◄ Exodus 32:9 ►
The LORD also said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.
Study Bible
The LORD also said to Moses,

God spoke directly to Moses as His appointed mediator for Israel. In the crisis created by the golden calf, the Lord did not overlook the nation’s sin or leave Moses without His counsel. Moses’ access to God underscored both his unique calling and Israel’s need for a faithful intercessor.

Exo 33:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Leave this place”…
Exo 34:1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Chisel out two stone tablets…
Exo 24:12 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain…

“I have seen this people,

The Lord had seen Israel’s suffering in Egypt and had acted to redeem them; He now saw their rebellion at Sinai. Their idolatry had been committed in the very place where they had pledged obedience to His covenant. Nothing done by the people was hidden from the God who had delivered, guided, and provided for them.

Deu 9:13 The LORD also said to me, “I have seen this people,…
Exo 3:7 The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction…
Gen 18:21 I will go down to see if their actions justify the outcry……

and they are indeed a stiff-necked people.

Israel stubbornly resisted the direction of the God who had led them by the cloud and fire and had spoken from the mountain. Like an ox refusing its master’s yoke, they turned from the Lord’s commands despite the overwhelming evidence of His presence and faithfulness. Their rebellion revealed the deep need for hearts renewed by God, a need fulfilled in the new covenant through Jesus Christ, who saves His people and gives them hearts willing to obey Him.

Deu 9:6 Understand, then, that it is not because of your…
Act 7:51 You stiff-necked people with uncircumcised hearts and ears!…
2Ch 30:8 Now do not stiffen your necks as your fathers did…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant God of Israel, who is speaking to Moses about the Israelites' behavior.

2. Moses
The leader and prophet of Israel, who is on Mount Sinai receiving the Law from God.

3. The Israelites
The people of God who have been delivered from Egypt but are now engaging in idolatry by worshiping a golden calf.

4. Mount Sinai
The mountain where Moses receives the Ten Commandments and where God communicates with him.

5. The Golden Calf Incident
The event where the Israelites create and worship a golden calf, demonstrating their lack of faith and obedience to God.
Teaching Points
Understanding Stiff-necked Behavior
The term "stiff-necked" (Hebrew: qesheh-oref) refers to stubbornness and an unwillingness to submit to God's authority. Reflect on areas in your life where you may be resisting God's guidance.

The Danger of Idolatry
The Israelites' creation of the golden calf is a stark reminder of the human tendency to replace God with idols. Consider modern-day idols that may be taking precedence over your relationship with God.

The Role of Intercession
Moses' intercession for the Israelites (later in the chapter) demonstrates the power and importance of praying for others, especially those who are straying from God's path.

God's Patience and Justice
While God is just in His anger towards sin, He is also patient and merciful. Reflect on how God's patience has been evident in your life and how you can extend that patience to others.

Learning from Past Mistakes
The history of Israel serves as a lesson for believers today. Study the consequences of their actions and strive to learn from their mistakes to avoid similar pitfalls.
Bible Study Questions
1. What does it mean to be "stiff-necked," and how can we identify this trait in our own lives?

2. How does the incident of the golden calf reflect the broader theme of idolatry in the Bible, and what are some modern equivalents?

3. In what ways can we act as intercessors like Moses for those who are spiritually lost or rebellious?

4. How does God's response to the Israelites' sin in Exodus 32 inform our understanding of His character, particularly His justice and mercy?

5. What lessons can we learn from the Israelites' mistakes, and how can we apply these lessons to avoid similar spiritual pitfalls in our own lives?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Deuteronomy 9:13
This verse reiterates God's observation of Israel as a stiff-necked people, emphasizing their rebellious nature.

Acts 7:51
Stephen, in his speech, accuses the Jewish leaders of being stiff-necked, drawing a parallel to their ancestors' resistance to the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 48:4
God describes Israel as obstinate, with a neck of iron sinew, highlighting their persistent rebellion.

Jeremiah 7:26
The prophet Jeremiah speaks of Israel's refusal to listen to God, reinforcing the theme of stubbornness.

