What Are You Asking It To Do? (Monday Morning Faith)
The story of the golden calf in Exodus 32 can feel pretty far removed from our lives. Most of us aren't going to go home today, gather up our jewelry, melt it down, make a statue, put it in the living room, and start worshiping it. But that doesn't mean we don't have idols. Israel's problem wasn't simply that they had gold. The problem was what they asked the gold to do for them.
God had rescued them from Egypt. He had parted the Red Sea. He had provided food in the wilderness. He had led them every step of the way. But then Moses went up Mount Sinai. And they waited. And waited. And waited. Eventually, waiting became uncomfortable enough that they wanted something they could see, touch, and control. So they took the gold God had given them and made a substitute for the God who had given it. That's what makes idolatry so dangerous.
We often think an idol has to be something obviously evil. But many of the idols in our lives begin as good things. A career is a good thing. Money is useful. Family is a gift. Relationships are important. Planning ahead is wise. There is nothing wrong with wanting people to appreciate us or wanting some stability in our lives. The problem begins when we ask those things to give us something only God can ultimately provide.
We ask money to make us secure. We ask our career to tell us we're valuable. We ask another person's approval to tell us who we are. We ask our family to give us peace. We ask our plans to guarantee our future. We ask control to make sure everything is going to be okay. And eventually every one of those things has to admit: “I cannot give you what you're asking me to give you.”
The golden calf probably wasn't Israel simply inventing a random new god. In the ancient Near East, bulls and calves were commonly associated with strength, fertility, and divine power. And Exodus 32:5 tells us Aaron actually announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the LORD!” They weren't necessarily saying, “We want nothing more to do with the God who rescued us.” They were trying to worship the true God in a form they could manage. They wanted Yahweh on their terms. A God they could see. A God they could carry. A God they could control.
And suddenly Exodus 32 doesn't feel quite so ancient.
We can do the same thing without ever making a statue. We can say we trust God while quietly deciding that we will only be okay if the bank account reaches a certain number. We can say Jesus gives us our identity while desperately needing someone else's approval. We can pray, “Your will be done,” while spending enormous amounts of emotional energy trying to control everybody around us. That's why John's final words in 1 John are so striking: “Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God’s place in your hearts.” — 1 John 5:21 NLT
Maybe a helpful question today isn't simply: “Do I have an idol?” Most of us would quickly answer no.
Ask something more specific: “What am I asking to do for me what only Jesus can do?”
What am I asking to give me security? What am I asking to tell me that I matter? What am I depending on for peace? What do I think absolutely has to happen before I can be okay? Those questions have a way of revealing our golden calves. And when God exposes one, we don't have to hide it or defend it. We can bring it to Him. Because the good news of Exodus 32 is not simply that God's people failed. It's that God did not abandon them. And the good news of the gospel is that when we could not save ourselves, Jesus gave Himself for us.
So enjoy God's gifts. Love your family. Work hard. Plan wisely. Save money. Build relationships.
But don't ask any of those things to be your Savior.
Don't trade the God who saved you for a god you can control.
Prayer:
Father, show me anything I am asking to give me what only You can give. Forgive me for trusting Your gifts more than I trust You. Help me find my security, identity, peace, and hope in Jesus alone. Teach me to trust You even when I cannot see what You are doing. In Jesus' Name I Pray, Amen.
