Script embedded in HTML

 “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.”[1]

The children of Israel had come out of the land of Egypt where they had lived for about 400 years. God brought them out with a mighty hand on their journey towards the Promised Land, which He had promised unto Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. A short time prior to this setting, God met with Moses on the mountain and began to give Moses the law as recorded in Exodus 20.

Exodus 24 describes how Moses, Aaron, Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu, and 70 elders of Israel went to worship God. As they worshiped, they saw God:

“…Moses, and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel…saw the God of Israel: and there was under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand: also they saw God, and did eat and drink.”[2]

Out of that group, God called Moses to come up to His presence. Before Moses and his helper Joshua went to God, Moses left instructions with those they left behind them:  “And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here...”[3] Further, he instructed them on what to do if they had any problems before Joshua and he returned. He told them to go to Aaron and Hur for counsel.  

This background introduces the very disastrous events that occurred in Exodus 32. Sadly, Exodus 32 describes the actions of the same people who met with God in Exodus 24. They saw God standing on a sapphire stone and saw his wonder, majesty, and beauty. However, shortly after these events, the children of Israel cried out for new gods and new leadership.

This setting in Exodus 32 provides another clear picture of the conditions and circumstances that give rise to false prophets and false teachers. The examination of these circumstances and conditions will reveal that what occurred then happens today, too. The same kinds of behavior recorded in Exodus 32 take place today in the professing church of Jesus Christ on a vast scale. These events serve as a warning to believers today, to alert us, and make us wise in our judgments regarding the circumstances and conditions that foster the rise of false prophets and teachers.

First, they disliked delay. “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount…”[4] 

Their reaction to the delay of Moses reminds me of the time as young parents that my wife and I provided our daughters a series of Bible story booklets and records called The Purple Puzzle Tree. One of the stories entitled “Our God Is Not A Jack-In-The-Box” captured their attention. The writers patterned the story after the child’s toy, a box with a clown or a little figure inside of it and a handle on the side. A few twists of the handle opens the top of the box and out pops the Jack-in-the-Box.

Just like the children with their jack-in-the-box toys, the children of Israel wanted God to respond to them immediately. When they saw that Moses delayed, they rebelled against him. They did not want to wait for him and God’s directions for them. They expressed dissatisfaction with delay. This same attitude has become one of the great evils present in the professing Church today, an unwillingness to wait for God.

Many people today want a God that responds to their demands on the spot. The desire for instant gratification dominates the church’s plans. The longing for numerical church growth prompts leaders into plans and programs designed to make it happen now. Many believers abandon spiritual growth because it does not happen quickly. Sunday school administrators appoint unqualified teachers rather than wait for God to provide qualified ones.

The Scriptures relate some very dire illustrations of the disasters that come upon those who fail to wait. For example, the prophet Samuel, after anointing Saul as king of Israel, sent him away to the people. As Samuel sent him, he told Saul, “Now, wait for me. Wait until the day of sacrifice, and I will come and sacrifice.”

As it got close to the day of the sacrifice, Samuel had not yet arrived. Out of fear, King Saul refused to wait any longer for Samuel and went ahead with the sacrifice. At that very time, Samuel arrived to offer the sacrifice. Because of he refused to wait for Samuel, God judged King Saul for his impatience.

In addition, Abraham and Sarah provide another vivid example of the disaster that accompanies dissatisfaction with delay. God had promised them a son. They desperately wanted the son that God had promised them. However, they could not wait. Their failure resulted in the birth of Ishmael, which brought pain and suffering instead of joy.

In contrast, the Scriptures teach the great value in waiting. For example, God promised, “they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.”[5] Again, Isaiah records another example of God’s instruction about waiting: “Therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.”[6]

Like the children of Israel who did not want to wait for Moses and God's directions for them, the Church today does not want to wait for God. We want instant gratification. 

Second, the Children of Israel disobeyed God's commands. God had told them, very clearly, “Don’t make unto you any graven image. Do not make it of any bird in the sky, anything on earth, or anything in the heavens. Do not make any representation of God. Do not make them. Do not worship them. Do not fall down before them. You are to worship Me and Me alone.”

He made that very clear to them. Prior to this occasion, the children of Israel as a whole swore their allegiance to God. “We will worship you and worship you only. We will only follow you. We will not follow anyone else. We will only worship you.” Yet, they said, “Make us gods that they may go before us.” They violated the first and second Commandments.

When it comes to worship of God, the professing Church today disobeys God’s law continuously. Oh, yes, excuses and explanations for false practices abound. “If it only brings in one lost soul, isn’t it worth it?” “Anything is worth one soul, isn’t it?” In addition, these errors gain acceptance if professing believers feel closer to God. The church eagerly accepts almost any kind of means that will bring about the desired numerical growth, even to the extent of violating God’s law.

For example, the Lord Jesus, in John 4, said to the woman at the well, “Those who worship me must worship me in spirit and in truth.” What did He mean by that statement? God does not want believers to use trinkets, images, or other kinds of things that we design to make it easier to understand and think about God and to feel Him. This particular emphasis has experienced a sudden increase in the professing church today. People flock to churches that make these things available as part of their “worship.” Such practices detract from the true nature and character of God and degrade Him into things made with hands.

The children of Israel disobeyed God’s law. They made unto themselves gods, idols that would go before them. First, they disliked delay. Second, they disobeyed God’s law. Third, they deified man. Notice what they said about Moses. “He is the one who brought us out of Egypt.” 

