Breaking God's Covenant

The relationship between the LORD and his people was not easily achieved. We have seen glimpses of it earlier in Exodus, but now we see the fruit of impatience while Moses is on the mountain with the LORD.

I. The Graven Image, 32:1-6.

The people were left at the foot of the mountain. We do not know what the people were doing during the forty-day absence of Moses. They may have tried to be patient, but it may have run its course. “Where was he? Why is Moses gone so long? Is he even alive?” It was difficult to remain faithful to a God they could not see; now they have lost sight of the one who led them out of Egypt.

The verb translated “delayed” has the active form, suggesting that, in the mind of the people, Moses was the one who was delaying his return. Since Moses was not returning, they gathered in front of Aaron to make a request of him.

Their request was a call to action. Aaron was seen was as the second-in-command, so he must take control. They were done waiting, but they do not want Aaron to take Moses’ place--they wanted Aaron to make an image of “gods” that could lead them, whom they could celebrate. In the same breath, they showed a disrespect for Moses/LORD—he led them to this place; now where is he? “We do not know what has become of him.” It’s time to move on! The reaction of the people is more revealing as a reflection of their inner attitudes than it is a reflection of the length of time Moses was away. We may be sure that Aaron was not for their request. The pity was that he was not firmly against it.

Aaron’s impatience with this request might be seen in the very strong verb “Tear off...” The earrings of gold were probably part of the spoils that the Egyptians freely gave to the Israelites as they left Egypt, yet ironically, that gold is now, in a sense, being given back to the gods of Egypt. Yet the people give no thought to this, but gleefully obey Aaron’s command.

Aaron implicates himself even more in now leading the people to violate the Ten Words of the LORD, which commanded that no idol resembling the shape of any created thing in the LORD’s creation is to be used to worship him, whether it actually represented Him, or merely pointed to Him.

Aaron probably shaped the heated, pliable gold around a carved wooden figure.

Note that Bezalel, the appointed architect and skilled worker in metals did not take part in this. If he had, he would have disqualified himself from constructing the Tabernacle.

The people’s response is both puzzling and heinous. Their declaration now attributes what the LORD has done for them to another god, a god of their own making. They do not yet grasp the uniqueness of God’s act for them. The very foundation of the Ten Words/Ten Commandments—God’s redemption and creation of His own people is denied Him by the very people He has redeemed. It is a disavowal of the LORD’s ownership of them; a denial of the One who birthed them, brought them out of Egypt, and the One who leads them. They are worship a god like Baal, or an echo of the Egyptian’s sacred worship of the Apis bull.

Aaron’s attempt to correct the excess of the people’s reaction toward this golden bull-calf, fails utterly and made the situation worse. Aaron’s altar building was not authorized by the LORD, whether or not Aaron invoked the name of the LORD. This altar, built under false premises by Aaron is now coupled with an illegitimate festival to the LORD, who has already established the legitimate feasts/festivals in Israel and has established the time and place for them. It is only the LORD who can create holy times, holy places, and holy worship among His people . This “feast to the LORD” becomes not a time of renewal, but a time of corruption.

The next day, the offerings that were brought were the right type of offerings—burnt offerings and offerings of peace (well-being)— but offered on an unholy altar, at an unauthorized time and place. Aaron’s actions resulted in a fiasco.

Aaron caused the people to sin a great sin, and as well as implicating himself.

Aaron followed the people, not the LORD.

Aaron had not pursued the path laid out by the LORD through Moses in any of this.

BUT…he was not struck dead, as were his sons Nadab and Abihu, because the LORD had not yet described how to worship Him in detail.

The actions of ‘eating,’ ‘drinking,’ and ‘playing’ as illustrated here did not reflect the LORD’s character but the character of the pagan gods Israel has created. The drinking in this text implies that it was an intoxicating drink, possibly wine. “They rose up to play” uses a word that suggests sexual play, especially since it is associated with drinking. It is possible to translate this as “and they arose to dance in a shameful [or, immoral] way.”

What will the LORD do? Is the covenant annulled, broken? Is Israel to be destroyed because they have denied their origins and their God by breaking the just concluded covenant? After all, Israel rebelled in Egypt, in the wilderness before they ever got to Sinai, and now rebels again in the process of receiving the covenant documents, of which they had declared, “All that the LORD says, we will do?” Is there any hope of repair or restoration for the people?

