Quote:
Originally Posted by countmeworthy
Remember that the Israelite's built a golden calf to remind them of God, because Moses took a long time coming down from the mountain. Here lies the spirit of confusion. Exodus 32:1 doesn't say they were reminded of the GOD of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Remember. They were in Egypt for a very, very long time. They were used to seeing the Egyptians worship all kinds of gods. And in the scripture (NASB) the people are saying let us make a god, little g.
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You may not be aware but Witness Lee believed this about the golden calf - that it was an attempted representation of the true God, and not of some pagan idol. The people made the golden idol because they were bored - it represented entertainment and amusement.
I thought the matter of the golden calf deserved a separate response. Some scholars say the golden calf represented the true God, not a god. Yes I know the Bible uses the word little g for god but what I'm saying represents what Jews believe about this, not some faulty English Bible translations.
Aaron was a weak leader and his request for people to bring their gold was a delaying tactic - he hoped to delay the disgruntled people until Moses arrived.
The golden calf coming out was not expected by Aaron - he did not tell them to make a golden calf. Jews believe it was the magic (or deliberate sabotage) of the Egyptian conspirators which made a golden calf to come out.
Because this golden calf came out and the people trusted Aaron, the people were deceived into think that the golden calf which Aaron gave them was to represent the true God. How were they to know?
I'm actually paraphrasing from this Jewish website:
http://www.chabad.org/library/articl...olden-Calf.htm
Christianity has portrayed this event as the whole mass of Israelite's suddenly turning against God in an instant to worship a false idol.
But according to Judaism it is more a case of deception and unintended consequences as a result of Aaron's weakness and Israel's enemies the Egyptians.
Reading further here:
http://www.myjewishlearning.com/arti...e-golden-calf/
It says
It is unlikely that Aaron intended the calf to represent another deity, since he proclaimed a festival in honor of YHVH [God] when he finished making it (Exodus 32:5). At first glance the people’s declaration, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 32:4), seems to imply that they took it as a depiction of YHVH.
But in their request to Aaron to make them a god, they explained that they wanted a god to lead them because they did not know what had become of Moses, who led them out of Egypt (Exodus 32:1). This seems to imply that they wanted the calf to replace Moses, apparently in his role as mediator of YHVH’s presence to the people.
In other words, they did not intend the calf to depict YHVH but to function as the conduit of His presence among them, as Moses had functioned previously. Many scholars believe that the calf did so by serving as the pedestal or mount on which YHVH was invisibly present, as did the cherubs in the Holy of Holies. This conception of the calf is illustrated by ancient images of a god standing on the back of a bull or another animal.
I believe this interpretation of the Golden Calf shows more strongly why we should not accept the Catholic idols of Mary and Saints. They say "it only represents God, we don't believe it is God, we don't pray to it or worship it". But according to the golden calf example, even a misrepresentation of God is actually against Him.