Worthy Brief - February 16, 2026

 Worthy Brief - February 16, 2026

Beware of the golden calf syndrome! 

1 Corinthians 10:7  And do not become idolaters as were some of them. As it is written, "THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY."

Paul points directly to one of the most shocking moments in Israel’s history -- the golden calf. This was not a pagan nation experimenting with false worship. This was a redeemed people who had just watched God wage war against the gods of Egypt and publicly expose them through the plagues. They had seen the Nile god humbled, the sun god darkened, and Pharaoh’s power broken. They had walked through the sea on dry ground. They had heard the voice of the living God and watched the mountain tremble with His glory. And yet—after seeing the gods of Egypt defeated—they fashioned and craved an image rooted in the very system God had just proven false.

And yet -- they grew impatient.

Moses was on the mountain longer than they expected. The visible leadership was out of sight. The timing felt uncertain. And in that space of delay, impatience gave birth to idolatry.

Idolatry is often impatience with God.

They did not necessarily want a different god; they wanted a faster one. They wanted something visible, controllable, immediate. So they fashioned a calf from the gold God had given them. What was meant for covenant was melted into compromise.

And notice what happened next: “The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.” Worship turned into entertainment. Reverence gave way to indulgence. What began as impatience ended as distortion.

This is the Golden Calf Syndrome.

When God does not move on our timetable, we are tempted to create substitutes. When heaven feels silent, we are tempted to manufacture stimulation. When waiting feels uncomfortable, distraction feels spiritual.

But idols are often born in waiting seasons.

The wilderness revealed that delay exposes devotion. When Moses did not return quickly, their hearts turned quickly. They preferred a god they could see to the God who had already proven Himself faithful.

This is a word for a revival generation. When the promise feels delayed, will we remain faithful -- or will we seek substitutes? When God stretches our timeline, will we deepen in trust -- or drift toward a form of idolatry? 

This is the hour to guard your heart in the waiting. Revival will not be sustained by those who demand immediacy, but by those who remain faithful when heaven seems silent. Do not trade promise for performance. Do not exchange presence for entertainment. The God who led you out is still worthy of trust, even when He is unseen. Let waiting purify your worship, not distort it. If you refuse the golden calf in the delay, you will see the glory on the mountain -- and you will enter into all of His promises without compromise. 

George & Baht Rivka (Ocala, Florida)