A Weak Leader Exodus 32: 2-32

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v.2            1.            Vulnerable to peoples pressure.

                        (And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings,)

v.2            2.            Hears man without hearing God.

                        (…and bring them to me.)

v.3            3.            Forsakes the integrity of God’s entrustment.

                        (And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears,
                        and brought them unto Aaron.)

v.4            4.            Provides an alternate deity for God’s people.

                        (And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, 
                        after he had made it a molten calf: and they said,

v.4            5.            Forsakes the exaltation of God’s name and denies true Godliness.

                        (These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.)

v.5            6.            Enters into personal idolatry, misleading God’s people.

                        (And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it: and Aaron made 

                        proclamation, and said, Tomorrow  is a feast to the Lord.)

v.22            7.            Refuses accountability.

                        (And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the 
                        people, that they are set on mischief.)

                        not necessarily openly rebellious, but typically  not accountable to God’s Holy 

                        Spirit.

v.23,             8.            Purports a pseudo honor of intent.

   24                 (For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as
                         for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we
                         wot not what isbecome of him.)

                        serious intent, sincere, but wrong.

v.24            9.            Lies about his direct action.

                        (And I said unto them, Whomsoever hath any gold, let them break it off. 
                        So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.)

                        When held accountable no truth to support.

                        Inasmuch as this leader has not been honoring truth, he has difficulty being 

                        accountable.  i.e. Adam and Eve.

v.25            10.            Disgraces himself and God’s people.

                        (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies.)

v.26            11.            Causes division in God’s camp.

                        (Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s
                        side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves
                        together unto him.)

v.28            12.            Weak leadership results in destruction of followers.

                        (And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there 
                        fell of the people that day about three thousand men.)

v.31,            13.            Endangers the attainment of God’s promises.

    32                 (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 wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out
                         of thy book which thou hast written.)

v.33:1            14.            Is only offset and overcome by a loving, merciful, powerful God.
                        (And the Lord said unto Moses, depart, and go up hence, thou and the people
                        which thou hast brought up out of the land of Egypt, unto the land which I
                        sware unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, saying, Unto thy seed  will I
                        give it.)

                        In contrast:

Moses was decisive-lined up with God’s truth, was firm and judicious , loved God, 

loved God’s people, provided Biblical leadership, knew God’s honor, shepherding

God’s people, pursued God’s promises.