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voice of the Lord our God any more, then we shall die. For who is
there of all flesh that hath heard the voice of the living God speaking
out of the midst of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go thou near, and
hear all that the Lord our God shall say; and speak thou unto us all that
the Lord our God shall speak unto thee, and we shall hear it, and do it.
And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me.
And the Lord said unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this
people, which they have spoken unto thee They have well said all that
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they have spoken. Oh, that there were such an heart in them, that they
would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might
be well with them, and with their children forever!”
Moses then presented before them their disgraceful conduct in
worshiping a calf, the work of man, in the place of offering sincere
devotion to the living God. He pointed them to the broken tables
of stone, which represented to them, that thus had they broken the
covenant which they had so recently made with God. God did not
reprove Moses for breaking the tables of stone; but was very angry
with Aaron because of his sin, and he would have destroyed him
had it not been for the special intercessions of Moses in his behalf.
Moses inquired of Aaron, What did this people unto thee that thou
hast brought this great sin upon them?
Aaron endeavored to excuse his sin, and related to Moses the
clamors of the people—that if he had not complied with their wishes
they would have killed him. “And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my
Lord wax hot. Thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
For they said unto me, 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 I said unto them, Whosoever
hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me; then I cast
it into the fire, and there came out this calf.” He would have Moses
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think that a miracle was performed—that the gold was cast into the
fire, and by some miraculous power it was changed to a calf. This was
to lessen his guilt in the eyes of Moses, and cause it to appear that he
had a plausible excuse for permitting the people to sacrifice to it, and
to proclaim, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out
of the land of Egypt.”
Moses rebuked Aaron, and informed him that his conduct was
highly censurable; for he had been blessed above the people, and had