God Alone Deserves Worship (Exodus 32)

Bible Passage: Exodus 32

For the previous 13 chapters of Exodus, Moses has been on the mountain with God receiving the law. Specific instructions were given about how they were to live as a community, and particularly about how the tabernacle and priesthood would function. God desired to be present in the midst of his people. Yet whilst this conversation was happening, the people grew impatient. The things that they had seen God do to rescue them were no longer enough, and they wanted a God they could see, so they asked Aaron to create for them an idol that they could worship.

The Golden Calf: What the people wanted was not something to worship instead of God, but rather a visual representation to worship God through. They had forgotten what God had said to Moses: “I am what I am”, and what he had shown in the showdown with the Egyptians, that his power transcends those gods of Egypt which were represented by created things. They wanted to bring God down to the level of the physical and limit him to something that they could control. Aaron agreed, and the golden calf was formed (despite the second commandment strictly forbidding this). The sin of the Israelites is one that is all too common in our time as well. Whenever we try to tame or domesticate God, or say things like “I like to see God as …” then we are remaking him into an image we can control, and making of him something other than what he is.

Sin Is a Big Deal: When Moses was up the mountain with God, he was not aware of what was happening down below with the people, but God knew (verse 7-9), and saw what was happening as a big enough issue to interrupt his conversation his Moses and deal with it. God was angry with his people (verse 9-10), and this anger is the righteous response of a holy God to sin. Sin is not to be taken lightly, and we see God ready to destroy his people because of what they have done. Moreover, we see Moses sharing in God’s indignation. In verse 19 onwards, Moses witnessed what had been happening and destroyed both the tablets containing the commandments and also the calf. He commissioned the Levites as agents of judgment on the people. This does not make the most comfortable reading, but it is important that we see just how serious the consequences of sin are, and do not take it lightly.

Intercession and Atonement: The way Moses responded to the people having sinned is a picture of Jesus in two ways. Firstly we see him making intercession for them before God. When God declares judgement on the people, Moses makes representation for them (v11-14). He makes the plea based on God’s own reputation and promise, and certainly not based on the righteousness of the people. In a similar way, we have Jesus interceding for us before God even to this day (Romans 8:34). As we sin and stumble, he is standing before the Father pleading our cause. Secondly, Moses wanted to make atonement on their behalf for their sin (verse 30). In verse 32, Moses even indicated his willingness to take the consequences of their sin on himself so they did not have to bear it. In this he points to Christ who bore the guilt of our sin on the cross and the death that we deserved.

Potential Applications:

• Idolatry is as much an issue today as it was then. The passage challenges us to consider any ways we are remaking God in the image of created things that are easy to control and don’t reflect who he truly is.
• We are reminded of the seriousness of sin. Perhaps some of us have grown complacent in compromise, and the passage challenges us to take sin as seriously as the Lord and Moses do here.
• We find atonement for sin through Jesus. This is a good opportunity to invite people to put their trust in him and find forgiveness.