Exodus 32:1-10
1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”
2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, “Tomorrow there will be a festival to the LORD.” 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
7 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt.
8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’
9 “I have seen these people,” the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.”
Related Text:
Deuteronomy 9:7-15
Nehemiah 9:16-19
Psalm 106:19-22
Acts 7:37-41
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Who’s Going to Step Up?
Moses was truly an amazing leader. He accomplished some astonishing results with a group of people who weren’t good at playing follow-the-leader.
Today, our world is in desperate need of some quality leaders. But sometimes, we have a poor definition of leadership which leads to complacency because we aren’t demanding more from those who are in a leadership role.
Some stereotypes describe effective leaders as being men or women who possess charisma or display outgoing and opinionated personalities.But these descriptions, in a way, limit leaders to people who feel comfortable in front of a crowd. I reality, effective leaders can also be behind the scenes, out of view to the crowds, and still have an amazing impact. There are great leaders in your church that you have probably never seen or heard of. They may set up for services, clean up afterward, prepare for children’s church or Sunday school. These people are leaders because they are serving God, even if the service isn’t bring them attention. They’re leading through serving.
BUT, if someone would have spoken up when Aaron was building the golden calf, of if someone would have refused to worship the calf when it was announced that this new calf was god, maybe the people would have snapped out of it and realized what they were doing was foolish and sinful.
Leadership does come in many forms; your actions behind the scenes and in the forefront, your words, your attitude, by example, through encouragement. We must lead by following God. In every area of our lives, we should seek what is good and pleasing to God, so that no one will fall away from Him because of us. We should be pointing people toward Jesus, not causing them to fall away.