Psalm 78:8
The psalmist warns against being like the stubborn and rebellious generation of the past.
Sermons
The Wrath of Jehovah and the Intercession of MosesD. Young Exodus 32:7-14
The First IntercessionsJ. Orr Exodus 32:7-15
People
Aaron, Egyptians, Isaac, Israelites, Joshua, Levi, Levites, Moses
Places
Egypt, Sinai
Topics
Behold, Obstinate, Stiffnecked, Stiff-necked, Watching
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Exodus 32:9

     5170   neck

Exodus 32:1-10

     7135   Israel, people of God

Exodus 32:7-10

     6702   peace, destruction

Exodus 32:8-10

     1025   God, anger of

Exodus 32:9-14

     5345   influence
     8611   prayer, for others

Library
The Golden Calf
'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. 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. 3. And all the people brake off the golden …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Swift Decay of Love
'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. 16. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables. 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. 18. And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
THE ISRAELITES IN THE LAND OF CANAAN: THE JUDGES--THE PHILISTINES AND THE HEBREW KINGDOM--SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON, THE DEFECTION OF THE TEN TRIBES--THE XXIst EGYPTIAN DYNASTY--SHESHONQ OR SHISHAK DAMASCUS. The Hebrews in the desert: their families, clans, and tribes--The Amorites and the Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan--The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction against the Hebrews--The judges, Ehud, Deborah, Jerubbaal or Gideon and the Manassite supremacy; Abimelech, Jephihdh. The Philistines, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6

Threefold Repentance
'And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, 2. Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. 3. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. 4. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall he overthrown. 5. So the people of Ninoveh believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Covenant of an Everlasting Priesthood
"That My covenant might be with Levi. My covenant was with him of life and peace; and I gave them to him for the fear wherewith he feared Me, and was afraid before My name. The law of truth was in his mouth, and iniquity was not found in his lips; he walked with Me in peace and equity, and did turn many away from iniquity."--MAL. ii. 4-6. ISRAEL was meant by God to be a nation of priests. In the first making of the Covenant this was distinctly stipulated. "If ye will obey My voice, and keep My covenant, …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

How those who Use Food Intemperately and those who Use it Sparingly are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 20.) Differently to be admonished are the gluttonous and the abstinent. For superfluity of speech, levity of conduct, and lechery accompany the former; but the latter often the sin of impatience, and often that of pride. For were it not the case that immoderate loquacity carries away the gluttonous, that rich man who is said to have fared sumptuously every day would not burn more sorely than elsewhere in his tongue, saying, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Letter xix (A. D. 1127) to Suger, Abbot of S. Denis
To Suger, Abbot of S. Denis He praises Suger, who had unexpectedly renounced the pride and luxury of the world to give himself to the modest habits of the religious life. He blames severely the clerk who devotes himself rather to the service of princes than that of God. 1. A piece of good news has reached our district; it cannot fail to do great good to whomsoever it shall have come. For who that fear God, hearing what great things He has done for your soul, do not rejoice and wonder at the great …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Seasons of Covenanting.
The duty is never unsuitable. Men have frequently, improperly esteemed the exercise as one that should be had recourse to, only on some great emergency. But as it is sinful to defer religious exercises till affliction, presenting the prospect of death, constrain to attempt them, so it is wrong to imagine, that the pressure of calamity principally should constrain to make solemn vows. The exercise of personal Covenanting should be practised habitually. The patriot is a patriot still; and the covenanter …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Letter xxii (Circa A. D. 1129) to Simon, Abbot of S. Nicholas
To Simon, Abbot of S. Nicholas Bernard consoles him under the persecution of which he is the object. The most pious endeavours do not always have the desired success. What line of conduct ought to be followed towards his inferiors by a prelate who is desirous of stricter discipline. 1. I have learned with much pain by your letter the persecution that you are enduring for the sake of righteousness, and although the consolation given you by Christ in the promise of His kingdom may suffice amply for …
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Ninth Sunday after Trinity Carnal Security and Its vices.
Text: 1 Corinthians 10, 6-13. 6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 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. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9 Neither let us make trial of the Lord, as some of them made trial, and perished by the serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as …
Martin Luther—Epistle Sermons, Vol. III

