When Moses left the presence of God, he held the two tablets of the law in his hand. He met Joshua on the mountain and they heard the shouting of people. Joshua thought it was the noise of war.
However, Moses said that was not the case. “It is the sound of singing that I hear” (Exodus 32.18), he said.
When he came near the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, he was filled with anger. He threw down the tablets of the covenant and broke them at the foot of the mountain.
This was a sign that Israel had broken the covenant (Exodus 32.19).
The writers of the commentary I’m studying for my articles believe that the golden calf was first made out of wood, then covered with gold making it easier to burn than a pure gold idol.
When Moses saw what was happening, He took the calf that they had made, burned it with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it (Exodus 32:20).
There may be a couple of ways to see what Moses did by burning the idol, grinding it into water, and making the people drink it.
One was to show them the worthlessness of their idol, humiliating them by compelling them to swallow their own substitute for God.
Another thought is that he showed them a visible manner of sin and its consequences. Sin was poured into their stomach along with the water as a symbolic sign that they would have to bear it and atone for it.
I think both explanations have merit. When we worship a false god, we often discover how empty it really is. Then, we have to bear the consequences of turning away from the true God to a substitute.
Avoiding Responsibility
Aaron is typical of how humans often avoid responsibility by blaming others for the wrongs that occur.
Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”
And Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are wicked.
They said to me, ‘Make gods for us, who shall go before us; 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.’
So I said to them, ‘Whoever has gold, take it off’; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!” (Exodus 32.21-24).
I hope you’ll take the time to listen to our YouTube video today and the discussion between Whispering Danny and Rudy Ross. It is both humorous and telling about our human failings.
Interestingly, Moses had no reply to Aaron’s excuse. Sometimes, our excuses are so lame that there is no reasoning with them. We just have to accept the consequences of a bad decision.
Verses 25-29 describe the judgment that God sent to those who had turned their back on Him.
As we read about the judgment taking place, we may wonder — particularly in light of the culture we live in today — why God was so severe in His judgment of His people.
One answer has to do with the behavior of the Hebrew people before the other people of the land.
The Israelites were not alone; they were observed by the other nations. Their worship of a false god and their behavior afterward would certainly be spoken about among these people.
When Moses saw that the people were out of control for Aaron had lost control of them, prompting derision among their enemies (Exodus 32.25).
The derision of other nations toward the people of God would not be beneficial for God’s purpose on earth.
As we recall Abraham’s call we know the people of God were called to be a blessing to the world.
“I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
“I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12.2-3).
We cannot be a blessing if we embrace the attitudes and actions of the world around us.
Thus, for God’s reputation and that of his people among other nations, he sent this judgment upon them.
When I entered the ministry in the late 1960s, approximately 34% of Americans attended church. In 2023, that figure has halved with only 17% attending worship services.
Is it possible that the sins of the church, have caused the watching world to turn its back on organized religion?
We are supposed to bless the world, but when our morality is not better than theirs, what kind of blessing do we have to offer?
Righteousness and Mercy
Another explanation for Moses’ actions can be found as we remember Abraham’s intercession with God for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Recall that he prayed, “Will you indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?” (Genesis 18.23).
Abraham appeared to bargain with God, asking if 50 righteous would be saved. He worked from 50 down to 10, then finally gave up on asking God to have mercy on those two cities.
It is possible that Moses was looking for a way to find who was righteous and ask God to spare the people. This is just a guess, but it’s a thought that we might want to consider.
Levites who were willing, whether through repentance or continued righteousness, to stand for the Lord.
Moses stood in the gate of the camp and said, “Who is on the Lord’s side? Come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered around him.
He said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Put your sword on your side, each of you! Go back and forth from gate to gate throughout the camp, and each of you kill your brother, your friend, and your neighbor.”
The sons of Levi did as Moses commanded (Exodus 32.26-28).
The Priest’s Role
Both Moses and the Levites took on the role of priests, which involves being mediators between God and the people.
A priest acts as an intermediary, representing the people before God. This concept was evident in yesterday’s article when we examined Moses’ intercession, and it will be apparent again tomorrow as Moses advocates for the people.
Conversely, a priest also contends for God in dealings with the people. The actions of the Levites in passing judgment on the people demonstrated how they championed God’s cause when confronted with the people’s wrongdoing.
We all function as priests for God now, the separation between distinct groups of priests and non-priests has been erased. Every follower of Jesus has a priestly role.
While we won’t resort to wielding swords like the Levites, we should instead embrace prayer, offering encouragement, and occasionally using firm words with our friends.
Let’s reflect on this lesson as we move through our day.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross, Whispering Danny, and I discuss this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 