WEDNESDAY
As we continue reading this story, in this next section of the text, we are confronted with God’s justice and mercy.
Exodus 32:15-20 15 Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. 16 The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.”
18 Moses replied: “It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear.”
19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it.
Fast-forward to verse 25. We will talk about the verses we are skipping tomorrow.
Exodus 32:25-29 25 Moses saw that the people were running wild and that Aaron had let them get out of control and so become a laughingstock to their enemies. 26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the Lord, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him.
27 Then he said to them, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’ ” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the Lord today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”
What’s in question, here, is loyalty to Yahweh. The Levites rally to Moses as a sign of their allegiance to Yahweh. The Levites will become the priestly family line after this. They will be the ones who mediate between God and the people throughout the Old Covenant era of Israel.
This scene is difficult to stomach in our modern sensibilities. There are a couple of considerations that we need to take into account when approaching this text:
- Remember, God doesn’t owe us anything. He is the creator and sustainer of life. We are all still alive right now because of God’s grace and mercy.
- Only 3,000 of an estimated 2 million people are put to death here. These are likely the most adamant worshippers and proponents of the golden calf.
- This is an act of justice. The people have violated the covenant and blood oath that they have taken just prior to this. By accepting the terms of the covenant, they essentially said that violation of the covenant could cost them their lives. So, God is acting in his justice. This punishment is what is owed for everyone who violated the terms of the covenant. In Romans 6:23 we read that “the wages of sin is death.” This event is the literal outworking of that truth Christians believe. This is a fair, just punishment dished out by God.
- God is merciful in only taking the lives of 3,000. As I said in points 3 and 1 above, God would be just in taking the lives of all the people. Yet, he relents and only 3,000 are killed. This is 0.15% of the population. That the whole nation is not consumed is an act of God’s mercy.
- Similar actions today are not justified by the people of God. We do not show our loyalty to God by killing idolaters who claim to be Christians, today. First of all, under the new covenant the people of God are no longer a theocratic, nation state. Governing officials are the ones called to carry the sword today (Rom. 13), and in the Old Testament era the governing officials were called to do God’s will. Under the New Covenant, the people of God are the church and we have no such order. Instead, we are called to dismiss people from the congregation who live in continuous, unrepentant sin (1 Cor. 5; Matt. 18). Moreover, God’s wrath will be dished out, even if not immediately. God is storing up his wrath for the day of wrath (Rom. 2:5; Rev. 6:17). Justice will still be done. Nobody is getting away with anything. But the New Testament teaches that we should leave that to God (Rom. 12:19) and be wary about judging others because we do the same things and need the same grace from God (Rom. 2:1-4; Matt. 7:1-6).
If we fast-forward to verses 33-35, we see more of God’s just punishment.
Exodus 32:33-35 33 The Lord replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.”
35 And the Lord struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
The term translated as “punish” in the NIV, here, is translated “visit” in the ESV. This term carries the connotation of a military commander visiting the troops to inspect them. When he finds something out of order, he calls those under his authority to account and punishes. God’s just punishment for the rest of the people who participated in the idolatry (apart from the 3,000 who were put to death) was to inflict them with a plague. There is enough biblical evidence to suggest that sometimes the punishment of God can seem rather natural, whether it is illness or natural consequences for sin. But nonetheless, they ultimately come back to God—who brought it about and could have done otherwise. This brings up questions regarding the origins of pandemics, other natural disasters, and even individual illnesses. Are they brought about by God as a punishment for sin? There was no shortage of people declaring COVID to be God’s judgment for one sin or another. This requires great discernment. In a sense, all plagues and illnesses are a result of sin—big picture, they are a result of the curse. But not every illness or plague is God’s judgment for a specific sin. However, we need to exercise caution and seek the Spirit before making a proclamation like that. It is no small thing to falsely speak for God. But we must also still hold out the possibility of punishment in these ways.
Additional Resources
In this short podcast Tara-Leigh Cobble talks through this scene from Exodus.
Reflection
Reflect on the justice and mercy of God. Confess to God that he owes you nothing. Your sin deserves death. Thank him for his mercy in Christ.
Ephesians 2:1–10 (NIV) Made Alive in Christ 2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
In the next two days, we will talk about our response and God’s response to our sin.