Ex. 31:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Ex. 31:2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
Ex. 31:3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
Ex. 31:4 To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,
Ex. 31:5 And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
Ex. 31:6 And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;
God has given Moses some very specific directions for the people to follow in building the tabernacle and making all the vessels and instruments associated with it. Now He is telling Moses that He has also provided men with the skills necessary to accomplish His directives. Evidently, Bezaleel (tribe of Judah) has been singled out to be “filled” with the Spirit of God:
In wisdom
In understanding
In knowledge
In all manner of workmanship
In devising cunning works in gold, silver and brass
In cutting of stones
In carving of timber
This man was the appointed overseer but did not have to shoulder the burden alone, He was given a specific helper, Aholiab (tribe of Dan), as well as a group of general helpers, all of whom were wise hearted.
God is a God of order. He has established a hierarchy for the angels in heaven and for His servants on earth. Every person in the hierarchy is important to the success of the whole. We should count it a privilege to be a servant on His team in whatever position He chooses to use us!
Bezaleel = In the shadow of God, under His protection
Uri = my light, my fire
Hur = liberty, whiteness
Aholiab = tent of the father
Ahisamach = brother of strength
Wise hearted = intelligent, skillful and willing
Cunning works – Involves those who are able to make plans, inventive, and have imagination with purpose.
This brings to mind the saying, “Where God guides, HE provides.”
Ex. 31:7 The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,
Ex. 31:8 And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,
Ex. 31:9 And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,
Ex. 31:10 And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office,
Ex. 31:11 And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.
Now God reiterates the things that these gifted men will be making and building according to the directions God has provided:
The tabernacle of the congregation
The ark of the testimony
The mercy seat on the ark
All the furniture of the tabernacle
The table and its furniture
The pure candlestick with is furniture
The altar of incense
The altar of burnt offering with all its furniture
The laver and its pedestal
The cloth and garments for the priests
The anointing oil
The incense for the holy place
God doesn’t leave us guessing as to what is pleasing to Him and what is not. All He asks from us is obedience in love for who He is.
Ex. 31:12 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
Ex. 31:13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.
The LORD next gives instructions regarding the Sabbath. Though the word “my” is not in the original, it is true that the Sabbath belongs to God. Keeping the Sabbath was to be a sign for the people for generations to come, acknowledging God as LORD and that they are His people, special, set apart from the other nations of the earth.
Constable quoting Youngblood: “As a sign of the Noahic covenant is the rainbow, and as the sign of the Abrahamic covenant is circumcision, the sign of the Mosaic covenant is the observance and celebration of the Sabbath day.”
Ex. 31:14 Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.
Ex. 31:15 Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.
Ex. 31:16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.
Ex. 31:17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.
God instructed the people of Israel to make the Sabbath a holy day. To defile it (make it impure, pollute it) was to incur the death penalty. No one was to work on the Sabbath. There were six other days in the week in which man could work; the Sabbath was to be dedicated to God. The observance of the Sabbath was to be observed by God’s people perpetually. Again, it is emphasized that it is a sign between God and the children of Israel of their unique relationship. God emphasized again that He made heaven and earth in six days, which was followed by a day of rest and refreshment. In context, don’t work on the tabernacle on the Sabbath.
I can’t help but think of Jesus’ explanation of the Sabbath. He explained that the Sabbath was made for man.
Mark 2:27 “And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.”
The way man chose to define work did not fit with God’s definition of work. By the time Jesus lived, the laws for the Sabbath had made the day a burden rather than a time of rest and fellowship with the LORD. Jesus taught, healed, and allowed His disciples to pick corn to eat on the Sabbath—all of which angered the religious leaders.
Mark 6:2 “And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue.”
John 9:14 “And it was the sabbath day when Jesus made the clay, and opened his eyes.”
Matthew 12:1 “At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.”
The key difference in man’s thinking and God’s thinking seems to involve the attitudes and motives of the heart in the actions taken on the Sabbath.
