The Golden Calf (Exodus 32:1-6)

“Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him” (Ex. 32:1b).

The idolatry of Israel was born of unbelief and impatience. Unbelief is seen in their failure to trust in the Lord, in His power and good will toward them, even though He had shown them His care and His protection on more than one occasion. Impatience is revealed in their anxiousness to get to the Promised Land. They did not want to tarry to learn about religion, to learn about what God required of man and what God had in store for His people. They were more interested in the land flowing with milk and honey—more interested in the blessings their God offered rather than in their God Himself.

They were also impatient for Moses’ return. They were shortsighted and lacked faith. Though they saw Moses enter the cloud, and the cloud remain on the mountain as a clear manifestation of God’s presence, they began to doubt. They doubted Moses, but most of all they doubted God, for, even if Moses had deserted them, God would have remained with them.

So, in their doubt and their impatience, they reverted back to old sins, to the idolatries of Egypt. They wanted comfort and assurance, and instead of seeking it in God Himself, they returned to their former ways. They asked Aaron to make gods for them (as if one weren’t enough). Aaron gave no protest and diligently undertook the task of making a graven image.

It is important that we see the motivation behind the construction of this image. They said it would be lifted up to Jehovah. In their minds, they did not intend to worship the image itself. They only wanted to make an image of God so that they might have something physical to grasp when God (and Moses) seemed so distant. But they deceived themselves. One of the reasons God forbade them to make any graven image, whether they intended to worship it or not, was that God knew that our sinful hearts gravitate to idolatry. If we make an image of the unseen, we will eventually worship it (as the Israelites did). Even if we do not worship it, it is still a violation of His command not to make any graven image. Thus, the sacrifices offered on the altar were abominations to the Lord because they were not offered in faith. And having set up an image in God’s place, they turned the truth of God into a lie, dishonoring Him and degrading themselves.

It is easy to justify disobedience to God’s law. We rationalize, justifying our motives and actions with “religious” excuses. Do you ever justify disobedience to God’s commands? Think about this carefully. Pray that all self-deception will be removed, and that you will know the truth about the choices you make in life.

The Stone Tablets (Exodus 31:18)

“And when He had made an end of speaking with him on Mount Sinai, He gave Moses two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God” (Ex. 31:18).

Chapter 31 closes with the record of God’s giving the tables of testimony to Moses. For forty days Moses had been on Mount Sinai receiving instructions from the Lord. It is significant, therefore, that these instructions ended with the giving of the two tablets of stone. God had instructed Moses on how to build the tabernacle, and He reiterated the command to keep the Sabbath. Both of these instructions looked forward to the building and completing of the church. The rights and claims of God in the Old Testament have been made good and eternally secured by the person and work of Jesus Christ. God’s grace now “reigns” through “righteousness” (Rom. 5:21).

God had promised Moses these tables when He called him onto the mount, so He sent him down to deposit them in the ark. The Ten Commandments that God had spoken upon Mount Sinai in the hearing of all the people were written for a perpetual memorial of the eternal righteousness of God. They were written in stone tablets, prepared not by Moses but by God Himself. The Law written in stone connotes the never-ending duration of the Law and the hardness of man’s heart. Henry comments that one might more easily write in stone than write anything good in our corrupt and sinful hearts.

But the Law was written by the finger of God, by His will and power, without the use of an instrument. Hence, it is only God who can write His Law in the heart, for it is by His Spirit that He writes His will on the fleshy tables of the heart (2 Cor. 3:3). Those who have been renewed by the Spirit are now able to keep God’s righteous law because it has been engraved into their hearts by the power of God.

The tables of testimony were a written law that testified of both the will of God concerning Israel and His goodwill toward them. They also served as a testimony against them when they were disobedient. The tables were to be shown publicly as a reminder to the people of God’s righteous requirements. Thus, the Law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Our comfort is that law no longer condemns us because we now are covered by the righteousness of Christ, the One who kept the law in our place, and whose Spirit sanctifies us and enables us to live holy and righteous lives before God.

Read 2 Corinthians 3:1–6. The law written on the heart gives believers the desire and ability to obey the law. This law is God’s absolute moral standard. Can you be a Christian and not want to obey God’s law? What struggles against the desire to obey God’s law (Rom. 7)? Pray for God’s Spirit to help you win this battle.

The Typical Sabbath (Exodus 31:12-18)

“You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you” (Ex. 31:14a).

The Sabbath is mentioned for the first time in Exodus 16:23–29. This command was not a new one—the Israelites already had been obligated to keep it. The Sabbath is mentioned again in chapter 20, where the Ten Commandments are delivered. God gave these commands to His covenant people, and they expressed His claims upon His people. As His chosen ones, they were to live righteously before Him. Being in covenant with God, they were not free to live as they wished, but only according to the commands of God. These laws were not grievous to the people, but were to be kept in love, for the commandments were, and continue to be, the expression of God’s love for His people.

The third reference to the Sabbath is found here in chapter 31. It might seem strange to include this command right after the building of the tabernacle. But notice that everything in this section of Exodus foreshadows Christ—the tabernacle, the priesthood, the sacrifices. This passage, therefore, must be applied in this context. But to understand the typological meaning of the Sabbath, we need to go back to Genesis 2. God rested on the seventh day, blessed it, and sanctified it. While God’s resting on the Sabbath day teaches us how to keep this day holy, it has a deeper significance. This rest is typical of the rest that believers have in Christ and the rest we will have when Christ comes again in glory—the eternal Sabbath.

