Verse 1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
This incident is the first time the nation Israel forsakes God. When events did not happen according to the people’s preconceived notions, they decided to take charge of the situation and get other gods (which are not gods but demonic spirits) to lead them into the land of promise.
Application: Believers often pray for God’s intervention and then when their prayers are not answered in the manner they think they should be answered, they fail to wait upon the LORD and they take action themselves. This usually results in failure and disappointment. So before the Hebrew children are judged harshly by readers of the Scripture, realize that believers today are guilty of the same behaviors of doubt and faithlessness that the Hebrew people demonstrated centuries ago. Human nature is the same down through time.
Verses 2-4 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. 4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Why Aaron did what he did is not really clear. Perhaps he felt pressured and threatened by the multitude. Perhaps he was making fun of them by forming an idol that could do nothing for them. Not really sure. Regardless, a golden calf was created. The Hebrew word translated as “these” above is “el leh” and it can also mean “this”. Since the KJV translators use the plural word “these”, it seems likely that more than one idol was fashioned and that he, Aaron, personally fashioned at least one calf.
Symbolically, when the people took off their earrings, their ears were closed to the LORD. They were now following their own voices.
Some denominations teach that it is wrong to wear earrings or jewelry because of this Old Testament event where the jewelry was used in an evil fashion. You decide. However, this writer believes that all things if used in a manner that gives credit to the Devil can be a transgression before the LORD and that the object is never the problem. The way it is used by people is the problem. However, if you, the reader, abstain from wearing jewelry because you believe it is wrong, others should respect your decision as you must respect those who choose to wear jewelry.
Application: In verse 4 above, it is declared that the golden cow brought Israel out of Egypt. A worldly, man made object was credited with bringing about the miraculous liberation of an entire nation. God was replaced with a baby cow. Again, before condemning the Hebrew people too severely for their backsliding, disrespectful and blasphemous behavior, think about how believers behave today. How many times has the LORD intervened in a believer’s life, only to have the occurrence credited to coincidence or luck? How many times do believers take credit for specific outcomes believing that it was their talent, skill or intelligence that created the desired outcome. Think about your own life. When good things happen unexpectedly, is the credit and thanksgiving given to the LORD?
Verses 5-6 And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. 6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
Notice that Aaron declared a feast to the LORD and not to the golden calf idol. The problem was that God had already ordained certain feast days (feast of unleavened bread, feast of harvest, and the feast of ingathering) and commanded Moses to institute those days only. These feasts were to remind the Hebrew people what God had done for them. They served a specific purpose. Aaron, as the high priest, had no business declaring a feast that the LORD had not sanctioned.
The Hebrew word for “play” is “tsachaq” and it can mean laugh, mock, sport or jest. The implication, however, based on verse 25 below is that the people were not only partying, but they were engaged in sexual sin as well.
Application: The Hebrew feast celebrated above is representative of the state of many churches today. The people were having a feast to the LORD while worshiping an idol. Many churches today have the Bible mixed with some witchcraft or masonic doctrine or Eastern mysticism and therefore have their feet in two different camps. This is not pleasing to the LORD now any more than it was in Moses’ day. Think about what is happening in your church home.
Verses 7-8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest 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 them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Notice that God referred to the Hebrews as Moses’ people and not as His people. Why? Because they rejected Him. He then informed Moses of their sins. They had turned away from God’s leading and His commandments and had bowed down to and sacrificed to an image and made it their false god.
Application: God cannot sin, and He cannot tolerate sin. Sin in the believer’s life will cause a spiritual divide and separation from God until that sin is repented of. That does not mean that the sinning believer is rejected by God. It means that fellowship is interrupted between the LORD and the believer. Like the Hebrew people in the verses above, deliberately getting involved with the things in this world that are sinning against God and His commandments will cause separation. If the separation continues long enough, the believer’s heart will harden and the separation from the fellowship of the Spirit of God can become permanent. Since believers are inhabited by the Holy Spirit/Ghost of God, continued sinning will make the believer, who is the temple of God by virtue of the presence of His Spirit, corrupted and the Spirit will have to move out. This is the state of the backslid believer. God will not remain where He is not wanted.
Verses 9-10 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
The Hebrew word translated as “stiffnecked” is “qasheh”, and it also means stubborn, hard, cruel, grievous, churlish, hardhearted, obstinate and difficult. Not terribly attractive adjectives to describe the Hebrew people, but this description of the people occurs throughout the Scripture. God is so disgusted with them that He tells Moses that He might destroy them and start over with Moses’ family. Moses has remained humble and faithful to the LORD throughout all of the events leading up to this point in time.
Verses 11-13 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? 12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
Moses appealed to God to turn His anger or wrath away from the people so that at least the pagan nations in the area, including what was left of the nation Egypt, would not gloat at the Hebrew’s destruction and accuse the God of Heaven and of the Earth as being a god that plays with mankind. Remember that most pagan religions create in their followers a deep fear of offending one of the gods lest the gods torment them if they do not please them. Notice that Moses was not afraid to remind God of His promises to the patriarchs. Why was he not afraid? Because he had remained faithful and true to the LORD. Therefore, as stated in verse 11 above, Moses besought his God without fear or hesitation as Moses knew he was in right standing with the LORD.
