The Golden Calf: Part 1

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. 00:00:04 Speaker 2: Do not have any other gods before me. 00:00:10 Speaker 1: Lightning split the sky, lighting the darkened world around them, and thunder shook the ground. Again, Aaron spied more than one burly man buckled at the knees. He turned and saw a warrior wetting his tunic in fear. Aaron had never seen any god, Egyptian or otherwise, do the things his God could do, but he had often wondered where these foreign gods fell in this divine hierarchy, or even if they truly existed, if they ever had at all. It was now unmistakable that the God they followed into the willness reigned above them all. 00:00:46 Speaker 3: Do not make an idol for yourself, whether in the shape of anything in the heavens above, the earth below, or the waters under the earth. 00:00:58 Speaker 4: My God, you are the god of our fathers, of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the one who has brought us from our misery in Egypt. 00:01:11 Speaker 5: Your servant and your people stand before you. 00:01:16 Speaker 2: Moses, my servant, come to me on the mountain. 00:01:23 Speaker 1: Moses looked back at his brother and the other elders. Aaron's heart began to race with questions. Would Moses be safe. When would he return? What would become of him when he entered the fray. Moses, sensing his brother's anxiety, turned to him and nodded, see you soon, brother. Aaron opened his mouth to speak, but for once he was at a loss for words. He simply nodded and watched the two figures begin to climb, vanishing slowly into the swirling clouds, drawn up into the smoke and fire that burned on Sinai's heights. 00:02:03 Speaker 6: Trust in Moses, Trust Lord? 00:02:07 Speaker 7: How can we trust what we cannot see? 00:02:10 Speaker 5: Where is our God? 00:02:12 Speaker 8: We could see the gods of Egypt, we had statues. 00:02:16 Speaker 5: Temples and monuments. 00:02:19 Speaker 2: Is the Lord a nomad? Does he come and go like Moses? 00:02:24 Speaker 1: Aaron paused and considered it all. A small seed of doubt began to creep its way into his heart. 00:02:40 Speaker 9: When faith falters, gold tempts the wandering heart. Cello, my friends, from here in the holy land of Israel, i'm ya l Eckstein with the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Welcome to the Chosen people. We find ourselves at the foot of Mount Sinai. The children of Israel are ancestors, have seen the sea split and tasted manna from the heavens, and now they wait, shrouded in uncertainty. As Moses ascends the mountain, he lingers upon the mountain tap, and with each passing day, the people's resolves begins to unravel. Fear creeps in, whispering doubt into their hearts. When God feels distant, my friends, what fills the void? 00:03:31 Speaker 1: Moses and Hosher had been gone for almost forty days, and Aaron and Hoo faithfully carried out the leadership of the people in this stead. Her sighed a little too loudly for Aaron's liking as he called the next man forward. 00:03:47 Speaker 7: H whoever is next step forward. 00:03:52 Speaker 6: Speak, my son, we are listening. 00:03:55 Speaker 1: Aaron and Hoo had been listening to complaints all day. Who's patience was clearly thinning, and Aaron made a mental note to address it with his nephew later. Aaron understood the importance of maintaining peace and unity. He had been the people's voice and sounding board for decades, much longer than Moses. Not that he was complaining. Aaron would never complain. He was happy to keep the peace until his brother returned from the mountain. And if this man a lowly shepherd, by the look of him, had made it through to their tent. His words must be worth hearing. 00:04:33 Speaker 5: Well, my lords, it's not so much a complaint, more a concern. 00:04:39 Speaker 6: What do you mean, Go ahead, my son, we will hear your concern. 00:04:44 Speaker 5: Well, we've been talking. Members of my tribe in me what do we do if we're attacked? Here at the thought of the mountain. We're sitting by the only fresh water for miles, the stream that flows down from the mountain. 