Exodus 32 is a sad commentary on the Jews, who made and worshiped a
golden calf after betraying God, who had freed them from slavery in Egypt. But Exodus 32 is also a commentary on God's grace, patience and sovereignty.
EXODUS 32:1 1 Now when the people saw that Moses delayed
coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and
said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this
Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know
what has become of him.”
On which "mountain" (Exodus 32:1) had Moses gone up and why was his
return being delayed?
Moses was up in Mount Sinai receiving instructions from God, including
the
Ten Commandments.
What did the the Jews ask Aaron to make?
“Come, make us gods that shall go before us"
(Exodus 32:1).
Whom did the Jews betray?
God, as well as Moses.
EXODUS 32:2-3 2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the
golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives,
your sons, and your
daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all
the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and
brought them to Aaron.
What is disappointing about Aaron?
He didn't try to dissuade, let alone rebuke, the people for their betrayal
of God. Instead of at least refusing to participate in their idolatry, he
asked for supplies to make the idol.
What is disappointing about the people?
There is no record of any of them dissenting or refusing to participate in
this idolatrous betrayal, for "all the people broke off
the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron"
(Exodus 32:3).
EXODUS 32:4-6 4 And he received the
gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a
molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you
out of the land of Egypt!” 5 So when Aaron
saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said,
“Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD.” 6 Then
they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace
offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
What did the Jews claim the Creator of the universe is?
A cow.
What did they do to worship this cow?
They threw an all-day party: "They rose early on the
next day ..., sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play" (Exodus
32:6).
EXODUS 32:7-10 7 And the LORD said to Moses, “Go, get down!
For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted
themselves. 8 They have turned aside quickly
out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded
calf, and worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O
Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’ ”
9 And the LORD said to Moses, “I have seen
this people, and indeed it is a stiff-necked people!
10 Now therefore, let Me alone, that My
wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of
you a great nation.”
Did God know what the Jews were doing?
How did God feel and what was He going to do about it?
He was furious and was going to wipe them out and start a new nation with
Moses as He had with Abraham: "Now therefore, let Me alone, that My
wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of
you a great nation” (Exodus 32:10).
EXODUS 32:11-35 11 Then Moses pleaded
with the LORD his God, and said: “LORD, why does Your wrath burn hot against
Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power
and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the
Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm them, to kill them in
the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from
Your fierce wrath, and relent from this harm to Your people.
13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your
servants, to whom You swore by Your own self, and said to them, ‘I will
multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven; and all this land that I
have spoken of I give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it
forever.’ ” 14 So the LORD relented from the
harm which He said He would do to His people.
What did Moses focus on while pleading with God to spare
the Jews?
God's glory, and His words to "Abraham, Isaac" and
Jacob, later renamed "Israel" (Exodus 32:12),
as above.
EXODUS 32:15-16 15
And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the
Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the
one side and on the other they were written. 16
Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God
engraved on the tablets.
What had God written on the "two tablets" (Exodus 32:15)?
The
Ten Commandments.
When did the Jews begin to transgress those Commandments
of God?
Before even learning about them.
EXODUS 32:17-20 17 And when Joshua
heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a
noise of war in the camp.” 18 But he said:
“It is not the noise of the shout of victory, nor the noise of the cry of
defeat, but the sound of singing I hear.” 19
So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the
dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his
hands and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
20 Then he took the calf which they had made, burned it in the fire,
and ground it to powder; and he scattered it on the water and made the
children of Israel drink it.
How loudly were the Jews partying in front of their
idol?
Loudly enough to be confused with war cry.
Why did Moses break the God-given tablets and make the
people drink their ground-up idol?
They didn't deserve God's words. They had chosen an idol over the true God,
so they were going to drink up their sinful choice.
EXODUS 32:21-24 21 And Moses
said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so
great a sin upon them?” 22 So Aaron said,
“Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they
are set on evil. 23 For they said to me,
‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who
brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’
24 And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any
gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the
fire, and this calf came out.”
What is further disappointing about Aaron?
There is no admission of or repentance from his sin. He passes all of the
blame onto the people and makes it sound like the golden calf popped out of
the fire on its own: “I cast it into the fire, and this
calf came out” (Exodus 32:24).
EXODUS 32:25-26 25 Now when
Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained
them, to their shame among their enemies), 26
then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the
LORD’s side - come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves
together to him.
Which way was Moses facing?
Since he was at the "entrance of the camp"
(Exodus 32:26), he most likely was just outside of and facing the camp.
What did coming to the "LORD's side" (Exodus 32:26)
entail?
Turning away from and coming out of debauchery, betrayal, rebellion and sin
against God.
How is that different today?
EXODUS 32:27-28
27 And he said to them, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let every
man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance
throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his
companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” 28
So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three
thousand men of the people fell that day.
Did Moses order the killing of all brothers, companions
and neighbor?
If so, there would have been many more than "three
thousand men" (Exodus 32:28) killed, since the men alone numbered
"about six hundred thousand" (Exodus 12:37).
Moses most likely ordered the execution of those who instigated or were
unrepentant about their idolatrous rebellion against God even if they are
the executioner's brother, companion or neighbor.
EXODUS 32:29-35 29 Then Moses said,
“Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, that He may bestow on
you a
blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother.”
30 Now it came to pass on the next day that
Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go
up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”
31 Then Moses returned to the LORD and said,
“Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a
god of gold! 32 Yet now, if You will forgive
their sin - but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have
written.” 33 And the LORD said to Moses,
“Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.
34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the
place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you.
Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit
punishment upon them for their sin.” 35 So
the LORD plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which
Aaron made.
Why did God reject Moses' offer to sacrifice himself to
atone for the sins of the Jews?
Moses was a sinner, a
murderer no less, and only someone who is sinless can
sacrifice Himself to atone for the sins of others.
Who then is the only person qualified to lay down His
life for sinners?
See
John 3:16.
