Exodus 32:34, commentary and pictures

After Israel broke covenant by worshiping the calf, God commanded Moses to continue leading the people toward the promised place He had spoken of, with His Angel going before them to guide and give rest. That renewal of guidance did not excuse the sin, for God declared that in the day of visitation He would call them to account and visit their sin upon them. He therefore plagued the people for making the calf, leaving their ranks broken as a lasting warning to learn obedience from past failure. The blotting out threatened is from the heavenly book of life where names and deeds are recorded, from which only the sinner is removed and the hardened and unpardoned are erased in the Judgment unto destruction. Moses offered himself to be blotted out to atone for them and unveiled a love illustrating Christ's mediation, but God refused to lay their guilt on Moses, sparing and pardoning the repentant who would obey while cutting off persistent rebels in justice that upholds His government and in mercy that restrains wider ruin.

Setting and Gracious Guidance

The command was given after Israel turned to calf worship while Moses was in the cloud of thick darkness on Mount Sinai, belonging to the account of Israel's apostasy at Sinai. During the waiting time Israel had opportunity to meditate on the law of God they had heard and to prepare their hearts to receive further revelation, but they became careless, inattentive and lawless. Especially the mixed multitude grew impatient to go forward to the land flowing with milk and honey, which was promised only on condition of obedience.

Feeling helpless without Moses to sustain faith in an invisible being, they desired some image to represent God and to go before them in his place. At the suggestion of those practiced in Egyptian worship of the ox or calf they turned back in heart to the idolatry of Egypt and represented the glory of the invisible God by the similitude of an ox. God had given no manner of similitude of himself and had prohibited any material representation. The mighty miracles in Egypt and at the Red Sea were designed to establish faith in him as the invisible all-powerful Helper, while desire for visible manifestation had been met in the pillar of cloud and of fire guiding them and in the revealing of his glory on Sinai with the cloud of the Presence still before them.

Israel's unbelief led to idolatry and a breach of the covenant, bringing them under God's displeasure and exposing them to his indignation, as pictured and declared by the broken tables of stone. The golden calf was proved utterly worthless, with no power to save or to do good or evil, since men could burn it in the fire, grind it to powder and drink it without harm. This stood in contrast to the unlimited power, glory and majesty of the living God shown at Sinai.

Aaron weakened his authority by first permitting departure from God's commands and allowing reveling and commonness into the camp, and the resulting movement toward idolatry continued until stern, decisive measures were taken. He yielded to the people, joined their plans and made the calf, in contrast with Moses' dependence on God as his counselor. He could have checked the evil by unswervingly maintaining his own allegiance to God, by citing the people to the perils of Sinai, and by reminding them of their solemn covenant with God to obey his law. His compliance with the desires of the people and the calm assurance with which he carried out their plans emboldened them to go to greater lengths in sin than had before entered their minds. God was very angry with Aaron because of his sin and would have destroyed and slain him had Moses not made special intercession for him.

Notwithstanding Israel's perversity, God commanded Moses to go and continue leading the people toward the promised place of which he had spoken, renewing his promise and granting Moses' plea for the people. He held fast to the nation and still led them onward. God assured Moses that his Angel would go before them, and that promise of divine guidance and presence giving rest answered Moses' plea for God to accompany him and the people. It answered his fear that without God's presence Israel would remain hardened and fall to its enemies. The Angel promised is the One actually leading them on the journey, so their calf worship was an offense against that leading Angel among repeated offenses against him.

Accountability, Justice and Mercy

God kept leading Israel toward the place He had promised, with His Angel going before them, yet that continued guidance and mercy did not cancel accountability for the calf worship. Their sin was not pardoned without consequence nor simply excused or erased, and long delay in punishing transgression does not mean He excuses it. In the day when He visits He will visit their sin upon them, calling them to account and bringing judgment for wrongdoing, and those who remained rebellious faced punishment. Moses understood the renewed promise of the Angel's guidance as the answer to his plea for the people, but the sin would be blotted out only if they were obedient thereafter. Continued transgression without repentance, confession and forsaking of sin, including particular sins, brings consequences according to one's works, for He holds together continued guidance with accountability for cherished sin and rebellious persistence, and He will visit the unrepentant for their sin.

He plagued the people because they made the calf, carrying out the warning in fresh marks of displeasure that left their ranks broken and their numbers missing. That severe punishment for idolatry should have made a deep and lasting impression, teaching them to take the lesson to heart and to make up for past failure by faithful obedience rather than being overcome again by temptation. The book from which a sinner may be blotted out is the heavenly book of records, also called the book of life, where every name is recorded and acts, sins and obedience are faithfully written, containing the names of those who have entered His service. Only whoever sinned against Him would be blotted out, for the righteous shall not suffer for the guilt of the sinner. When anyone commits sins too grievous to pardon, or persists in sin until hardened against the Holy Spirit, the name is erased in the Judgment and they are devoted to destruction.

After Israel's great sin of making gods of gold, Moses interceded to make atonement and offered to be blotted out of God's book if Israel could not be forgiven. He was speaking to the Lord Jesus Christ, who had pledged Himself for propitiation for the sins of the world, and the depth of his love and compassion for his people was unveiled. His willingness illustrates Christ's love and mediation for the sinful race, but God refused to let Moses suffer for the backsliding people, for Moses could not bear their guilt as Christ did. The people were mercifully spared and the repentant mercifully pardoned, while those who stubbornly joined rebellion were cut off. The great sin would be blotted out of His book and no more remembered against them if they were henceforth obedient, repented with a repentance that need not be repented of, and served God and honored His name. But if when tempted they took the same course again, showed no strength to resist temptation, repeated their evil work and murmured and complained against Moses, those sins would be placed to their account as unforgiven.

Treason against a King who had loaded Israel with benefits and whose authority they had voluntarily pledged to obey must meet justice in order to maintain divine government. Love no less than justice demands judgment, because God as guardian as well as sovereign cuts off those determined on rebellion so they will not lead others to ruin. While maintaining His law He grants freedom of choice and opportunity for repentance to all, and only those who persist in rebellion are cut off. Prompt and swift terrible punishment prevents wider corruption like that after sparing Cain and through long forbearance in the days of Noah, when wickedness increased until the flood became necessary. It is mercy that thousands should suffer to prevent judgment falling on millions, that the many are saved by punishing the few.

Since the people cast off allegiance they forfeited divine protection and were exposed to powerful foes, and unless evil was promptly put away they would have fallen prey to enemies and destroyed one another in hatred and strife. Swift punishment is therefore love to the world, love to Israel, and even love to the transgressors by cutting them short in evil, for the good of Israel and as a lesson to all succeeding generations that crime must be promptly punished. The history stands as a testimony to idolatry's guilt and punishment and to God's justice and long-suffering mercy. Crises come to God's people, and every one must acknowledge the Lord God of hosts, not harden the heart against Him but humble the heart before Him.