The Golden Calf and the Ark of Covenant: Any difference?

With Moses disappearing from their sight for forty days, the Israelites gathered around Aaron and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” (Ex 32:1) Aaron responded positively to their wish and made a golden calf for them. The golden calf was hated by God. It was seen of an idol in God’s view despite that it might only mean to Aaron to be the pedestal of YHWH.

On the other hand, the Ark of the Covenant was made on God’s order to Moses when He appeared to him on Mount Sinai by giving him detailed instructions on how the Ark of Covenant which would store the two tablets of Ten Commandments should be made, and most importantly, told him that the Ark of Covenant is the dwelling place of God’s Presence. YHWH said, “You shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark; and in the ark you shall put the covenant that I shall give you. There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the covenant, I will deliver to you all my commands for the Israelites.” (Ex 25:21-22)

Prima facie, both the golden calf and the Ark of Covenant are indicators of God’s Presence. However, there are significant differences between them. First, the former was made on the will of man (the Israelites) while the latter on the order of God. Second, the former was in the form of an image of a calf, which is against God’s commandment of prohibiting worship of images. Even though Aaron might not intend to make an image of a false god, the Israelites would inevitably worship the golden calf as their god, thus resembling the deeds of other nations which YHWH considered a great evil. On the other hand, the Ark of Covenant stored the two tablets of Ten Commandments which were made by God Himself. And God’s presence is not in the form of an image. Finally, the golden calf, just like the idols of other foreign gods, represents only a symbol for worship without much content and truth in it. On the contrary, the Ark of Covenant has a profound meaning to the Israelites: if they submit to God’s commandments and laws, then the covenant is the basis for God’s promises. It is a constant reminder to the Israelites that they are a holy nation and the people of God.

I also wish to share the understanding of idolism in Pope Francis’ Encyclical Letter Lumen Fidei, which says, “In place of faith in God, it seems better to worship an idol, into whose face we can look directly and whose origin we know, because it is the work of our own hands. Before an idol, there is no risk that we will be called to abandon our security, for idols ‘have mouths, but they cannot speak’ (Ps 115:5).” (Lumen Fidei #13) This was exactly what the Israelites who made the golden calf was looking for: “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us …” (Ex 32:1) The golden calf was the work of their own hands, there was no risk of security as the golden calf would certainly be made to go before the Israelites, but leading them to nowhere. On the contrary, the Ark of the Covenant was established as a representation of God’s Presence. It did not guarantee that the desire of the Israelites would be entertained, nor would it secure the current generation of Israelites entrance into the Promised Land, but it is the basis of God’s promises, through which the Israelites could maintain their faithful relationship with YHWH and be made His holy people. God is faithful and His promise will always be fulfilled, but not always in our way.

Bibliography

"Encyclical Letter Lumen Fidei of the Supreme Pontiff Francis." Vatican, n.d. Web. 06 Mar. 2014. <http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/francesco/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20130629_enciclica-lumen-fidei_en.html>.