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Israel Worships a Golden Calf
199
Israel Broke Their Solemn Promise
Only a few days had passed since the Hebrews had stood trem-
bling before Mount Sinai, listening to the words of the Lord, “You
shall have no other gods before Me.” The glory of God still hov-
ered above the mountain in the sight of the congregation; but “they
made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped the molded image. Thus they
changed their glory into the image of an ox” (
Psalm 106:19, 20
).
On the mountain, Moses was warned of the apostasy in the camp.
“Go, get down,” were the words of God; “your people whom you
brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They
have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them.”
God’s covenant with His people had been broken, and He de-
clared to Moses, “Let Me alone, that My wrath may burn hot against
them and that I may consume them. And I will make of you a
great nation.” The people of Israel, especially the “mixed multi-
[155]
tude,” would be constantly inclined to rebel against God, complain
about their leader, and bring sorrow to him by their unbelief and
stubbornness. Their sins had already lost the favor of God for them.
If God had decided to destroy Israel, who could plead for them?
But Moses saw ground for hope where there appeared only discour-
agement and divine fury. The words of God, “Let Me alone,” he
understood not to forbid but to encourage him to plead their case—if
he asked earnestly, God would spare His people.
God had implied that He had disowned His people. He had
spoken of them to Moses as “your people whom you brought out of
Egypt.” But Moses disclaimed the leadership of Israel. They were
not his, but God’s—“Your people whom You have brought out ...
with great power and with a mighty hand.” “Why,” Moses urged,
“should the Egyptians speak, and say, ‘He brought them out to harm
them, to kill them in the mountains?’”
During the few months since Israel had left Egypt, the report of
their amazing deliverance had spread to all the surrounding nations.
Terrible dread rested on the heathen. All were watching to see what
the God of Israel would do for His people. If they were now to be
destroyed, their enemies would triumph. The Egyptians would claim
that their accusations were true—instead of leading His people into
the wilderness to sacrifice, He had caused them to be sacrificed. The