have won them the blessing of ordination for the service of the Lord (Ex 32:29). The
Levites, from this point on, will be Israel’s priests and lead her liturgy.
This is a watershed moment, bringing a major change in the organization of
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Israel and its priesthood. Up to this point every tribe was priestly, and the
father of every
family served as a priest. Recall that the father of each family slaughtered the Passover
lamb, leading his own family in the Passover liturgy, and that God called Israel a
“kingdom of priests” when they first arrived at Sinai. After Israel’s apostasy, however, all
the tribes but Levi will be stripped of their priestly privileges. Only one tribe will be
priests—the tribe of Levi.
Moses and the Levites burn and grind the
golden calf to dust, then they mix the dust
with water and make the people drink from it (Ex 32:20). Making the people drink the
dust of the idol, although it seems rather bizarre, makes sense in light of laws given just a
little later at Sinai. Numbers 5 prescribes a trial in which a woman suspected of adultery
is made to drink water mixed with dust from the floor of the sanctuary. If she is innocent,
nothing will happen to her, but if she is guilty, a curse will come upon her, causing her
“bitter pain, and her body shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away.” In this odd ritual,
Moses teaches Israel that Yahweh is their bridegroom and that
Israel has acted as an
unfaithful bride in going after other gods. God will describe himself as “jealous,” referring
to his covenant love for his less-than-faithful bride. This scene will tragically replay
throughout Israel’s history, as the prophets in times to come repeatedly announce God’s
jealous love for his unfaithful people.
A plague follows (Ex 32:35), revealing a dramatic reversal of fortunes: Israel is now
the target of God’s plagues! Israel adopts Egyptian idolatry, and as a result, they receive
the same treatment Egypt had received. Seen after Israel’s drinking of the dust of the idol,
this plague is also a confirmation that Israel has been found guilty of infidelity.
Who’s Going with Israel?
By reminding God of his promises of land and descendants to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, Moses saves Israel’s life, and her journey to the Promised Land can continue. God,
however, informs Moses that although he will allow Israel to go to the land of the
patriarchs, “I will not go up among you, lest I consume you in the way, for you are a stiff-
necked people” (Ex 33:3). This begins another dramatic dialogue
between Moses and the
Lord. However, before that dialogue
p 85
begins, there is a flashback (Ex 33:7–11) to
Moses’ interaction with God in the tabernacle, reminding us that “the L
ORD
used to
speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend” (Ex 33:11). This backdrop is
crucial for the conversation that is about to unfold.
Given the devastating news that God will not go with Israel, Moses replies by
reminding God that at the burning bush he called Moses to “bring up this people,” but
that God has not yet told Moses whom he will send to go with him (Ex 33:12). Moses is
subtly reminding God of his promise to accompany him on his mission and of the
conversation at
the burning bush, where God called Israel “my people” (Ex 3:7). God
responds by reasserting his initial promise to Moses: “My presence will go with you, and
I will give you rest” (Ex 33:14).
This response still presents a problem for Moses because the Hebrew word for “you”
in God’s response is singular; God is promising to go with Moses, but not with the people.
Identifying himself with the people, Moses says, “If your presence will not go with me, do
not carry us up from here,” for “is it not in your going with us, so that we are distinct,
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