I truly think that we have deprived ourselves of great blessing because of our attitude toward the Sabbath. No--we are not under the law, but the principles of the law are never changing. They are from an unchanging God. We need a day to focus on the LORD and His blessings and forget about the stresses and pressures of everyday living. We need rest and refreshment just as surely as God set the example of their importance. I am just as guilty as the next person. “LORD, please help me use my time according to your leadership and priorities.”
Ex. 31:18 And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.
This verse draws us back to 24:18 where we are told Moses was up in the mountain forty days and forty nights. We are told that when God had finished speaking with Moses, He gave Moses “two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” I don’t see how these two stones could have contained all of the instructions provided in the intervening chapters in our Bible. The next chapter (v15) tells us that they contained writing on all four sides, so maybe they did—I don’t know.
It seems that God emphasized the importance of his directives by personally making a record of them.
Ex. 32:1 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.
Now we flash back to what was happening in the camp while Moses was up on the mountain with God. Moses had been gone for a good while. After all that these people had seen God do on their behalf, they decided that they needed other gods, visible gods. So they went to Aaron and asked him to make them gods to go before them since they didn’t know what had happened to Moses. They still can’t see past the man that led them out of Egypt to the God that made that deliverance possible. I guess they figured that if Moses was gone, God must have gone with him. Moses wasn’t gone more than 40 days and nights, so it was little more than a month before they started rebelling.
Ex. 32:2 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.
Ex. 32:3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.
Ex. 32:4 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.
Amazingly, Aaron complied. He told them to give him the gold earrings from the ears of their wives, sons and daughters. (Men’s jewelry is nothing new under the sun.) They did. After taking their jewelry, Aaron used a graving tool (chisel) and made a “molten” calf. The word for “molten” means “a pouring over.” It sounds like he chiseled the form of a calf from something else (probably wood) and then poured melted gold over it. Then he gave them to the people of Israel as their gods that “brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (implies that he made more than one calf)
I just don’t get it. This man is God’s hand-picked second in command so to speak. He had been allowed to “see” the God of Israel (24:10). He knows full well who the real Deliverer is. How could he have such a weak spine? (But for the grace of God…….)
Aaron is a prime example of those who pastor “seeker driven” churches today. As is so often the case in corrupt ministry, they declare their motives to be in honor of the LORD just as Aaron did in verse 5.
Some translations use the singular for “gods” in verse 4, implying that Aaron made this calf to represent YHWH. This seems to be supported by the fact that he calls a feast to the LORD in verse 5.
The psalmist, however, notes that the people were not thinking of YHWH.
Psalm 106:19–22 “They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt; Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.”
Ex. 32:5 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.
Ex. 32:6 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.
After observing his handiwork, Aaron built an altar to place in front of the golden calf. Then he announced to the people that the next day would be a feast (festival, sacrifice) “to the LORD.” The word LORD in Hebrew is the special name for God used by Israel. (Did he actually think he could make it right, by saying that it represented God?) The people got up early the next morning and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings at the altar. They sat down to eat and drink, and then got up to “play.” The Hebrew word for play indicates to laugh outright in merriment or scorn—to laugh, mock, play or make sport. Were they mocking God Almighty?
Ex. 32:7 And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:
Ex. 32:8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
The LORD let Moses in on what was happening in the camp. He told him to go back down. All of a sudden, the people belonged to Moses who was credited with bringing them out of the land of Egypt. God doesn’t claim them. (I think most parents can identify with that attitude. There have been many times I’ve said, “Jim, do you know what your child did?”) He informed Moses that the people had corrupted themselves and turned away from God’s commands. He told Moses that they had made a molten calf and had worshipped it and sacrificed to it. They had credited it as the gods that brought them out of Egypt. He certainly didn’t think they were worshipping Him!
Nothing we do is hidden from the LORD.
Psalm 139:7–12 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.”
Ex. 32:9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:
Ex. 32:10 Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.
