Modern man has no place for fear in approaching God. This is why so many reject the Old Testament; it presents a God who is woefully out of step with these enlightened times. People today want a direct encounter; they have the audacity to approach the mountain directly, just on the strength of their good intentions and personal merit.
[...]
They wanted a God with a face; they wanted to approach God in a more relevant way.
Keep in mind that the people were not worshipping a false God, but rather they were worshipping Jehovah in a false way. “We are worshipping Jehovah,” Aaron explained to Moses.
God judged the people severely for one good reason: He wanted them to know that it is not only necessary to worship the right God, but also to worship Him in the right way.
This is the great sin of our time: that anyone can approach God directly in his/her own way, without a mediator, without an acceptable sacrifice and without blood. (emphasis mine, throughout)
Hmmm... a call to orthodoxy... VERY TRUE. Very needful.
But one must be careful whose orthodoxy one is called to... And transversely, if one is calling something orthodox, It had better be found to be scriptural, lest one wind up preaching another christ - much as the arrogance of the Roman church, and like it.
Probably not what you were looking for from the OP, but that is the first thing I see. Good post.