Exodus 32:30 says, And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people, Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the LORD; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.  Moses told the people of Israel that they had sinned a great sin and that he would go up the mountain and see if he could make atonement for them with God.  We today have committed a great sin anytime we do not follow God's word, and there is no one in the world who can make atonement for us.  Fortunately, atonement has already been made by Jesus, Who died to make atonement for us.  He is the only One Who can.  We can only point the lost to Jesus.  Verse thirty-one states, And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.  Moses returned to God and confessed the sin of the people to Him.  Moses was there to intercede for the people of Israel, since he himself had not participated in this sin.  If we are to make intercession for others, we must first make sure that we are not guilty of unconfessed sins our self.  Then, we must acknowledge that they need forgiveness, and bring our concern for them to God.  We cannot demand forgiveness for them, but can only ask that God forgive them.  Of course, if they are lost, then we can only ask that God help them to accept Christ as their Savior and Lord.  Verse thirty-two  adds, Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.  Moses told the LORD that he was willing to be blotted out of God's book of life if God would forgive the people of Israel.  We may be willing to be blotted out of God's book of life if He would forgive others, but it doesn't work that way.  There is only One Who can give Himself in our place, and that is Jesus Christ, and He already did.  Verse thirty-three proclaims, And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.  God told Moses that each person was responsible for his or her sin, and that has always been true.  We either attempt to find forgiveness on our own, which we cannot do, or we accept the forgiveness that comes by putting our faith in Christ's atonement, which is already an accomplished fact.  Verse thirty-four adds, Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.  Moses was told to go and lead the people to where God had directed him to go.  God did not say that Moses had obtained forgiveness for their sins.  Their sins would still be dealt with when God visited them.  When Christ returns, God will judge all people, and we will either stand before Him with our sins forgiven because of our acceptance of Christ as our Savior and Lord, or we will stand having to answer for our own sins, for which we cannot find forgiveness without having accepted Christ.  God did not immediately blot out all sinners, just as He doesn't today.  Verse thirty-five concluded, And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.  God plagued the people of Israel because of their sin of idolatry.  Notice that Aaron was given the responsibility of having made the golden calf.  Even if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord, we may still suffer the consequences of our sins in this world.  We can never take sin lightly, because God certainly doesn't.

Exodus 32:19 says,  And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.  When Moses saw the golden calf and the people dancing naked around it, he was very angry.  Moses may have felt that God shouldn't be angry, without knowing what was going on, but when he saw, he was angry himself.  We often hear of breaking God's law, but Moses did so literally when he threw the stone tablets down and broke them.  Verse twenty states,And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it.  Moses reduced the golden calf to powder, put it in water, and had the people drink it.  Not only did they lose their golden calf idol, but they lost all the gold that they had given Aaron to make it.  When we worship the things of this world, we will ultimately lose everything that we put into that worship.  Verse twenty-one adds, And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?   Moses questioned Aaron, since he was God's priest and Moses' second in command.  Moses wanted to know what the people did to Aaron to cause him t6o turn away from God.  We better hope that God never asks us what the world did to us to cause us to turn away from Him.  Verse twenty-two states, And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.  Aaron began to offer excuses, blaming things on those who were to be God's people instead of on himself.  We cannot shift the blame for our sins to others, though like Aaron, we may often try to.  Verse twenty-three adds, For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.  Aaron basically implied that it was Moses fault because the people did not know what had become of him.  Had they really put their faith in God, and not just when Moses was with them, they would not have so easily abandoned God.  If we are truly a follower of Christ, we should be faithful to him at all times, and not just when we are physically in the presence of other Christians.  Verse twenty-four declares, And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf.  Then, Aaron lied.  He said the people brought him gold, he threw it in the fire, and the golden calf came out.  We were already told that Aaron fashioned the golden calf.  A golden calf forming itself in the fire is about as likely as the universe being formed by some cosmic accident.  Both required a creative force behind them, the golden calf Aaron and the universe God.  God took credit for His creation, but Aaron didn't.  We must take responsibility when we sin, then ask God for forgiveness.  We cannot blame our sins on others.  Verse twenty-five declares, And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)  Aaron had made the people get naked to shame them among their enemies.  Without God, we will always stand spiritually naked among our enemies.  Verse twenty-six adds, Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’s side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.  Moses asked those who were on God's side to come and join him, and the sons of Levi came to him.  There will always be a time when we must decide whether we are going to stand with God or with the people of the earth who reject God.  Verse twenty-seven continues,  And he said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate throughout the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbour.  Those who did not stand for God were to be killed.  Ultimately those who do not stand for God today will face a much greater punishment, and that is everlasting separation from God.  Verse twenty-eight states, And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.  The children of Levi obeyed Moses and killed about three thousand men that day.  Sin always has and always will bring serious consequences, but as followers of Christ, He has taken that penalty on Himself for us.  Verse twenty-nine concludes, For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves to day to the LORD, even every man upon his son, and upon his brother; that he may bestow upon you a blessing this day.  Moses told the people that they had to make a choice, to either follow God or deny Him.  We today have that same choice, and even as Christians, we are often called on to do what the world says or do what God says.  Hopefully, we will always chose to do what God says.