The LORD will have a people. He promised that to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—and to Himself.

II. God’s Anger, 32:7-10.

The rebellion of the people here can undo the covenant—but not God’s character and ultimate goals to have a people.

The scene in verses 7-14 reminds us that the LORD is aware of what goes on in the camp at the base of Mount Sinai, even as Moses , unaware of the apostasy occuring in the camp, receives the two tablets of the testimony.

This account features direct speech, giving the LORD’s words, starting with two commands of urgency: “Go,” “descend.” Then He tells Moses why, depicting Israel as Moses’ people, no longer considering them His special people. Here an issue arises: Who brought them up? Was it Moses, the “gods,” or the LORD? Their corruption is evident by their actions and intentions. They came to Sinai to worship the LORD, not pagan gods! This is the first of God’s moral, ethical, and religious evaluations. They have turned aside “quickly” from the path of the LORD, which they had agreed to follow, and to do so carefully.

The people had broken the first and second of the commandments and further still, denied their deliverance from Egypt to “these gods,” excluding the LORD entirely. The LORD asserts that they have accepted these gods before Him; “they worshiped it [the golden bull-calf] and have sacrificed to it” and have declared it their deliverer. If they had any intention of somehow worshipping the LORD here in this process, it is totally denied and rejected by the LORD Himself!

God had observed already the people of Israel, that they were a “stiff-necked people” before Sinai. this is the premise for what will follow here. The LORD’s logical conclusion is seen in verse 10.

God essentially tells Moses, “Do not bother Me with this anymore.” They broke the covenant; therefore, they would not be the LORD’s people anymore. He has in the past started over with humans: Noah, Abraham, Isaac (and not Ishmael); Jacob (and not Esau). Why not start again with Moses, a descendent of Abraham? What He is suggesting is His covenant right as the executor of the covenant. He could make a “great nation” out of Moses just as easily. This would open the door for Israel’s destruction as well as God’s creation of a new people. But this also gives Moses a solid basis to plead with the LORD for Israel’s preservation. The LORD’s goal is to create His people among whom He can dwell and be their God. He could send them on to Canaan as He had promised, but His covenant He could fulfill with the progeny of Moses. Will He let Israel enter the new land of promise even though they have rebelled against Him? If He did, they would go without His presence because they exist in a state of rebellion and unbelief before the LORD and His covenant. In this state, He cannot be their God, and they cannot be His people.

III. Moses’ Heartfelt Plea, 32:11-14.

Moses asks the LORD, pleading for Him to reconsider His decision. Moses has interceded before. He had interceded for Pharaoh, then later appealed for help and protection from the anger of these same people when they had threatened to stone him to death. Here we observe Moses interceding within the covenantal framework within which Israel exists. He stresses the Lord’s great deeds, His character, and His election of Israel. The LORD inherently loves and wants to deliver His people.

Deuteronomy 7:7–9 NASB95

“The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. “Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

Moses knows the heart of God, His will. Because of this, Moses entreats on the basis of His mighty works and to not allow the nations to question or think wrongly about His character. Moses acknowledges that it was the LORD alone who delivered His people and brought them up out of Egypt; therefore , they are the LORD’s people. Only they have a shared origin.

Moses entreats the LORD that He might give satisfaction to the Egyptians, whom He dealt with through the plagues and the exodus because they could claim falsely that the LORD intended all along to destroy the Israelites. But Moses again asserts before the LORD that the Israelites are “Your people.”

Moses also entreats based on the great promises God swore by Himself that He would accomplish to God’s servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the forefathers of this stiff-necked people.

Verse 14 demonstrates the power of intercession, that our prayers in the will of God may influence how the LORD may deal with a specific situation. I would note that God’s analysis HAS NOT CHANGED; only some aspects of His response. God never repents in the sense that “I was wrong, therefore I am changing my position.” This was a matter of whether the LORD would extend grace and mercy toward His people to cover their rebellion. Nothing about the LORD’s accusation against Israel has changed; it is true, established throughout this inspired narrative. But the LORD listens to Moses, as the high priest, mediator, and intercessor for Israel and chooses to extend grace and mercy in His judgments.