Now when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people assembled about Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 

                                                                                                                     Exodus 32:1 

Read: Exodus 32

We are a distracted people. Media, sound bytes, and the constant flow of information seem to be the norm for many in our culture today. Running from here to there, keeping up with our schedules and obligations. We always seem to be on the move. But scripture reminds us to “be still”, to “cease striving”, and to remember that God is God (Psalm 46:10).

God is perfect. We are not. God is the same, always. Our emotions, however, tend to ebb and flow depending on the environment and the situation. No matter how much God does for us, we tend to forget and stray away from Him and His goodness. This is the condition known as the depravity of man. In today’s passage, Moses has ascended to Mount Sinai once again to be in the presence of God. The people Moses was leading were left behind to wait for his return. Impatience in waiting for Moses led to an opportunity to stray. And stray they did. While Moses is gone, the people demand another leader to take his place.

Noticed the word “delayed”. Moses was “delayed” from coming down the mountain. In general, we don’t like delays. A delayed flight, a delay from a pile up on the freeway, or even being delayed by someone who stops us to talk while all we can think about is getting to our next destination on time. We live in a culture that is on the move. Anything that upsets our plans and our schedules is usually regarded as an unwelcome obstacle.

The Israelites were no different. Anxious to proceed out of the desert, these people interpreted Moses’ delay as an unwelcome obstacle. “Waiting for Moses is just going to slow us down, after all, he may not even come back.” They quickly turned to Aaron and demanded a “god” to go before them.

What I find interesting about this request is that the people obviously understood the need to acknowledge a “god” of some kind. In today’s modern culture, some might just choose to go it alone, believing that a “god” was not even necessary. But not for the Israelites, they knew the importance of having a “god” of some kind on their side. And another surprising element, although they understood the necessity of having a “god” go before them, they were quickly willing to pass the baton over to an inanimate object.

Think of all of the distractions that we have in our lives today. It is easy to forget all of the things that God has done and for us to allow these other things to become “gods” in our lives. The Bible refers to this misplaced prioritizing as idolatry. Anytime we make someone or something more important than God, we are committing idolatry.

There are two passages of scripture that I believe can help assist us in our keeping God the center of our thoughts, words, and actions. Consider the following:

And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you.

Luke 12:29-31

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

God deserves our very best. He is the One who Created us (Genesis 1:26), He is the One who redeems us (Psalm 103:1-5), and He is the One who acts as our Provider and Protector (Matthew 6:31-33). Staying focused on God in a world full of distractions can often be challenging. But the more we spend time with Him, enjoying His presence and giving Him first priority in our lives, the less likely we will be to give our allegiance to anything else. Be diligent in spending time with God today!