The Nature of the Material

• Although it is possible to draw out the key issues in this chapter as far as its meaning is concerned, the text itself has the usual complications with two strands of tradition which have been edited to read back, into the past, events and themes which were of importance to the later editors and related to their own time. But, however anachronistic the material might be, the themes were genuine to the history of Israel.

The Breaking of the Covenant

• The covenant had only just been ratified between God and Israel (Exodus 24:1-11). Moses was called to God's Presence on Mount Sinai to receive the tablets of stone with the inscribed commandments and while he was away the 1st and 2nd commandments of the covenant were broken. Moses, in righteous indignation, smashes the two tablets of stone. His anger was appropriate because it was justified. What had happened in his absence was indefensible.
  
  
• This act symbolically and visually expresses Israel's breaking of the covenant between God and Israel by worshipping the golden calf. The greatest punishment a people could suffer was to lose God's law which bound them to God and guided their lives. The Torah was to become the heart of Jewish faith.
  
  
• Only by God's grace were the new tablets made, which in effect renewed the Covenant. Israel had nearly destroyed itself, and only God's forgiveness, sought by the prayers of Moses, enabled it to become again the recipient of the promise given to Abraham and Moses.
  
  
• This episode epitomises the relationship between God and Israel throughout the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible. Israel could not keep her promise and God never failed to be her God and bring her back to himself, through his gracious loving kindness.

Apostasy

• Apostasy means 'to stand apart from' one's religious faith. This was a sin which Israel committed frequently by being disloyal to God and therefore breaking the covenant agreement. It began here with rebellion against God, by breaking the first two commandments and substituting them with the image of a foreign god.
  
  
• To worship an idol was an abomination because it meant worshipping a god other than YHWH, who could not be represented by any image. It reversed the proper order of life, worshipping the created thing instead of the Creator.
  
  
• Deserting God had a negative effect on the people involved. Having rejected God's way, they were led into every kind of corruption of religion and morals. To worship idols was described by sexual metaphors and therefore equated with adultery. Moral responsibility disintegrated into licentiousness e.g. verse 6.
  
  
• Not only was God abandoned, but Moses' leadership was distrusted. Aaron had been persuaded to replace their leadership with the golden bull calf (See Ezekiel 20:8).
  
  
• What was so shocking in this account was the ease and willingness with which the Israelites and Aaron changed sides. The haste showed a people who lived for the moment, who were incapable of reflecting on the consequences of their actions and who, caught up in their sexual exploits, could not care less.

God's Anger

• God's reaction to sin is described in the human terms of passion and anger. It is not an irrational, irresponsible attitude, but rather as his manifestation, often sudden and immediate, of aversion to sin, which is part of God's character. It is especially called forth in instances of outright sin and it shows itself in severe punishment and even the utter destruction of the offender.
  
  
• It has been customary to distinguish between the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible as emphasising the divine wrath and the New Testament as emphasising the divine mercy and love. But this sharp distinction is not warranted.
  
  
• The Old Testament / Hebrew Bible is the story of God's steady anger against sin in every form, whether within Israel (Numbers 1:53) or in her enemies (Jeremiah 49:37), coupled with his forbearance to carry out the fierceness of his anger by wiping out Israel entirely. Instead he allows her to pay the proper penalty for her sin.
  
  
• While the wholesale destruction of human life as threatened by God here, is repugnant now, nevertheless, it was understood that as God alone had created life, God alone had the right to take life. Sin needed to be obliterated; it could not be tolerated by God because it was completely anathema to God's goodness and holiness.
  
  
• This narrative presents the extreme example of both God's wrath and his forbearance. It was a saying of the rabbis that in every sin there is something of the golden calf. God's wrath waxed hot because it was the worst apostasy imaginable, but after Moses' pleading he changed his mind concerning Israel's destruction. In his wrath, God remembered mercy. In this case of the golden idol, God's decision to destroy Israel is mitigated into a punishment which the J source says God will hold back for sometime in the future (Exodus 32:34), whereas the E source describes the punishment in terms of a disease coming upon the Israelites (Exodus 32:35).
  
  
• The Bible therefore is not ambivalent about the need for God to eradicate sin. If however, sin is acknowledged and there is repentance for it and a turning away from it, then God meets it not with anger, but mercy.

Intercession

• Prayer in the Old Testament / Hebrew Bible is far removed from its origins in magic where the worshipper seeks to gain his end by using the aid of supernatural powers by the utterance of magical sacred names. Rather, it involves personal dealing with a personal God.
  
  
• Prayers of Abraham and Moses are represented as conversations or even arguments between man and God. By virtue of the covenant relationship, the Patriarchs, Moses and the prophets and priests were especially fitted to be a channel of communication between God and man and they acted especially as intercessors for forgiveness for individuals and the nation. But kings also and righteous people prayed for their nations and friends.
  
