Aaron, Moses, Golden Calf, Mt. Sinai, Ten Commandments, Idols,
tablets of stone, Testimony, ark of the covenant, arc of the covenant
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The episode of the
Golden calf (Ex. 32) interrupts the lofty events that
shortly followed the
confirming of the Sinai covenant. Israel
goes from the special treasure of their Creator to the focus of His
anger. The intention was that Israel
would represent their Creator
to the world.
"And
you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." (Ex
19:6a)
Now Moses is told
basically to get out of My way so I can turn them into toast.
"Now therefore, let Me alone, that My wrath may
burn hot against them and I may consume them. And I will make of you a
great nation." (Ex 32:10)
The relationship had
changed. Moses had to plead for
their lives. Although he was mostly
successful, many died. The
tribe of Levi answered Moses call (Ex 32:26) for righteous judgment and
evidently executed the main people responsible. Unfortunately, irreversible damage was
done. The original intent was that
the Creator would live with His people.
"And
let them make Me a sanctuary, that
I may dwell among them." (Ex 25:8)
He did this to an
extent, but when the Tabernacle was ready to be occupied He directed that
the Levites camp between Him and the rest of Israel. The average Israelite was not to come
near the Tabernacle. Before this
there had been no distinction between the tribes. Now each tribe was to take its place
either in the north, south, east or west quadrant (Num 2) except the tribe
of Levi.
"but the Levites shall camp around the tabernacle
of the Testimony, that there may be no wrath on the congregation of the
children of Israel; and the Levites shall keep charge of the tabernacle of
the Testimony." (Num 1:53)
God wanted to keep a
buffer between Himself and the rest of Israel. The nation as a whole had
disqualified itself from being His priests. Only Levi was now in that
position. This is a change from the intention of the Sinai covenant. Our
sins separate us from God (Isa 59:2). This appears to be what God is
illustrating in the positioning of the tribes.
In Jeremiah God
claims that He did not command sacrifices when He brought Israel out of
Egypt.
"For I did
not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them
out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. 23 "But this is what I commanded
them, saying, "Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My
people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you."
(Jer 7:22-23)
However Leviticus
7:38 indicates the offerings were commanded on Mount Sinai.
"...which the
LORD commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day when He commanded the
children of Israel to offer their offerings to the LORD in the Wilderness
of Sinai."
We have to understand
that Israel was camped around Sinai for almost a year. The Sinai covenant had been confirmed
probably within the first two weeks of their arrival at the base of the
mountain. Moses made two trips up
the mountain after the confirmation of the covenant. The above quote along with Leviticus
26:46 and 27:34 all use the exact phrase that is used in Exodus 34:32.
"Afterward
all the children of Israel came near, and he gave them as commandments all
that the LORD had spoken with him on Mount Sinai."
(Ex 34:32)
This would place the
command of offerings during Moses second forty-day stay on Mount Sinai,
immediately after the episode of the golden calf. But one cannot
add to a covenant (Gal. 3:15). Jeremiah 7:22 above clearly indicates that our Creator did not
intend to require sacrifices and offerings. They were an attempt to burn into the minds of Israel the price of
bad conduct. Israel could not be
trusted and error required death.
"Oh, that
they had such a heart in them that they would
fear Me and always keep all My commandments, that it might be well with
them and with their children forever!" (Deu
5:29)
Moses fell on his
face and fasted forty days for Israel (Deu
9:18). So at Moses pleading (Ps 106:23), our Creator made a second set of terms.
in an attempt to help them maintain a relationship
with Him. The tribe of Levi, that stood with Moses after the golden calf would
be permanently assigned to stand between Israel and God. They were to teach, lead and judge Israel
according to the combined law. They were not officially anointed until the tabernacle was complete. (Ex 40:17,
Num 1:1, 8:5-19) This was about seven months after the episode of the
golden calf, nine months after the Sinai covenant was confirmed.
"But before faith came, we were kept under guard
by the law, kept for the faith which
would afterward be revealed."
(Gal 3:23).
The law was intended
for the protective custody of Israel. The tribe of Levi became the officers
of that law. For a more thorough explanation of this see The Long
Term Effect of the Golden Calf .
Does that law still
apply to Christians?