Breaking Up The Party

The people got up early the next morning to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. After this, they celebrated with feasting and drinking, and they indulged in pagan revelry.   Exodus 32:6

Moses was at the top of the mountain in the presence of God when he received the bad news: “Quick! Go down the mountain! Your people whom you brought from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves” (Exodus 32:7).

Moses faced the uncomfortable task of breaking up the party. His first step was to confront Aaron. “What did these people do to you to make you bring such terrible sin upon them?” (Exodus 32:21). Had the people subjected Aaron to some horrible torture? All it took to persuade him to disobey God’s law was public demand. Aaron was unable to resist the pressure of their felt needs.

Notice Aaron’s attempt to deflect responsibility. We are told that Aaron actively shaped the gold into the form of an idol, but when Moses challenged him, Aaron gave a sanitized version of the story: “When they brought [their gold] to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!” (Exodus 32:24). In Aaron’s telling, it just happened!

After confronting his brother, Moses called the people to a point of decision: “All of you who are on the LORD’s side, come here and join me” (Exodus 32:26). Everyone was given opportunity to repent. They were invited to declare their allegiance to the Lord. There were nearly two million people in the camp, and for the three thousand people who refused the invitation, this was the last day of their lives (see 32:28).

This devastating judgment was not so much the result of their sin as of their refusal to give it up. They had seen the glory of God, heard his voice, and refused to come to him. The commandments of God are not a list of suggestions. They are real laws with real penalties for those who break them. Ultimate rejection of God’s invitation to repent always leads to devastating consequences.

For further reading, see Exodus 32