The Prophet Micah.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Micah signifies: "Who is like Jehovah;" and by this name, the prophet is consecrated to the incomparable God, just as Hosea was to the helping God, and Nahum to the comforting God. He prophesied, according to the inscription, under Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. We are not, however, entitled, on this account, to dissever his prophecies, and to assign particular discourses to the reign of each of these kings. On the contrary, the entire collection forms only one whole. At …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Instruction for the Ignorant:
BEING A SALVE TO CURE THAT GREAT WANT OF KNOWLEDGE, WHICH SO MUCH REIGNS BOTH IN YOUNG AND OLD. PREPARED AND PRESENTED TO THEM IN A PLAIN AND EASY DIALOGUE, FITTED TO THE CAPACITY OF THE WEAKEST. 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.'--Hosea 4:6 ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This little catechism is upon a plan perfectly new and unique. It was first published as a pocket volume in 1675, and has been republished in every collection of the author's works; and recently in a separate tract. …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

How those are to be Admonished who Decline the Office of Preaching Out of Too Great Humility, and those who Seize on it with Precipitate Haste.
(Admonition 26.) Differently to be admonished are those who, though able to preach worthily, are afraid by reason of excessive humility, and those whom imperfection or age forbids to preach, and yet precipitancy impells. For those who, though able to preach with profit, still shrink back through excessive humility are to be admonished to gather from consideration of a lesser matter how faulty they are in a greater one. For, if they were to hide from their indigent neighbours money which they possessed …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Purity and Peace in the Present Lord
PHILIPPIANS iv. 1-9 Euodia and Syntyche--Conditions to unanimity--Great uses of small occasions--Connexion to the paragraphs--The fortress and the sentinel--A golden chain of truths--Joy in the Lord--Yieldingness--Prayer in everything--Activities of a heart at rest Ver. 1. +So, my brethren beloved and longed for+, missed indeed, at this long distance from you, +my joy and crown+ of victory (stephanos), +thus+, as having such certainties and such aims, with such a Saviour, and looking for such …
Handley C. G. Moule—Philippian Studies

How those that are at Variance and those that are at Peace are to be Admonished.
(Admonition 23.) Differently to be admonished are those that are at variance and those that are at peace. For those that are at variance are to be admonished to know most certainly that, in whatever virtues they may abound, they can by no means become spiritual if they neglect becoming united to their neighbours by concord. For it is written, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace (Gal. v. 22). He then that has no care to keep peace refuses to bear the fruit of the Spirit. Hence Paul …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Moses the Type of Christ.
"The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto Him ye shall hearken."--Deut. xviii. 15. The history of Moses is valuable to Christians, not only as giving us a pattern of fidelity towards God, of great firmness, and great meekness, but also as affording us a type or figure of our Saviour Christ. No prophet arose in Israel like Moses, till Christ came, when the promise in the text was fulfilled--"The Lord thy God," says Moses, "shall …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VII

Solomon's Temple Spiritualized
or, Gospel Light Fetched out of the Temple at Jerusalem, to Let us More Easily into the Glory of New Testament Truths. 'Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Isreal;--shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out hereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof.'--Ezekiel 43:10, 11 London: Printed for, and sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgate, …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The True Manner of Keeping Holy the Lord's Day.
Now the sanctifying of the Sabbath consists in two things--First, In resting from all servile and common business pertaining to our natural life; Secondly, In consecrating that rest wholly to the service of God, and the use of those holy means which belong to our spiritual life. For the First. 1. The servile and common works from which we are to cease are, generally, all civil works, from the least to the greatest (Exod. xxxi. 12, 13, 15, &c.) More particularly-- First, From all the works of our …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
The first important part of the Old Testament put together as a whole was the Pentateuch, or rather, the five books of Moses and Joshua. This was preceded by smaller documents, which one or more redactors embodied in it. The earliest things committed to writing were probably the ten words proceeding from Moses himself, afterwards enlarged into the ten commandments which exist at present in two recensions (Exod. xx., Deut. v.) It is true that we have the oldest form of the decalogue from the Jehovist …
Samuel Davidson—The Canon of the Bible

Exodus
The book of Exodus--so named in the Greek version from the march of Israel out of Egypt--opens upon a scene of oppression very different from the prosperity and triumph in which Genesis had closed. Israel is being cruelly crushed by the new dynasty which has arisen in Egypt (i.) and the story of the book is the story of her redemption. Ultimately it is Israel's God that is her redeemer, but He operates largely by human means; and the first step is the preparation of a deliverer, Moses, whose parentage, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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