While Moses was still up in the mountain communing with the Lord the people became restless. They hounded Aaron into helping them create a "god" to lead them. Aaron told them to give him all the golden earrings. He heated them and poured them into a mold creating a bull-calf. The people then said this is our god who led us out of Israel. Perhaps to them it represented God, and they realized it was an inanimate object or perhaps they really were worshiping a false god, but then the situation went from bad to worse. They burned sacrifices and had a feast with eating and drinking which soon became a sexual orgy.
The Lord turned to Moses and told him to hurry down the mountain as the people he had led out of Egypt were engaged in sinful behavior. God told Moses they have rejected me and created a false god which they are worshiping. "Now don't try to stop me. I am angry with them, and I am going to destroy them. Then I will make you and your descendants into a great nation." verse 10
Moses pleaded for the people. He asked God to reconsider reminding Him that He (God) had brought these people out of Egypt. "Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember the solemn promise you made to them to give them as many descendants as there are stars in the sky..." verse 13 Good News Bible
When Moses hurried down the mountain with the stone tablets which God had carved the ten commandments on Joshua was with him. Joshua told Moses that he thought there was a battle going on, but Moses said no, that is not the sound of a victory cry but singing. When Moses saw the drunken melee and the bull-calf he dashed the tablets to the ground in anger. He then took the calf and melted it, grinding the gold into a fine dust. Then he added the gold dust to drinking water and made the Israelites drink it.
He questioned Aaron as to how this could have come about and Aaron told Moses you know how stubborn and bent to do wrong the Israelites are and told him exactly what happened. Moses was very upset at how they had embarrassed themselves in front of their enemies. Standing at the gate he shouted to them "Who is on the Lord's side come over here." Once there he told them to take up their swords and to kill those who did not follow. They killed neighbor, brother, friend...
Moses went up into the mountain again to beg forgiveness for those left. They had lost 3000 that day and those lost were removed from the "book of life". The rest were led by Moses to a place that God told him about. Sickness fell upon them in punishment for what they did.
Thank you so much for visiting me today. May God richly bless you and the reading of His word.
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