The LORD is very angry. He has seen (watched, stared at) these people and sees them as a stiffnecked people—churlish, unmanageable, cruel, hardhearted, obstinate, stubborn. He wants Moses to leave Him so that He can respond in His wrath against them and destroy them. Then, He will make a great nation of Moses.
Ex. 32:11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
Ex. 32:12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.
Ex. 32:13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.
Ex. 32:14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
Amazingly, Moses questioned God’s anger. A key phrase is that Moses recognized the LORD as “his God.” He reminded the LORD that the people belonged to Him, not to Moses. He brought up the fact that the Egyptians wouldn’t understand a God who would rescue His people only to destroy them from off the face of the earth. They would think He wasn’t able to take care of His people. His concern was to protect God’s name and reputation. He asked God to repent (take a deep breath, and be sorry about His decision as He looks on His people with pity). Moses reminded the LORD of His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Israel (Jacob), His servants to whom He had promised to make their seed as the stars of heaven and give them the promised land for an eternal inheritance.
We know, of course, that God doesn’t need to be reminded of the facts. I think He is letting us know through His inspired word that He is a faithful God of love and mercy. His anger was righteous and justified, but He is always faithful to His word. In spite of the terrible sin of the people, He spared them. (This also reminds me of James 5:16, “….The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”)
We know that God established His plan of redemption before the foundations of creation were laid. We know that His character is unchanging. As we read through scripture, however, we read at times of God “repenting” of what He intended to do. I believe these instances are recorded to show us the full extent of God’s mercy and the power of the word of God (e.g., Nineveh) and of intercessory prayer, as in this instance with Moses. Being omniscient, God had foreseen all that would happen and had already made provision for the perceived “change in His plans” from our human perspective.
Ex. 32:15 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.
Ex. 32:16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
Moses headed down the mountain, carrying the two tables of testimony in his hand. The tables were written on all four sides. Again we are told that these tables were made by God Himself and written in His own hand.
Ex. 32:17 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.
Ex. 32:18 And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.
As Moses came back down the mountain, he got back to the point where Joshua had been waiting for him (cf 24:13). Joshua told him that he has heard the noise of shouting and war (fighting) in the camp. Moses said that it didn’t sound like the shouts of victors or of those who have been conquered; it sounded like singing. When I checked Strong’s for the Hebrew for the word sing, it wasn’t at all what I expected.
6031. a primitive root (possibly rather ident. with 6030 through the idea of looking down or browbeating)…abase self, afflict(-ion, self), … defile… hurt, ravish…weaken….
In reading this through again, I think I’ve made the right connection. Moses knew the noise was indicative of the defiling behavior of the people. They didn’t even realize how they were hurting themselves and weakening their relationship with God.
Ex. 32:19 And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
Ex. 32:20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.
When Moses got near the camp, he saw the calf and the dancing. He got very angry and threw the tables out of his hands, breaking them on the mountain. Then he took the calf that they had made and burned it in the fire. As with all false gods, it was powerless to protect itself, let alone the people. Moses then ground the ashes and melted gold into powder and spread it out over the drinking water and made the people drink it. Sin should be bitter to the taste.
Commentators like to debate whether Moses sinned in breaking the tablets. Frankly, I think it was a spontaneous response to his anger at seeing the shameful actions of his people. And I can’t recall reading anywhere that the LORD expressed displeasure because of what Moses had done. If it were a sinful response, I think that fact would have been recorded.
Courson: “In Moses, we see a leader who doesn’t walk in the fear of man. His goal is not popularity but godliness.”
Ex. 32:21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?
Ex. 32:22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
Ex. 32:23 For they said unto me, 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.
Ex. 32:24 And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.
