Daily Devotions
Exodus
"Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works." Psalm 119:27
Text: Exodus 32 : 19-20
THE ANGER OF MOSES
When Moses saw the anger of God, he cried out to Him and pleaded for mercy to be shown to Israel. But when he came to the camp of Israel, a great sense of anger filled his heart!
“So it was, as soon as he came near the camp, that he saw
the calf and the dancing. So Moses’ anger became hot,
and he cast the tablets out of his hands and broke them at the
foot of the mountain.”
EXODUS 32:19
Moses sought to turn away God’s wrath just a while ago! Who would turn away his wrath? Just how angry was Moses? He took the precious tablets that God had given him and broke them at the foot of the mountain! That symbolic act displayed the extent of his anger! Israel had broken the covenant laws that God had given to them! What was the point of showing them the tablets of stone which contained the very laws that Israel had shown disdain towards? He might as well smash them!
OTHER ANGRY ACTS
Did the anger of Moses abate after he had broken the tablets of stone? Apparently not! The following text reveals that he continued to bristle with anger!
“Then he took the calf which they had made,
burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder;
and he scattered it on the water and made the
children of Israel drink it.”
EXODUS 32:20
1. The burning of the golden calf
Moses would have to stride into the midst of the revelers to burn the golden calf. He would have to possess unstoppable strength to burn the calf! He would have to build a big bonfire to burn the calf!
2. Grinding the calf to powder
As the revelers (“worshippers”) watched in awe, Moses went about destroying their “god”. He had a point to prove! This golden calf was no god at all! It was just a useless idol! How could they have demeaned themselves by worshipping it?
3. Scattering of the gold dust into the water supply
Did the thirsty revelers want a drink of water? Then they would have to drink the water polluted with the gold dust!
4. “He made the children of Israel drink it”
Would the water taste bad? Most probably! Moses wanted this lesson to be remembered forever! They must never try building an idol for worship ever again!