THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST: GENESIS AND EXODUS (27)

INCIDENT OF THE GOLDEN CALF

Key Passage: Exodus 33-34

CHAPTER	32		CHAPTER	33	CHAPTER 34
Covenant’s Interruption	Moses’ Intercession	Israel’s Repentance		Moses’ Request	Covenant’s Renewal
Israel’s	Rebellion			God’s Restoration

OVERVIEW Six weeks have passed since the people made their solemn vow of fidelity to God. Concluding that Moses has died on the mountain, they insist on creating a replica of an Egyptian god. Coming upon this grotesque scene, Moses dashes the newly inscribed tablets to pieces, dramatically proclaiming the broken covenant. He destroys the golden calf and orders the Levites to slay guilty Israelites. Israel’s repentance, Moses’s selfless intercession, and God’s faithfulness to His promises account for a renewal of the covenant. New tablets are engraved and Moses experiences yet another encounter with God on Mount Sinai.

NEVER LOOK BACK UNLESS YOU

WANT TO GO THAT WAY.

OUR DAILY WALK “I can’t understand teenagers. One minute they want to be treated like adults; the next minute they act like children."

This oft-voiced exasperation of many a parent illustrates a fact about growth. The process of maturation does not always move in a consistently forward direction. Everyone at one time or another reverts to former patterns of behavior.

The incident of the golden calf is about one of many cases of backsliding in Israel’s history. One lesson is clear: Believers are not immune from the practice of reverting to old habits and patterns of living. It may occur in an unguarded moment, such as an outburst of temper. Or it may be the result of impatience, when God’s timetable seems agonizingly slow. Or it may be because of the world’s culture that still lures your unguarded heart.

Take a personal inventory of your spiritual life. Have you made a commitment to the Lord in recent weeks? If so, have you followed through on it, or did you revert to your previous behavior? If you see a "golden calf" in your life, deal with it now.

INSIGHT The Golden Calf – A Lingering Legacy

Calf worship was expressly forbidden in the law (Exodus 20:4-6) and shown to be utterly useless by the plagues in Egypt. Yet, at least twice in Israel’s history, golden calves spelled destruction for the people (see Exodus 32:1; 1 Kings 12:28).