00:05:03 Speaker 7: You see, half the shepherds of your tribe reported anything that we should know of an approaching army roaming nomads. Our scouts have not reported anything to us. 00:05:14 Speaker 6: No, continue, my son, I sense there is more on your mind. Let us hear it. 00:05:20 Speaker 5: It's just Lord Moses hasn't come back yet. It's been over a month. It was starting to wonder, what if it doesn't come. 00:05:30 Speaker 7: Back, he will come back. I myself was there when he told us to wait for him and that he would return. It wasn't just me who heard those words. It was all seventy of the appointed elders. 00:05:44 Speaker 5: All right, forgive me, but we just haven't heard anything since. So how could we say for certain? What if something happened. I mean, he could be dead or captured, or maybe he left. I just think, well, it's not just me. A lot of us have been talking. We need a standing of some kind. Meaning no offense to you, of course, it's just that if there isn't it, Oh, if Lord Moses never comes back, if people need to rally round a representative of our God. Eh, like Moses, he led us out of Egypt and brought us victory after victory, the one who will lead us into future battles as we take our promise. 00:06:43 Speaker 6: Man, who or what exactly are you suggesting would be an appropriate standing for the task you are implying, my sirn. 00:06:51 Speaker 5: Make us a god, Lord Aarin. The people need it. Oh, they'll lose heart. Maybe God will put Moses's spirit inside it and he'll inspire the people as Moses did. 00:07:07 Speaker 7: You cannot be. 00:07:08 Speaker 6: Who mentioned others share your concern? How many others feel this way? 00:07:13 Speaker 5: Well, Lord Aaron, I've talked to men in every tribe about this, and I wasn't the first to have the idea, mind you, but I wanted to bring it to you lords so you could sanction it. They didn't sit right with the others talking and making idols themselves. I remember what armor God told. 00:07:35 Speaker 7: Us, but how would this be anything? 00:07:37 Speaker 6: Thank you, Thank you, you are wise to bring this to our attention. You may go. We will consider what you've said. 00:07:45 Speaker 1: Hoor shot Aaron A look a mix of exasperation, disbelief, and betrayal. But Aaron's answering look shut down any further protest who didn't seem to grasp the political weight of this man's words. Holding power over two million people was a delicate balance. The truth of the matter was that Aaron had been considering this very thing for quite some time. None of them were as connected to the Lord as Moses was. He was the conduit by which they communed with him. With Moses gone and up the mountain, Aaron feared that the people would lose their way. 00:08:21 Speaker 6: Go and spread the word to all who share your concerns. Bring me gold, a supply of gold. With this gold, I will do as you ask. Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives, your sons, your daughters, and bring them to me. 00:08:39 Speaker 5: Thank you, Lord Erin, thank you for hearing our concerns. I'll go and do as you asked and return. 00:08:47 Speaker 1: The man practically skipped away. In his eagerness. Aaron slumped in his seat when he had gone, and ran both hands down his long face. He sent the other elders and attendants away so that he and his nephew were alone in the tent together. Aaron then silently counted in his head to see how many seconds it would take for her to start scolding him. 00:09:10 Speaker 6: One. Two, and what are you thinking? 00:09:13 Speaker 7: Uncle? 00:09:14 Speaker 6: Three? 00:09:14 Speaker 7: You hurt the commandments and participated in the covenant, same as I. We can't sanction this. 00:09:20 Speaker 10: This is treasonous, this is idolatry, this is sin. 00:09:24 Speaker 6: Calmed down her. They only want a symbol to guide them. Moses's presence is a comfort to them, and I don't blame them. Look at all we've been through, they're still going to be worshiping our God. 00:09:37 Speaker 7: How long until they fall back on their old ways, the ways of the Egyptians. The'll worship what's in front of them and forget their god. And one of the second commandments, we're forbidden from making idols. 00:09:49 Speaker 6: Oh, it's a symbol, a stand in for Moses, just until he gets back, and he will get back. I mean, why do you think I sent the man off to find gold? Think our people can scrounge up enough gold for me to make an image of some cow. I'm buying us time. That's what I'm doing. Moses could be back any day. 00:10:11 Speaker 10: Now, that's your plan an elaborate though tactic. 