Wouldn’t that be a neat God? Shall we start it?

**************************

It’s not too unlike what happened in our Exodus passage… and not too unlike the human need to create-a-God, in the face of being faced with God’s real demands on our lives.

************

Moses has been on the mountain with God for 40 days and 40 nights. God has cut stone tablets and written the 10 Commandments. God and Moses are talking over all sorts of things, including more detail about following and being faithful to these commandments.

But while the cat’s away, the mice will play. And just like in Cecil B. DeMill’s movie The Ten Commandments, those 600,000 newly freed slaves in the middle of the desert, are getting restless. Why is Moses gone all the time?

Why are they in the middle of this God-forsaken desert? Why do they just have quail and manna to eat? Who put Moses in charge anyway? Why can’t they do their own thing? … they could come up with some pretty good rules. Why… they could even come up with a God!… and this God wouldn’t be so illusive… so secretive with Moses… so demanding…. So unpredictable.

This God would be beautiful, showy, the envy of others. This God would be fun! You could see, and touch, and talk to this God. This God would be designed by committee, democratically! It would have all the best of all of their ideas.

Well yes… Moses’ God seemed to have some interest in them. And yes, they weren’t slaves any more in Egypt.. and yes, every time they thought they were going to die, somehow they managed to escape. And yes, they were fed every day, and there was this strange pillar of fire every night and pillar of cloud every day leading them. But still it wasn’t a God they could relate to.

So.. they went to the No. 2 guy: Aaron, Moses’ brother… and said… let’s make-a-God! Aaron was so pleased they recognized his outstanding leadership abilities and took them up on their offer.

Well, the first thing you do with a God is sacrifice… so Aaron told them to take off all those rings and earrings and jewelry they had stolen from their Egyptian masters. Aaron melted it down and made them a golden statue of a calf. Oh it was smooth and shiny… you could touch it, and see it… and point it out to others. And there was no question what it was… everyone saw and experienced the same thing.

And they were so happy, that they had a party… but they called it a religious service. They ate and drank and danced, and….. until the wee hours of the morning when most of them passed out.

Meanwhile Moses is up on the mountain oblivious to what is going on down below. It’s been 40 days and 40 nights. But God… the real God knows what is happening… and God is not a happy camper!

God tells Moses, and then says that they will all be destroyed.. only Moses will be left to carry the promise.. kind of like when God wiped out everyone but Noah’s family.

But an interesting thing happens at this point.

For all of Moses’ past weaknesses… his fears.. his ambivilence at being chosen for this position….. at this point Moses truly becomes the leader of his people!

Moses, who has just been given the gold ring…. Everlasting favor with God, without those cranky Israelites… pleads for this stubborn, complaining, selfish people. He says he will not abandon them, and if God is going to kill them, God might as well kill Moses too.

Moses reminds God of the centuries old Promise to Abraham and Isaac and Joseph. Moses even says the Egyptians are watching. Moses, in a foretaste of Jesus, intercedes…. Pleads… bargains…. Debates for not destroying this rag-tag group of cranky, freed slaves.

And God changes God’s mind.

***************************

Wow! Aren’t you glad we’re not like that? When I think of myself in that desert scene…. I see myself hiding behind a rock during all that debauchery… with my children.

As pretty as that Golden Calf is…. As tempting as it is to touch it and stroke it, and even talk to it…. It’s an idol… and God has some pretty bad things to say about replacing God with idols.

No, I’m hiding… waiting for Moses to come down that Mountain. I don’t want to be caught anywhere near that party!

And when Moses does show up and is so angry that he throws down the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments and they break all over the place… and he says "everyone who is on God’s side, come over here"…. I’m running to be next to him. I want to be on the right side… Moses’ side… God’s side. Isn’t it obvious?

*****************************

But then again…. I don’t live 3800 years ago. I live in the here and now. I go to church…. I read my Bible…. I know the story, and I wouldn’t make that mistake. Golden Calf indeed! What a joke. How stupid can you be, to think that something you make with your own jewelry and hands would have any supernatural reality! We live in an enlightened age.

Really! Let’s look a little more closely at what we do do in this age of enlightenment.

*****************************

What was that Golden Calf? It was religion designed by committee! Folks got together and said "Who do we want God to be and do?"

-- We want God to always be here when we want to relate to God.

-- We want God to be tangible

-- We want God to reflect our values

-- We want God to look good and make sense

-- We want God to give us our identity

-- We want God to attract others

-- We want God to bring us together

-- We want God to make us feel good

-- We want God to be accessible

-- We want God to be democratic and universal, loving, forgiving, judging