Moses turned his attention to Aaron. He asked him what the people could have possibly done to cause him to act so as to bring great sin upon the people. Aaron immediately began blame-shifting. He told Moses that he should not be angry at him. He reminded Moses that he knew the people and their evil nature. They came to Aaron asking him to make them gods since Moses had disappeared. So he told them to give him their gold. When they did, he took it and threw it into the fire—and out came the calf. (No mention of a chisel here or his part in shaping the calf. It just appeared out of the fire.)
In Deuteronomy Moses emphasized that God was very angry with Aaron as well as the people. He was held accountable for the sin of the people.
Deuteronomy 9:20-21 “And the LORD was very angry with Aaron to have destroyed him: and I prayed for Aaron also the same time. And I took your sin, the calf which ye had made, and burnt it with fire, and stamped it, and ground it very small, even until it was as small as dust: and I cast the dust thereof into the brook that descended out of the mount.”
Ex. 32:25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)
Moses took notice of the fact that the people weren’t properly dressed; I don’t think the word implies completely naked. The phrase in parenthesis does, however, indicate that they would be considered a shameful people even by their enemies.
Ex. 32:26 Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.
Moses stood at the entrance to the camp and asked a question that demanded an immediate response—“Who is on the LORD’S side?” Those who chose God as LORD were to come to him. All the sons of Levi presented themselves before Moses to indicate their desire to follow God.
Ex. 32:27 And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.
Ex. 32:28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
Moses spoke to the Levites and gave them instructions from the LORD God of Israel. (We aren’t told how God gave Moses this word.)
The Levites were told to take his sword at his side (by his thigh) and go in and out the different entrance points to the camp, killing his brother, companion and neighbor. (I’m not sure how they knew who to kill and who not to kill. They didn’t kill everyone. They killed about 3,000 men. It would seem that God supernaturally directed them and prevented any opposition.)
Ex. 32:29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.
The Levites had obeyed to the point of killing sons and brothers. That type of obedience had set them apart for the LORD and placed them in a position of blessing. This brings to mind something Jesus said:
Matthew 10:37 “He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.”
That is a very hard truth to absorb. It’s hard for a mom to think she could love anyone like she loves her family. It becomes easier when we realize that we can love our family best by loving God the most and entrusting our family to Him and interceding for them in prayer.
Ex. 32:30 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.
On the next day, Moses spoke to the people and told them that their sin was great. He was now going up to the LORD to see if he could make atonement for their sin (to seek forgiveness for them).
Ex. 32:31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
Ex. 32:32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
God hadn’t moved. He was still at the top of the mountain. (It’s never God that moves away from us; we are always the ones that move away from Him.)
Moses returned to Him and acknowledged the great sin of the people in making gods of gold. He asked for forgiveness for their sin. Moses was very secure in his relationship with the LORD. He implored God to blot him out of His book if He was not willing to forgive the people. I don’t think Moses would have made such a statement if He did not have faith that God would forgive the people. The LORD had already shown His love and mercy by not destroying the people in the first place. That decision was based on the honor of His name and His faithfulness to His promise to His servants of old.
The other interesting thing to note is the fact that Moses knew that God had a book that recorded the names of those who followed Him in faith. (See topical study on “The Book of Life.”)
Ex. 32:33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
Ex. 32:34 Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.
Ex. 32:35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
The LORD didn’t give Moses a direct answer to His question. He informed Moses that the individual who sinned against Him would be blotted out of His book. (That obviously can’t mean any sin or there would be no one in the book, so it must mean one who continues to sin without repentance.) In context, I think He is referencing those who worshipped the golden calf.
Then we learn that the people were not delivered from the consequences of their sin; sin always has consequences. These consequences were determined by God. He decreed that they suffer plague (probably disease). This punishment was a direct response to their choosing to make the calf their god. It is emphasized that Aaron made the calf. (It didn’t just appear out of the fire.)
Then Moses is told to go and lead the people to the place that God had already spoken to Moses about. The LORD would send His Angel before them. The fact that the word angel is capitalized in the KJV indicates that the translators considered this to be a preincarnate Jesus, and Paul affirms this in his letter to the Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 10:1–4 “Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”