The golden-calf idol is different from a pagan idol. It is difficult to describe this golden-calf idol. We should not call it a Christian idol. Perhaps we may say that the golden calf in Exodus 32 is a made-by-God’s-redeemed-people idol. Pagans do not make a golden-calf idol and worship it. Only a God-redeemed people, those who were redeemed by the blood of the Passover lamb, who were brought out of Egypt, and who enjoyed the miracles of God, even while they were making the idol, were the ones to make a golden calf. The children of Israel certainly were not pagans. Even while they were making the golden calf, they were eating the manna that miraculously came from heaven. Furthermore, they knew the name of Jehovah and knew how to worship God with the offerings. But even though they were not pagans, an idol was made among them.
Do not think that there are no idols among Christians today. Christians do not have pagan idols, heathen idols. But they may nonetheless have Christian-made idols. Many idols have been made by Christians, especially by Christian leaders, evangelists, and Bible teachers.
If you know the principles in the New Testament, you will realize that three matters are related to one another: division, idolatry, and fornication. Division goes with idolatry, and idolatry, with fornication, both spiritual and physical. Actually division is spiritual fornication.
As soon as there was the golden calf among the children of Israel, there was a division. Suppose there had been more than one idol made by God’s redeemed people in Exodus 32. Immediately there would have been another division. If there had been ten idols, there would have been ten divisions.
The divisions among Christians may be related to idols built in the name of the Lord. Suppose a group of Christians meet together to worship the Lord. But after a period of time some brothers, unhappy with the situation in that group, decide to start another meeting in the same locality. That is a division which involves idolatry. In 1 Corinthians 1 Paul asks the question, “Has Christ been divided?” (1 Cor. 1:13). In the same principle we may ask, “Is our God divided?” Since we all worship the same God, what reason is there for us to be divided? Division may indicate, or at least imply, that some are worshipping something other than the genuine God. We may worship something or someone in the name of Jehovah, but that thing is not the Lord Himself. Furthermore, we may worship something other than God with offerings that should be offered to God and in the way in which we should worship God.
We have seen that division is related to idolatry. When a person commits idolatry, he may go on to commit fornication. Fornication means confusion. If anyone is confused with respect to God, how can he avoid being confused with respect to man? In the letter to Thyatira in Revelation 2 we see both idolatry and fornication. Idolatry and fornication, two evil sisters, always go in a pair. If the one is present, the other will be present also.
The main source of division and fornication is idolatry. Aaron made a golden calf, and that caused a division. The division among the children of Israel was due to the worship of the golden calf.
In principle the making of the golden calf was a matter of abusing God’s gifts. The children of Israel used the gold miraculously given them by God to make the calf. Because God miraculously subdued the Egyptians, they gave gold to the children of Israel. God’s intention was that the gold given to the children of Israel would be used for the building up of His tabernacle. But before the tabernacle was built, the people abused the gold by using it for self-beautification. Then the gold that was used to beautify themselves was turned into a golden calf. Here we see the principle that idolatry involves abusing what God has given us and not using His gifts for His purpose.