.
The Golden Calf
The children of Israel did the same thing (Exodus 32). Moses had been on Mount Sinai for 40 days and the people were uneasy. They expected him to be quicker. They were disappointed in the process. They knew he was talking to God. They participated in various ways in the processional as Moses and Joshua went up the mountain.
But 40 days! Where is he? Why is he not quicker? What is going on?
“Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall come before us…” (Ex 32:1). Aaron asks for their gold and makes a golden calf. The people respond, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!” (Ex 32:4)
God explained to Moses what had happened. Don’t miss God’s description.
“They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I had commanded them. They have made a molten calf, and worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!'” (Ex 32:8)
Do you respond in similar ways?
There are a few observations for us to make here together.
“They have quickly turned aside.” Only 40 days. That may not sound quick until you consider the other circumstances surrounding it. Only months before they experienced the 10 plagues in Egypt, walked across the Red Sea on dry ground, watched as the Egyptians died in that same sea, have enjoyed the presence of God by cloud and fire, and have eaten manna from heaven. Only 40 days later.
Sickening words in reality... they have turned aside quickly. But oh my, how many times does this describe us? How many times are we the ones who turn aside quickly to chase or make our own golden calf when God allows us to go through a moment of disappointment?[fbq]How many times are we the ones who turn aside quickly to chase or make our own golden calf when God allows us to go through a moment of disappointment? Click To Tweet
“Then they said, ‘This is your God, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Israel!'” They made the calf and then worshipped it. You may think, How stupid! In one moment they fashioned the idol and in the next worship it as a god. Surely they felt foolish. Surely they could see the folly of their actions. How could they not? Literally, they just made the calf and then began to worship.
Again, how often is this us? Something doesn’t go our way and we determine to make that thing, person, feeling, or desire our god. Then we worship. Oh maybe not with an actual service but we perform acts of worship to get what we want in or through a circumstance rather than trust and honor God in it. Manipulation. Vengeance. Anger. Ungodly communication. And various other acts of worship.How often is this us? Something doesn't go our way and we determine to make that thing, person, feeling, or desire our god. Click To Tweet
Questions for Reflection
Is this you? How do you respond when things don’t go your way? Do you quickly turn aside from worshipping and honoring God? Do you make your own god or change gods? Do you do acts of worship in service to your new god? What is your golden calf?
They have turned aside quickly and have made themselves a molten calf and worshipped…
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