Why does the Old Testament record adultery, drunkenness, and other horrible things?
The Old Testament records adultery, drunkenness, and other awful things to show us bare human nature. These accounts display the horrible things that make up human experience, revealing what people are like rather than hiding it. God included them in His Word for that purpose.
Les explains that when readers come across something ridiculous or awful in Scripture, they often ask why God would see fit to put it in His Word. His answer is that it is there to show us the bare human nature. The Old Testament's instances of adultery, drunkenness, and all the horrible things that make up human experience are recorded for that reason. The golden calf episode, including Aaron's claim that he cast the gold into the fire and out came the calf, illustrates the same bare human nature being exposed.