The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2025), Ex 32:26.

I was asked to contribute five short devotionals to the Bibeln Idag (Sweden’s Scripture Union) from the book of Exodus. This is the second.

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Text: Exodus 32:15–35

The Israelites may have escaped the wrath of God but they don’t escape the wrath of Moses. The first casualties are the stone tablets of the Testimony which Moses breaks when he throws them to the ground (v.19). Next the golden calf is destroyed (v.20) and then Aaron faces the wrath of his brother. Aaron is a weak leader who failed to stand up to the people and instead gave them what they wanted. Now he shifts the blame (v.23) and lies (v.24).

Moses’ actions are dramatic issuing a rallying battle cry. It is the Levites who respond and those who persist in their wild immoral sins are put to death. Perhaps it is this incident that illustrates Jesus’ words in Matthew 10:36, “And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household.” 

That the Levites killed 3000 of their own countrymen is the sort of religious fanaticism that today seems inexcusable. Yet Moses saw the seriousness of the situation, the problem was not enemies outside the camp but the ones inside it. And this enemy was dealt with in the same way as all their other enemies. If they were not for the Lord and Israel then they were against them.

Despite this purge Moses remains uncertain. He goes again to God to plead for forgiveness and God reasserts the deadly seriousness of sin: “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book” (v.33).

This whole chapter is a tragic illustration that sin leads to death and being cut off from God. Only one who can kill sin can save people from destruction.

Prayer

Thank you Jesus that in your death on the cross you put sin to death that we might live.