Exodus 32:17, commentary and pictures

As Moses came down from the mount bearing the two tables written by God on both sides, Joshua heard the shouting from the camp below and with a soldier's first thought took it for the noise of war. Moses knew better that it was neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat, but singing and revelry. It was excited, boisterous, drunken shouting and dancing around the calf in idolatrous celebration after the manner of Egypt, wholly unlike reverent worship and revealing utter corruption and breach of the covenant. The revelry broke out while Moses was away forty days in the mount receiving God's written law, when the people grew discontented at his delay and, led by the impatient mixed multitude, demanded an image to go before them and turned back to Egyptian idolatry despite the miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea and the glory revealed on Sinai. Aaron, left in charge, failed to stand for the right and yielded to the demand, and his compliance emboldened the people to greater sin. By this open defiance Satan sought to cause Israel's ruin and extinction, but he was defeated, for God gave opportunity to repent and take the Lord's side, cutting off only those who stubbornly persisted while mercifully pardoning the humbled, and the tables broken beneath the mount testified that as they had broken the covenant God had broken it with them.

The Shout Heard Descending

As Moses came down from the mount with Joshua, carrying the two tables of testimony written by God on both sides, Joshua heard the shouting of the people in the camp below, while the cloud of divine presence still rested on the peak in view of the camp. His first thought, as a soldier, was that the uproar was an enemy attack, and he mistook the excited shouting for the noise of war in the camp. Moses recognized the sound correctly as singing and revelry around the idol, not battle. It was neither the cry of victory nor the cry of defeat.

The noise was excited, boisterous shouting with singing and dancing in idolatrous celebration around the calf. It was drunken revelry connected with idolatry and breaking of the covenant, in imitation of Egyptian idolatrous feasts and idol-worshipers. It was wholly unlike reverent and reverential worship of God, and it revealed the corruption and degradation of Israel in making an idol and sacrificing to it.

The shout heard on the descent sets the scene for Moses' arrival to see the calf and the dancing. Though warned that the people had corrupted themselves, coming directly from the presence of God's glory he was still in a measure unprepared and was overwhelmed by the dreadful exhibition. In utter discouragement and wrath at their great sin before God he cast the tables out of his hands and broke them beneath the mount.

Apostasy, Failure, and Mercy

The shout Joshua heard rose while Moses was away communing with God, spending forty days in the mount receiving the stone tablets with God's written law for His covenant people who had pledged obedience, while Israel waited below at the very foot of Sinai. When Moses did not return, the people became discontented and unbelieving, failed to meditate on the law they had heard and to prepare their hearts, and became careless, inattentive and lawless. They were led by the impatient mixed multitude determined to wait no longer for Moses whether to go forward to the promised land flowing with milk and honey or back to Egypt, and feeling helpless without their leader they desired some image to represent God and to go before them in place of Moses. At the suggestion of those who had practiced it they turned back in their hearts to the idolatry of Egypt and made and worshiped a calf in imitation of the ox or calf regarded as a symbol of deity. Thus they represented the glory of the invisible God by the similitude of an ox despite having been given no manner of similitude of God, despite the prohibition of any material representation, despite the mighty miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea designed to establish faith in Him as the invisible, all-powerful Helper, and despite the pillar of cloud and fire and the revealing of His glory on Sinai.

Satan carried forward at Sinai the same work of overthrowing God's law begun in heaven, exciting doubt, apostasy and rebellion until Israel denied loyalty to Jehovah, demanded gods of gold, and bowed in open defiance of the law's commands in adoration before a golden image when Moses came from the awful presence of divine glory. By this daring insult and blasphemy Satan planned to cause their ruin, believing God would divorce them and devote them to destruction as utterly degraded and lost to privilege, blessing and solemn pledges, and thus secure extinction of the seed of Abraham that was to preserve knowledge of the living God and through whom the true Seed was to come to conquer Satan, but Satan was defeated. Aaron, left in charge as appointed guardian and magistrate, failed to lead the people through temptation, yielded to their demand for gods, joined their plans and with calm assurance carried them out. His weakness showed he did not bear the burden of the work as Moses did, who truly felt its greatness and weakness and had God continually as counselor, even though Aaron claimed God had spoken by him as well as by Moses and that no extra helpers were needed. He should have faithfully done his duty, stood for the right irrespective of consequences, maintained allegiance, cited the perils of Sinai and reminded them of their solemn covenant, which could have checked the evil, but his compliance emboldened them to greater sin than had entered their minds, that first permission let idolatry take hold and required stern, decisive action, and he would have been slain if Moses had not interceded for him.

In the calf apostasy the people divided into two parties, one serving apostasy and one called to serve God. God would not arbitrarily destroy the guilty but gave opportunity to repent, return and place themselves on the Lord's side, and judgment was promptly carried out. Those who stubbornly persisted in rebellion and ranged themselves on Satan's side were cut off, while the humbled and repentant people were mercifully pardoned and sinful Israel was not destroyed, and the history stands as perpetual testimony to the guilt and punishment of idolatry and to the justice and long-suffering mercy of God. The broken tablets represent the people's breach of covenant, as they had broken it God had broken it with them. After the transgression Moses pleaded with God on their behalf, and the worship of the golden calf with its broken ranks, missing numbers and displeasure of God should have left a lasting warning, but repeated offenses showed failure to learn when again overcome by temptation.