AND WHEN THE PEOPLE SAW THAT MOSES DELAYED TO COME DOWN OUT OF THE MOUNT, THE PEOPLE GATHERED THEMSELVES TOGETHER UNTO AARON, AND SAID UNTO HIM, UP, MAKE US GODS, WHICH SHALL GO BEFORE US; FOR AS THIS MOSES, THE MAN WHO BROUGHT US UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, WE KNOW NOT WHAT IS BECOME OF HIM. AND AARON SAID UNTO THEM, BREAK OFF THE GOLDEN EARRINGS, WHICH ARE IN THE EARS OF YOUR WIVES, OF YOUR SONS, AND OF YOUR DAUGHTERS, AND BRING THEM TO ME. AND HE RECEIVED THEM AT THEIR HAND, AND FASHIONED IT WITH A GRAVING TOOL, AFTER HE HAD MADE IT A MOLTEN CALF: AND THEY SAID, THESE BE YOUR GODS, O ISRAEL, WHICH BROUGHT YOU UP OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT. Exodus, Chapter 32, Verses 1-2, and 4.
Moses spent forty days and nights on Mount Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments, and among other things, the plans pertaining to the building and furnishing of the Tabernacle. While Moses was on the Mountain, the Children of Israel were breaking the first two Commandments God had given Moses. They made a graven image and proclaimed the gods of Egypt to be their gods. Not only did they declare the gods of Egypt to be their gods, the Children of Israel gave the Egyptian gods the credit for their escape from bondage.
The Egyptians worshipped many gods. The Golden Calf was formed after the Egyptian bull god “Hapi.” The Children of Israel were familiar with the Egyptian god Hapi. Seeing that they worshipped Hapi in Sinai they probably worshipped this god while they were in Egypt. “Hapi” was known to the Egyptians as the god of blessing, strength and prosperity. King Jeroboam would later return the tradition of “bull” worship in Israel during his reign as King.
The Hebrew word for “calf” is the word “egel,” which means young “bull or steer.” The calf was not a small male steer as the word suggests, but a large young bull.
The Egyptians also worshipped a bull deity called “Apis.” “Apis” was an intermediary god to one of their main gods “Ptah.” “Ptah” was the god of craftsmen and architects, as well as one of their “creator gods.” The Children of Israel may have made the Golden Calf in honor of all three gods (trinity) since they were honoring the gods of Egypt for delivering them from the Egyptian army.
In their hearts the Children of Israel had already returned to Egypt and the gods of their taskmasters. In Prophetic Teaching, Egypt has always been a type and shadow of the World. God had delivered the Children of Israel out of Egypt (the World) and was leading them to a land He Promised to give them. Instead of honoring Jehovah God, who SAVED them from their taskmasters, they honored the gods of the Nation who enslaved them. In essence, they were honoring the same gods for deliverance who had enslaved them in the first place.
WALL STREETS GOLDEN CALF
Bull worship was prominent in most, if not all, ancient civilizations. The bull deity was usually given credit for a Nation’s prosperity and strength. Even today, on Wall Street a robust economy in the United States is called a “BULL MARKET.” When the Stock (bull) Market (a place to buy and sell) is up, it is a sign the economy is doing well; people are prospering and goods are available.
Unfortunately, today people still worship the gods of prosperity rather than the true God Jehovah. They worship what the workmanship (craftsmanship) of THEIR HANDS can bring them rather than God. Men may not get down on their knees and literally worship what their hands have created or provided, but in their hearts they worship Baal.
The Bull-Deity is still alive and well deep in the hearts of those who worship the ALMIGHTY DOLLAR. It is called the “almighty dollar” for a reason. Men commit spiritual fornication by bowing down to the god of worldly riches. Money and what money can buy has become the main focus of most people. Many Christians have fallen into the same trap. The “deceitfulness of riches” can never satisfy a soul with peace and contentment.
THE LOVE OF MONEY
FOR THE LOVE OF MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL; WHICH WHILE SOME COVETED AFTER, THEY HAVE ERRED FROM THE FAITH AND PIERCED THEMSELVES THROUGH WITH MANY SORROWS. 1 Timothy, Chapter 6, Verse 10.
Because this verse of Scripture is misquoted, many people think money in and of itself is evil. When translated literally from Greek, this Scripture says, “Money is the root of ALL KINDS of evil.” However, money itself is not the problem. It is the LOVE OF MONEY which is the cause of “all kinds of evil.” For many Christians, the LOVE OF
MONEY has brought with it many heartaches and sorrows because their motives and attitudes concerning riches have been perverted.
BUT YOU SHALL REMEMBER THE LORD YOUR GOD: FOR IT IS HE WHO GIVES YOU POWER TO GET WEALTH, THAT HE MAY ESTABLISH HIS COVENANT WHICH HE SWORE UNTO YOUR FATHERS, AS IT IS THIS DAY. Deuteronomy, Chapter 8, Verse 18.
There is nothing wrong with being wealthy as long as we are using our wealth to help the needy and to further the plan and purpose of God here on Earth. When God makes someone wealthy it is because He can trust him or her to use their wealth for the right reasons.
