Scripture More Accurately
Well-Known Member
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.
This is one of the rare times when I have to disagree strongly with Spurgeon. Claiming that they had "altogether forgotten the nature and character of Jehovah" and also claiming "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" is espousing a contradictory position. People who have "altogether forgotten the nature and character of Jehovah" are not going to be setting forth "His great power" to anyone because His great power is part of His nature and character.
In any case, I do not believe that I have missed the great lesson of the whole episode, but we will have to agree to disagree. Thanks to you as well for discussing this with me.