While Moses was receiving God's instructions concerning the construction of the tabernacle, the people who remained at the foot of Sinai desired to have a symbol of the LORD's presence. This resulted ironically in the making of a golden calf. Whereas the tabernacle, with its golden furnishings, portrayed the LORD as a royal personage, the golden calf, in marked contrast, represented him as a mere beast. Although the people offered sacrifices, their worship of the calf degraded the one who had truly deliver them from slavery in Egypt. Worship, to be true, must be based on the right perception of God . The book of Exodus emphasizes the importance of knowing God as he truly is, and not as we imagine him to be . I couldn't help it, but my mind immediately went to the genre of "Jesus is my boyfriend" books after reading this. Am I being too critical? Perhaps, but it may be worth considering why we feel it is permissible and even necessary to go beyond how Scriptur...