“Covering Up the Disappointment”

Tuesday, August 06, 2024

BIBLE READING: Exodus 32

“And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So, they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”” (Exodus 32.22-24)

I wonder what Moses’ face looked like as Aaron tried to spin this story. When called out, Aaron crafted an absurd story about this calf magically coming from the fire. Surely, he didn’t think Moses was buying this story… did he?

Many of us have had these moments. We realized we’ve done wrong, but we’re afraid to take responsibility and face the consequences. So, we make up stories in our minds and pass them along as truths to save face. This is always motivated by self-preservation and fear. But if we were honest with ourselves, we would see that we are just covering up the disappointment of our choices.

The fact is, Aaron knew this was wrong. He didn’t even try to argue with Moses about the calf he made. It was a direct violation of the first commandment (Exodus 20.3-6). But he wasn’t just guilty in this matter; Aaron was responsible for the people’s behavior. Moses left Aaron in charge (Exodus 24.14), and he had failed. At that point Moses didn’t try to reason with him. Aaron was clearly not dealing with the facts. Moses took action to control the people and bring the truth to light. Moses is a powerful contrast to Aaron as he dealt directly with their sin but also pled for mercy from God (Exodus 32.25-32). In Moses, we see what a life lived in relationship with God looks like. It not only seeks the best for others, but it does so with in compassion, mercy, and holiness.

A couple of lessons to learn from this episode:

• We must deal with reality. It’s much easier to pretend we’re victims or leave out events that paint us negatively. But our sins will always come to light (1 Timothy 5.24).  Accept responsibility for your choices and those in your sphere of influence. This is fundamental to stewardship. God gives with expectation, and so we must not obscure what is real.
• We must not make excuses. There will always be reasons for not doing the right thing, but frankly, they don’t matter. Wrong choices are never in our best interest and worse they dishonor God. We cannot be satisfied with circumstantial morality. We cannot convince ourselves that conformity is the only option. We cannot allow peer pressure to dictate our behavior. If we are people of God, empowered by his Spirit and the gospel, excuses are nothing more than a failure to trust God.

We are responsible for our behavior and our influence, and God will call us to account for both.

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