"The Israelites get impatient on Moses because he takes a long time to come down the mountain. So, they forge a golden calf to worship as their God. The God of Moses, the true God, knows of the people's idolatry. God tells Moses that His anger will burn against them, and He will destroy them. Then He will make Israel into a great nation. Moses intercedes for the people of Israel, and he gets God to change His plans of destruction. Moses reminds God of the covenant He established with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God changes His mind about the disaster He will bring to the Israelites, and Moses returns to his people from Mt. Sinai. He takes the Ten Commandments with him. The Ten Commandments are known as the ark of the testimony and they are inscribed on two stone tablets. Upon Moses' return, he finds the Israelites worshipping the golden calf. He becomes furious and smashes the stone tablets at the base of the mountain. Moses gathered the Israelites who were for the Lord. Moses tells these men to go thru the camp and kill the brothers, friends, and neighbors whoa re worshipping the golden calf. These men, mostly Levites, did as Moses said, and they kill 3,000 men in the camp. Moses tells the people of their sin, and then he returns to the mountain to intercede for them and ask forgiveness from God. God tells Moses to continue on as was planned, and He will deal with the people's sin."
Exodus 32 Amplified Bible (AMP)
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, they gathered together before Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us a [a]god who will go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 So Aaron replied to them, “Take off the gold rings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons and daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 And he took the gold from their hands, and fashioned it with an engraving tool and made it into a molten [b]calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 5 Now when Aaron saw the molten calf, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made a proclamation, and said, “Tomorrow shall be a feast to the Lord!” 6 So they got up early the next day and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; then the people sat down to eat and drink, and got up to play [shamefully—without moral restraint].
7 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up from the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. 8 They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!’” 9 The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people. 10 Now therefore, let Me alone and do not interfere, so that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them; and I will make of you (your descendants) a great nation.”- IMPATIENCE. How could all the people forget everything the Lord has done for them when they were rescued from Egypt? All the plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, the manna/bread from heaven, the water from the rock, the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of cloud at night, the thunderous presence of God at Mt. Sinai...:( As much as it was hard to imagine or accept, this particular event during the Israel's exodus shows the depravity (moral corruption; wickedness) or sinfulness of men, in general. For 40 days and 40 nights, Moses was with God at Mt. Sinai, to receive all the commandments and instructions for the building of the Tabernacle. But the people seemed to grow restless and impatient, and they wanted a 'physical' god (like what they used to see in Egypt) to worship. Aaron, whom God chose and (will) appoint as a priest, compromised and give in to the people's desires, even if it was wrong.
- THE LAW JUST SHOWS OR CONFIRMS MAN'S SINFULNESS. Back in Exodus 20:2-6, the Lord gave and told Moses the Ten Commandments: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me. “You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments."
- ONE OF THE FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IS PATIENCE. When trusting God, the Holy Spirit will help us to be patient in waiting, and even during in times of troubles. The Holy Spirit also helps us to believe in His perfect timings too. That even if we don't see or feel it, we have faith that God is at work because He is good and He loves us (through Christ Jesus) "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1
"But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23
"For we live by faith, not by sight." 2 Corinthians 5:7
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”John 4:24
"God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”John 4:24
Footnotes: Exodus 32:1 Elohim in the Hebrew, a plural Hebrew form used most often to refer to the true God. It can also mean “gods,” which is an option here, but the account of the golden calf incident implies that the people wanted a single idol (see 32:4 and note). Assuming that they had just one idol in mind, it may be that the Israelites were demanding an idol representing God (Elohim) Himself.
Exodus 32:4 The selection of a calf-god was probably inspired by the Egyptian bull-god Apis (Hapis), believed to be a living manifestation of the Egyptian god, Ptah.
11 But Moses appeased and entreated the Lord his God, and said, “Lord, why does Your anger burn against Your people whom You have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil [intent] their God brought them out to kill them in the mountains and destroy them from the face of the earth’? Turn away from Your burning anger and change Your mind about harming Your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob), Your servants to whom You swore [an oath] by Yourself, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I have spoken I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He had said He would do to His people.
15 Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony in his hand; tablets that were written on both sides—they were written on one side and on the other. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. 17 Now when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses, “There is a sound of battle in the camp.” 18 But Moses said,“It is not the sound of the cry of victory,
Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat;
But I hear the sound of singing.”
- MOSES AS AN INTERCESSOR (A picture of Jesus). In this particular moment, Moses was used by God again as a "mediator" or an intercessor for the Israelites to be reconciled by God, again. God caused Moses to remember His purposes, and great promises from their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. "SIN" has separated us from God, but Jesus became the ultimate Savior and Mediator, for us to be near, reconciled and connected to God again, eternally.
"For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." Hebrews 9:15
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6
21 Then Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you, that you have brought so great a sin on them?” 22 Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil. 23 For they said to me, ‘Make us a god who will 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 I said to them, ‘Let whoever has gold [jewelry], take it off.’ So they gave it to me; then I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”
- MOSES ONLY POINTS TO JESUS, THE ULTIMATE SAVIOR. At this point, we learn how Moses somehow lost control, and gave in to 'anger' when he finally see with his own eyes what was happening with all the people in the ground. Here, we see that Moses is still a human being who got prone to showing strong emotions and feelings. Although God used him mightily as a mediator, intercessor, and leader to the Israelites, God's firstborn-- his life only points and foreshadows what Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will do-- once and for all finish the ultimate salvation from God.
