Ancient Idol Worship
The Golden Calf on an Altar. Altars used for Idols and sacrificing to Idols.
Below is the Message Audio followed by Typed Notes.
The Golden Calf was a famous idol built by Aaron for the people of Israel after they had left Egypt to return to the land of Israel. The Golden Calf followed after the patterns and pantheon of Egypt, because it was the worship of, and sacrifice to false gods manifested in an animal-shaped Idol on an Altar. It was built by Aaron at the request of the Israelite people after their leader, Moses had not returned from a prolonged communication with God on Mount Sinai.
Exodus 32:1. 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.
Exodus 32:2. Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.”
Exodus 32:3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron.
Exodus 32:4. 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, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”
Exodus 32:7-14. God sends Moses down the mountain to rebuke the people and threatens judgement. Moses pleads for the people, and God shows His mercy.
Exodus 32:19-20 When Moses came down from the mountain and saw the Golden Calf, he became angry, he cast down and broke the 10 Commandment stones. He burned the Golden Calf in a fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and forced the Israelites to drink it.
Ancient Idols were made of wood, stone, or clay, and sometimes of gold or silver. For the people of Israel, idolatry included the worship of anything other than Jehovah God.
God’s prior instruction to the Nation of Israel. Exodus 20:3-5.
“Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me.”
Idolatry is the worship of man-made idols which existed long before God’s call to Abraham. Abraham was born and raised in Ur of the Chaldees, which is in modern Iraq. Joshua 24:2 says that Abraham’s father Tera and Nahor, Abraham’s brother worshiped idols.
God’s call to Abraham was to abandon Idol Worship and God promised him that his seed would lead to the coming of Jesus Christ. Genesis 12:1-3 The Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse, and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” This was God’s promise of the coming of Jesus Christ to redeem sinful man.
Below is the underlined typed Notes.pdf