Hello and welcome to today’s exciting Bible study on Exodus 32. In these chapters, we will read and study about the corruption of the Israelites when they made a gold calf and called it as god and worshipped and sacrificed to it. According to biblical scholars, the events of Exodus 32 occurred around 1446 B.C.
As usual, I encourage you to turn to Exodus 32 in your Bible. Kindly invite the Holy Spirit to guide you as you read and study these chapters with me. I mention this in all the Bible Studies because it is only through the Holy Spirit that we get fresh revelation and knowledge to understand the word of God. No one else can teach you better than the Holy Spirit Himself. I am using the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, just in case you want to know.
Backstory on Exodus 32
In Exodus 29,30,31, God provided instructions concerning the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests, the construction of the incense altar, bronze laver, composition of the holy anointing oil and incense, and the Sabbath law.
Now, without any further delay, let us study together and learn what Exodus 32 is about, shall we?
Exodus 32 Summary
When the Israelites noticed that Moses was taking a long time to come down from the mountain, they gathered together and went to Aaron. They asked him to make a god that would go before them, as they had no idea what had happened to Moses.
Aaron instructed the people to give him their gold earrings, and he used an engraving tool to create a molded calf from the gold. The people then proclaimed that this molded calf, made from their earrings, was the god of Israel who had brought them out of the land of Egypt.
Aaron built an altar before the golden calf and announced a feast to the lord (golden calf) the following day. The people rose early the next morning, offered burnt offerings, brought peace offerings, and reveled with food and drink, rising up to play.
The Lord instructed Moses to go down to the people because they had corrupted themselves and quickly strayed from the path He had commanded them to follow. He revealed that they had made a molded calf, worshipped it, and sacrificed to it, proclaiming that the calf was their god who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. The Lord expressed to Moses that He had seen these people and described them as stiff-necked. He urged Moses to leave Him alone so that His anger might burn hot against them and consume them, saying He would make Moses into a great nation.
In response, Moses pleaded with the Lord, asking Him to relent from His anger. He reminded God that if He were to destroy His people, the Egyptians might speak ill of Him, claiming He delivered them from slavery only to harm them in the mountains. Moses also called to mind God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Israel. In the end, the Lord relented and decided not to harm His people.
Moses descended from the mountain with the two tablets of the Testimony, engraved by God on both sides. When Joshua heard the noise of the people, he thought it was a sound of war. Moses told him it was not victory or defeat but singing.
As they approached the camp, Moses saw the golden calf and the people dancing, which made him furious. He threw the tablets down, breaking them, burned the calf, ground it to powder, and made the Israelites drink it.
Moses confronted Aaron about the sin, and Aaron explained that the people had urged him to make the calf. Seeing that Aaron did not control the people and that the people were unrestrained, Moses called for anyone on the Lord’s side to come to him, and all the Levites joined him.
Moses then commanded the Levites to kill their brothers and neighbors, and about three thousand men died that day. He instructed the Levites to consecrate themselves to the Lord for their actions, so that He may bless them.
The next day, Moses spoke to the people and told them they had committed a great sin. He said he would go up to the Lord and perhaps find a way to atone for their sin. Moses then returned to the Lord, confessed their sin on their behalf, and pleaded with Him to forgive the people or to blot him (Moses) out of His book that He had written.
The Lord replied that He would blot out anyone who had sinned against Him. He commanded Moses to continue leading the people to the place He had instructed. The Lord assured Moses that His angel would go before them. He also stated that on the day He visits for judgment, He would punish the people for their sins. Ultimately, the Lord plagued the people for what they did with the golden calf that Aaron had made.
Exodus 32 Commentary
1. Exodus 32:1
The people grew impatient due to Moses’s delay in returning from the mountain. He spent 40 days on Mount Sinai, and during that time, they lost faith and completely disregarded God. They rejected the very One who had revealed Himself as their deliverer, the God who had parted the Red Sea right before their eyes to pave a path for them to escape on dry land. He saved their lives from Pharaoh’s army and yet they quickly forgot God and what He did for them. 40 days was all it took for them to loose their faith in God. They approached Aaron and asked him to create a god for them.
