Forging Calves

If there is one thing that I have learned in my seven years in the pastorate, it is the need to stand for truth in the face of opposition.  To be specific, when God's people are pushing His chosen leaders to go in an opposite direction than what God has envisioned them to go, the pressure can be overwhelming, and it becomes enticing to simply give up.

I tend to believe that this is what happened to Aaron some years ago, as he sat at the foot of Mount Sinai, waiting for Moses to come back down from the mountain.

In Exodus 31:18, God completed a conversation that He had been having with Moses concerning the Law for His people.  In the next chapter--Exodus 32--we read that the Israelites grew weary of waiting on Moses, and enticed Aaron to "make a god who will go before [them].  As for Moses, the man who brought [them] up from the land of Egypt, [they did not] know what [had] become of him" (32:1)   Aaron, succumbing to the pressure, commissioned the Israelites to "tear off the gold rings" from their ears and "the ears of their wives, sons, and daughters."  He then took those gold rings and forged a golden calf in the fire.  Upon completion, the Israelites chanted, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt" (32:4).  When Aaron saw it, he proclaimed a feast for the following day, and the Israelites offered sacrifices to the golden calf.

Without doubt, this is an eerie picture to imagine.  God had already done so much for His people in rescuing them from slavery, but it only took a short time before they both forgot, and attributed that salvation to an idol.  Aaron--the second in command--fell under the pressure of the people, and ended up leading them into a dangerous situation.  God's wrath burned against Israel, and Moses had to stand in the gap to intervene.

As I think about this, I find myself considering the many choices that I have made as a Pastor.  There have been times when I genuinely felt God calling me to lead the church in a certain ministry, or in a certain direction, and I immediately faced opposition.  I remember a time in my first pastorate in Powell in which I deeply felt let to preach through Titus.  I had no idea that the church had just received new Sunday School material that would take them through the same book.  Every Sunday I heard a comment or two about how they were getting a "double-dose of the same thing" and how "the pastor should consider preaching through another book."  This was my very first sermon series, and for whatever reason, I knew that God was calling me to preach through that study.  On the final Sunday of the series, the main antagonist of the group came up to me and said, "I have never understood Titus in the way that I now understand it.  Thank you for preaching through it."

Ironically, as I look back on the situation and consider the theme of Titus, I see that Paul's message was to encourage Titus to overcome opposition, among other things.

If you are a leader serving in any context, may it be that you stand strong in the face of opposition.  I fear that many pastors end up forging golden calves when the pressure of the people becomes too strong, and we end up leading God's people down a dangerous road.

May we stand on the principles of the Word of God, knowing that God never delays in bringing us His direction.