Wednesday 23 December 2009

Passing the buck

Passing the buck

And I said to them, 'Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.' So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out." – Exodus 32v24

He did it! It’s not my fault! I didn’t do it! They made me do it!

It sounds like something children would say doesn’t it? How rare it is to hear someone say – ‘I was wrong. I did it. It is my fault?’

Aaron’s excuses here have to be among the worst ever issued. When Moses came down from the mountain he was furious at Aaron for all that was going on. Israel was partying and in the midst of a wild orgy of fleshly pleasure when Moses returned. When he confronted Aaron this was the answer he got: ‘It is not my fault Moses. The people made me do it! They brought me their gold, I through it into the fire, and this golden calf jumped out!’

What a sorry excuse and a miserable story! But in reality are our excuses any better? God knows the truth and our silly excuses make no more sense to God than a gold calf jumping out of the fire.

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