Exodus 32:31-32 And Moses returned to the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.… — The indication of an impetuous, fiery spirit in Moses, only reveals the beauty of the meek patience which marked his life. I. IN THE STORY OF THE GOLDEN CALF WE SEE — 1. Man's natural tendency to worship. 2. The Israelites employing the very tokens of their deliverance to build a god for themselves. The very gifts of heaven — wealth, intellect, power — men turn into idols. 2. In worshipping a golden calf the Israelites utterly degraded themselves. II. THE GODLINESS OF MOSES MANIFESTED ITSELF IN SELF-SACRIFICING SYMPATHY. Fronting death and its mystery, he stood sublimely willing even to be cut off from God if the sin of the people might thereby be forgiven. 1. His revulsion from their sin mingled with his own love for the people. The holiest men ever feel most deeply the sin of their fellows — they see its seeds in themselves; they find its shadow falling across their heaven. 2. He felt the promise of his people's future. In them lay the germ of the world's history; through them might be unfolded the glory of Jehovah before the face of all nations. Gathering these feelings together, we understand his prayers. (E. L. Hull, B. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. |
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