Exodus 32:1 “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, 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 is become of him.”
One of the things I’ve learned is this: waiting can be a test of our trust. In Exodus 24–32, Moses goes to retrieve the law of God. He’s gone forty days and forty nights. Aaron is left in charge. And as time passed and the people waited, they grew impatient. In Exodus 32:1, they saw the waiting as a delay or denial—and that interpretation led them to idolatry.
The waiting exposed what was going on in their heart. Aaron gave in to the people’s demands, and they shifted their attention from God to false gods. That is sobering. It tells me that when I’m waiting, I’m not just waiting on an outcome—I’m being revealed. The wait shows what I truly believe about God’s timing and God’s goodness.
Isaiah 40 comes as comfort to God’s people, but it also builds a foundation of trust by showing the weakness of human substitutes. Idolatry becomes a joke when you really see who God is—“To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.” The answer is nothing. No one. If I treat waiting as denial, I will reach for substitutes. But if I treat waiting as faith, I will lift up my eyes on high and behold the Lord who is strong in power, and not one faileth.
Scripture Reading: Exodus 24–32, Exodus 32:1, Isaiah 40:25–26, Isaiah 40:31