Question: In the story of the Golden Calf, why did Aaron tell the Israelites that tomorrow they would have a festival unto the Lord with the Golden Calf when in fact it would be an idolatrous worship?

Answer: Aaron was trying to delay the rebellious crowd hoping that Moses would still come down from the mountain in time. That’s why he declared that the festival would be on the following day rather than on that same day. The crowd would not accept a long delay but one day would be tolerated by them and that could buy Aaron some time.

[Reposted from the Archives]