Featured Whom Did the Israelites Worship in the Golden Calf Incident?

not at all. Aaron SAID it was to the Lord, while he, & mose likely the rest of Israel, knew it wasn't. Moses knew it wasn't; in fact, God told him to get off the mountain, for the people had corrupted themselves.

 

You are projecting.

 

Was Aaron the priest? In this area you are speculating.

 

No one is arguing the people weren't the worshipping of the other gods. The question is whether Aaron said the people would be worshipping YHWH when the calf was created. God says they were worshipping other gods. The lesson we learn from this is that pastors today can (and do) act like Aaron when they create messages and worship not sanctioned by God because society demands it.

 

Nupe-You're imagining.

 

I agree. had Aaron participated, God would've almost-certainly rejected him as High Priest.

 

Does Exodus 32:5 say YHWH or not?
Sir, there is no imagination needed to observe what is written.

 

So, were the Israelis worshippong Yahweh while the calf was there? If so, why did He tell Moses the people had corrupted themselves?

 

My goodness, read the passage. I have gone over this already.
God saw their worship as corrupt. It is similar to "progressive churches" today.

 

The worship of God in any way that He Himself has not authorized is utterly unacceptable to Him (Leviticus 10:1-2; 1 Chronicles 13:7-10; Acts of the Apostles 17:24-25, 29).

 

Thank you! Aaron's sons learned that lesson the hard way. Just because Aaron told the people that the calf represented YHWH, it in no way meant he was correct. Indeed, we see that God hated what Aaron and the people did.

 

1 Corinthians 10:7. 'And do not become idolators as were some of them [the Israelites]. As it is written, "The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play."'
What exactly is the specific and vital command to NT Christians that you are seeing here? You might like to reference Ephesians 5:5 in your answer.

 

Thank you. I am not in disagreement with any of that.
My point is that these Israelites may well have been telling themselves that they were worshipping Yahweh, just having a lot more fun doing it than they did when that Moses fellow was about.
'Prosperity Gospel' preachers claim to be preaching and worshipping Christ and are deceiving thousands, yet Ephesians 5:5 tells than that they are committing idolatry, supposing that godliness is a means of gain (1 Timothy 6:5).
You yourself seem to be saying (correctly ) that idolatry is not just about worshipping physical idols.

 

The people n the ancient near East generally believed in “regional gods”, that is gods that were powerful in specific areas (usually associated with mountains).

So they believe certain gods controlled Egypt and other gods controlled Canaan and so forth. It was not unusual to worship whatever “god” was popular in a particular area.

Aaron clearly attempted to bring their focus of worship upon YHWH, even though he greatly sinned/errored in making the calf to represent the one true God.

The people probably sought to worship several “gods”, depending which they believed would give them the most benefit and some were focused on YHWH if not singularly, then as part of many to worship.

It is probably wrong to think the Hebrew people were of one mind in attempting to determine who they intended to worship during this event.

Peace to you

 

By the view you adopt, It seems to me that you miss the great lesson of the whole episode; that you can only worship God in the manner that He Himself has laid down. Here's Spurgeon on Psalm 106:
20. 'They said that they meant to worship the true God under a fitting and suggestive similitude by which His great power would be set forth to the multitude; they pleaded the great Catholic revival which followed upon this return to a more ornate ceremonial, for the people thronged around Aaron, and danced before the calf with all their might. But in the very deed they had given up the true God...........
21. Remembering the calf involved forgetting God. He had commanded them to make no image, and in daring to disobey, they forgot His commands. Moreover, it is clear that they must have altogether forgotten the nature and character of Jehovah, or they could never have likened Him to a grass-eating animal. Some men hope to keep their sins and their God too.........'
['Treasury of David']

I think we've probably reached an impasse here. Thanks for an interesting discussion.