Now they’ve gone and done it!

Aaron, taking in the situation, built an altar before the calf.  Aaron then announced, “Tomorrow is a feast day to God!” Early the next morning, the people got up and offered Whole-Burnt-Offerings and brought Peace-Offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink and then began to party. It turned into a wild party!.

Something tells me God isn’t going to be too happy about this.

Let’s paint the picture: Moses goes up the mountain because God calls him up. God has just appeared to the Israelites with great fanfare and they’ve basically soiled their robes. They beg Moses to go with the Big Boy because they’re terrified that they are going to die — “go with Him so He’ll leave us alone.”

Meanwhile, up on the mountain, God interrupts His conversation with Moses saying, “Go! Get down there! Your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have fallen to pieces.” Moses says, “No way!” God responds, “Way! And I’m gonna toast them!” (I find it interesting that God says the Israelites are Moses’ people, not His).

Moses tries to calm God down, pleading with Him to not incinerate them. The Message records God’s response like this: “And God did think twice.” He agreed to let them off the hook.

Moses thanks his lucky stars, grabs Joshua (who was up there with him), the stone tablets with the law on them and scurries down to the base of the mountain to access the situation. What he found blew him away!

Animal House on steroids! Moses loses it, slams the tablets on the ground, grabs his brother, shouting “What on Earth did these people ever do to you that you involved them in this huge sin?” He’s freaking!

Moses saw that the people were simply running wild—Aaron had let them run wild, disgracing themselves before their enemies. He took up a position at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is on God‘s side, join me!” All the Levites stepped up. He then told them, “God‘s orders, the God of Israel: ‘Strap on your swords and go to work. Crisscross the camp from one end to the other: Kill brother, friend, neighbor.'” The Levites carried out Moses’ orders. Three thousand of the people were killed that day.

Dang!

Round two: Moses heads back up the mountain — “I am going to go up to God; maybe I’ll be able to clear you of your sin.”  God agrees, but with a condition: “when I settle accounts, their sins will certainly be part of the settlement.” And He sends a plague on them.

Now, I don’t know about you, but this is hardcore stuff! I know I’ve said that previously; but this is better than any novel.

Were these folks stupid, or what?

And that brings up an interesting point or the moral of the story as they might say. Were the Israelites any different from us? Methinks that not a lot has changed in the intervening 3500 years. Do we seek mountaintop encounters with the Lord of the Universe or do we sit around making golden calves because we don’t see Him as a real part of our lives? This whole story is followed by Moses being allowed to have a close encounter with Jehovah and being called a friend of the Most High. Has THAT happened to you lately?