Let’s read of that incident in Exodus 32:1-6, “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. 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. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD. 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.” 

It was such a sad day, when the Lord’s people desired to have an idol when Moses did not descend from the mountain when they expected him.  How quickly the people turned their hearts from the Lord and wanted “gods which shall go before us.” It is sadder still to see that Aaron was complicit in their desires.  He instructed the people to bring him their golden earrings and he fashioned a calf from all the gold that was brought to him.  Perhaps Aaron was afraid of the mob’s demands.  Perhaps he had a lapse of faith because Moses had been gone so long.  Perhaps he wanted to please the people and so he did as they asked him.  There is no evidence that Aaron tried to persuade the people to abandon their desire for gods for them to follow and worship. 

At one point, Moses began to descend from the mountain carrying the stones of the Ten Commandments.  Verse 16 says, “And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.” Upon seeing the idol worship and debauchery that was going on in the camp, Moses threw the tablets down and burst them (verse 19).  Notice the words of Moses to Aaron in verse 21, “What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?”  Aaron had been left in charge of the people in Moses’ absence (Exodus 24:14), so it was reasonable that Moses would look to his brother for answers.  I don’t believe that Moses thought that the people had really done anything to Aaron. He asked the question as a reprimand—they had done nothing to Aaron—had in no way injured him, and yet he brought this evil upon them when he refused to lead them correctly.  So, if Aaron had offered a determined resistance from the outset, the idolatry might not have taken place…the people might have been brought to a better mind.  Please read verses 22-24 to see Aaron’s preposterous excuse for the existence of the molten calf. 

I encourage you to read verses 26-29 to see the outcome of the people’s actions.  THREE THOUSAND people lost their lives!  Yet, in the remainder of the chapter, we see the grace of God working as Moses interceded for the people before the Lord.  They must still reap the consequences of their actions, but the Lord would deal with them lovingly and righteously because they were His people.

Moses spoke of his intercessory prayer when speaking to the Israelites in Deuteronomy 9:19-20, “For I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure, wherewith the LORD was wroth against you to destroy you. But the LORD hearkened unto me at that time also. And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time.” 

The love, patience, and forgiveness of the Lord is apparent when he appointed Aaron as the High Priest among His people, knowing full well what Aaron would later do.  “And take thou unto thee Aaron thy brother, and his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons.” (Exodus 28:1).  (CC)  (596.2)