INTERVARSITY PRESS DAILY BIBLE STUDY—Lesson 19

Exodus 32: Idolatry's Fearful Toll

Probably nothing shocks us as much as defection. Selling out to the enemy is hard to understand. Loyalty rightly stands near the top of qualities we admire. When traitors are exposed, we smugly assume that we would never do such a thing. But who knows where we are the most vulnerable? On the heels of glorious triumph Israel plunged into idolatry with the flimsiest of excuses. God's nation flunked the loyalty test, with disastrous consequences.

Warming Up to God

Sit quietly as you recall recent events in your life. Confess your sins to Jesus and acknowledge that every one of them is forgiven and blotted from the memory of the Father.

Discovering the Word

  1. Who instigated the idolatry and why (v. 1)?
  2. What impresses you about the dialogue between God and Moses (vv. 9-14)?
  3. How did Moss react when he saw the Israelites' idolatrous worship (vv. 19-24)?
  4. How was God's judgment against idolatry carried out (vv. 27-28, 35)?
  5. What did it cost the Levites to take a public stand for God?
  6. Moses offered his life to atone for Israel's sin (vv. 30-32). What did God promise instead (vv. 33-34)?

Applying the Word

  1. In what ways can we emulate Moses in our relation to God and in our care for sinning people?
  2. What spiritual disciplines could help you maintain faithfulness to God?

Responding in Prayer

Praise God for this example of grace—even in Exodus, long before Christ ever came to earth.

2016-2017 Tulsa Bible Church Men’s Bible Study – tulsabible.org

For further consideration:

ID: Inductive Questions (Asking the text questions like who, what, where, when, why, & how?”)

CR: Cross References (Comparing Scripture to Scripture, understanding the vague by the clear.)

WS: Word Study (Understanding definition, theological meaning, and usages in other passages.)

1b CR (32:6) What insights do we have about this account from the New Testament passages like 1 Corinthians 10:6-7 &Acts 7:40-41

2bWS (32:9) What does it mean to be “stiff-necked?” Can a believer be stiff-necked? (Exodus 33:3-5; Deut. 10:16; 2 Chron. 30:8; Acts 7:51)

2cID (32:11-14) What appeals did Moses make to God as he intercedes for the Israelites? How can you apply that to things that you are praying for?

2d WS (32:14) What does it mean that God “relented”? (kjv, rsv—repented; nlt, nasb --change His mind) (Genesis 6:6: Num 23:19)

The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, Exodus 32:2–4.

Bull or calf figurines, made either of bronze or of a combination of metals, have been found in several archaeological excavations (Mount Gilboa, Hazor and Ashkelon), but they are only three to seven inches long. The calf symbol was well known in the Canaanite context of the second millennium and represented fertility and strength. The gods were typically not depicted in the form of bulls or calves but portrayed standing on the back of the animal. Nevertheless worship of the animal image was not unknown, and there is little in the biblical text to suggest the Israelites understood the figure merely as a pedestal (not unlike the ark). The fact that the calf is worshiped in the context of a feast to Yahweh suggests that this may be a violation of the second commandment rather than the first.[1]

Does God Repent? An Examination of Exodus 32:14 and Genesis 6:6

Christianity’s most important doctrine is, of course, the doctrine of God. Who God is, what He has done, and what He will do in the future is the foundation for all of Christian hope. Therefore, for one to diminish the nature and character of God is to diminish all of Christian hope.

[1] Victor Harold Matthews, Mark W. Chavalas, and John H. Walton, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: Old Testament, electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), Ex 32:2–4.