Bible Commentaries
Exodus 32

Verses 1-35

Exodus 32:1 And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

Exodus 32:1 Comments - The people needed to put their eyes on the Lord, and not on a leader. We need to be led by the Spirit of the Living God Almighty. Amen!

Exodus 32:1 Comments - We find a reference to Exodus 32:1 in Acts 7:40, “Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.”

Exodus 32:2 And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.

Exodus 32:3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.

Exodus 32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Exodus 32:4 “And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf” - Comments - Aaron built the calf that the people requested. He sinned before Moses and died before him in the wilderness.

Exodus 32:4 “and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt” - Comments - So quickly did the Israelites forget God even after God’s appearance on Mount Sinai in Exodus 19-20. Note:

Galatians 1:6, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel.”

Evidently, many of the Israelites had embraced pagan Egyptian polygamy.

Exodus 32:6 Comments - In 1 Corinthians Paul dealt with this problem of eating, drinking, and making merry as a dishonor to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 10:4, “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”

Exodus 32:6 Scripture References - Note:

1 Corinthians 10:7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.”

Exodus 32:7 “your people” Comments - In other words, God denied them.

Exodus 32:8 “They have turned aside quickly” Scripture References - Note:

Galatians 1:6, “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel.”

Exodus 32:9 “a stiffnecked people” - Comments - God speaks the facts as He sees them.

Exodus 32:9 Comments - God is a jealous God, His name is Jealous.

Exodus 32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.

Exodus 32:10 Scripture References - Note:

Numbers 14:12, “I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.”

Exodus 32:11 Comments - This is one of the greatest intercessory prayers in the Bible. See two other examples:

1. Abraham praying for Sodom and Gomorrah.

2. Jesus Christ receiving for the sins of the world in his own body.

Exodus 32:11-12 Comments - Moses denied the people also and said “God's people”.

Exodus 32:14 Comments - God, His purpose and character does not change, but His way of dealing with people does change in different dispensations. God kept His Word (Exodus 32:13).

Exodus 32:15 And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.

Exodus 32:16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.

Exodus 32:17 And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.

Exodus 32:17 Comments - Joshua was a man of war. He had just defeated the children of Amalek and was thinking about battles.

Exodus 32:18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.

Exodus 32:18 Comments It was not the sound of winning or losing a battle, but the sound of a party.

Exodus 32:19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

Exodus 32:19 “Moses' anger waxed hot” - Comments - The Scriptures record several occasions when Moses displayed negative actions as a result of his anger. All of these actions resulted in consequences in the life of Moses. Moses’ anger at the abuse of his people moved him to murder:

Exodus 2:11-12, “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand .”

Moses was angry with Pharaoh:

Exodus 11:8, “And all these thy servants shall come down unto me, and bow down themselves unto me, saying, Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger .”

Moses was angry with the children of Israel:

Exodus 16:20, “Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them .”

God commanded Moses to speak to the rock, but in his anger, he smote the rock twice. This cost Moses his trip into the Promised Land:

Numbers 20:11, “And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice : and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.”

Exodus 32:23 Scripture References - Note:

Acts 7:40, “Saying unto Aaron, Make us gods to go before us: for as for this Moses, which brought us out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.”

Exodus 32:24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.

Exodus 32:24 Comments - We try to make our wrong sound minimum when we have to confess our faults.

Exodus 32:25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)

Exodus 32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD'S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.

Exodus 32:27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.

Exodus 32:27 Comments - Moses was carrying out God’s commandments.

Exodus 22:20, “He that sacrificeth unto any god, save unto the LORD only, he shall be utterly destroyed. Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.”

Exodus 32:32 “ thy book which thou hast written” - Comments - Note other references to this book:

Daniel 12:1, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book .”

Philippians 4:3, “And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life .”

Revelation 3:5, “He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life , but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.”

Revelation 21:27, “And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life .”

Exodus 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.

Exodus 32:33 Comments - This is a clear example of people losing their salvation.

Exodus 32:34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.

Exodus 32:35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.

Exodus 32:35 Scripture References - Note:

1 Corinthians 10:22, “Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?”