They attributed to Moses that which God had done. God brought them out of Egypt. He parted the Red Sea when Moses stood there quivering and wondering before God: “What am I am going to do?” God made the bitter waters at Mara sweet so that they could drink them. Moses threw the tree into the waters, but God made them drinkable. Moses did not provide the manna every morning for six days. God did. He caused the pillar of fire to guard them by night and the cloudy pillar to guide them during the day. God provided the water out of the rock when Moses spoke to it. The Scriptures record account after account of God’s supernatural works on behalf of the children of Israel, but they attributed them to Moses. They deified Moses and elevated him above God. 

In a similar fashion today, the professing church deifies its leaders. The Church desires leaders with glorious, wonderful personalities. They want pastors and teachers who will draw in the masses the crowds and sway them with magnetic personalities and wonderful delivery of messages. That is what people want. They have deified man and elevated him to the position above God. The church does not want God anymore. It wants a popular man. 

The want ads in the back of Christian magazines that advertise for pastors and Christian leaders illustrate this practice. Rather than looking for Godly characteristics and experience with God, they instead concentrate upon relevant work experience, education, ability to manage a multiple staff, and other human qualifications. In essence, they are looking for a man. Sadly, the Christian community has placed its emphasis upon man. Man runs and directs the church today, not Christ, the Head of the Church.

In the minds of the children of Israel, Moses brought them out of Egypt. He made the provisions for their needs. He performed the miraculous things. That describes the pattern in the professing Church. The church wants a Moses, somebody to lead it into the new millennium of the Church. Simply, the Church deifies man and rejects God.

Fourth, they disdained Godliness. The text says, “As for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we [know] not what is become of him.”[7]

They had seen God. They saw Him standing on the sapphire stone. Then, they saw Moses go up into the mountain to meet with God. They knew where Moses had gone, but they preferred him to stay with them. They had disdain for Godliness.

Look again at the magazines that advertise for pastors and leaders of Christian colleges and organizations. These ads do not advertise that they want a man of God. They fail to say, “We want a man of prayer. We want a man who will come and spend hours on his knees beseeching God to meet our needs. We want a man who walks with God, who knows Him intimately, and can share that with us and guide us into that same pursuit.”

Several years ago, my wife served as a secretary large church. On one occasion, the pastors of that church had gathered to spend some time in prayer. While the pastors met in prayer, she received a phone call from one of the members of the church, who asked to speak with one of the pastors.

She replied, “Oh, I’m sorry. He cannot come to the phone right now. He is in a prayer meeting with the other pastors.”

The caller replied, “What do you mean he is in a prayer meeting? He ought to be working.” 

Sadly, that describes the attitude of many in the church today. Few members realize the absolute necessity of their leaders spending time alone with God. Worse yet, few pastors and leaders recognize its importance. Too often, schedules, demands, and activities have a higher priority than time with God.

A number of years ago, I served on a pastoral search committee of the church that we attended at the time. As the committee met, it established a list of criteria for the new pastor, which emphasized the very issues mentioned earlier in this study. At that time, I joined in the chorus of agreement with the list…until we met one of the candidates. I will never forget him. It was, I am sure, God’s appointment to bring that man in as a candidate just for me, because that interview changed my life.

 I will never forget sitting in that meeting. As the committee questioned him on every conceivable issue, he gave the same response. After every question, he would give his answer to the question and finish his answer with this statement, “…but the most important thing is this. What are you doing with Jesus? Are you walking with Jesus? Have you yielded your life to Christ? Is he working and functioning in your life on a day-to-day basis? That is the most important issue.”

At the end of the session, God had used that man’s statements to change my life. Sadly, the church rejected him as the pastor because of his responses to the committee’s questions. One of the “respected” leaders on the committee swayed the congregation with this statement, “Well, you know, we really do need a whole lot more than just hearing messages about Jesus.” 

That attitude permeates the professing Church today. It does not want a godly man. More than any other qualification, the church needs leaders and pastors who know God. The church needs to hear from those who have an intimate relationship with God, who spend time on their knees and on their faces before God beseeching Him on behalf of the church, trying to know Him, trying to understand Him. That describes the leaders and pastors we need today. Nevertheless, like the children of Israel of old, the professing Church today disdains Godliness in its leaders.

Finally, the Israelites demonstrated one more characteristic of the circumstances and conditions that give rise to the false prophet and the pursuit after false gods and false teaching: they denied glory to God. 

After Aaron fashioned for them the idol from the gold that they brought to them, they worshiped it. They said, “These be the gods that brought us out of Egypt.” After all of the wondrous display of God that they observed, His nature, and His supernatural works on their behalf, they took a chunk of gold, worshipped it, and said, “That is what brought us out of Egypt.” They denied Him the glory that He alone deserved. 

In similar fashion, the professing church of Jesus Christ does the same thing today. The church gives honor to programs for what they have accomplished instead of God. A series of books and the systems that they recommend receive the glory for their successes, not God. The church increases in size with multiple programs and honors the programs that fostered the growth, adding praise to the wonderful personality who leads the programs.

The Bible warns believers that God will not share His glory with another. Thousands of years ago, the Israelites denied glory to God for His works and the church today follows too often in their footsteps. In that day, God judged them for their sin. In this day, He, too, has withdrawn His glorious presence and begun to judge the house of God.

This setting provides clear examples of the circumstances that encourage false prophets. The signs present in that day, dissatisfaction with delay, disobedience to God's word, deification of man, and denial of glory to God, have become increasingly predominant in this day. The church must awake to its condition and seek God for remedy.

Thank you, heavenly Father, for this example that you have given us in your Word of the failure of your chosen people to follow after you and in choosing the idols and choosing of leaders that would be other than the ones that you had in mind for them. I pray that you would teach us from it and conform our lives to the truth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.