How disappointing is Aaron's role in the Golden Calf episode!

[Godlovesmetwo]

Exodus 32 (Golden Calf)
And God too.
"Leave you alone for 5 minutes and look at the chaos! You are totally hopeless! Useless! And I was going to make you a priest! You're fired!"
I cant believe Aaron would even encourage the Israelites to give their gold ear-rings to make a golden calf. I think he was such an upright citizen up to this point. Moses' right-hand man. Helping him with public speaking when dealing with the Pharaoh. And just relieving Moses of a lot of the leadership responsibility.
Apparently the Golden Calf Episode is looked upon as the greatest sin, Israel ever committed against God. An apostasy. Equal to Adam and Eve's betrayal in the Garden of Eden.

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

Exodus 32 (Golden Calf)
And God too.
"Leave you alone for 5 minutes and look at the chaos! You are totally hopeless! Useless! And I was going to make you a priest! You're fired!"
I cant believe Aaron would even encourage the Israelites to give their gold ear-rings to make a golden calf. I think he was such an upright citizen up to this point. Moses' right-hand man. Helping him with public speaking when dealing with the Pharaoh. And just relieving Moses of a lot of the leadership responsibility.
Apparently the Golden Calf Episode is looked upon as the greatest sin, Israel ever committed against God. An apostasy. Equal to Adam and Eve's betrayal in the Garden of Eden.

The point tho is that he wasn't fired. Aaronic priesthood is still well and thriving today. Call it what you like the fact also remains that for how many times God has shut it down it keeps springing back with it's strange fire. The only priesthood legitimately in place is that of Christ's Melchizedec reign.

 

[jsimms615]

Exodus 32 (Golden Calf)
And God too.
"Leave you alone for 5 minutes and look at the chaos! You are totally hopeless! Useless! And I was going to make you a priest! You're fired!"
I cant believe Aaron would even encourage the Israelites to give their gold ear-rings to make a golden calf. I think he was such an upright citizen up to this point. Moses' right-hand man. Helping him with public speaking when dealing with the Pharaoh. And just relieving Moses of a lot of the leadership responsibility.
Apparently the Golden Calf Episode is looked upon as the greatest sin, Israel ever committed against God. An apostasy. Equal to Adam and Eve's betrayal in the Garden of Eden.

I think it should serve as a warning to us all about the evil that all of us are capable of. If Aaron could do it, who was a part of and saw some pretty awesome miracles then we are capable of it also

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

The point tho is that he wasn't fired. Aaronic priesthood is still well and thriving today. Call it what you like the fact also remains that for how many times God has shut it down it keeps springing back with it's strange fire. The only priesthood legitimately in place is that of Christ's Melchizedec reign.

yeah I figured that. I was just rewriting scripture and how God must've felt like saying to Aaron. But how forgiving eh, that Aaron still became a priest after that.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

I think it should serve as a warning to us all about the evil that all of us are capable of. If Aaron could do it, who was a part of and saw some pretty awesome miracles then we are capable of it also

yeah I thought the same. Just I was surprised of this incident happening just after the covenant being set up with the Commandments..

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

This is my first time through Exodus btw. It is an amazing tale.

 

[Hidden In Him]

My impression has always been that Aaron was a fearful of his life, well aware that they probably would have done away with him if he had refused to assent to their wishes (Exodus 32:1). That's conjecture, but it's always been my impression.

 

[RDKirk]

Apparently the Golden Calf Episode is looked upon as the greatest sin, Israel ever committed against God. An apostasy. Equal to Adam and Eve's betrayal in the Garden of Eden.

Nope. They didn't even get punished for that, really.

Refusing to cross the Jordan the first time drew a much heavier penalty--a death sentence for that entire generation. When they complained about that, God sent serpents to torment them.

Then, of course, there was the penalty for the tax revolt of the northern kingdom--the northern kingdom got wiped out permanently for that one.