Riches can be like a sorceress enticing men into committing fornication with her. She subtly entices men into committing fornication with her by flashing her comeliness before them. In the end they have sold their souls for a single moment of pleasure. The souls of many rich AND poor men have been damned by committing fornication with her.
To put it bluntly, the prosperity gods of Gold and Silver have sent and will continue to send many unsuspecting men and women to the pit of Hell. The deceitfulness of riches is a trap of Satan which plunges unsuspecting people into the depths of despair, oblivion and hell.
FOR WHERE YOUR TREASURE IS, THERE YOUR HEART WILL BE ALSO. Luke, Chapter 12, Verse 24.
One does not have to be rich to love money or what money can buy. The desire to be wealthy can pervert the hearts of men as easy as being wealthy can. Many men have become slaves to the god of riches. Satan has MASTERED the art of spiritual fornication, and bought and sold the souls of many men. Man cannot serve God Jehovah and riches at the same time. He cannot serve two masters. Man will either love Jehovah and make Him his Master or hate God and become a slave to riches.
The richest people on earth are not those who have worldly possessions or money in the banks. The richest people on earth are those who possess the RICHES OF GOD’S GRACE AND UNDERSTANDING. We are saved by Grace through Faith in Christ Jesus and have become joint heirs with Christ. In Christ we have inherited all the promises and blessings of God. The BLESSING of God makes one rich and with it comes no sorrow. Proverbs, Chapter 10, Verses 22. The greatest treasures on Earth and in Heaven are the treasures which set men free from the bondage of sin-the Love of God and the Blood of Christ. A man’s true wealth cannot be measured by his worldly possessions, but by the godly treasures which dwell within his heart.
JUDGMENT AT SINAI
AND IT CAME TO PASS, AS SOON AS HE CAME NEAR UNTO THE CAMP, THAT HE SAW THE CALF, AND THE DANCING, AND MOSES’S ANGER WAXED HOT, AND HE CAST THE TABLETS OUT OF HIS HANDS, AND BROKE THEM BENEATH THE MOUNT. AND HE TOOK THE CALF WHICH THEY HAD MADE, AND BURNT IT WITH FIRE, AND GROUND IT TO POWDER, AND STRAWED IT UPON THE WATER, AND MADE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DRINK OF IT. Exodus, Chapter 32, Verses 19-20.
The incident with the Golden Calf was the last straw for Moses. The stiff-necked (self-willed) people had gone too far this time, and punishment would be harsh. The hearts of many of the Children of Israel were evil and desperately wicked. Many of them would die at Sinai because of their rebellion and spiritual fornication. They desired to serve the gods of Egypt instead of the true God Jehovah who had delivered them from their life of slavery. In Sinai (thorny), their actions, driven by their sinful (thorny) hearts, brought the Judgment of God upon them.
Their punishment was not only harsh, but astonishingly severe. Many of the Children of Israel were forced to swallow the very god they had created out of their gold. The god they created in their own hearts and with their hands would become the instrument of their judgment, punishment and death.
When people worship the gods of gold and silver (earthly riches), they condemn themselves to eternal punishment. These DUMB gods speak out and testify against them prophetically. Those who put their trust in riches are destined to suffer the consequences of their actions. Earthly riches can be distractive and deceptive to those who are trying to keep their hearts and minds focused on heavenly things. We must be careful not to fall into the traps of the gods of gold and silver that have been set before us by Satan.
BUY GOLD
I COUNSEL YOU TO BUY OF ME GOLD TRIED IN THE FIRE, THAT YOU MAY BE RICH, AND WHITE RAIMENT, THAT YOU MAY BE CLOTHED, AND THAT THE SHAME OF YOUR NAKEDNESS DO NOT APPEAR; AND ANOINT YOUR EYES WITH EYESALVE, THAT YOU MAY SEE. Revelation, Chapter 3, Verse 18.
Prophetically GOLD speaks of the “Divine Nature of Christ.” Jesus admonishes us to BUY Gold tried, or purified, in the fire. Jesus was not really saying that you can buy what God offers freely in the Divine Nature of Christ. The Laodiceans were wealthy people who were accustomed to buying anything they wanted. Trusting in earthly riches was one of their biggest problems. They were wealthy according to earthly standards, but poor when it came to heavenly riches.
When we buy something we are making an exchange. Jesus was challenging the Laodiceans to exchange their earthly nature for the Divine Nature of Christ. He was telling them to exchange their nakedness and shame for a robe of righteousness. Earthly riches are temporal, but the GOLD purified in the fire will last throughout eternity.
The Bible tells us that man’s works will be tried by fire, and that men will be rewarded according to their works. Read First Corinthians, Chapter 3, Verses 10-13. God uses the fiery trials of life to cleanse and purge us of our carnal nature so the Divine Nature of Christ can dwell within our hearts RICHLY. The gold (god) the Children of Israel trusted in became the very instrument of their death and destruction.
In Christ our true Wealth is determined by how much we GIVE AWAY rather than how much we store away. The more of the Divine Nature of Christ we share with others, the more we receive in Heavenly wealth and rewards. Every time we share the TRUE RICHES with others, we are laying up TREASURES in Heaven for ourselves. In buying Gold purified in the fire, we obtain life everlasting which earthly wealth and riches cannot afford.