I am very interested in the life of Aaron, brother of Moses. Was Aaron responsible for the Golden Calf? In Exodus 32, after being impatient and disobedient of the Israelites, the people ask Aaron to build a golden calf.
Let’s begin answering your good question by reading Exodus 32:1-3, “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. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.”
It had not been long since the Lord had commanded His people, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3). They were instructed not to build gods, not to serve them, and not to bow down to them to do them homage. Yet now, with Moses’ long absence, they fell into the sin the Lord had already instructed them to avoid. Possibly thinking Moses had died, or had deserted them, they came together to Aaron and told him to make them gods that would lead them. Aaron consented to the people’s wicked desires and took their gold and made them a golden calf.
Moses had left Aaron and Hur ‘in charge’ while he was away and instructed the people to go to them with any concerns or problems they might have. “And he said unto the elders, Tarry ye here for us, until we come again unto you: and, behold, Aaron and Hur are with you: if any man have any matters to do, let him come unto them.” (Exodus 24:14). Their demands for a god to be built so they could worship it exposed Aaron’s moral weakness. As a representative of God before the people, Aaron should have rebuked them for their desires and reminded them of what great things the Lord had already done for them and would continue to do for them.
I encourage you to read Exodus 32:7-20 to see what Moses found when he descended from the mount and his reaction to the depravity of the people. He addresses Aaron in verse 21, “And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?” Immediately, Moses acknowledges Aaron’s responsibility, stating that Aaron had brought great sin upon the people by his act.
Did the Lord hold Aaron responsible for making this calf? He certainly did. We read the words of Moses in Deuteronomy 9:17-21, “And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes. And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water, because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger. For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also. And THE LORD WAS VERY ANGRY WITH AARON TO HAVE DESTROYED HIM: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time. And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.” Yes, the Lord did hold Aaron responsible for what he did and the fact he failed the people by not being an effective leader. Instead, he was a weak follower.
We, too, are responsible before the Lord for our actions. We are told in Ezekiel 18:20, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die.” What we all deserve from the Lord because of our sins is death and eternal punishment in Hell. However, the Lord Jesus gave His life as a sacrifice to God as payment for our sin debt that we might be forgiven. Romans 6:23 tells us, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Even as Moses interceded on behalf of Aaron and found forgiveness for him, the Lord Jesus interceded for us, baring our sins in His own body (1 Peter 2:24), and we are forgiven our sins when we put our faith in the Lord Jesus. (CC) (631.4)