Why did the Israelites ask Aaron to make gods to go before them in Exodus 32?
They asked because Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they did not know what had become of him, and they were accustomed to Egypt's many gods, where virtually everything was a god; that Egyptian mindset had rubbed off on them, so they wanted gods to go before them.
Les explains that when the people saw Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, they gathered themselves under Aaron and said, "Up, make us gods, with a small g, make us gods which shall go before us." Les says this was because that is what they were used to in Egypt: in Egypt everything was a god for the Egyptians, and some of it had rubbed off on the Israelites. They also said that as for this Moses, the man that brought them up out of Egypt, they did not know what had become of him. Aaron then told them to break off their golden earrings, and he fashioned the gold into a molten calf. Les notes the calf was an Egyptian god as well, and that the claim these gods brought Israel out of Egypt was a lie.
And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.