Lastly the instructions for the construction of the altar.
Moses has been up in Mt Sinai receiving all this from YHWH. Now he is ready to come down, after 40 days and 40 nights.
Meanwhile the Israelites grow impatient and began reverting to their polytheistic tendencies.They make a golden calf to worship, and remember the 'gods' who brought them out of Egypt. YHWH is furious and wanted to wipe out the Israelites, but Moses intercedes, smashing the tablets of stone, and forcing the Israelites to drink a suspension of the crushed tablets as punishment. God spares the Israelites, allowing Moses to execute some 3000 of the Israelites by the swords of the Levite priests. But God's anger is not completely assuaged, and He brings a further plaque to punish the Israelites.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
While God was giving instructions to Moses on how to dress and annoint Aaron and his sons for their prietly duties, Aaron was busy giving instructions on building a golden calf to replace God as object of worship. However, I am surprised to read that while 3000 people were executed for that offence, Aaron and his sons were let off quite scot free ??!!
Was it because God reckon Aaron was using the calf to help people 'focus' their worship to the LORD (32:5 -Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord) and that he wasn't leading them to some pagan worship? So what he did -ie building the golden calf was wrong, but the reason he did it (to worship the Lord - much like the patriachs building an altar to worship God) was forgivable?
What do you think?
:) Yah....I never figured out also how come Aaron got off so easily.
Post a Comment