Pam Padgett ... teacher
While God spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai, the children of Israel
corrupted themselves, asking Aaron to make gods to go before them.
Aaron made a golden calf for them. The people worshiped the calf, even
saying these gods brought them out of Egypt ...
Exodus 32:1 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. 2 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. 5 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.
When God saw they corrupted themselves and were stubborn, HE was very
angry against them, wanting to destroy them and to make of Moses a
great nation ....
Exodus 32:7 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. 9
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.
Even though God was going to make of Moses a great nation, Moses
asked God not to do this, not wanting the Egyptians to speak evil
against God, and also remembering the promises God had made to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob ....
Exodus 32:11 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. 14 And the Lord repented of the evil which
he thought to do unto his people.
When Moses returned to the camp of the children of Israel and saw what
they had done, he took very strong action to destroy the golden calf which the people were worshiping ...
Exodus 32:19 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.
And Moses faithfully spoke the word given by God in the matter to those
who were on the side of God. Moses called those on the side of God to come to him in the gate of the camp and instructed them to slay their brothers,
companions, and neighbors who were in the camp. About three thousand men were killed ...
Exodus 32:25 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. 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. 28 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 honored God, not trying to honor himself or others, remembering the power and mighty works of God, completely destroying the golden calf, and obeying the instruction God gave to deal with the corruption.