(32:1-4) Aaron's golden calf
Aaron makes a golden calf and tells the
people to take off their clothes and dance around naked. God then punishes them
mercilessly for following their divinely appointed religious leader.
(32:1) "When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount,"
(32:2) "Aaron said to 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."
(32:3) "And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron."
(32:4) "And he ... made it a molten calf."
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.
32:2
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.
32:3
And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears,
and brought them unto Aaron.
32:4And 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.
32:5
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.
32:6
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.
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:
(32:9-14) God decides to kill all of the Israelites because of Aaron's golden calf. But, luckily, Moses talked him out of it, using the age-old argument, "What will the neighbors think?".
(32:9) "The LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is
a stiffnecked people."
(32:10) "Let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them."
(32:11) "And Moses besought the LORD."
(32:12) "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."
(32:14)
"And the Lord repented of the evil which he though to do unto his people."
But how could a good God even
consider doing evil to anyone? And how could an unchangeable God change his mind? Does God repent?
(32:19-20)
When Moses saw the people dancing naked (see v.35) around Aaron's golden calf, he smashed the stone tablets, burned the golden calf (gold doesn't burn), ground it into powder, and then forced it down the throats
of all the people. Is dancing a sin?
(32:19) "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."
(32:20) "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."
(32:21-22) Aaron tells Moses, "Don't blame me. The people made me do it."
(32:21) "Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?"
(32:22) "Aaron said ... thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief."
(32:24) Aaron just threw the gold earrings into the fire and (Presto!) out came a golden calf!
(32:24) "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."
(32:25) "When Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked.)"
Aaron makes the people take off all their clothes and dance naked around his
golden calf.
(32:26) "Who is on the Lord's side?"
To be on the Lord's side you must be willing to kill your family and friends for God.
(32:27) "Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side ... and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour."
(32:28) "And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men."
32:8
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.
32:9
And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is
a stiffnecked people:
32:10Now 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.
32:11And 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?
32:12
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.
32:13
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.
32:14And the LORD repented of the evil which he
thought to do unto his people.
32:15
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.
32:16
And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of
God, graven upon the tables.
32:17
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.
32:18
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.
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.
32:20And 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.
32:21And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast
brought so great a sin upon them?
32:22
And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the
people, that they are set on mischief.
32:23
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.
32:24And 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.
32:25And when Moses saw that
the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame
among their enemies:)
32:26
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.
32:27
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.
32:28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses:
and there fell of the
people that day about three thousand men.
32:29
For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every
man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a
blessing this day.
32:30
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.
32:31
And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a
great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
32:32
Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray
thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
32:33
And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I
blot out of my book.
(32:33) "Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book."
32:34
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.
32:35And the LORD plagued
the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
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