And he took the calf they had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water and made the Israelites drink it. Exodus 32:20 (Chapter 32)
The Hebrew children were very quick to return to the past when they felt they had been abandoned. It was only six weeks since they made a pledge to be God’s people when they begged to replicate an idol, the bull, a principal god of Egypt. They broke the very first commandment.
Moses, gravely aware of the catastrophe before him, threw down the tablets written by the hand of God. Knowing the end was near if he did not intervene, he stood before God, brave and heroic, and volunteered to give his life if forgiveness wasn’t an option. He is becoming like the God He trusts and worships with His whole being.
There were swift and severe consequences for the sin of these people. Death and eternal separation from God came immediately to those who refused to repent. However, God is long suffering and He never turns down an opportunity to forgive. Some things, such as man’s stiff necked evil, never change. Thank God! He never changes either!
Never Give Up,
Gretchen