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Spiritual Gifts, Volume 3
been admitted into close converse with God. That he should commit so
great a sin, even to save his life, was a matter of astonishment to faithful
Moses. He saw that the people were naked; that is, were stripped of
their ornaments; for Aaron had made them naked to their shame,
among their enemies. He had deprived them of their ornaments, and
put them to a shameful use. They had not merely lost their ornaments,
but they were divested of their defense against Satan, for they had lost
their piety and consecration to God; and had forfeited his protection.
He had in his displeasure removed his sustaining hand, and they were
left exposed to the contempt and power of their enemies. Their enemies
were well acquainted with the wonderful works performed by the hand
of Moses in Egypt. And they knew that Moses had brought them from
Egypt, in obedience to the command of the God of the Hebrews, to rid
them of idolatry, and to secure to himself their undivided affections,
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and their sacred worship.
The children of Israel had broken their allegiance with God, and if
he should see fit he would punish them as they deserved. “Then Moses
stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side?
let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves
together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of
Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate
to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every
man his companion, and every man his neighbor. And the children of
Levi did according to the word of Moses, and there fell of the people
that day about three thousand men. For Moses had said, Consecrate
yourselves today to the Lord, even every man upon his son, and upon
his brother, that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.”
Moses requested all who had been free from this great sin of
idolatry to come and stand by him at his right hand; also, those who
had joined the rebellious in worshiping this idol, but who had repented
of their sin in so quickly departing from God, to stand at his left hand.
There was quite a large company, mostly of the mixed multitude, who
instigated the making of the calf who were stubborn in their rebellion,
and would not stand with Moses, either at his right hand or at his left.
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Moses then commanded those at his right hand to take their swords,
and go forth and slay the rebellious, who wished to go back into Egypt.
None were to execute the judgment of God on the transgressors only
those who had taken no part in the idolatry. He commanded them to