00:10:19 Speaker 7: What would my mother say? 00:10:21 Speaker 6: Don't evoke your mother to intimidate me. I'm not afraid of her. 00:10:25 Speaker 7: Then, why don't you go and tell her your little plan. 00:10:27 Speaker 6: I'll go with you, fine, I will not that it matters. Moses didn't appoint her to lead in his stead. He picked me. 00:10:36 Speaker 7: It was a joint appointment, if you recall uncle. 00:10:40 Speaker 1: Her closed the gap between them until he was nose to nose with his uncle, their breaths mingling, tension hanging by a thread. Then Aaron's instinct for self preservation kicked in and he stepped back. A fight could cost him his nephew's support, especially since her now led their tribe. Aaron took a steadying breath, plastering on his most amiable smile. 00:11:06 Speaker 6: Peace, nephew. Let us reconvene tomorrow and let cooler heads prevail. We shall see if the disgruntles can even complete the task I gave them. Can You never know? Perhaps Our God has heard our little disagreement and is sending Moses back right as we speak. 00:11:23 Speaker 7: Testing God doesn't seem like the smartest plan either, but I'll leave out of respect for you until tomorrow. 00:11:36 Speaker 1: Aaron struggled to keep the panic from his face as the man from the day before pulled handful after handful of gold from his satchel, one of five he had to empty. He could almost feel Miriam's disapproving glare and dreaded the fury on his nephew's face. Think, Think, how could he talk his way out of this? The man held the final satchel, spilling its contents dramatically onto the growing pile of gold at Aaron's feet. He turned to the crowd triumphant, and they cheered as Aaron's heart sank. This could become a mob fast. He needed to channel this momentum before it slipped out of control. 00:12:17 Speaker 6: My children, well done. I will form this gold into a symbol for our beloved Moses. May he returned to us safely and swiftly. 00:12:28 Speaker 1: The crowd cheered wildly. Aaron confident he bought himself a few more days with the time it would take to melt the gold and build a mold, dismissed the crowd and then signaled for his attendants to collect the gold. But as his back was turned, the brazen man turned and addressed the crowd himself. 00:12:47 Speaker 5: And what should our mighty symbol be? What will represent Israel as we ride to claim the land promised to us? Yes, a young bull or an emerging nation? 00:13:00 Speaker 4: Ah? 00:13:01 Speaker 5: Whill does the image of a young ball a golden calf for the strength and fertility of Israel? 00:13:09 Speaker 1: The crowd cheered and stamped their feet At that, Aaron's eyes narrowed on the mob's. 00:13:15 Speaker 3: Leader before him. 00:13:16 Speaker 1: He would need to keep an eye on this one. 00:13:19 Speaker 6: Tell me, my son, what is your name? Tobia? 00:13:22 Speaker 5: Lord Larin, I'm a shepherd of the tribe of Simeon. 00:13:27 Speaker 2: Tobia. 00:13:28 Speaker 1: Tobia who led no tribe, yet could rally a crowd like this. Aaron knew he'd have to stay one step ahead of him, and if it all went wrong, Tobia would be out front enough to take the fourth. Aaron smiled his politician smile and clasped his long bony fingers on Tobia's shoulder. 00:13:48 Speaker 11: Ah, Tobia, a man of the people, you have heard the cry of your neighbor's concern and have wisely sought out a solution. You shall help me prepare the golden calf, Lord Aaron. 00:14:03 Speaker 2: You honor me. 00:14:05 Speaker 5: I will stand at your side and do whatever you ask. 00:14:09 Speaker 1: Aaron smiled good. He ordered the people to build a great fire, readying ovens to melt the gold to buy it. Brought forth a blacksmith, who instructed the men to use charcoal and blowpipes to intensify the flames. Gold was placed in crucibles, and the blacksmith began crafting a mold for the golden calf. Aaron stood back from the eager men stoking and feeding the hungry flames. The heat radiated, and he felt a sheen of sweat beginning to form. 00:14:39 Speaker 2: On his skin. 00:14:41 Speaker 1: Aaron, for the life of him, could not think of another way to store the inevitable or halt the task from being completed without provoking the fury of the crowd. At last, the blacksmith handed Aaron an engraving tool, expecting him to complete the calf's features. He gripped the tool, sway beating on