Tailor-made God

Have you ever seen the movie Lars and the Real Girl? Yes? It was kind of good. No? Watch this trailer: 

 

In this trailer you can see that Lars thinks he's in a relationship with a blow-up doll. Though he can love the doll, it can't love him back. He tells people that the doll is a missionary; however, she's never shared the gospel of Christ. He says she's had nursing training, but I bet he wouldn't go to her if he was choking. She's not real, but he has assigned to her the attributes of reality.

Well, I've been going through the Bible in One Year plan and the story that has really stuck out to me over the past 7 days is that of the Golden Calf. In case you don't know this story, I will quickly summarize it. The Israelites have been: 

• Freed from slavery and headed to the Promised Land with a cloud leading them during the day, and a pillar of fire leading them at night. (Exodus 13:21)
• Miraculously delivered from the Egyptians, who chased after them, by crossing over the Red Sea as if it were dry land. (Exodus 14:21-22)
• Saved from starvation by the provision of manna (bread from heaven) and quails. (Exodus 16:13-14)
• Saved from dehydration in the desert when God provided water from a rock (Exodus 17:6)

But then, Moses goes up a mountain and is gone too long (Exodus 24:16). So they take all their jewelry, melt it down, and make a little golden calf. They call it God, worship it, dance before it, and credit it with all the attributes and glory of the real God (Exodus 32:4-6).

They are playing Lars and the Real Girl...except with God!

they should be slapped

But here's the sad part: I DON'T GET IT. A few hours prior, the golden calf was earrings, or a necklace! They didn't worship those, so why the calf? Lars sees real people every day, he LIVES as a real person, the doll came in a box. He saw her in the box. He blew her up. And now she's girlfriend material? ...I'm at a loss.

The only thing I do get is 1) Idolatry is dangerous; and 2) God's reaction to idolatry is rough. It's very different from the coddling that Lars receives in the movie (which is not normal, I'd have you on 72-hour hold in a second).

But when it comes to idolatry, God treats you like you're treating Him (as if He doesn't exist for you). That might sound harsh, but look at the language:

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.” - Exodus 32:1

WHO brought you out of Egypt?! Wasn't it the Lord? Maybe I'm wrong, because look at how God's talking: 

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt... Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” - Exodus 32:8-10

God says these are Moses' people, who Moses brought up out of Egypt. These peeps can be destroyed. And since Moses is a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob...he can just work with him. At first I was like: maybe the people weren't wrong to say what they said about Moses. He did technically lead them out of Egypt. But then, there was a voice of reason: 

But Moses sought the favor of the Lord his God. “Lord,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand?

 - Exodus 32:11

 

Am I the only one who thinks this is amazing dialogue? We have a people who have denied God, a God who says "FINE! I am denied, now you are denied and subject to wrath..." and Moses who's like: "They're still yours, and I acknowledge you!" 

It's deep! So deep that you might be thinking: "Whew! I'm so happy this is Old Testament" but actually Jesus weighs in here too: 

“Therefore everyone who confesses Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.  But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven. - Matthew 10:32-33

So I'm left wondering: is it bad that I don't get it? Is it that I am currently under a delusion myself? Is there a golden calf in my life? Is the golden calf ME? Am I my own idol? Is it something else? Have I made up a God that I want to serve and calling him Jesus? Where am I taking the truth of God (the whole truth) and exchanging it for a lie? (Romans 1:25) Ahhh! It's scary.

Fodder for my prayer closet. Thoughts? Anyone? Why did this golden calf situation occur?