Exo 32:17 | KingComments | STEP | Moses descends the mountain. He holds in his hand the two stone tablets with the commandments of God on them. Joshua hears the noise of the people. He believes it has to do with a struggle and a victory. But he is wrong. That is no shame for him. He is still young. Moses, the elderly, mature believer, who was in the presence of God, tells him that he does not hear a sound of war, but a sound of singing. Young believers may misinterpret certain expressions of God’s people through inexperience. They believe that in a service with a lot of fanfare spiritual struggle is being fought. What is really going on is a dance around the golden calf. Religion is practiced in such a way that the participants enjoy it most. The service is fully dressed and decorated to their own taste. The Name of the Lord is mentioned, but He has nothing to say. His Word is not enquired of, let alone listened to. When Moses sees what the people are doing, his indignation is great. In great fury he throws the stone tablets out of his hands and shatters them. Even before God’s law came into the camp, they had already trampled upon its first two commandments ( ). God has not instructed him to break the tablets, but his action is a becoming reflection of what is in God’s heart regarding the sin of the people. On the stone tablets God has revealed Himself to His people. The people have made sure that the revelation of God’s will is not necessary for them. The law is broken at the foot of the mountain, not at the top of the mountain. When the Lord Jesus comes, God makes Himself completely known, now not as a Lawgiver, but in love. But also this revelation is destroyed by the people. The Lord Jesus is rejected. Below, on earth, He is murdered by a people He wants to redeem. Then Moses burns the golden calf. He deals with it in such a way that their idol can be mixed with water. Then he gives the people their homemade god to drink. He wants to bring them, as it were, to a deep inner awareness of the folly they have committed. If we have committed foolishness, the awareness of it must penetrate deep into our conscience. We are convinced of this by the Word of God, either that we read it ourselves or that someone comes to present it to us.

‏ Exodus 32:17

Moses’ Anger Burns

Moses descends the mountain. He holds in his hand the two stone tablets with the commandments of God on them. Joshua hears the noise of the people. He believes it has to do with a struggle and a victory. But he is wrong. That is no shame for him. He is still young. Moses, the elderly, mature believer, who was in the presence of God, tells him that he does not hear a sound of war, but a sound of singing.

Young believers may misinterpret certain expressions of God’s people through inexperience. They believe that in a service with a lot of fanfare spiritual struggle is being fought. What is really going on is a dance around the golden calf. Religion is practiced in such a way that the participants enjoy it most. The service is fully dressed and decorated to their own taste. The Name of the Lord is mentioned, but He has nothing to say. His Word is not enquired of, let alone listened to.

When Moses sees what the people are doing, his indignation is great. In great fury he throws the stone tablets out of his hands and shatters them. Even before God’s law came into the camp, they had already trampled upon its first two commandments (Exo 20:3-4). God has not instructed him to break the tablets, but his action is a becoming reflection of what is in God’s heart regarding the sin of the people.

On the stone tablets God has revealed Himself to His people. The people have made sure that the revelation of God’s will is not necessary for them. The law is broken at the foot of the mountain, not at the top of the mountain. When the Lord Jesus comes, God makes Himself completely known, now not as a Lawgiver, but in love. But also this revelation is destroyed by the people. The Lord Jesus is rejected. Below, on earth, He is murdered by a people He wants to redeem.

Then Moses burns the golden calf. He deals with it in such a way that their idol can be mixed with water. Then he gives the people their homemade god to drink. He wants to bring them, as it were, to a deep inner awareness of the folly they have committed. If we have committed foolishness, the awareness of it must penetrate deep into our conscience. We are convinced of this by the Word of God, either that we read it ourselves or that someone comes to present it to us.