Up, make us gods which shall go before us. They were weary of waiting for the promised land. They thought themselves detained too long at mount Sinai. They had a God that stayed with them, but they must have a God to go before them to the land flowing with milk and honey. They were weary of waiting... [ Continue Reading ]
And Aaron said break off the golden ear — rings — We do not find that he said one word to discountenance their proposal. Some suppose, that when Aaron bid them break off their ear — rings, he did it with design to crush the proposal, believing that, though their covetousness would have let them do i... [ Continue Reading ]
And all the people brake off their ear — rings — Which Aaron melted down, and, having a mold prepared, poured the melted gold into it, and then produced it in the shape of an ox or calf, giving it some finishing strokes with a graving tool.... [ Continue Reading ]
And Aaron built an altar before it, and proclaimed a feast — A feast of dedication; yet he calls it a feast to Jehovah; for, as brutish as they were, they did not design to terminate their adoration in the image; but they made it for a representation of the true God, whom they intended to worship in... [ Continue Reading ]
And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered sacrifice to this new made deity. And the people sat down to eat and drink of the remainder of what was sacrificed, and then rose up to play — To play the fool, to play the wanton. It was strange that any of the people, especially so great a number o... [ Continue Reading ]
They have turned aside quickly — Quickly after the law was given them, and they had promised to obey it; quickly after God had done such great things for them, and declared his kind intentions to do greater.... [ Continue Reading ]
It is a stiff — necked people — Unapt to come under the yoke of the divine law, averse to all good, and prone to evil, obstinate to the methods of cure.... [ Continue Reading ]
Let me alone — What did Moses, or what could he do, to hinder God from consuming them? When God resolves to abandon a people, and the decree is gone forth, no intercession can prevent it. But God would thus express the greatness of his displeasure, after the manner of men, who would have none to int... [ Continue Reading ]
And Moses besought the Lord his God — If God would not be called the God of Israel, yet he hoped he might address him as his own God. Now Moses is standing in the gap to turn away the wrath of God. Psalms 106:23. He took the hint which God gave him when he said, Let me alone, which, though it seemed... [ Continue Reading ]
Turn from thy fierce wrath — Not as if he thought God were not justly angry, but he begs that he would not be so greatly angry as to consume them. Let mercy rejoice against judgment; repent of this evil — Change the sentence of destruction into that of correction, against thy people which thou broug... [ Continue Reading ]
Remember Abraham — Lord, if Israel be cut off, what will become of the promise?... [ Continue Reading ]
And the Lord repented of the evil he thought to do — Though he designed to punish them, yet he would not ruin them. See here, the power of prayer, God suffers himself to be prevailed with by humble believing importunity. And see the compassion of God towards poor sinners, and how ready he is to forg... [ Continue Reading ]
On both their sides — Some on one table and some on the other, so that they were folded together like a book, to be deposited in the ark.... [ Continue Reading ]
The writing of God — Very probably the first writing in the world.... [ Continue Reading ]
He saw the calf, and the dancing, and his anger waxed hot — It is no breach of the law of meekness to shew our displeasure at wickedness. Those are angry and sin not, that are angry at sin only. Moses shewed himself angry, both by breaking the tables, and burning the calf, that he might by these exp... [ Continue Reading ]
He burnt the calf — Melted it down, and then filed it to dust; and that the powder to which it was reduced might he taken notice of throughout the camp, he strawed it upon the water which they all drank of. That it might appear that an idol is nothing in the world, he reduced this to atoms, that it... [ Continue Reading ]
What did this people unto thee — He takes it for granted that it must needs be something more than ordinary that prevailed with Aaron to do such a thing? Did they overcome thee by importunity, and hadst thou so little resolution as to yield to popular clamour! Did they threaten to stone thee, and co... [ Continue Reading ]
They said, make us Gods — It is natural to us to endeavour thus to transfer our guilt. He likewise extenuates his own share in the sin, as if he had only bid them break off their gold, intending but to make a hasty essay for the present, and childishly insinuates that when he cast the gold into the... [ Continue Reading ]
The people were naked — Stript of their armour, and liable to insults.... [ Continue Reading ]
Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, the place of judgment; and said, Who is on the Lord's side? — The idolaters had set up the golden calf for their standard, and now Moses sets up his in opposition to them.... [ Continue Reading ]
Slay every man his brother — That is, Slay all those that you know to have been active for the making and worshipping of the golden calf, though they were your nearest relations or dearest friends. Yet it should seem they were to slay those only whom they found abroad in the street of the camp; for... [ Continue Reading ]
And there fell of the people that day about three thousand men — Probably these were but few in comparison with the many that were guilty; but these were the men that headed the rebellion, and were therefore picked out to be made examples of; for terror to others.... [ Continue Reading ]
Oh, this people have sinned a great sin — God had first told him of it, Exodus 32:7, and now he tells God of it by way of lamentation. He doth not call them God's people, he knew they were unworthy to be called so, but this people. This treacherous ungrateful people, they have made them gods of gold... [ Continue Reading ]
If not — If the decree be gone forth, and there is no remedy but they must be ruined, blot me, I pray thee out of the book which thou hast written — That is, out of the book of life. If all Israel must perish, I am content to perish with them. This expression may be illustrated from Romans 9:3. For... [ Continue Reading ]
Whosoever hath sinned, him will I blot out of my book — The soul that sins shall die, and not the innocent for the guilty.... [ Continue Reading ]
My angel shall go before them — Some created angel that was employed in the common services of his kingdom, which intimated that they were not to expect any thing for the future to be done for them out of the common road of providence. When I visit — Hereafter he shall see cause to punish them for o... [ Continue Reading ]
And the Lord plagued the people — Probably by the pestilence, or some other infectious disease. Thus Moses prevailed for a mitigation of the punishment, but could not wholly turn away the wrath of God.... [ Continue Reading ]