Title: Mediator of the Covenant (Ex 32:1)
It has been said that the book of Exodus can be seen as the building of the tabernacle rather than the Exodus from Egypt. God brought Israel out of Egypt first to fulfill the covenant he made with Abraham-Isaac-Jacob; second, to make known to all nations that Israel was God's property; and third, to make Israel worship God. . To do this, God wanted to establish a certain system with Israel.
In order to show that God Himself is the Lord and Ruler of Israel, he first made a covenant of the law with Israel. And he made the tabernacle to be built to show that he was always with them. The construction of this tabernacle occupies most of the book of Exodus, and when you see that the Exodus ends with the completion of the tabernacle, it is to worship God through the tabernacle, and how important the tabernacle will occupy among the Israelites in the future. can you guess what
While God was revealing the blueprints to Moses to build the tabernacle according to each pattern, an abomination was taking place at the foot of Mount Sinai. When Moses did not come down from the mountain for 40 days, Israel thought that Moses was dead, but said to Aaron, “Make for us a god who will lead us. “(Exodus 32:1),” and urged them to make their own gods.
Aaron was afraid that some kind of wrath might come upon him, so he ordered each person to take out their gold rings and bring them. Aaron's thought seems to have been that they felt sorry for the gold li and would not bring it. However, human nature has a personality that likes to reveal its name by giving up one's own things if there is any justification, even if they fight to open their eyes for one's own gain. When Aaron said he would make a god to guide them, each of them took out a gold ring and brought it before Aaron.
This was the first time Israel had ever made such a voluntary commitment. Aaron made a golden calf and said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 32:4). The making of a golden calf seems to have been imitated when Israel saw the Egyptians worshiping oxen as gods when they were in Egypt.
Egypt worshiped many gods. In the province of Memphis, they worshiped a god called (Pta), which was a bull. Thebes worshiped a god named (Amon), which was a cow. The sky god (Horus) was a hawk, and the sun god (Ra) was also a hawk. The god of death (Osiris) was a goat and his wife (Isis) was a cow.
The god of wisdom (Dodd) was a monkey, and his wife (Heka), the goddess, was a frog. In addition, snakes and eagles were also worshiped as their gods, and Pharaoh was especially worshiped as a god as he was said to be the son of the sun god (Ra). When God sent 10 plagues, the object of the disaster had a deep connection with these gods, which meant that God completely destroyed their gods.
Even so, it is truly an abomination before God to say that Israel made a golden calf and called it their god. In view of this, even though they were saved from Egypt and made a covenant with God, they are still under the customs of Egypt. can be seen God sent the 10 plagues to show that there is only one God in heaven, but Israel was still held captive by the old things.
Even though we have become new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17), we still have the character of the old man. If we do not always kill ourselves and whip ourselves to obey Christ, we too will have to make countless golden calves. . That's why Paul said, "I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20).
When the Israelites rebelled like this, God spoke to Moses.
“I see this people, a stiff-necked people, so let me do what I do, and I will be angry with them, and I will destroy them, and I will make you into a great nation” (Exodus 32:9-10). Serving as their god is a sin that truly deserves death. But the sins of Israel were not so much.
Their sins were reaching their peak, because they were breaking the covenant they had made with God. Nevertheless, we can see how great God's love and mercy is when we see that God first told Moses the truth and even asked for permission. It will be difficult to comprehend God's heart as he watches ungrateful Israel, who unilaterally breaks the covenant.
Moses began to open his mouth cautiously to God. Moses' face must have been so hot he couldn't even open his lips. However, Moses dared to speak to God in his capacity as a mediator.
“In remembrance of your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Israel (Jacob), the Lord made an oath to them by the Lord, saying, I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and I will give to your descendants all this land that I have given you, for an everlasting inheritance. I will make it happen” (Exodus 32:13-14).
This earnest intercession is based on the "covenant of promise" made between Abraham and God. Of course, Israel must keep the covenant, but God must also keep it. However, it is unreasonable for Moses to use the swarm on the basis of the covenant with God with regard to Israel, which has already broken the covenant. But God, who is faithful, wanted them to fulfill the covenant even by changing them into new ones.
And he listened to Moses' prayer, which was earnest and forceful. This is God's infinite grace and love. In this way, not only Israel but also us were saved based on the new covenant made by Jesus Christ.
“Behold, a new day is coming, saith the Lord, and shall make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, saith the Lord, which shall not be like the covenant I made when I took the hand of their fathers and brought them out of the land of Egypt. I am their husband, yet they have broken my covenant, says the Lord, but this is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that day: I will put my laws in them, and I will write them in their hearts, and I will be their God, and they will shall be my people” (Jeremiah 31:31-33).