At the top of Mount Sinai, Moses received God’s provisions for worship. God revealed His holiness through the Law, Tabernacle, sacrifices, and priesthood. His expectation was for Israel to worship and serve with holiness.
At the top of the mountain God’s holiness was revealed, and at the foot of the mountain man’s sinfulness was revealed. Israel grew restless at the foot of Mount Sinai. Together with Aaron, Israel believed that Moses wasn’t coming back. Instead of waiting on Moses, they created a golden calf from their melted jewelry. Moses came down the mountain and found them worshiping and sacrificing to the idol they created. The first commandment of only worshiping the Lord had been broken (Ex. 20:3-5).
Author Timothy Keller said, “The Bible tells us that the human heart is an ‘idol-factory,’ taking good things and making them into idols that drive us.” Within our heart is the ability to create our own gods. You may not bow down to a golden calf in your living room, but anything you submit your life to is an idol. Whatever captivates your heart, and leads you away from Jesus Christ is an idol. Many good and harmless things can be fabricated into idols. Money, material possessions, entertainment, sports, careers, and relationships can be fabricated into golden calves that we bow down to.
The Lord needed someone to represent His holiness to Israel. Israel needed someone to represent their need for mercy before God. “And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou will forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written” (Ex. 32:31-32). Moses was the mediator between Israel’s sinful idolatry and God’s righteousness. Moses, as a ransom, stood before the Lord and pleaded for mercy on Israel’s behalf.
Dear reader, this is a picture of Jesus Christ! God needed a man who was holy enough to represent His righteousness on earth. Sinful humanity needed a mediator who could represent their plight to a Holy God. The apostle Paul wrote, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time” (1 Tim. 2:5-6).
Jesus Christ gave His life as a ransom to save us from sin’s condemnation (Mt. 20:28).