his brow as he remembered the thunder and darkness on the mountain. He could not fathom the wrath of his god, if that were only an introduction. But then he also saw the zeal of followers standing before him in anticipation. They had hung on every word. They were ready to do whatever he asked. Aaron held no staff, He wasn't standing beside another. The masses were focused solely on him. They had followed his instructions so far. Perhaps if he were careful, he would keep them on the straight and narrow of this precarious situation. Carefully, Aaron lifted the tool and carved the calf's ears. Aaron watched stringy spirals of gold flake off as he carved. 00:15:45 Speaker 2: He kept the. 00:15:46 Speaker 1: Details minimal, relying on memory. He was no artist. When finished, he stepped back, satisfied there was no mistaking the animal he'd shaped. The calf stood about two feet tall and three feet long. To buyer approached, inspecting it closely, before turning to the crowd and shouting in triumph. 00:16:06 Speaker 5: Afrael, this is your God who brought you up from the land of Egypt. 00:16:11 Speaker 1: The crowd roared, and Aaron noticed wine skins passing through eager hands. 00:16:17 Speaker 11: Israel, there will be a festival to our God tomorrow. I will build an altar before our unifying symbol, so we can bow down and worship our God. 00:16:35 Speaker 1: The next day they did as Aaron had instructed, offering burnt offerings before the golden calf. Food and wine flowed, and by midday the camp's moods swelled to a fever pitch like a wartime victory, but quickly descended into chaos. Aaron, head heavy and vision blurred with drink, himself watched as revel returned to depravity. Burnt offerings came fellowship offerings, a pagan tradition he thought abandoned in Egypt. As men and women lost themselves in debasement before the altar, panic gripped him as the people, once under his charge spiraled into madness, their integrity masked as worship slipped away, exposing a frenzy of fleshly desires. Thousands in complete corruption plunged deeper into darkness. Then, breaking through the noise of the crowd, emerged the voice of his older sister Erin. Turning from the fires and degeneracy, he faced Miriam and her the flames reflected in their eyes, intensifying their fury. Miriam, seething like a mother bear, spoke first. 00:17:49 Speaker 7: How dare you endanger this family? 00:17:52 Speaker 6: Speak plainly, Miriam, what conclusion have you jumped to? 00:17:57 Speaker 5: Can you be serious? 00:18:00 Speaker 7: This will not go unpunished, and burse your public support makes it impossible for us to oppose you. 00:18:08 Speaker 6: If we shut this down, they'll stone us and grown you her. Didn't you tell your mother what we discussed. I'm channeling the people's anxiety into this task to avoid a full blown mutiny. You see they're appeased with the solution. 00:18:26 Speaker 7: We no, no, don't put this on me. I warned you that this would spiral out of control. 00:18:33 Speaker 6: God, you see the people, Miria, you know where this leads. What alternate solution do you see here? 00:18:41 Speaker 10: Ah Erin, You've backed us into an impossible. 00:18:45 Speaker 7: Situation and the violation of the second Commandment. The people are worshiping an idol, not even one hundred feet away, one that you engraved with your own hands. How will this look to Moses, to our God? 00:19:01 Speaker 6: It is not an idol, It's a symbol. 00:19:05 Speaker 5: Call it what you want. 00:19:07 Speaker 7: The result will be the same, and I will not the apartment. Come on here, we need to get out of here. Mother, you would let this go, You'll have to answer for it. Whether we're here or not. Your solution is to turn a blind eye. 00:19:24 Speaker 1: We must act. 00:19:25 Speaker 7: This cannot stand. 00:19:27 Speaker 1: Aaron could see Miriam's calculating eyes turned from anger to fear as she measured her son's conviction. 00:19:35 Speaker 7: Her, My son, don't do anything rash. Look at that crowd. You will not be able to deter them. 00:19:41 Speaker 1: Miriam was right. The crowd grew as words spread throughout the camp. Curious onlookers gathered around the fires and eagerly joined as cups were thrust into their hands. They could do nothing now but wait for the fermented drinks to run their course. Perhaps when sleep finally took them. He could s how misplaced the calf. Turning back to Miriam and her he saw in his unyielding stance that hor wouldn't let this go. Aaron's stomach sank, knowing where Hu's righteous anger would lead. 00:20:13 Speaker 7: I have to try, I have to do something. 