Exodus 32

15–20 After successfully interceding with God, Moses went down the mountain with the two stone tablets (see Exodus 31:18). He first joined up with Joshua, who had been waiting for him partway up the mountain—probably for all those forty days (Exodus 24:13).

When they reached the camp, Moses saw with his own eyes what a terrible sin the people had committed. He threw the two stone tablets on the ground, breaking them to pieces; in this way he demonstrated to the people that God’s covenant with them had been broken. Then Moses forced the people to literally consume the golden calf that Aaron had made (verse 20).

21–24 When Aaron was confronted by Moses, Aaron tried to pass the blame, just as Adam and Eve had done in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:12–13). But Aaron’s weakest excuse was his statement that when he melted the people’s gold in the fire, out came this calf all by itself! (verse 24).

25–29 Seeing that the people were out of control (verse 25), Moses knew he had to take drastic action. So he called on the people to make a decision: they could choose to be for the LORD (verse 26) or they could choose to be against Him; there was no middle way, no staying neutral. This choice continues to be given to every person on earth: we can be on God’s side or on SATAN’S side; we can be in the kingdom of heaven or in the kingdom of darkness; we can enter through the “narrow gate” or through the “wide gate” (Joshua 24:15; Matthew 6:24; 7:13–14). But not to take a side is to side with Satan.

Of all the Israelites only the Levites, descendants of Jacob’s son Levi (Genesis 29:34), chose to be on God’s side. The Lord ordered them to go through the camp and with their swords kill other Israelites—brother and friend and neighbor (verse 27)—and three thousand were killed. And because the Levites put the Lord before their own fellow Israelites, the Lord blessed them and they were set apart to the LORD that day (verse 29).

This passage may trouble many modern readers; one asks: How can such bloodshed be justified? The answer is: sin must be punished, and often the Lord uses human instruments to carry out the punishment. The Israelites had committed the greatest possible sin against God; they brought the punishment on themselves.

But why would God especially bless the Levites for carrying out this bloody slaughter? Because they had put God first; they had proven themselves worthy to serve the Lord (Matthew 10:34–37; Luke 14:26). And so the Lord gave to the Levites and their descendants the responsibility for the maintenance of the tabernacle and its services; the whole tribe of Levi was thenceforth consecrated to the service of the Lord (Numbers 1:47–53; 3:5–13). This was the reward for their obedience.

30–32 When Moses saw how many Israelites had died, he once again sought to mediate between God and the people. By making atonement for the people’s sin, Moses hoped to restore the relationship between God and Israel(verse 30).

He asked God to forgive the Israelites’ sin. But if God did not, then Moses wanted his own name to be blotted out of the book God had written (verse 32). This book was the book of life—the list of all those who were to receive eternal salvation (Psalm 69:28; Revelation 3:5; 20:15; 21:27). Moses so identified himself with his people that he was willing to offer up his own life to make atonement for them. Moses‘ offer was refused; centuries later, however, Jesus’ offer was accepted, and dying on a cross He made atonement for all who put their faith in Him.

33–35 Moses, like other human beings, was not allowed to take someone else’s punishment; each person must bear his or her own punishment (Deuteronomy 24:16). But God indicated that He would not abandon His covenant with Israel; He told Moses to lead the people to the land He had spoken of, that is, Canaan (verse 34). But He also told Moses that there was still punishment left to come upon the Israelites. And indeed God struck the people with a plague because of their sin in worshiping the golden calf (verse 35).