Exodus 32:1




When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”
Moses spent 40 days and nights on top of Mount Sinai receiving the instructions which were to be the foundation of life for the people of Israel. Not only was he given the Ten Commandments but also detailed plans for the building of the tabernacle, which would be the focus of the people’s worship. Forty days and nights was, however, too long for the people, who became desperately impatient. They became restless and decided to look for some different gods to lead them. Incredibly, Aaron, Moses’ brother and trusted co-leader, took the lead in this and commanded the people to bring him their gold rings so that they could be melted down in order to make a calf out of them. He then set up an altar so that the people could worship their newly created god, which they did with huge enthusiasm. All of this was too much for God, who tipped Moses off about these horrifying developments. He rushed down the mountain and, in his fury, smashed the stone tablets that the Lord had just given him.
This was a truly dramatic incident and it might feel rather remote from our lives. However, it is a good reminder of how quickly people can change their minds. One moment the people were assuring Moses that they would do everything that the Lord commanded them (Exodus 24:3) and the next they were busily making another god. It reminds us of the parable of the sower. Jesus described those who were like the seed that fell on rocky soil. When they heard the message they immediately received it with joy, but because they hadn’t put down roots, they didn’t last long (Matthew 13:20-21).


We need to draw some important conclusions from this. Firstly, the importance of us putting down deep roots in our faith so that, however great the difficulties, temptations and frustrations of life, we will remain strong in God. But it also reminds us that we shouldn’t assume that people are firmly rooted in God just because they express strong faith. We need to take responsibility for constantly encouraging our Christian brothers and sisters to dig deeper in their faith and become truly resilient for him.




Question: How deep are the roots of your own faith?
Prayer: Loving God, help me to become stronger in my faith day by day, so that I will be able to strengthen and encourage others in their faith. Amen

Released on 11 Nov 2022