00:20:17 Speaker 1: Miriam tensed as her first born strode toward the amassing crowd, but did not try to stop him. Aaron similarly held back to see what would unfold. Tobia was at the head of the crowd, egging the party goers on, already lost in his cups and seemingly drunk on his newfound power of the masses. 00:20:37 Speaker 7: Tobia brothers and sisters of Israel. 00:20:41 Speaker 1: To his credit, her didn't look nervous. His anger gave him the courage to face the crowd. The crowd, however, barely noticed his approach, and Tobia didn't even turn. 00:20:53 Speaker 7: Brothers Sisters. 00:20:55 Speaker 1: Tobia to drive his point home, who gripped by his shoulder firmly to buy a turn, slowly swaying as he tried to process the furious man standing before him. 00:21:08 Speaker 7: What you're doing isn't right to buy a What all of you are doing is evil. This is forbidden in the eyes of our God. How quickly do you forget your promises and forsake your oath? 00:21:23 Speaker 1: Aaron winced that got their attention to BIA's confused gaze sharpened as he sized up the threat before him. Straightening to his full height, his towering muscular frame from years of hard labor loomed over her. Aaron gulped. Shepherds were used to fending off lions and bears, who would stand little chance if to buy a pi to fight augh. 00:21:49 Speaker 5: What is saying forbidden? It went on, need something's are you not us in excuse me, in Moses's absence. 00:22:02 Speaker 7: You're giving into your old ways. We're not in Egypt anymore. 00:22:08 Speaker 5: You and er And encouraged us to bring our goal. 00:22:11 Speaker 10: You told us, No, I didn't tell you to do any of this. I see, I see your true intentions. You're jealous. 00:22:23 Speaker 5: We haven't chosen you to lead. You all power for yourself. You want to replace Moses and can't stand anyone. 00:22:31 Speaker 3: In your way. 00:22:34 Speaker 5: You've always been a brown nosing no at all, but Moses is God. He's not here to protect you. What no mine? 00:22:47 Speaker 7: What are you saying? 00:22:49 Speaker 5: This is madness. 00:22:51 Speaker 8: We will not be oppressed by a man again. We are led by our God. You want to stop us from worshiping him. You're just like Pharaoh. 00:23:02 Speaker 1: Freighter Poor realized too late that his protests only made him sound guiltier. The flames of the burning fire pits cast a ghostly sheen over the men. Tobias stood pointing in accusation as the crowd. 00:23:17 Speaker 6: Chanted, right up right, up right. 00:23:21 Speaker 1: They all chanted, until at last, a particularly drunk worshiper sloshed their carp into Heart's face. That seemed to be the unspoken sign for the floodgates to open. Aaron did not track where the first stone came from, but it struck true. A stone found hearst temple and sent him flying onto the floor. Blood sprang from his temple. He sprang up to escape, but was quickly grabbed by tobyre and tossed into the crowd. They bound him and threw him beside one of the bonfires. The side of HER's face was singed, and he rolled to the side in agony. That's when another stone struck him, unconscious. It was hard to say if it was that second stone that killed him or the barrage that followed. Aaron caught Miriam's arm as she rushed forward, holding her back as horror gripped them both. Blood pulled beneath his head, and for a long moment they stood frozen, breath caught, watching his body battered. 00:24:22 Speaker 2: By the mob. 00:24:24 Speaker 1: When the air finally tore back into Aaron's lungs, he pulled his wailing sister away, I see panic, pushing him through the crowd. They had to escape to wait out the madness somewhere safe, But as he dragged Miriam from the scene, he wondered if there was any coming back from this. In his heart, he knew they hadn't seen the last of the violence. He knew he had made a grave mistake. 