Exodus 32: 7 – 8 “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. How quickly they have turned aside from the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf and have bowed down to it. They have sacrificed to it and said, ‘These, O Israel, are your gods, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”
Down in the camp, the party is really warming up; meanwhile, up on the mountain, God informs Moses that Moses has a major problem. Until now, God has referred to the Israelites as His people, but now God tells Moses, “Go down at once, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves.” At this point, God wants nothing to do with the Israelites and is making a point of it to Moses. By demanding that Aaron make an idol, the Israelites have broken covenant with God therefore, they are no longer His people, but only belong to Moses. Prager says, “Here, however, God ascribes the Exodus to Moses; He communicates a disappointment so profound He no longer wishes to take credit for it.”
Prager continues, “The phrase that is translated here as “your people….have corrupted themselves” literally means “they have destroyed [everything, or themselves.]…the people are now destroying the Torah’s fundamental idea that God is not in nature. Instead of worshiping God, Who is above and outside the natural world, they are worshiping a calf, which is, of course, part of the natural world: By putting God back into nature, the people have violated and nullified the fundamental distinctive idea of the religion of Israel.”
Yesterday we raised the question: How can any group of people be so foolish? God has delivered them miraculously several times. God is continuing to feed them miraculously. God continues to provide water for this huge number of people. Even now, God is still present with the Israelites as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, something that is really hard to ignore. But a faith that depends only on the miraculous is not actually faith at all. And the second the miracles delay, belief is gone! [But I STILL wonder how they can ignore that huge cloud!!!]
v. 9 – 10 “The LORD also said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people. Now leave Me alone, so that My anger may burn against them and consume them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” Is God serious? Surely God knew what these people were like before they left Egypt. But God is looking for obedience, and the Israelites are being flagrantly disobedient. Is God testing Moses? Possibly. God already knows what Moses is going to say; however, God wants Moses to respond so that he (Moses) realizes how much he really trusts God.
v. 11 -14 “But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God, saying, “O LORD, why does Your anger burn against Your people, whom You brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians declare, ‘He brought them out with evil intent, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the earth’? Turn from Your fierce anger and relent from doing harm to Your people. Remember Your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to whom You swore by Your very self when You declared, ‘I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give your descendants all this land that I have promised, and it shall be their inheritance forever.’” So the LORD relented from the calamity He had threatened to bring on His people.”
God doesn’t need assurance, but Moses does. Not only does Moses beg God to be merciful to the ungrateful Israelites, but he also reminds God of His promises.
APPLICATION: God always multi – tasks and there are always layers upon layers of purpose behind any Scripture. These verses tell a horrible story: Despite the fact that the pillar of cloud indicating God’s presence is still clearly visible right next to the camp, the Israelites have replicated an Egyptian idol and are now having a drunken orgy as a perverted form of worship. Barely two months after being miraculously delivered from one of the most powerful armies of the time, these people have turned their backs on the God who delivered them and are now playing with demons instead.
These verses are anything but a simple history lesson! God has made sure that this account has been preserved for all time in the Torah so that everyone who reads it will see the horror of turning away from the One True Living God to idols made by hands.
God wants everyone who reads these verses to remember that He is a promise – keeping God. God probably made the promises to Abraham documented in Genesis 15 nearly 600 years before the Exodus took place. Later, in Numbers 23:19 God says, “God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” When God cut covenant with Abraham in Genesis 15, God meant every word that He said. Even today, God has continued to bless all those who fear Him and who serve Him.
Recent political events have underscored the fact that governments can fail us and that the promises made by leaders carry little weight. But God’s Word remains true and He remains unchangeable forever. Let us put our trust in our unfailing, almighty, all – powerful, all – knowing, all – merciful, and all – loving Heavenly Father!
PRAYER: Father God, help us not to be like the Israelites! You have preserved our lives and have given us Your grace to reach this day. Help us to constantly be grateful and to look to You as our Source of supply! In the mighty Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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