Exodus 32:11 says, And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?  Moses questioned why God was angry with His people that He had delivered from Egypt with such a great display of power.  Moses did not know what was going on down the mountain, but God did.  When we as followers of Christ are doing something wrong today, the world may not know it, but God does.  We should not be surprised when God is upset if His people do not obey His word.  Verse twelve states, Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people.  Moses continued to question God, saying that the Egyptians would claim that God had delivered the people of Israel simply for mischief.  Moses asked God to repent, or change His mind.  This was quite a blood thing to do.  If a person believers that God has already determined everything, it would be a useless thing to do.  I believe that if our prayers for others have no effect on God and His actions toward them, then we likewise are doing a useless thing.  Verse thirteen adds, Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever.  Moses reminded God of His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.  I don't believe that God had forgotten His promise just as He will never forget His promise of everlasting salvation to those who accept Christ as Savior and Lord today.  I also believe that our actions can cause God to be angry with us when we disobey His leadership.  Verse fourteen declares, And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.  This is quite a statement.  This tells us that God can be influenced by our prayers of petition, but I don't believe that God ever needs to repent.  Verse fifteen says, And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written.  Moses went down the mountain with the two tablets of the testimony, which were written on both sides.  When we come down off a mountain top experience with God today, we bring His word with us, not written in stone, but written in our heart.  Verse sixteen decades, And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.  This tells us that God had engraved the tablets.  The words of truth and the way to salvation and a successful life will always be found God's word.  Moses did not write these laws, but God did.  Verse seventeen adds, And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp.  Joshua met Moses and told him that it sounded like a war was going on in the camp, and there really was.  It was a war between following God or following the false god that the people had created.  There will always be a war between God and the powers of this world.  The question is, which will we follow?  Verse eighteen concludes, And he said, It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but the noise of them that sing do I hear.  Moses said that it wasn't the sound of suffering but the sounds of joy that he heard.  Many people today are rejoicing as they follow the false God's of the world.  That are not overcome by some government forcing them into servitude, but by following their own selfish desires.

Exodus 32:1 says, And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.  The people of Israel, God's chosen people, became impatient when Moses did not immediately come down from the mountain.  They demanded that Aaron make them gods to go before them, because they said they did not know what had happened to Moses.  I wonder how often we become impatient waiting on God today and begin to try to make our own gods.  Verse two says, And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me.  Aaron went along with their demands, even though he was God's priest and Moses' spokesman.  He told them to bring him golden earrings.  God's spokesmen today certainly cannot afford to go along with the demands of the world.  Verse three says, And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.  These were things that God had blessed them with, and now they were attempting to use them to make their own gods.  We, as followers of Christ, cannot begin to worship the things that God blesses us with more than we worship God and still be faithful to Him.  Verse four states, And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  Aaron, God's spokesman, took the the golden earrings and fashioned them into a golden calf and proclaimed it to be their god that had led them out of Egypt.  Aaron didn't just say this would be their god from now on, but he gave the golden calf credit for bringing them out of Egypt.  At this point, Aaron evidently didn't put his faith in God.  We can never afford to give credit to anything other than God for our success in the world.  If we do, this becomes our golden calf.  Verse five proclaims, And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To morrow is a feast to the LORD.  Aaron built an altar before the golden calf and proclaimed that the next dy would be a day of feast before the LORD.  He was in effect attempting to turn this god that he had made into the real God.  No matter how hard we try, we can never turn God's creation into God.  Verse six adds, And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.  The next morning, the people of Israel, God's chosen people, got up early to worship the golden calf, then they ate, drank and rose up to play.  They were happy to have something to worship.  People today who do not worship God are going to look for something to worship and they will be happy to go about their lives feeling no need to worship the real God.  Verse seven proclaims, And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:  God told Moses to get down the mountain because Moses' people had corrupted themselves.  God did not say that His people had corrupted themselves, because at this point they were not His people.  They had turned away from God.  Though I do not believe that if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord that we will ever stop being a child of God, I do believe that our actions may at times cause us to act as someone other than a child of God.  Verse eight adds,They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.  God told Moses exactly what the people had done.  They quickly turned away from God and made their own god, attributing it with having delivered them from Egypt.  I wonder how often God's people turn away from Him today because they become impatient in waiting on His answers.  After sll God had done for them, they quickly turned away from Him.  Vere nine continues, And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people:  God pronounced the people of Israel, His chosen people who He had delivered from Egypt and blessed with so much to be a stiff necked people.  We can never afford to be stiff necked people in our relationship with God if we are followers of Christ.  We must never attempt to attribute the things that God blesses us with to anything other than God's blessings.  All that we have belongs to God.  Verse ten concludes, Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of thee a great nation.  God told Moses to leave Him alone so that He would not consume the people of Israel in His wrath.  God has every right to consume those who do not believe in Him by His wrath, but He chooses to act in mercy instead.

