1 “And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from 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 know not what is become of him. 2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. 3 And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. 5 And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow shall be a feast to the Lord. 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.”
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 atonement for your sin. 31 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, O, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. 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. 33 And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against Me, him will I blot out of My book. 34 And 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. 35 And the Lord smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.”
Golden Text.—“Thou shalt have no other gods before Me.” Ex. 20:3.
Suggestive Questions.
(1) To what place had God called Moses? How long did Moses remain there? Because of Moses’ delay, what appeal did the people make to Aaron? Verse 1. Note 1. (2) What did Aaron say to this appeal? Verse 2. (3) How did the people respond? Verse 3. (4) What then did Aaron do? What did the people say when they saw the calf? Verse 4. Note 2. (5) What further aid did Aaron give to this idolatrous worship? Verse 5. Note 3. (6) How zealously did the people enter into this worship? Verse 6. Note 4. (7) After Moses had discovered and rebuked this great sin, what did he say to the people? Verse 30. Note 5. (8) What report did Moses carry to the Lord? Verse 31. (9) What appeal did he make in behalf of the people? Verse 32. (10) What denunciation did the Lord declare? Verse 33. Note 6. (11) Then what counsel did He give Moses? And what promise did He add? Verse 34. Note 7. (12) What was the consequence of the people’s sin? Verse 35. Note 8.
Notes.
1. Moses had been absent about forty days (Ex. 24:18), and the people had not learned how to trust God without a visible leader. This is the secret of idolatry. When men lose faith in the “invisible God,” they necessarily walk by sight; so they turn to gods that can be seen. In less than six weeks Israel had utterly backslidden from their solemn promise to obey the “Voice” of God (ch. 19:5, 8), a promise made in confidence that they could of themselves keep the law of God. Their example is a standing testimony to the futility of all such efforts.
2. Lack of faith in God was manifested by Aaron when he feared the people more than God. It would have been much easier for him to have dissuaded the people in the beginning, than for Moses to turn them from the gross idolatry into which they were plunged by Aaron’s encouragement. To encourage wrong in a people for the purpose of being in favor with them, is to assume a fearful responsibility. Following in the wake of public sentiment is a dangerous position for a minister of the Gospel.
3. Proclaiming a feast to Jehovah was assuming that the idol was a representative of the true God, and building an altar to it was imitation of true worship. All false worship had its origin in imitation of true worship. As Satan’s prime object is to supplant God in the minds of men, he operates through imitations of God’s ways.
4. A burnt-offering indicated entire consecration to the object to which the offering was made, so we find the people entering fully into the spirit of idolatry.
5. Moses had been tested by the Lord’s offer to destroy Israel and raise up a new nation with Moses as the head (see verses 8 to 14 of lesson chapter); but Moses stood the test, and reminded the Lord of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, and threw himself in the breach of his defaulting flock. The student should read carefully the portion of the chapter omitted from the lesson.
6. The Lord’s declaration that He would blot out all who had sinned did not include the penitent ones; for they all had sinned. Moses had called out all who would stand on the Lord’s side before the avenging sword had been sent out to slay the impenitent leaders of the great apostasy.
7. The Lord heard with favor the importunity of Moses. The visible leader of Israel was a type of the real Leader, whose offering of Himself is honored in behalf of every one who will come unto God by Him. But, as in their subsequent failure at Kadesh-Barnea, they had to suffer the consequences of their sin.
8. “They made the calf which Aaron made” is an expression showing the responsibility of the people for the act of Aaron done in response to their clamor. The people’s sin in demanding a heathen god was not lessened by Aaron’s yielding to the demand, tho he was for the moment their temporary leader.
(Read “Patriarchs and Prophets,” pp. 315–330; see also article in editorial column, same title as the lesson.)