"And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying,
“This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:
I will put my laws on their hearts,
and write them on their minds,”
then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Hebrews 10:11-17
25 Now when Moses saw that the people were out of control—for Aaron had let them get out of control to the point of being an object of mockery among their enemies— 26 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi [the priestly tribe] gathered together to him. 27 He said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘Every man strap his sword on his thigh and go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and every man kill his brother, and every man his friend, and every man his neighbor [all who continue pagan worship].’” 28 So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people [of Israel] were killed that day. 29 Then Moses said [to the Levites], “Dedicate yourselves today to the Lord—for each man has been against his own son and his own brother [in his attempt to escape execution]—so that He may restore and bestow His blessing on you this day.”
30 Then the next day Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. Now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 31 So Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin [against You], and have made themselves a god of gold. 32 Yet now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of Your book which You have written (kill me)!” 33 But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book [not you]. 34 But now go, lead the people [to the place] where I have told you. Behold, My [c]Angel shall go before you; nevertheless, in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin!” 35 So the Lord struck the people with a plague, because of what they had done with the calf which Aaron had made [for them].
Footnotes: Exodus 32:34 “Angel” has been capitalized here to reflect the likelihood that it is God appearing in a visible form (see note Gen 16:7).
- ATONEMENT, REPENTANCE, ACCOUNTABILITY. Man is accountable to every action that he does, every sin has a consequence, whether we like it or not. Because of the great sin that the Israelites have committed, death happened, as well as plagues. Despite all that, God was merciful and He allowed the people to 'repent' and go back to His side. God even sent His Angel, the Lord Jesus Himself to go with the Israelites. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."
After reading, I always check out the Study Guide Commentary from David Guzik (very helpful!):
a. Moses delayed coming down from the mountain: This troubled the people of Israel. It is true that Moses delayed, but God had a wonderful purpose for Moses’ delay, and it would soon be over. Yet because the people couldn’t see the reason for the delay they allowed it to stumble them.
i. Moses was gone for forty days (Exodus 24:18). This probably seemed like a long time to the people, but a short time to Moses. Certainly it was a short time related to the outworking of God’s plan for Israel.
ii. How we handle God’s ordained delays is a good measure of our spiritual maturity. If we allow such delays to make us drift off into sin or lapse into resignation to fate, then we react poorly to His ordained delays. If we allow such times to deepen our perseverance in following God, then they are of good use.
b. The people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him: This sinful impulse came first from the people, not Aaron. The episode of sin described in this chapter started at the impulse of popular opinion. This is an example of where the will of the people is not always the will of God.
i. This is true in society in general, but it is also true among God’s people. When it comes to representing God in the world and in serving mankind, there is danger in starting in what people want or what they feel that they need.
d. That brought you out of the land of Egypt: This shows the foolishness of idolatry. This statue of a calf did not exist the day before, yet they worshipped it as the god that brought them out of Egypt.
a. Then Moses pleaded with the Lord his God: Moses refused to do nothing. He did not fatalistically say, “Well, whatever God will do, God will do.” He pleaded with the Lord, according to what he believed to be God’s heart.
i. “Undoubtedly Moses was filled with compassion for the people, but his chief concern was for the honor of the name of God.” (Morgan)
c. The Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do: God did not destroy Israel, and He knew that He would not destroy Israel. Yet He deliberately put Moses into this crucial place of intercession, so that Moses would display and develop God’s heart for the people, a heart of love and compassion. Moses prayed just as God wanted him to – as if heaven and earth, salvation or destruction, depended on his prayer. This is how God waits for us to pray.
a. Moses’ anger became hot, and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them: Israel broke the covenant by their idolatry and immorality with the golden calf. There was something appropriate about Moses breaking the stone tablets of the covenant at Israel’s breaking of the covenant.
i. Cole called the breaking of the tablets “a significant ceremonial act, not a mere exhibition of anger.” Moses acted out the broken law and covenant.
ii. Nevertheless, Moses had to deal with anger through much of his life. In anger he killed an Egyptian (Exodus 2:11-12). In anger he broke the tablets written by the finger of God. In anger he beat the rock God commanded him to speak to (Numbers 20:10-11). This last display of anger kept Moses out of the Promised Land.
i. It only makes sense for us to be on our Lord’s side. He is our Creator, our Redeemer, our Preserver, and our Best Friend. Yet being on the Lord’s side requires something.
· Being on the Lord’s side requires decision.
· Being on the Lord’s side requires action.
· Being on the Lord’s side requires separation.
c. I will visit punishment upon them for their sin: That entire generation of adult Israelites would never enter the promised land. That specific judgment had yet to be pronounced, but God knew it would happen.
Reference and credits to https://www.blueletterbible.org/Comm/guzik_david/StudyGuide2017-Exd/Exd-32.cfm ©2013 David Guzik
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