In the first part of chapter 31, we have a possible type of Christ building His church. Now that the tabernacle has been completed (which reminds us of His mission to build the church), it is suitable that reference should be made to the Sabbath. Those who are of the church and believe in Christ will rest in Him. Individually, this means that we come into Christ’s redemptive rest. Ultimately, this points to the fact that, when the church has been completed, all who have been chosen by God will enter the eternal Sabbath. Until that time, we keep the Sabbath as a sign of what has been accomplished by Christ and what will one day be completed—the final sanctification of His people and their entering into His rest. When “the tabernacle of God is with men” (Rev. 21:3), then there will be a holy, eternal rest for God’s sanctified people.

What does it mean to rest? The Scriptures teach us that there is no rest for the wicked. However, those who are made new in Christ can rest in Him, and have the hope of eternal rest in God. Are you resting in Christ? Do you abide in Him? Do have find peace in Him? What might be keeping you from resting in Him?

Equipping for Service (Exodus 31:1-11)

“See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship” (Ex. 31:2–3).

Exodus 31:1–11 is fraught with possible symbolism. For example, the artisans worked with: gold, which may symbolize divine glory; silver, which may represent redemption, for the Son alone is qualified to “work in silver;” and with brass, which may be a symbol of divine judgment. The text is pregnant with symbolism of Christ and His church. Today, however, we will focus on the practical implications of the passage instead of dwelling on its symbolic nature.

The first practical lesson we pull from the text is that those who are called to divine service do not come of their own decision, but of the sovereign will of God. This is true of all believers—only those called of the Father will be saved. And this is true of ministers of the Gospel. They do not run ahead without being sent, they do not step forward in service without being called. To presume the task of ministry without being called of God is to be a rebel, not a servant. Christ Himself, though acting voluntarily in His redemptive service, was appointed by the Father, not by Himself. To often, people are attracted to the prestige, honor and power of “service,” and they step into positions in which they do not belong. A. W. Pink rightly comments, “Fearful presumption and sin is it for any man to profess to speak in the name of Christ if he has received no call from Him.”

We can identify those whom God has called by their spiritual qualifications. This goes far beyond talents, and includes primarily the graces of knowledge, wisdom, compassion and humility. When God calls a man or woman to service, He fills him or her with His Spirit. Colleges, seminaries, and parachurch ministries cannot impart the spiritual gifts of understanding and wisdom. Only the Spirit of God can endow people with gifts of ministry.

Lastly, God’s servants act according to God’s instructions and purposes, not according to their own. They do things God’s way and by God’s prescription, not according to their own imaginations and inventions. Moses did not employ all his Egyptian learning to build the tabernacle, but followed God’s commands precisely. Those who are true servants of God build up the church God’s way. Obedience, therefore, is integral to worthy service. When the Scriptures speak to a matter, we must obey. Anything else is sin.

What are some qualifications for those who are called to serve in Christ’s church? Can just anyone preach, teach, or do mission work? What is the importance of sound doctrine to service? What is the importance of personal godliness in church work? Pray for the church, for leaders called of God, that they will serve His way.

Anointed Sons of God (Exodus 30:34-38)

“But as for the incense which you shall make, you shall not make any for yourselves, according to its composition” (Ex. 30:37a).

God gave strict instructions concerning the use of the anointing oil and incense. The Israelites were not allowed to make any other oil or incense of the same composition, and they were not to pour the special oil on anyone except the priests. Henry says this is typological and indicates that only the children of God, those in Christ, are “anointed” and have the Spirit of the Lord: “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness” (Rom. 8:9–10). The Spirit of Christ dwells in all those who have been made alive by Christ, all those called the sons of God: “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, ‘Abba, Father’ ” (Gal. 4:6).

Only those who have been chosen by God and regenerated unto newness of life can call God “Father.” This is because only those who have been made new by God have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in them. Unbelievers do not have the Spirit of Christ dwelling in their hearts. Hypocrites and formalists cannot claim to be sons of God because they do not live by the Spirit. They make false imitations of the Spirit’s work through ritualism and human inventions designed to imitate the ministry of Christ. But these are only false shows, and by them hypocrites prove that they have not been anointed by the Spirit, but that they remain dead in their sins.

The fruit of the Spirit cannot grow on a dead tree. If the root of the tree is not made alive, then it cannot bear fruit. We cannot make the mistake of confusing natural temperaments with the fruit of the Spirit. A person might be soft-spoken, patient and kind, but unless these come from a living faith, they are not fruit of the Spirit. Only those who believe in Christ can bear spiritual fruit, for barren soil cannot bear life.

Another error that must be avoided is the notion that a believer in Christ might not have the Spirit of Christ. Every person who has faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is indwelt by His Spirit. There are no second-class believers in the kingdom of Christ, for all believers, as New Testament priests, are anointed by the Spirit.

Read Romans 8:1–17. What does it mean to walk according to the flesh (Gal. 5:19–21)? What does it mean to walk according to the Spirit (Gal. 5:22–26)? What confidence do you have as a child indwelt by the Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:12–17)? Using Galatians 5:22–26, what fruit do you need to cultivate? Pray that God will help you bear much fruit.