The Golden Lie

It is one of the most absurd exchanges in the entire Bible.

Moses came down from the mountain after communing with God and receiving the Ten Commandments, which had been written with God’s own finger.

He discovered to his horror that the children of Israel had been worshiping a golden calf. His brother, Aaron, had been left in charge of the people, and during the several weeks of Moses’ absence, they constructed an idol and began to worship it.

Aaron explained by telling Moses that he told the people to take off their jewelry, and when he threw it into the fire, the golden calf miraculously appeared! Something inside Aaron evidently suggested to him that his story was believable.

For some reason, he expected Moses to believe he threw jewelry into a fire, and, lo and behold, a golden calf emerged from the flames! The story demonstrates that people will say the most preposterous things in the heat of the moment. It is a sadly natural trait for people to go so far as to make themselves look ridiculous in the hope of diverting blame or responsibility from themselves.

Aaron was like the child with chocolate around his mouth, telling his mother he hadn’t taken the cookies. Aaron had done something egregious. He had boldly violated the commandments and had led God’s people into terrible sin. How should a Christian react when caught in violation of God’s commandments? God tells us He is a loving God, a forgiving God, and incredibly patient.

Aaron’s best course of action would have been to admit his wrong, but sin does strange things to people. One sin leads to another, and in Aaron’s case, sin prevented him from thinking straight. Aaron could have and should have avoided his shame and embarrassment by humbly turning to God after he had exercised poor judgment. When you fall, trust that God will forgive you.

Own your missteps, and trust God to set you on a new path.