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Chapter 32 records what was going on down at the foot of the mountain while Moses was up on the mountain. He had been up there 46 days (Ch. 24). When he delayed coming down, the people approached Aaron and asked him to make them a god that would lead them for as far as they knew, Moses might well be dead. Now Aaron was the no. 2 man, but in this case he showed very little leadership. He apparently did little to object to the peoples request. He got them to bring to him their gold from which he fashioned a "golden calf". The next day he proclaimed a feast day and built an alter before the idol and burnt sacrifices to it, and the people ate and drank and worshipped the golden calf.
Moses did not know what was going on, but the Lord did. He told Moses to go down from the mountain for the people had corrupted themselves. The Lord was angry and he vowed to consume them with fire. Moses begged him not to do this, reminding Him that He had brought these people out of Egypt and if He destroyed them now, the Egyptians would say that He had brought them out to consume them with fire in the mountains. He asked God to change His mind reminding Him that they were the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, those whom He had promised to multiply as the stars of the heaven. So the Lord changed His mind.
Then Moses and Joshua went down from the mountain with the two tablets of stone written on both sides containing the Testimony and as they neared the camp, Joshua heard the celebration that the people were having and determined that it was not the sound of victory or defeat, it was the sound of laughter and singing.
As the came closer, they saw the golden calf and observed the "celebration", they were "broken loose", naked and drunk. Moses was angry and he threw down the tablets and broke them. He took the calf and burnt it to power and mixed it with water and made the people drink it.
Then Moses called Aaron to task. "What did the people do to you that would make you sin this way?" Well Aaron didn't have much of an excuse. "You know these people as well as I, when they are intent to do evil, you can't stop them." Them Moses stood at the east side of the camp and cried out, "Those who are on the Lord's, come to me." All the sons of Levi joined Moses. He armed them with swords and commanded them to kill all they had seen taking part in this idolatry, sons, relatives and neighbors, no partiality was to be shown. Three thousand men were slain by the Levites. To the Levites Moses said, "Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord." Each one at the cost of a son or brother.
The next day Moses returned to the Lord and asked for forgiveness for the people. He offered himself as a sacrifice for the people but the Lord said, "Whoever has sinned, I will blot out of the "Book of Life". "Go now and lead the people to the Promise Land." "Behold my Angel will go before you." And the Lord sent a plague upon the people for their sin and all who had taken part in the idolatry accept Aaron, died of disease or pestilence.
Aaron's guilt, in the eyes of the Lord, was not as grievous as that of the people. His was a sin of conformity; theirs was a sin of presumption. Apparently there is a great difference in the eyes of the Lord.
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