Title: The Golden Calf and Yahweh's Fury, October 9
The golden calf and the wrath of Yahweh
wrathful Yahweh
Today's text is divided into two paragraphs. The first paragraph is about the events of the Israelites making golden calves out of gold for a festival, and the second paragraph is about God's punishment for it. From what is reported in the latter paragraph, verses 7-14, it seems that Yahweh and Moses are fighting over Israel's great error. Yahweh God first said to Moses: “Go down now. Your people, whom you brought out of Egypt, are playing wickedly. They quickly departed from the road I commanded, and worshiped and sacrificed to a bull made with their own hands, and shouted, 'Israel, this is our God who brought us out of the land of Egypt'!” (7, 7, Section 8). And then he said again: “I know this people well. see What a stubborn people are you? don't dry me I will send my wrath and wipe them all away. And I will raise up from you a great people” (verses 9, 10).
If you read these verses without any preconceived notions, you cannot get rid of the thought that Yahweh God is really trivial. Being so angry that you don't obey your orders means you're not that mature. Think about it. Does it make sense that God makes an oar? When it comes to God, he knows the weaknesses of human beings, knows the inner heart, and knows all the consequences, so it is right to assume that there is nothing to be angry about. However, as Christians, we tend not to take these issues very seriously, under the illusion that we know everything about God. We just think that it is natural for God to get angry and punish those who do not obey God's commands. Do you really think that's normal? If it were such a God, there would be nothing different from us humans.
However, today's text clearly reports the fact that God is so angry. We can confirm that this is the case in the verse already quoted above, and it seems clear from verse 11 that Moses pleaded with God to relieve the wrath of Yahweh.
Moses now began to convince God. If God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, and now they are all killed in the wilderness, what will the world say? Moses' appearance is similar to that of a servant who appeals to the king who is preparing for war that the people will not be able to endure the damage caused by the war. Moses concluded with this: “Please do not be angry and take away the plagues you are bringing on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, who swore on your honor, 'I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give all this land I promised to your descendants to inherit the way'. ” (verses 12, 13). Upon hearing this, Yahweh withdrew the plague.
Here again, God is described as a changer of heart just like a man. If you are not going to punish Moses for his appeal like this, you will do it from the beginning. Why are you changing your words like this? Why does the Bible bring Yahweh God down to our level?
golden calf production
The real question is, is it really worth the anger that the Israelites made the golden calf? Of course, it can be said that the golden calf is an idol, so it must be punished by God. However, if we understand even the slightest bit of a situation in which they were forced to make a golden calf, we will not be able to define the matter in one word or two.
Consider the first paragraph of today's passage from the point of view of the Israelites. They are the people who risked their lives to escape from Egypt. It was expected that they would be able to enter the land of Canaan soon, but that seems far-fetched. Numerous problems such as eating problems, drinking problems, treatment problems, family relationships, etc. were lying in their wilderness life. In Egypt they were despised as a minority, but their survival itself was not greatly threatened. But now everything has changed. Everything has turned into a state of uneasiness, except for being freed. In addition, Moses, whom they depended on, is not seen for 40 days. It's natural to think that something like this needs to be done to find a way out.
So they went to Moses' brother Aaron, who was Moses' spokesman, and demanded: “Come on, make a god to lead us. We do not know what happened to Moses the man who brought us out of Egypt” (verse 1). This request is very urgent. This situation in which Moses, who had led them out of Egypt, went out of sight, is the height of uncertainty.
Nothing makes humans more anxious than uncertainty. This experience will be with you as well. Students who are about to enter college or young people who are about to get a job are anxious. In fact, it would not be an exaggeration to say that our entire life is a series of such anxiety. Because when we achieve something we think is certain, it instantly turns into uncertainty.
The Israelites, who were so anxious that they could not bear their lives, came to Aaron and asked him to make a god. It cannot be said here that the God they asked for was not Yahweh. No, it must mean Yahweh God. What they asked for was that they could see Yahweh, not other gods. Before that, just seeing Moses in person gave them peace of mind. Because when Moses proclaimed the word of God, it was like meeting God. However, because Moses, who took the place of God, disappeared from their sight, it was as if God did not exist. They wanted to believe in Yahweh God in a more visible way.
The longing for a visible God is in all human beings. Even God thinks so, because once it enters our senses we can perceive it as certain. Even now, we have a habit of converting everything into money. Because there is nothing more certain than that for modern people. This is not necessarily wrong. It is clear that all of our lives depend on these substances. It is very natural for a hungry person to wander in search of food, and an experienced person to stock up on food by any means. In this respect, it should not be a big deal that the Israelites made a golden calf.
human stubbornness
But, as recorded in today's text, why did Yahweh God rebuke the natural behavior of humans? What was Yahweh God's problem?
Look again at verse 9b. “I know this people well. see What a stubborn people!” Yahweh God saw the Israelites' making golden calves as 'obstinacy'. Perhaps to be more precise, it could be called Moses' judgment. For Moses, who entered spiritual communication with God, such a judgment must have come to him as the word of God. Moses knew this people well. They were a very stubborn people. They made their own golden calves, ate and drank, and danced and 'run wildly.
Picture the scene in your mind at that time. They were weary of life in the wilderness and made a golden calf statue. Perhaps they were proud of themselves. Even though they are now wandering aimlessly, how proud would they have been if they thought that they had achieved enough science and technology to create a golden calf? Whoever sees it, this is ‘human victory’. It would have been impossible not to offer a plausible sacrifice and hold a wonderful one-yard festival.
Think about whether God is calling Israel's behavior like this obstinacy. Are you saying that Yahweh God is the One who denies human life itself? Are you saying you deny the festival itself? There have been festivals in the history of Israel. How enchantingly beautiful is the temple in Jerusalem built by Solomon? What the hell is the difference between the golden calf made in the wilderness and Solomon's temple?
In fact, there is no big difference between the Golden Calf and Solomon's Temple in that humans made something through art. I want you to throw away the stereotype that the golden calf is an idol and that Solomon's temple is God's house and look at this incident. At first glance, there is nothing different. In a way, both are the result of wonderful art made by man for God. Nevertheless, the Bible rebuked the golden calf and praised Solomon's temple. Why does this bias happen?
These problems are very difficult for us to understand. Just as God did not accept Cain's sacrifice and accepted Abel's sacrifice, these are events beyond our imagination. But today the golden calf case is linked with a historical background. The following events are reported in 1 Kings 12: After Solomon's death, Israel was divided into North and South. In the southern Judea, Solomon's son Rehoboam succeeded to the throne, but in the northern Israel, General Jeroboam established a separate kingdom. Since Solomon's Temple was located in Jerusalem, Judea, Jeroboam made two golden calves and placed one at Bethel and the other at Dan so that his people would not have the opportunity to tour Jerusalem. Among the kings in the history of Israel in the north and south, this is Jeroboam, who is evaluated as the king who has the greatest disobedience to God's will. Biblical scholars say that the golden calf of this wilderness and the golden calf of Jeroboam are in a very similar tradition.
The problem lies right here. The art of the golden calf is not in itself punishable. It's just a thing. But when that becomes the purpose of human life, it becomes idolatry. Why? The Bible teaches that God alone is the source of life. Only through God can life be revealed. So the Bible tells us to empty our minds and wait for God to do that through us. When people are intoxicated with the golden calf, they eventually run away from the opportunity for God to work. People exhaust their entire lives trying to save themselves. The Bible speaks of it as 'perseverance'. The spirit of life is bound to depart from such a stubborn person. It is also a punishment from God. Think deeply about whether we do not have such stubbornness as a golden calf.