The Golden Calf
Moses had been up on Mount Sinai with Jehovah for 40 days and nights, receiving the Ten Commandments written by God Himself on two stone tablets. Simultaneously, the Israelites began to get anxious, thinking that Moses was not coming back. They approached Moses’ brother Aaron, who was put in charge of the people until Moses’ return. And they said to him:
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 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.” Ex. 32:1 AMP
It wasn’t Moses who freed the people from Egyptian slavery. It was God. They were in essence, deifying Moses, a mere man. And in their impatience and fear, their faith vacillated. The people were still theologically ignorant. So, they asked Aaron to humanly fashion a new leader, a physical idol for them to worship and follow.
We are talking about a demand made upon Aaron by thousands of Israelites. They weren’t looking for a new god, they were seeking a sculptured image with which to convey their worship to God – breaking the second of the Ten Commandments, which forbids idol worship.
So, Aaron tries to stall the people’s apostasy, hoping that Moses would return soon:
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.” So all the people took off the gold rings that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he took the gold from their hands, and fashioned it with an engraving tool and made it into a molten calf; and they said, “This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” Ex. 32:2 – 4. AMP
Regardless of Aaron’s intent, he is complicit in the people’s sin of religious syncretism, i.e., combining paganism with Jehovah’s Word.
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!” 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]. Ex. 32:5, 6. AMP
The Hebrew translation suggests that the people were committing a mass orgy.
At this same moment, God angrily reveals this to Moses on Mount Sinai
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.” Ex. 32:7 AMP
Note that God is saying to Moses ‘your people, whom you brought up’, instead of His heretofore claim of ‘My people whom I brought up.’ Jehovah has disavowed His children. Also, the Hebrew translation of ‘corrupted’ suggests that the Israelites have ‘ruined themselves.’
God continues:
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!’” The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people. 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.” Ex. 32: 8 – 10. AMP
So, just like He did in Noah’s time, Jehovah’s righteous anger demands justice. His intent is to wipe out His children and begin anew through the descendants of Moses.
Moses is tested at this juncture, but he rises to the challenge:
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? 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. 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.’” Ex. 32:11 – 13. AMP
Note that Moses turns God’s words around to ‘Your people whom You have brought’, so that He would again take ownership of His children. Moses argues for how God’s image would be tainted by freeing the Israelites from Egypt, only to kill them in the wilderness. Finally, he reminds Jehovah of His forever standing promise He made to the patriarchs, and that He is bound by His own words.
Moses’ entreaty proves to be successful:
So the Lord changed His mind about the harm which He had said He would do to His people. Ex. 32:14. AMP
Moses descends from the mountain, carrying the two ‘tablets of the testimony’ and when he approaches the Israelite camp, his anger was white hot, and he shattered the tablets.
Then Moses took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it on the surface of the water and made the Israelites drink it. Ex. 32:20 AMP
He is humiliating the people in their sin. Next, Moses turns his wrath upon Aaron:
“What did this people do to you, that you have brought so great a sin on them?” Ex. 32:21 AMP
Aaron backpedals:
“Do not let the anger of my lord burn; you know the people yourself, that they are prone to evil.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.’ 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.” Ex. 32:22 – 24. AMP
The golden calf just magically appeared? I doubt that Moses fell for that. Moses looked at the cavorting Israelites and called out to them:
“Whoever is on the Lord’s side, come to me!” And all the sons of Levi [the priestly tribe] gathered together to him. 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].’” So the sons of Levi did as Moses instructed, and about three thousand men of the people [of Israel] were killed that day. Ex. 32:26 – 28. AMP
Severe punishment? Yes. But they broke away from God’s covenant. If God is to be with His children, He cannot brook intentional sin.
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.” 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. Yet now, if You will, forgive their sin—and if not, please blot me out of Your book which You have written (kill me)!” But the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book [not you]. But now go, lead the people [to the place] where I have told you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you; nevertheless, in the day when I punish, I will punish them for their sin!” Ex. 32:30 – 34. AMP
Moses offered his own life for the children of God. Jehovah refused, saying that the sinner is responsible for his or her sin.[1] As far as ‘God’s book’ is concerned, perhaps it is referring to God’s book of life[2] which contains the names of all who will be saved throughout time.
[1] Dt. 24:16; Ezek. 18:4
[2] Ps. 69:28 & 139:16; Phil. 4:3; Rv. 3:5, 13:8, 17:8, 20:12,20:15 & 21:27.