Golden Calves Among God’s People

Micah J. Sturm

The people of God had been surrounded by images and practices of the gods of Egypt for hundreds of years. One of the Egyptian deities was in the form a bull named Apis and they believed it possessed the powers of nature and prosperity. Everyone in the land was influenced by the bull.

“Apis…represented the core cultural values and understanding of all Egyptians…eternity itself and the harmonious balance of the universe” (Ancient History Encyclopedia).

It’s easy to be overcome by the bull surrounding us and not realize that we’ve been shaped more by bull than by the one true God.

Six weeks after leaving Egypt they arrive at Horeb. God had rescued them from bondage in a miracle of His grace. He provided victory over their enemies, gave them bread from heaven and water from a rock.

Now they stand at the foot of Mount Horeb (Sinai) where the powerful presence of God descended to set them apart by His very Word.

It is here at Horeb that we find God’s people are still full of bull—the Egypt they’d left behind still lingered within them.

(1) They refused to wait on God (Exodus 32:1)

(2) They returned to practices from which they were delivered (Exodus 32:1)

(3) They looked for someone who could be manipulated to promote their agenda and demands (Exodus 32:1)

(4) They spared no expense in order to get what they wanted (Exodus 32: 2-4)

(5) They slapped God’s name on their sin and celebrated it as progress (Exodus 32:5)

(6) They lost the favor of God—He was ready to destroy them (Deuteronomy 9:19).

(7) They were “unrestrained” and “out of control” with self-sanctioned behaviors that went unaddressed by the religious leaders (Exodus 32:6)

The bull was in their hearts before it came out of the fire.

A life given to bull always leads to death—3,000 men died when God purged the bull from His people (Exodus 32:28).

It is still the will of God to cleanse our stubborn and bullheaded hearts that are bent on having our own way!

Let Him slaughter our bull and fill our hearts with His Spirit.

What golden calf have we set up in place of the Lord? The bull has got to go!

Holiness kills the bull!

The Cambridge Dictionary defines the informal use of the word “bull” as, “complete nonsense.”

Vocabulary.com says “bull” is, “make believe with the intent to deceive.”

Many people are still under the influence of bull—the complete nonsense of idolatry, hypocrisy, and deceit. We are bullheaded, stubborn, and bent on having our own way.

This is the essence of carnal, unspiritual, and bullish hearts.

I pray that holiness people will once again respond to God’s clarion call—“Who is on the Lord’s side?” and live beyond the bull!

“Called from the world and it’s idols to flee,

Called from the bondage of sin to be free!”