Please forgive this rough draft format, as these are my raw study notes on the book of Exodus. I felt a great sense of urgency to publish them rather than waiting until I had the time to pretty them up. Thank you and I pray that God blesses you through this material.
Stacey
Take a few minutes to savor Exodus Chapter 32. Then return here and ponder the thoughts, answer the questions, and be sure to leave comments about your own revelations…
32:1-4 – If we don’t love God more than people, we give in to people’s demands as Aaron did.
32:1 – gods to go before us – Israel was still trapped in a slave mentality. They needed to follow someone or something! Are you depending on someone other than God? STOP!
WAIT FOR GOD!!!
What is the longest duration you’ve waited on the Lord? Was it worth it?
“so long” the people’s perception is that Moses was gone a very long time. See v. 8 for God’s perception of the time. See 24:18 for how long it actually was.
Time spent with God passes quickly, while time spent with our own devices passes slowly enough for us to get ourselves into trouble. I’ve taken to calling this “idle (idol) time.”
32:2 – this was supposed to be the gold for God’s temple.
32:4 – the golden calf may attest to the popularity of the Egyptian god, Apis, a bull. This “god” was defeated by God’s plague against the livestock in 9:1-7.
Fashioned with a tool – how long did it take to make? What did Aaron think about as he fashioned the idol?
“These are your gods” – where did the plural come from?
See 1 Kings 12:25-30.
32:5 – “there will be a festival to the Lord” – Aaron tries to bring God into their sinful actions.
32:6 – they were shouting so loudly that Joshua thought war had broken out in the camp! See 32:17.
32:7-11 – Neither God nor Moses wants to claim Israel as their own! Sounds like parents of a naughty child.
32:8 – quick – God indicates this span of time was quick whereas the Israelites in v.1 say it’s been “so long.”
32:9 – stiff-necked – “hinders our looking to the right or left and makes looking up nearly impossible.” (A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place – Beth Moore)
32:11-14 – Moses was watching out for God’s reputation. What do you do to safeguard the Lord’s reputation?
32:13 – Abraham, Isaac and Israel – Moses stresses Jacob’s changed name.
32:22 – my lord – did Moses seen like God to Aaron at this point?
32:24 – Aaron didn’t take “credit” for crafting the golden calf.
32:26-28 – once again, Levi participates in a slaughter. Only this time, with permission. See Genesis 34:25-31.
32:31-32 – Moses and Jesus both offered to take the punishment for Israel’s sin. See 2 Corinthians 5:21. (Jews for Jesus newsletter, April 2008)
WOW! I don’t think I’d make this offer… See also Romans 9:1-3. Paul offered the same thing symbolically. Are you willing to intercede for another? An enemy? Are you willing to stay before the Lord until He changes your heart about that person?
32:33 – we start out with our names in the book!
32:35 – A second punishment for sinning with the idol. I wonder what sort of plague it was.
What attributes of God have you observed in your study today? How will this change your relationship with Him?
Comments