Moses turned and went down the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands. They were inscribed on both sides, front and back. The tablets were the work of God; the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets. When Joshua heard the noise of the people shouting, he said to Moses, “There is the sound of war in the camp.” Moses replied: “It is not the sound of victory, it is not the sound of defeat; it is the sound of singing that I hear.” When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. (Exodus 32:15-19)
Can you picture it?
Moses had been on Mount Sinai for 40 days and 40 nights, receiving instruction from the Lord on worship practices, sacrifices, the ark of the covenant, the tabernacle, and the Ten Commandments. And then God told Moses that he had to go back down the mountain because there were serious problems in the Israelite camp.
So Moses went down and carried with him the two tablets of the covenant law, inscribed in stone by God’s finger. And Joshua went with him. While they were walking down the mountain, they could hear the sounds of revelry coming from the Israelite camp—so raucous that Joshua thought it was the sound of war in the camp.
But no. It wasn’t the sound of victory or defeat. It was the sound of singing. As Moses and Joshua approached the camp, they saw what caused such celebration: a golden calf.
Moses’ anger burned, and he threw down the stone tablets, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. A fitting yet tragic reflection of what the Israelites had done with their promise to God, made just 40 days prior:
“When Moses went and told the people all the Lord’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, ‘Everything the Lord has said we will do.’” (Exodus 24:3)
The Israelites saw the Lord deliver them from Egypt! They saw the ten plagues. They saw the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. They saw the parting of the Red Sea and the waters sweeping back over the army that pursued them. They saw and heard the voice of their God thundering down from Mount Sinai with fire, smoke, and earthquakes.
Dear Christian, I can shake my head at the Israelites’ sin. I can pretend it baffles me.
But the shameful truth is, it takes me far less than 40 days to turn from faithfully following the Lord. It takes me far less time to put other things before God in my heart and in my life. It takes me far less time to break every single one of the commandments God asks me to keep as his child.
What really baffles me is God’s amazing grace. You and I can’t keep God’s law any more than the Israelites could. You and I need a Savior from sin just as much as they did. And God knew that too.
Thank God for Jesus!
Jesus came down from heaven to live the perfect life we never could. Everything the Lord said, he did—for us and for our salvation. Jesus bore our sins upon his back. He carried them to a wooden, bloody cross and paid for them there. And Jesus rose again, triumphant from the grave, to assure us that we are forgiven, dearly loved children of God.
Now each day is a new opportunity to turn from our sin and follow our Savior, strengthened by his Word and sacraments and encouraged to live for him in everything we do because he has done everything for us.
Looking for more devotions on the book of Exodus? Part of the People’s Bible Devotions series, From the Beginning: God’s Salvation Plan is filled with 111 brief meditations on the first five books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). You’ll find God’s amazing gospel message on vivid display in this devotional.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House and a 2023 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary with a Master of Divinity degree. He enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation with his family.
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