Burned It, Ground It, and Scattered It

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Keraza Magazine issue 47-48 November 27, 2015

When Moses came down from the mountain and saw the calf which Aaron formed for the people to worship, "he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the children of Israel drink it" (Exodus 32:20). Actually, if we trace the life-cycle of this golden calf, we find that it was originally gold earrings in the ears of the women, sons, and daughters of the children of Israel (Exodus 32:2), and that these earrings were among the silver and gold which the people plundered from the Egyptians while exiting from Egypt (Exodus 12:35).

The life-cycle of this golden calf is in truth the life-cycle of our old man: 1) He is borrowed from the world, a foreigner to the person created in the image and likeness of God, as tares; 2) This old man becomes the pride and decoration of its owner, as earrings; 3) As he grows, is established, and becomes tyrannical, he turns into a worshipped god; 4) He perishes and vanishes by the work of the Holy Spirit by fire, grounding, and scattering.

The Holy Bible did not mention in vain the steps that Moses followed in order to be rid of the calf. They are actually the progressive steps through which the Holy Spirit moves us until He demolishes our old man, and bears the new who is renewed in the image of his Creator:

1) Moses took the calf: This is a process through which the man affected with the disease of sin submits himself between the hands of God, the true Physician, to cure him.

2) Burned it in the fire: This is the second stage, as burning the golden calf with fire leads to disfiguring its image and features when it melts. It does not perish, but remains, yet without any features. Likewise, the work of the fiery Holy Spirit leads to the disfigurement of the identity of the old man and his features, and the fingerprints of the world in us. The ego burns and its features fade away, while its laws remain in the members of the person, enchanting him towards sin.

3) Ground it to powder: Though the person successfully disciplines his desires in the previous stage, yet they remain hidden within him, awaiting an opportunity to lunge onto him. Here the Holy Spirit intervenes in the grounding stage; this is a very precise stage which does not end until the old man is completely pulverized and becomes fine powder.

4) He scattered it on the water: This is a stage of dissolving and dispersing the dust of the old man, until it becomes impossible for it to arise anew. The work of the Holy Spirit through the water, after the fire, is the work of gentle comfort that grants coolness amid the furnace of purification.

5) Made the children of Israel drink it: Perhaps this expression reminds us of the law of the bitter water of jealousy which the priest makes the wife to drink, whom the husband suspects of unfaithfulness. If she is guilty, the water of the curse enters her and makes her stomach swell and her thigh rot. And if she is innocent she will be justified and will bear fruit (will have children) (Numbers 5:11-29). Here the saying of the apostle applies: "For the earth which drinks in the rain that often comes upon it, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briars, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned" (Hebrews 6:7-8). This is the final stage in which the Holy Spirit works, either to life, blessings, and fruitfulness, or to the condemnation, the curse, and the judgment.

Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States