 

[Ken Rank]

Exodus 32 (Golden Calf)
And God too.
"Leave you alone for 5 minutes and look at the chaos! You are totally hopeless! Useless! And I was going to make you a priest! You're fired!"
I cant believe Aaron would even encourage the Israelites to give their gold ear-rings to make a golden calf. I think he was such an upright citizen up to this point. Moses' right-hand man. Helping him with public speaking when dealing with the Pharaoh. And just relieving Moses of a lot of the leadership responsibility.
Apparently the Golden Calf Episode is looked upon as the greatest sin, Israel ever committed against God. An apostasy. Equal to Adam and Eve's betrayal in the Garden of Eden.

The great sin is that they called the calf by God's name, YHWH. I have questions about this episode, perhaps though it is more simple than we realize. The people demanded the idol... and since Yeshua's teaching shows that sin takes place in the heart before the action even has to occur.... then Aaron could just gave up. We innocently exalt these people... while they are examples to look up to and learn, they are still just men, no different than anyone reading this. And thus, they were as capable as messing up as we are. The issue then is not making mistakes... it is making sure we learn from them and not repeat them and we can draw that from this story.

 

[RDKirk]

The great sin is that they called the calf by God's name, YHWH. I have questions about this episode, perhaps though it is more simple than we realize. The people demanded the idol... and since Yeshua's teaching shows that sin takes place in the heart before the action even has to occur.... then Aaron could just gave up. We innocently exalt these people... while they are examples to look up to and learn, they are still just men, no different than anyone reading this. And thus, they were as capable as messing up as we are. The issue then is not making mistakes... it is making sure we learn from them and not repeat them and we can draw that from this story.

Aaron's comment is interesting: "I threw the gold into the furnace...and out came this calf!"

The common belief at the time was that art was a result of a god's influence on the artist to create his own representation, which is likely the reason why God forbade such things.

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

Nope. They didn't even get punished for that, really.

It doesn't mean it wasn't Israel's greatest sin. According to Catholic sources, God's covenant with Israel was significantly altered after this. After the sin of the Golden calf Israel's legal obligations were drastically multiplied. No coincidence we have a Book like Leviticus following after this?

 

[Godlovesmetwo]

My impression has always been that Aaron was a fearful of his life, well aware that they probably would have done away with him if he had refused to assent to their wishes (Exodus 32:1). That's conjecture, but it's always been my impression.

"Hey Moses. That's the last time I'm looking after these guys in your absence."

 

[Ken Rank]

It doesn't mean it wasn't Israel's greatest sin.

The Jews certainly view it as their greatest sin. I also tend to think that this is the foundation for messiah's statements about "blaspheming the Spirit." If you go and read the account, they are attributing his works (works of God) to the devil and he then says what he says. Well, that is what is happening here.... God leads them out of Egypt, they then make the idol, call it YHWH, and declare it was that "object" that led them to freedom. It is a great sin...

 

[Hidden In Him]

"Hey Moses. That's the last time I'm looking after these guys in your absence."

I recall watching an animated version of the Exodus where, towards the end, Moses is looking out over all the Israelites after they had crossed the Red Sea. He looks out, smiling, and says nostalgically and lovingly, "My people..." I had just gotten through reading Numbers, and I remember saying, "Yeah. Don't wax too emotional, Moses... 'Your people' are pretty much gonna hate your guts for the next 40 years."

 

[RDKirk]

It doesn't mean it wasn't Israel's greatest sin. According to Catholic sources, God's covenant with Israel was significantly altered after this. After the sin of the Golden calf Israel's legal obligations were drastically multiplied. No coincidence we have a Book like Leviticus following after this?

As for the punishment specifically for the golden calf, that is stated explicitly:

The Lord replied to Moses: “I will erase whoever has sinned against Me from My book. Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about; see, My angel will go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin.” And the Lord inflicted a plague on the people for what they did with the calf Aaron had made. --Exodus 32:35