February 18 Daily Devotional

Exodus 32

Moses was on the mountain alone with God. There he heard all about the heavenly things and about the will of God. He received the two tablets of stone with the Ten Commandments written upon them by the finger of God. Day after day passed, and Moses did not come down. At last the people came to Aaron and said, “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.” Aaron should have said, No, you just have heard, Thou shalt have no other gods before me; that would be idolatry, a very great sin. But Aaron was weak and ready to yield to the wishes of the people.

The people cried, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” An altar was built and announcement was made, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” The next day they had a big celebration. They offered, ate, drank, danced and did wicked deeds, as they had seen the Egyptians do before their idols. Meanwhile the Lord said to Moses, “Go, get thee down; for the people have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them.”

Moses went down from the mountain, holding in his hands the two tables of stone with the Ten Commandments. Joshua joined him. They heard the noise of the camp, sounding as if a war was going on. But coming closer to the camp they saw the calf, the wicked ness and shame of idolatry. It was too much for Moses. The sight of this idol worship filled his heart with great anger. The tables he held in his hands. What good did they do! He flung them down the mountains and they crashed to pieces on the rocks below. He rushed into the camp, tore down the golden calf, broke it to pieces and threw it into the fire. The remnants were strewn into the water from which the people drank. Moses said to Aaron, “What did these people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?”

Then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp and called, “Who is on the Lord’s side? let him follow me.” All the sons of Levi came. Moses said, “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 neighbor” that has turned from the Lord. And there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. On the morning Moses said to 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.” Moses went up and pleaded, “Forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of the book which thou hast written.” The Lord said, “Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.”