[Exodus 32:1-14;Exodus 34:24-32]
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, "Up, make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." So Aaron said to them, "Take off the rings of gold that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me." So all the people took off the rings of gold that were in their ears and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool and made a golden calf. And they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to the LORD." And they rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.
And the LORD said to Moses, "Go down, for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way that I commanded them. They have made for themselves a golden calf and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it and said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!'" And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you."
But Moses implored the LORD his God and said, "O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, 'With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth'? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'" And the LORD relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.
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Moses said to the LORD, "See, you say to me, 'Bring up this people,' but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, 'I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.' Now therefore, if I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people." And he said, "My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." And he said to him, "If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people? Is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?"
And the LORD said to Moses, "This very thing that you have spoken I will do, for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name." Moses said, "Please show me your glory." And he said, "I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.' And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But," he said, "you cannot see my face, for man shall not see me and live." And the LORD said, "Behold, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock, and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back, but my face shall not be seen."
{Rev. Charles Han}
This is one of the most infamous periods in the nation of Israel. They make a golden calf and worship it.
We will examine three things: Rebellion & God's wrath, Mediator & God's mercy, and
The pursuit of God's presence.
If you recall previously, the people promised to do as God commanded. Moses is on the mountain for 40 days and nights. The people get nervous. They don't know what is happening. So they pressure Aaron. And what happens? They make this statue, this idol. They worship it and make up festivals.
Rebellion & God's wrath
This is rebellion of the highest order. They had seen God's power, experienced God's miraculous salvation, felt the holiness of God. This is like a spouse cheating in the first month of marriage. The people of Israel had promised to follow God and now, they are building this image and worshiping it. The people probably felt lost. They knew God was with them through Moses. But Moses was gone, they didn't know if God was with them anymore. But we cannot judge Israel too harshly. We must note that we are also like this. We stray from God. We stray from the One who loves us. Not only that, but we worship idols. We sacrifice and celebrate other things. We sacrifice our health for work.
How does God react? God is livid. His anger burns. He tells Moses that He wishes to wipe out the nation of Israel. God says He wants to start over. God wants to start anew. God is saying that they will start with a new people from Moses.
Mediator & God's mercy
Moses intercedes on behalf of Israel. He pleads with God. He asks to see God's glory and God lets him see His backside. Moses was IN with God. Moses could ask anything of God. A lot of sermons tell us to pursue God the way Moses did. But who of us can be like Moses? Who of us is that close to God? None of us. Instead, we should see our need for a mediator. Moses is the only one who can stand on behalf of Israel.
We have a greater mediator. Jesus stands before God on our behalf. He pleads our case for us. "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world." - 1 John 2:1-2 (ESV) When we sin, Jesus pleads our case. Jesus tells the Father that He has already paid the price. We have access to God through Jesus Christ.
The pursuit of God's presence
When you have seen Jesus' purchase of us at such a costly price for access to God, what does that do to us? It should drive us toward God. We should exchange our idols for the greater glory of God.
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