Law of God
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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
wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off
the golden ear-rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons,
and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people
brake off the golden ear-rings which were in their ears, and brought
them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned
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it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf. And they
said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the
land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it, and
Aaron made proclamation, and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.
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.”
It was the mixed multitude who came from Egypt with the Is-
raelites that were the principal movers in this dreadful departure from
God. They were called a mixed multitude, because the Hebrews had
intermarried with the Egyptians.
The children of Israel had seen Moses ascend up into the mount,
and enter into the cloud while the top of the mountain was all in flames.
They waited for his return every day, and as he did not come from
the mount as soon as they expected he would, they became impatient.
Especially were the believing Egyptians, who left Egypt with the
Hebrew host, impatient and rebellious.
A large company assembled around the tent of Aaron, and told
him that Moses would never return—that the cloud which had hitherto
led them now rested upon the mount, and would no longer direct their
route through the wilderness. They desired something which they
could look upon to resemble God. The gods of the Egyptians were in
their minds, and Satan was improving this opportunity, in the absence
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of their appointed leader, to tempt them to imitate the Egyptians in
their idolatry. They suggested that if Moses should never return to
them, they could return into Egypt, and find favor with the Egyptians,
by bearing this image before them, acknowledging it as their god.
Aaron remonstrated against their plans, until he thought the peo-
ple were determined to carry out their purpose, and he ceased his
reasoning with them. The clamors of the people made Aaron afraid