00:24:54 Speaker 9: I am so deeply moved by this episode. It makes me ache for our ancestors and for us us. How quickly we can lose sight of our faith? How easy is it to become consumed by doubt and fear. How often do we too craft idols in the form of success, security, or approval. When God's voice seems silent, do we feel that silence with our own misguided desires. This episode challenges me to reflect on the fragility of faith and the strength that it takes to stay true to our covenant. This ancient story echoes throughout time, urging us to remain steadfast and to seek the Lord above everything else. Jewish tradition has a lot to say about this story. Some opinions among our sages say that when the people demanded the golden calf, it was meant as a substitute for their beloved leader Moses, and not as a substitute for God, which would be actual idolatry and against the commands that God had just given them. Other sages suggest that in fact, the Israelites had descended into real idolatry, the very same idolatry and immorality of Egypt that they had just left. But for both opinions, I have to ask the question, how could people who had just witnessed God's revelation at Mount Sinai in the most dramatic way now break one of the very commitments He had just given them. Jewish tradition gives a beautiful answer for this. A single intense religious experience, as marvelous and inspiring as it may be in the moment, does not have staying power. Only regular commitment to godly beliefs and actions gives us the strength to remain on the righteous path that God had said out for us. And that's still a very important lesson for us today. Yes, it's wonderful to have moments where we've truly feel God and even witness and experience his miracles, but those moments aren't all we need. We also need to study His word the Bible, which we're doing right now together, and we need to be part of godly communities, our churches and our synagogues. And I find that regularly doing good for others in need as we do here at the fellowship every day helps me see and experience God in every interaction. As people of faith. The fact that we are witnessing the fulfillment of so many prophecies from the Hebrew Bible feels almost too good to be true. The return of the people of Israel to our homeland, foretold by prophets from days old, is a beacon for the faithful, a reminder of hope, and we are all so eager to witness the next unfolding of ancient promise. We crave the next whisper from God. But when the next step in God's plan doesn't drive when or how we expect it, we can all fall into the shadow of despair. We can lose our hope, can't we. I want to leave you with another teaching from Jewish tradition. The Sages advised a lot of caution about predicting God's next fulfillment of prophecy. You see, anticipation can stir the soul, but being certain of God's timing can only lead to disappointment. We just have to trust in God in his timing, because He has carried the Chosen people this far despite all odds. We have to trust that God will fulfill his plans in his perfect timing, so let's not lose sight of the divine story already written and unfolding before us. We can learn one last lesson from our ancestors. Israelites waited as Moses ascended out Sign I, promising to return after forty days and forty nights. But Jewish tradition tells us that the Israelites miscounted by one day, and then when Moses didn't return on their expected timeline, panic set in. In their fear and impatience and their utter desperation, not wanting to be alone, not wanting to be without God, without Moses, they created the Golden Calf as a replacement for their dashed expectations. If they would have just paused, if they would have just considered the possibility that they were mistaken in the way that they counted, If the Chosen People had only trusted in the God who just miraculously delivered them, their crisis of faith might have been avoided. All they needed was patience a. 00:30:01 Speaker 1: Interest. You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle Eckstein ad free by downloading and subscribing to the prey dot Com app today. This Prey dog comproduction is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Katina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yil Eckstein, Edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier, Robin van Ettin, kayleb Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot Com app, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. If you enjoyed The Chosen People with Yaile Eckstein, please rate and leave a review.