32:1 After waiting at the foot of the mountain for a long time, the people apparently concluded that Moses wasn't coming back. Since Moses was their connection to the Lord, they now decided that they needed a new religious system, and they called upon Aaron to provide it for them. How it isn't clear exactly what they were requesting of Aaron. The request could be interpreted either "make us gods..." or "make us a god". Had the people given up on the Lord, deciding to create new gods to worship? Or did they simply want a tangible representation of the Lord to help them worship? The latter seems more likely: after making the calf Aaron proclaimed that it "had brought you out of the land of Egypt" and declared a "feast to the Lord." The people probably did not intend to stop worshiping the God of Israel; they just wanted to do it their own way.
32:2-5 Up on the mountain, Moses was being instructed that Aaron would be the high priest, the spiritual leader of the people. At the same time, Aaron was already taking this role--but he was not distinguishing himself. When the people requested an idol, he immediately complied. Aaron and the people should have known better, since Moses had already given them the Ten Commandments in oral form.
32:6 After making the calf, the people celebrated a feast to the Lord. However, their human-created worship stands in stark contrast to the pattern for worship given to Moses on the mountain. It devolves into drunken revelry.
32:7-14 In response to what Israel has done, the Lord threatens to destroy them. But Moses intercedes on Israel's behalf, causing God to relent. This passage causes lots of theological debate: did God really change His mind? But doesn't God know everything that's going to happen? Isn't God in control of everything? How, then, could God change His mind? This is something to think about, anyway.
32:19-35 The punishment for what Israel did is both strange and harsh. Moses breaks the stone tablets, seemingly indicating that the Covenant is broken. The Golden Calf is ground up, and the Israelites must drink it (huh?). And many people are killed.
32:22-25 Aaron does not come out well in this story at all. First, he gave in to the will of the people. Second, when questioned by Moses, he gave one of the classic denials of responsiblity of all time: "they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!"
32:32-25 What the Israelites did was clearly a violation of the Covenant. Easily, their status as God's people could have been lost. But, in spite of it all, the Lord chose to continue with them. There will be punishment, but God still chooses to be graciously present with them.
About this and other Old Testament stories, Paul wrote:
These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.What lessons might we take from this story?
