When Moses came close enough to the camp to see the bull-calf and to see the people dancing, he became furious. There at the foot of the mountain, he threw down the tablets he was carrying and broke them. He took the bull-calf which they made, melted it, ground it into a fine powder, and mixed it with water. He then made the people of Israel drink it. He said to Aaron, "What did these people do to you, that you have made them commit such a terrible sin?"

Aaron answered, "Don't be angry with me; you know how determined these people are to do evil. They said to me, 'We don't know what has happened to this man Moses, who brought us out of Egypt; so make us a god to lead us.' I asked them to bring me their gold ornaments, and those who had any took them off and gave them to me. I threw the ornaments into the fire and out came this bull-calf!"

Exodus 32:19-24

When asked why he allowed the calf to be built Aaron blamed the people. Then he made things worse by saying he just threw the gold into a melting pot and out came the calf. In effect, he blamed God. Moses confronted his brother, and prayed for him. However, those who participated, died that day - over three thousand. Don't blame God for what you did.

A good test of character - when you do wrong, who do you blame?

Do you accept the blame?

Our Daily Bread - January 25, 2003