Exodus 31:12 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Moses always recognized when God spoke to him, and so must we.  We cannot just assume that we know what God wants without first listening to what God has to say.  Verse thirteen states, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you.  God again told Moses to tell the people of Israel to keep the sabbath.  It was a sign between God and them and was to kept forever.  As stated before, we today observe the Lord's Day, or Sunday, as our sabbath, but it should still be kept holy to God.  This is our day to rest and worship God.  Verse fourteen adds, Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.  Not keeping the sabbath brought a death penalty.  We might have a lot fewer people who profess to be Christians today if everyone of them who does not keep the sabbath, or the Lord's Day, holy were put to death.  Verse fifteen continues, Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death.  God again told Moses that the people of Israel were to work six days a week then rest to keep the sabbath holy.  We only work five days a week normally, and still too often fail to keep the Lord's Day, our sabbath, holy  Verse sixteen states, Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.  Since God put so much emphasis on keeping the sabbath perpetually, I believe that we can say that it was and is important to do so.  Verse seventeen declares, It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.  This was to be a sign between the people and Israel and God.  The sabbath would have no meaning to those who were not God's people, just as the Lord's Day has no meaning to those who are not followers of Christ today.  Verse eighteen adds, And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.  These were the Ten Commandments, written by God's finger.  Again, these were not Moses commandments that he thought up, but the commandments of God.  They are till His commandments today.

Exodus 31:1 says, And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Verse two adds, See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:  God again spoke to Moses and told him that He had called Bezaleel, and then God further identified Bezaleel.  There could be no mistake about who God had called.  When God calls us for a purpose today, there can be no mistake about who He has called.  Verse three continues, And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,  God called Bezaleel and He equipped him to do the job he was called for.  Not everyone is called to the same purpose in Go's kingdom, but whatever a person is called for, God will equip that person to do what he or she is called to do.  Verse four states, To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,  Moses was called as God's spokesman, Aaron and his sons as priests, and Bezaleel as a craftsman.  As long as they were fulfilling their role, none was superior to the other because of their role.  Today, I believe that preachers and teachers are not superior to other Christians, as long as all are doing what God has called them to do.  Verse five adds, And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.  Bezaleel was to be a great craftsman, not because of some innate ability, but because God had given him this talent.  We today need to acknowledge that God gives us the ability to do whatever He calls us to do.  It is not some great innate talent that allows us to fulfill God's calling, but God's empowering us to do what He calls us to do.  Often, God calls a person to do something that the that person may feel very unequipped to do, so that he or she has to rely on God to carry out the calling.  Of course, whether we feel that we are capable of following God's calling or not, we should always rely on God to empower us.  Verse six declares, And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;  God specified another person, Aboliah, who was called to help Bezaleel in doing what God was to have them do.  We are never alone in doing God's work, and all that are filled with God's wisdom will recognize this.  Just as there were to be other unnamed individuals to help Bezaleel and Aboliah, there are many people at work in God's kingdom today that we may never know by name, but this does not make them less important in God's kingdom.  Verse seven says, The tabernacle of the congregation, and the ark of the testimony, and the mercy seat that is thereupon, and all the furniture of the tabernacle,  Then verse eight states, And the table and his furniture, and the pure candlestick with all his furniture, and the altar of incense,  Verse nine adds, And the altar of burnt offering with all his furniture, and the laver and his foot,  Verse ten continues, And the cloths of service, and the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest’s office,  Then verse eleven concludes, And the anointing oil, and sweet incense for the holy place: according to all that I have commanded thee shall they do.  God had given Moses the plans for the tabernacle, and now He calling the people to build the tabernacle according to His plans.  I will state again, we all have a purpose in God's kingdom if we have accepted Christ as our Savior and Lord, and we must all work together to carry out God's plans.  No one is unimportant.

