“He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” (Exod. 32:4)

My entire analysis of this section was based on Aaron. When Moses leaves for the mountain, Aaron is left in charge of the people. He exemplifies the lack of faith in the Hebrew God who delivered them  from Egypt. As soon as the people get restless of Moses’ absence Aaron instead of reassuring them, causes a revert back to the old ways of Idol worship.

What struck me most is that later in the chapter, when Moses comes back, Aaron shies away from the responsibility. He says that the idol formed itself, which is a blatant lie. This to me shows why Aaron wouldn’t be able to lead, he is afraid, doesn’t assume responsibility and cannot control the people even when he has the power.

We encountered several problems in our readings:

• The lack of information from the author( authors)
• Taking in the readings seriously, in light of some of the ridiculous ideas, such as living for 800 years.
• Reading the texts as a literary work and not as a religious work.
• And your own personal morals getting in the way of being able to understand what the author is conveying.