2. Exodus 32:2-4
When the people asked Aaron to build them a golden calf, instead of restraining them, Aaron instructed them to break off the golden earrings from their ears and give them to him. He then fashioned a molded gold calf for the people. They blasphemed God by declaring that this molded gold calf, made from their earrings, was the god of Israel who had brought them out of the land of Egypt. This marked the beginning of their idolatry, with the idol created by none other than Aaron, the first God-appointed high priest and brother of Moses.
It is improper to use what God has put on the earth to create a statue or an image and declare it to be God, as God cannot and will never be the work of human hands! The gold used for the calf came from a wealth transfer ordained by God when the Israelites collected valuables from their Egyptian neighbors based on His instructions, after Pharaoh finally let them go. Essentially, God blessed them with wealth, which they then used to blaspheme Him by crafting a golden calf from the earrings borrowed from the Egyptians.
3. Exodus 32:5
When Aaron saw that the people were calling the golden calf the god of Israel, he did not rebuke them. Instead, he proclaimed a feast day to the Lord the following day. However, the Lord he referred to was not the One True Living God, but rather the golden calf, which he called “LORD” with capital letters. This was a serious sin. Aaron had been with Moses when God spoke to them about the plagues. He served as Moses’s mouthpiece before Pharaoh and had witnessed firsthand what God had said and done. Despite this, he chose to rebel along with the people instead of rejecting their actions and refusing to create a god for them.
4. Exodus 32:31-35
Moses interceded a second time for the people regarding their sin of worshiping the golden calf. He asked God to blot him out of His book if He would not forgive the sins of the Israelites. However, we see that God is just. He responded by saying He would only blot out those who had sinned against Him. Nevertheless, the people still had to face the consequences of their actions, and the Lord inflicted a plague upon them.
Exodus 32 Lessons/Revelations
What can we learn from Exodus 32?
1. Idolatory is sin
We can never create God. God is the Creator, and we are His creations. The earth itself is a creation, as are all the things we use—from our homes and sofas to our clothes, chairs, utensils, appliances, and electronics. All of these objects come from materials found in the earth that God has provided for us.
It is important to understand that we cannot take what He has given us and create God. Many people make the mistake of crafting statues and calling them God, but that is not correct. God cannot be created and He is not a statue; He is a Spirit.
2. Moses’s intercession saved most of the Israelites
Moses interceded for the Israelites when the Lord revealed their blasphemous behavior with the golden calf. At that time, Moses had not witnessed their rebellion with his own eyes, as he was on the mountain with the Lord. When he descended the mountain with Joshua and saw their blasphemous actions, he was furious. He strongly rebuked them and commanded that those who were not on the Lord’s side be killed, resulting in the death of 3,000 people that day. Later, Moses ascended the mountain again to intercede on behalf of the people.
So, how does this apply to us? We are born into Adam’s bloodline, inheriting a nature of rebellion from Adam. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we become new creatures in Christ. It is Jesus’ intercession on our behalf—through His death, burial, and resurrection—that grants us salvation. He is our intercessor. The wrath of God and the punishment for our sins should be ours. However, Jesus intervened for us, just as Moses intervened for the Israelites. When Jesus stood between us and God, God poured out His wrath for our sins on Jesus, who bore our punishment. In contrast, in Exodus 32, the Lord later plagued the people for their rebellion and sin, and they had to bear the consequences of their actions.
Conclusion
This concludes the bible study on Exodus 32. I hope you enjoyed this free bible study and found it helpful in your Bible study journey. Feel free to share it with your friends and family. Also, share your thoughts and what the Holy Spirit has revealed to you about Exodus 32. If you have any questions or comments, please leave them below. I will get back to you as soon as I can.
Until next time!