Exodus 30:22 says, Moreover the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,  Once again God spoke to Moses, just as He will speak to us daily if we are followers of Christ and are listening.  Verse twenty-three states, Take thou also unto thee principal spices, of pure myrrh five hundred shekels, and of sweet cinnamon half so much, even two hundred and fifty shekels, and of sweet calamus two hundred and fifty shekels,  Verse twenty-four adds, And of cassia five hundred shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary, and of oil olive an hin:  Verse twenty-five concludes, And thou shalt make it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compound after the art of the apothecary: it shall be an holy anointing oil.  All these spices were to be made into an anointing oil.  Matthew Henry says there is no agreement as to why these particular spices were used, except that they were the finest and were specified by God.  Verse twenty-six declares, And thou shalt anoint the tabernacle of the congregation therewith, and the ark of the testimony,   This anointing oil mixture was to be used to anoint the tabernacle and the ark of the testimony.  Coming into God's presence was not an ordinary thing then, and though we are continually in God's presence as followers of Christ, we should never take God for granted.  Verse twenty-seven adds, And the table and all his vessels, and the candlestick and his vessels, and the altar of incense,  Verse twenty-eight continues, And the altar of burnt offering with all his vessels, and the laver and his foot.  Then verse twenty-nine concludes, And thou shalt sanctify them, that they may be most holy: whatsoever toucheth them shall be holy.  Everything in the tabernacle was to be anointed, so that it would be sanctified and holy unto God.  Then, everything that touched it would be holy also.  The world does not overcome the holiness of God, even if they do not accept Him.  Whenever we come in to God's presence, we are on holy ground.  Verse thirty says, And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office.  Next, Moses was to anoint Aaron and his sons so that they might minister to God.  We today are anointed by the blood of Christ as Christians when we come into God's presence to do what He has called us to do.  We must never think that we are just to do what we think should be done by our own ability, but must rely on God's guidance and power to do what He calls us to do.  Verse thirty-one states, And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, This shall be an holy anointing oil unto me throughout your generations.  The children, or people, of Israel were to be told why this was being done and it was to be done throughout the generations.  God's word was never intended to be a temporary thing.  Verse thirty-two declares, Upon man’s flesh shall it not be poured, neither shall ye make any other like it, after the composition of it: it is holy, and it shall be holy unto you.  This anointing oil was not to be poured on anyone else and it was not to be duplicated.  This anointing oil was holy to God and was to be holy to the people of Israel.  Today, we are made holy to God by our faith in Christ, and there is no other way to be made holy.  Verse thirty-three adds, Whosoever compoundeth any like it, or whosoever putteth any of it upon a stranger, shall even be cut off from his people.  There was a penalty for attempting to duplicate the anointing oil or for putting it on a stranger.  There is a penalty today for attempting to find another way to salvation other than through Christ.  Any of the people of Israel who attempted to do this would be cut off from God's people, just as those today who attempt to find salvation through any way except through the blood of Christ will be cot off from God's people.  Verse thirty-four says, And the LORD said unto Moses, Take unto thee sweet spices, stacte, and onycha, and galbanum; these sweet spices with pure frankincense: of each shall there be a like weight:  Then verse thirty-five adds, And thou shalt make it a perfume, a confection after the art of the apothecary, tempered together, pure and holy:  Moses was to make a sweet perfume out of the spices that God specified.  Verse thirty-six continues, And thou shalt beat some of it very small, and put of it before the testimony in the tabernacle of the congregation, where I will meet with thee: it shall be unto you most holy.  This perfume was to be put before the testimony of the tabernacle, where God would meet them.  Verse thirty-seven declares, And as for the perfume which thou shalt make, ye shall not make to yourselves according to the composition thereof: it shall be unto thee holy for the LORD.  As with the anointing oil, the people were not to attempt to duplicate the perfume for their own use.  As already stated, we must never attempt to duplicate God's saving grace with plans of our own.  Verse thirty-eight adds,Whosoever shall make like unto that, to smell thereto, shall even be cut off from his people.  The same penalty applied as for duplicating the anointing oil.  Whoever did this would be cut off from the people of  Israel.  We must come to God in obedience to His word and salvation plan if we are not to be cut off from His people.