  
• During the Exile, with no Temple to offer sacrifices in, prayer became the sole effective means of worship. The Psalms, abounding in prayers of all types, were collected for use in the Temple after the Exile. As the hope of immortality developed late among the Jews, they expected to see the response to prayer in this life.
  
  
• The growth of Synagogue worship fostered prayer, with prayer as a substitute for the sacrifices of temple worship. Influenced by local synagogues, prayer began to permeate the daily life of the people. Every Jew ideally prayed three times a day, as well as additional prayers for special occasions.
  
  
• The New Testament continues the tradition of prayer which includes intercession. The Lord's Prayer emphasises the need to request the coming of God's kingdom above everything else. In particular, Jesus emphasises the need for insistence in prayer. God is not unwilling to answer prayer but faith can be strengthened when its requests are not automatically and immediately met. Luke 18:1-8 illustrates this with the persistent widow before the judge.
  
  
• Moses' greatness is shown in that his prayers were successful. Moses is here presented as the prophet and priest par excellence: obedient to the commands of God, condemning sinners, but interceding on behalf of his people. He reminds God of the Exodus (v.11), of what the Egyptians might say (v.12) and of the covenant with the forefathers (v.13).
  
  
• There are two accounts of Moses' intercession vs.11-14 (verses 7-14 are a late addition) and vs. 30-34.
  
  
• Moses intercedes often e.g.
  • for the Pharaoh and Egyptians (Exodus 8:8-13,28-31; 9:27-31;10:16-19).
  • for Aaron (Deuteronomy 9:20).
  • for Miriam (Numbers 12:13).
  
  
• Moses' argument recalls Abraham's plea to God to spare Sodom (Genesis 18:16-33).

God Changing God's Mind or Repenting

• This is a surprising aspect of God. It might be expected that God was unchangeable and certainly that no human being could appeal to God to get God to change. And yet that is exactly what happens here.
  
  
• God wants to destroy Israel and Moses has to work very hard to find arguments to persuade God not to destroy them. It appears that God can be manipulated by human beings but it takes a great deal of effort and justification, as Moses discovered.
  
  
• There are three bases for God's willingness to change his mind or repent according to the Bible:
  • Intercession (here and Amos 7:1-6).
  • Repentance of the people (Jeremiah 18:3ff and Jonah 3:9ff).
  • God's compassionate nature (Judges 2:18; Deuteronomy 32:36; 2 Samuel 24:16).
  
  
• The Jewish belief that God could repent was very significant to the Hebrew concept of deity. God was not static, but dynamic and living, in relationship with humanity, responding to their needs, attitudes and actions.

Leadership

• Leadership is an important theme in the Bible. God depends on people to take forward his plans for his creation. Leaders are described as receiving God's spirit as well as having it removed, for example, King Saul. Biblical leadership was charismatic (by the 'grace' or 'favour' of God).
  
  
• People are very vulnerable in their trusting relationships to their leaders. Good leaders will guide them in the right direction, whereas bad leadership can lead them astray. People need to be able to discriminate between good and bad leaders but it can be easy to be taken in by 'attractive' leaders and blind to recognising true leadership.
  
  
• A weak leader will go along with the demands of the crowd, even though these may be wrong. The strong leader, inspired by God's spirit, will not concede to unwise decisions but will take the people with him in following God's path for them.
  
  
• So here, Aaron consents to the people's demands for a visible guide in the bull-calf, even though he knew this went against the commandments just received from God. In contrast, Moses recognising the terrible situation the Israelites have got themselves into, shows his fury at their behaviour, but then sets about remedying their situation by pleading with God for their forgiveness and persuading God to give them another chance. Moses knows that it is God who is their true leader and guide.
  
  
• Aaron was perhaps taking the opportunity to take over from Moses in his absence. He forgot God's charismatic leadership through Moses and went for something that the people could relate to immediately. In order to gain the popularity to become Israel's leader, he went along with their request by organising the making of the bull-calf. When he was found out, he offers a feeble explanation in order to avoid blame. Aaron represents exploitative leadership because he did not have the well-being of the people at heart. He might be excused by saying that he did not intend the bull-calf as anything more than a throne for God, or that the people were about to riot if he did not do something to appease them. But the point is that he did not have the insight to see where such actions might lead. He was not the right material for leadership.
  
  
• Moses, on the other hand, was genuinely concerned for the well-being of his people and also knew that God's commandments had to be taken seriously for the sake of the people themselves. He wasn't carried along as a leader by the people, but by the principles God had given them. He knew God was in command and was the channel for his authority. Moses demonstrates the spiritual stature required of a leader and combines this with the practical skills of leadership and the persuasive skills of the intermediary.