Footnotes:
a. Exodus 32:4 Or fashioned it with a graving tool; Meaning of Heb uncertain
They were weary of a god without a face. But in doing so, they were ignoring the command He had just given them: "You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth" (Ex. 20:4). They may even have thought they were worshiping God. Their apparent sincerity was no substitute for obedience (1 Samuel 15:22-23; Romans 10:2).
Even if we do not make idols, we are often guilty of trying to make God in our image, molding Him to fit our expectations, desires, and circumstances. When we do this, we end up worshiping ourselves rather than the God who created us - and self worship, today as in the ancient Israelites' time, leads to all kinds of immorality.
What is your favorite image of God? Is it biblical? Is it adequate? Do you need to destroy it in order to worship the immeasurably powerful God who delivered you from bondage to sin?