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EXODUS 32
page 81
seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete
rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone
who works on the Sabbath must be put to death.
16 The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath
day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time.
17 It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the
people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made
heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he
stopped working and was refreshed.’”
18 When the Lord finished speaking with
Moses on Mount Sinai, he gave him the two
stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the
covenant,* written by the finger of God.
The Gold Calf
When the people saw how long it was
taking Moses to come back down the
mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come
on,” they said, “make us some gods who can
lead us. We don’t know what happened to this
fellow Moses, who brought us here from the
land of Egypt.”
2 So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the
ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and
bring them to me.”
3 All the people took the gold rings from their
ears and brought them to Aaron. 4 Then Aaron
took the gold, melted it down, and molded it
into the shape of a calf. When the people saw
it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods
who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
5 Aaron saw how excited the people were, so
he built an altar in front of the calf. Then he announced, “Tomorrow will be a festival to the
Lord!”
6 The people got up early the next morning
to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings.
After this, they celebrated with feasting and
drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.
7 The Lord told Moses, “Quick! Go down
the mountain! Your people whom you brought
from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. 8 How quickly they have turned away
from the way I commanded them to live! They
have melted down gold and made a calf, and
they have bowed down and sacrificed to it. They
are saying, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who
brought you out of the land of Egypt.’”
9 Then the Lord said, “I have seen how stubborn and rebellious these people are. 10 Now
leave me alone so my fierce anger can blaze
against them, and I will destroy them. Then I
will make you, Moses, into a great nation.”
11 But Moses tried to pacify the Lord his God.
“O Lord!” he said. “Why are you so angry with
32
31:18 Hebrew the two tablets of the Testimony; see note on
25:16. 32:13 Hebrew Israel. The names “Jacob” and “Israel”
are often interchanged throughout the Old Testament,
referring sometimes to the individual patriarch and sometimes
to the nation. 32:15 Hebrew the two tablets of the Testimony;
see note on 25:16.
your own people whom you brought from the
land of Egypt with such great power and such
a strong hand? 12 Why let the Egyptians say,
‘Their God rescued them with the evil intention of slaughtering them in the mountains and
wiping them from the face of the earth’? Turn
away from your fierce anger. Change your mind
about this terrible disaster you have threatened
against your people! 13 Remember your servants
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.* You bound yourself with an oath to them, saying, ‘I will make
your descendants as numerous as the stars of
heaven. And I will give them all of this land that
I have promised to your descendants, and they
will possess it forever.’”
14 So the Lord changed his mind about the
terrible disaster he had threatened to bring on
his people.
15 Then Moses turned and went down the
mountain. He held in his hands the two stone
tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant.* They were inscribed on both sides, front
and back. 16 These tablets were God’s work; the
words on them were written by God himself.
17 When Joshua heard the boisterous noise of
the people shouting below them, he exclaimed
to Moses, “It sounds like war in the camp!”
18 But Moses replied, “No, it’s not a shout
of victory nor the wailing of defeat. I hear the
sound of a celebration.”
19 When they came near the camp, Moses saw
the calf and the dancing, and he burned with
anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground,
• Obedience
E XODU S 32:6-8
It is interesting to note that the first thing
the Israelites did after receiving the Ten
Commandments was to break the first
two. How could the people be so quick
to disobey? Maybe the better question
is, “How can any nation or person have
God’s Word in their hands and homes,
see the marvelous order and beauty and
detail of creation, and yet still ignore or
reject him?” And yet God’s own people
disregard him almost every day through
acts of selfishness, jealousy, anger,
ignorance, and misplaced priorities.
The Israelites were a blatant example
of disobedience. But are more subtle
examples any less sinful in God’s
eyes? Knowing how easily we can fall
into disobedience should motivate us
to immerse ourselves daily in God’s
Word to teach and remind us what a
community of believers looks like.