Application: Intercessory prayer is how believers today accomplish what Moses did in the verses above. Believers are to pray for people, for situations, for their churches and church leaders, and for their nations regardless of the state of the souls of those being prayed for. Moses interceded for an entire nation of God rejecting people and saved their lives. Believers can do the same thing. Never minimize the importance of prayer. Practice a time of serious prayer each day and watch for the LORD to move with power and great glory. And don’t forget to stand on the promises of God.
Verses 14-16 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people. 15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. 16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
The Hebrew word translated as “tables” is “luwach” and it means a board, a slab or a tablet. A testimony is a witness. God wrote on the tablets of stone and His words were for a testimony to the Hebrew people. This was the first of three writings of God as recorded in Scripture. Notice the tablets were double sided so that it didn’t matter which side was looked at, the words of God would be revealed. Closing the tablets like a book or stacking them would not stop the words of God from being read. Matthew 24:35 records Jesus saying, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” They are indeed metaphorically written in stone and immovable.
The Hebrew word translated as “repented” in the verses above is “nacham” and it can mean to be moved to pity or compassion. God was changing His wrath for compassion and He therefore decided not to wipe out the Hebrew people.
Application: Sin angers God. But because He is compassionate, He chose to send Jesus to make the payment for sin by the shedding of His blood on the cross so that mankind could be saved from the sin that produces death and hell. God is compassionate still. However, Scripture tells of a time when that compassion will end and the wrath of God will be poured out upon the Earth and all of its sinful inhabitants. No one knows when that event will happen. Don’t mess around with your physical life now and your spiritual life in eternity. Repent, be baptized, and be filled with the gift of the Holy Ghost while time still exists.
Verses 17-18 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp. 18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
Joshua is one of this writer’s favorite men in the Bible because he seems to be the optimist. He was a brave warrior and so he equated the noise from the camp below to be that of a battle. He was a faithful servant of both God and of Moses and he never doubted God’s promise of a homeland in which he and his family would dwell. He did not jump to the conclusion that the people were sinning, but that they were engaged in some kind of battle. It seems that Joshua looked for the good in people. Because of his righteous character, God chose him to lead the Hebrew nation into the promised land after the death of Moses.
Verses 19-20 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. 20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
Moses did not show anger very often, but this occasion was one in which his temper was clearly visible. Exactly what triggered his anger is not known. He already had been told by the LORD that the people were rebelling and committing sin so that their unashamed behavior should not have been a surprise. And he had had time to deal with his emotions on the long trip down from the mountain carrying the burden of the tablets of stone that must have been heavy. So perhaps it was the sight of the golden calf that made it impossible for him to hide his displeasure. After all, he had been on the mountain communicating face to face with the one, true God and now he was face to face with a ridiculous idol. Remember, Moses grew up in Egypt with lots of ridiculous idols. He knew they were powerless. Perhaps he was angry because he knew how close these people had come to being destroyed off the face of the earth by a displeased God. You decide. Regardless, the people broke God’s covenant with them and Moses symbolized that by breaking the tablets of stone.
Verses 21-24 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? 22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. 23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. 24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
Moses’ question to Aaron was valid and to the point. What had the people done to him so that he had agreed to make the idol and encourage sinful acts and behavior? Moses laid the blame upon Aaron as he had failed to lead the people into righteousness. Aaron then blamed the people and indicated that their character was to commit mischief or wickedness. Notice that Aaron indicated that the people credited Moses for leading them out of the land of Egypt and not the LORD. As for the gold being tossed into the fire and then forming a calf, this statement may have been exaggeration on the part of Aaron as liquid gold will not form an object when cool without human intervention. The other possibility is that devils made the idol appear out of the flames. Don’t really know.
Verses 25-26 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) 26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
This writer does not know what the statement in parenthesis really means. The Hebrew word for “naked” is “para” and it also means uncover, avenging, avoid, go back, and bare. So it could literally mean that the people were without proper clothing and it could also mean that Aaron, as a leader, failed to lead and let them go their own way. In other words, no restraint was in place when Aaron failed to do his job as priest and spiritual leader.
Verse 27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
Sin leads to death, either physical and/or spiritual.
Verses 28-29 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. 29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
Moses called upon the rest of the tribe of Levi, his brethren, to stand up for the LORD and they did. As a result, many people died that day. This action may seem brutal and cruel, but when there is over a million people out of control, a show of force may be the only way to stop the rebellion.
Verse 30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
It has been said before and will be repeated here that Moses was a type of Christ. Like the LORD Jesus Christ who is the mediator between man and God, Moses was the mediator between the Hebrew people and God.
Verses 31-32 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
Moses was willing to lay down his life for the Hebrew people and be a sacrifice for their sin, just as Jesus laid down His life for sinful mankind. He must have loved the people very much.
Verses 33-35 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. 34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them. 35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
Sin can be forgiven by God, but it will always have consequences. In the case of the Hebrew people, God continued to lead them, but He would one day visit them and there would be consequences because of their rejection of Him.
Application: There is a book of life in which the names of all of the LORD’s people are written. This book has always been and Moses was well aware of it. As soon as a person becomes a believer and follower of Jesus, his/her name is written in that book. Is your name in the book of life? Think about it. Be sure.