Exodus 32  This  is such a terrible thing.. how the Israelites.. still camped at the mountain of God.. where He had spoken to them.. where the smoke and the thunder were seen and heard.. .demanded an idol to worship.  They had made a covenant with the Lord.. they agreed to the commandments.. to not make a graven image.. to have no other god.. But, here they were ready to worship  a piece of sculpture just a short time after making their vows!

What was Aaron thinking?  Not only did he make the idol, but he built an altar for it.  Then he lied about it! How could he become the High priest of the Lord?  No wonder the Lord was so angry with them all and ready to destroy the whole nation. 

If not for Moses.. they would have been annihilated.  But, Moses interceded for his people.  He "entreated the Lord his God, and said, ' O Lord why doth Thine anger burn against Thy people whom Thou hast brought out from the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?'"  Moses reminded the Lord that the Egyptians would say that  God brought the Israelites out of Egypt just to destroy them.  He reminded the Lord about the covenant the He had made with Abraham, Isaac and Israel.  And "So the Lord changed HIs mind about the harm which He said He would do to His people." (v14)

The sad thing is that when Moses went down from the mountain he carried the tablets that God had given him.. " And the tablets were God's work, and the writing was God's writing, engraved on the tablets." and Moses, in his anger, threw them down and shattered them. 

Moses destroyed the golden calf.  He burned it, ground it to powder, spread it over the water and made the people drink it! On top of that he called for any that would stand with him and the Levites gathered on his side. Then he gave the order for them to go through the camp and kill those who were still rebellious.. and 3000 men died that day. 

Moses went back up the mountain to try to make atonement for the people.  He asked the Lord to forgive them.. "But now, if Thou wilt, forgive their sin and if not; please blot me out from Thy book which Thou hast written!"   But, God would not agree to Moses offer to pay for the peoples' sins. "Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My  book. " The punishment would be paid by the ones who deserved it. 

Only One man could make atonement for sin that God would agree to.. and that man was not Moses.. it is Jesus! What terrible and sad things have we done.. like Aaron and the Israelites?  Who will intercede for us?  As Paul wrote in Romans 7: 25  "Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"  Because of Him, we find forgiveness and "there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."  Hallelujah! What a Savior!

Father, thank You for giving us Your Son, to atone for our sins and to redeem us for Yourself. Thank You for not blotting us out of Your book!  Have Your way in us, Lord Jesus.  Keep us from evil. Keep us from unfaithfulness. Keep us from our own destructive ways. We ask this in the name of our only Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.