Who was Aaron actually trying to deceive with his excuse about the golden calf?
Aaron was attempting to deceive Moses with his excuse, but ultimately he was trying to fool God. The account exposes the absurdity, because God already knew that Aaron himself had fashioned the golden calf, so his claim that it simply came out of the fire fooled no one.
Les teaches that Aaron’s explanation to Moses was not just an attempt to fool Moses; it was, more importantly, an attempt to fool God. Aaron claimed the people were set on mischief, that they gave him gold, that he cast it into the fire, and that “out came this calf.” Les compares this to a four-year-old grandson giving a childish explanation of what happened. Yet Aaron was a grown, mature man. He was trying to fool Moses, but Les asks who Aaron really thought he was fooling—God—as if God did not know that Aaron was the one who fashioned the calf.
And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
More Questions
What does Aaron's excuse about the golden calf sound like?
Aaron's excuse about the calf coming out of the fire sounds like something a little child would say, not a mature man.
Why is Aaron's explanation about the golden calf not believable?
Aaron's claim that he threw the gold into the fire and the calf simply came out sounds like the excuse of a little four-year-old child, not the account of a grown, mature man.
Did the golden calf miraculously come out of the fire, or did Aaron actually make it?
Aaron falsely told Moses that the calf came out of the fire, but the earlier account shows he actually melted the gold and crafted it with a graving tool.
What did Aaron tell Moses about how the golden calf was made?
When Moses came back, Aaron claimed the gold was simply thrown into the fire and the calf came out on its own, as though he had nothing to do with it, even though Aaron had actually agreed to make gods for the people.
What did Aaron claim happened when the gold was thrown into the fire?
Aaron's later excuse that the gold was thrown into the fire and the calf simply came out is an attempt to act as though he had nothing to do with it, but he in fact agreed to make gods for the people.