of Israel. Jehovah instructed Moses in the building of a tabernacle which was to be the portable sanctuary of the Israelites during their wanderings. This tabernacle was to hold the Ark of the Covenant, containing the tables of stone on which God had written the ten commandments. For a minute description of the ark and the tabernacle, see Exodus xxv-xxvii.] XXXIII THE GOLDEN CALF (Exodus xxxii: 1-35) And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from 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 know not what is become of him." And Aaron said unto them, "Break off the golden rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me." And all the people brake off the golden rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf:1 and they said, "These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, "Tomorrow shall be a feast to Jehovah." And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. 1. The Israelites had become familiar with the animal worship of the Egyptians. And Jehovah spake unto Moses, "Go, get thee down; for thy people, that thou broughtest up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: they have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed unto it, and said, "These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." And Jehovah said unto Moses, "I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: 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." And Moses besought Jehovah his God, and said, "Jehovah, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, that thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'For evil did he bring them forth, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?' Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swearest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, ‘I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever."" And Jehovah repented of the evil which he said he would do unto his people. And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, with the two tables of the testimony in his hand; tables that were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. 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." 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." 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. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it with fire, and ground it to powder, and strewed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. : And Moses said unto Aaron, "What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought a great sin upon them?" And Aaron said, "Let not the anger of my lord wax hot thou knowest the people, that they are set on evil. For they said unto me, '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 know not what is become of him.' And I said unto them, "Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off': so they gave it me; and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf." And when Moses saw that the people were broken loose (for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies),1 then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, "Whoso is on Jehovah's side, let him come unto me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, “Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, 'Put ye every man his sword upon his thigh, and go to and fro from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man 1. Aaron, by making the golden calf, had been the cause of the breaking loose of the people from all restraint and obedience; by their idolatry they had forfeited the protection of Jehovah, who then allowed them to become objects of scorn to their enemies. his neighbor."" And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men. And Moses said, "Consecrate yourselves today to Jehovah, yea, every man against his son, and against his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day." And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, "Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto Jehovah; peradventure I shall make atonement for your sin." And Moses returned unto Jehovah, and said, "Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written." And Jehovah said unto Moses, "Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. And 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." And Jehovah smote the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made. [Through the intercession of Moses, Jehovah forgave the children of Israel for their idolatry. At the same time he promised to give Moses new tables of laws to take the place of those which he had destroyed. After this a census was taken and the people were separated according to the different tribes to which they belonged by birth. Their march was then continued until they came to the region of Paran, near the land of Canaan.] XXXIV THE EXPEDITION OF THE TWELVE SPIES TO CANAAN (Numbers1 xiii: 1-3; 17-33) And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, "Send thou men, that they may spy out the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a prince among them.” And Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran according to the commandment of Jehovah: all of them men who were heads of the children of Israel. And Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said unto them, "Get you up this way by the South and go up into the hill-country: and see the land, what it is; and the people that dwell therein, whether they are strong or weak, whether they are few or many; and what the land is that they dwell in, whether it is good or bad; and what cities they are that they dwell in, whether in camps, or in strongholds; and what the land is, whether it is fat or lean, whether there is wood therein, or not. And be ye of good courage, and bring of the fruit of the land." Now the time was the time of the first-ripe grapes. So they went up, and spied out the land from the wilderness of Zin unto Rehob, to the entrance of Hamath. And they went up by the South, and came unto Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the children of Anak,2 were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before 1. This Book is so named because it begins with the numbering of the Israelites. 2. Anak (long-necked), a giant, was the legendary ancestor of the tribes here named. |