DAWN
Daily Arts Web Nucleus
Discover the Arts! Each day a different image from the Literary, Performing, or Visual Arts representing a portion of Scripture plus an explanation with links 2017 April 4
Image 1: Adoration of the Golden Calf (1634)
Nicolas Poussin (1594-1665)
French Baroque Style
National Gallery, London, England, United kingdom
Image Source: Web Gallery of Art
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Image 2: Moses and the Golden Calf (1536-1537)
Domenico Beccafumi (1486-1551)
Renaissance Style; With Mannerist Techniques
Duomo, Pisa, Italy
Image Source: Wikipedia
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Image 3: The Worship of the Golden Calf (c. 1560)
Tintoretto (1518-1594)
Late Renaissance Style; With Mannerist and Venetian School Techniques
The National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, USA
Image Source: Wikipedia
SPECIAL NOTE:
[ I will again be working through the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. I will be adding links, resources, images, and the like, upgrading the former work-through which began with the 2013-10-12 posting which can be found, along with the full Genesis to Revelation postings, in the Archive Page. Postings will be at midnight Eastern Time, as I am able. However, no days will be skipped, even though a posting may be late. And all postings will be housed in the Archive Page. ]
Explanation: Exodus 32 records the sin of idolatry when Israel worshipped the golden calf. While Moses was on the mountain receiving further details about God's ordinances (Exodus 20:21, and chapters 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31), the people demanded that Aaron make gods for them which would go before them (1). So Aaron responded by telling them to bring him the gold earrings they were wearing; and he made it into a golden calf and said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" This was against the commandment prohibiting idols (Exodus 20:4-6,23). Aaron then built an altar and made a proclamation that the next day would be a feast day to the LORD. And the next day they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings, had their feast, and then rose up to play -- which may have included sexual sin (as implied by the word "nakedness" in the KJV translation of verse 25). However the Hebrew word ("para") may be better translated as something of a more general nature such as "let loose," "break loose," or "dismiss". So the general idea is that they were unrestrained (2-6).
The LORD then told Moses to go down quickly to the camp because the people had turned against his commands. And the LORD offered to kill them and make a great nation of Moses (7-10). But Moses implored the LORD not to give the nations occasion to accuse the LORD of having evil intent toward his people by bringing them into the wilderness to kill them. He asked him to consider Abraham, Isaac, and Israel to whom he had promised to make their offspring like the stars and to give them the land of Canaan. So the LORD relented (11-14).
Moses then went down to the camp carrying the stone tables engraved by God's finger front and back with the ten commandments. On his way down he met Joshua who thought that the noise coming from the camp was the sound of war. But Moses said that it was not the sound of war but the sound of singing. When he arrived at the camp he saw the calf and the dancing and threw down the tablets, breaking them. He then burned the idol with fire, ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the people drink it (15-20). He then asked Aaron why he had done such a thing to bring such a great sin upon them. Aaron tried to excuse it on the basis that the people were determined to do evil. He also said that when he threw the gold which the people gave him into the fire "out came this calf." This is an absurd statement, unless Aaron was speaking of some sort of magical divination by reading a splatter pattern or a flow pattern which could have been performed when the molten gold came out of the fire by letting it assume some sort of shape on its own. This is called tasseography and is practiced in various ways in modern times with various substances such as tea leaves or coffee grounds (21-24).
Whatever the case, when Moses saw how the people were behaving, he went to the gate of the camp and called for anyone who was on the LORD's side to come to him. The Levites responded; and Moses sent them out to kill their brothers and neighbors. They killed about three thousand. And from that point on Moses appointed them to the service of the LORD (25-29).
The next day, Moses told the people that he was going to go and try to make an atonement for them. When he appeared before the LORD he pleaded with the LORD to forgive them, but, if not, to let him be their substitute by having the LORD blot him out of his book. But the LORD said he would blot out those who sinned against him. He then promised to send his angel before them into the promised land; but he warned that he was going to visit the sin of the people upon them (30-34). The LORD then sent a plague upon them (35).
[ Sermons: James Philip. Sinclair B Ferguson. Various. ]
[ Illustration: The three paintings above depict the main events of Exodus 32. The First Image shows the idolatrous worship which was going on as the LORD was concluding his instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Second Image shows Moses in the act of smashing the tablets engraved by the finger of God. The Third Image shows the stream upon which Moses was about to cast the ashes of the idol which he destroyed, which he forced the idolaters to drink. ]
RESOURCES
PLEASE NOTE: Use the resources on this and other sites thoughtfully, particularly the commentaries and encyclopedias. I have attempted to list conservative, scholarly resources. However, some providers use liberal or liberal-influenced commentaries such as the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (in Bible Hub). Such commentaries are undoubtedly included by the provider for the wealth of useful information and comments which they provide. By consulting several commentaries, it should be fairly easy to sort out the wheat from the chaff. If, however, you would like personal assistance, write to me at AD LIB ARTS EMAIL.
[ THEMATICALLY AND CHRONOLOGICALLY RELATED SCRIPTURES: Exodus 32: [1] Acts 7:40.
[6] 1 Corinthians 10:7.
[13] Genesis 13:16; Genesis 26:4; Numbers 23:10; Deuteronomy 1:10; 1 Chronicles 27:23; Jeremiah 33:22; Romans 4:16; Hebrews 11:12. -- From the KJV Reference Bible ]
[ CHRONOLOGY: GENERAL. Patriarchs (Traditional). Judges # 1. Judges # 2. Kings # 1. Kings # 2. Prophets # 1. Prophets # 2. NT # 1. NT # 2. NT # 3. ]
[ MAPS: Maps # 1. Maps # 2. Maps # 3. Maps # 4. Maps # 5. ]
[ COMMENTARIES, ETC: GENERAL: Bible Study Tools; Bible Hub: Study Light; Blue Letter Bible // PSALMS: Monergism: Precept Austin: The Treasury of David; John Gill; John Calvin - Volumes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
[ MUSIC: GENERAL: The Cyber Hymnal // PSALMS: Genevan Psalter (Instrumental). VARIOUS ARTISTS: Micha'el Ben David. Sons of Korah. Fernando Ortega. Janet Isaac Morrison. Music of the Bible Revealed - Suzanne Haik-Vantoura. Dr. David Erb. Gregorian Chants. ]
HARMONY OF THE LAW
HEBREW AND GREEK INTERLINEAR BIBLES
Pentateuch Detailed Outline:
Genesis Detailed Outline:
Exodus Detailed Outline:
Exodus 32
EXODUS (COVENANT PEOPLE DELIVERED AND INSTRUCTED: COVENANT ESTABLISHED)
1. Promised (Covenanted) Deliverance [cf., Ge 15:16] - (Ex 1:1 - Ex 18:27)
{Pentateuch Outline: Section 13. Generations of Levi - Ex 6:14 - Nu 2:34) - 1446 - 1445 B.C. Egypt & Sinai}
2. Promised (Covenanted) Instruction (Ex 19:1 - Nu 2:34) - 1446 - 1445 B.C. Sinai, which,
in Exodus = Instruction for the People in General (or "THE VISITS") (Ex 19:1 - Ex 40:38) - 1446 - 1445 B.C. Sinai
1 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 bought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
2 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.
3 And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and bought them unto Aaron.
4 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 bought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
5 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.
6 And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and bought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.
7 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:
8 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 bought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
9 And the LORD said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked [stiff necked] people:
10 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.
11 And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast bought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?
12 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.
13 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.
14 And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.
15 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.
16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.
17 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.
18 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.
19 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.
20 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.
21 And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast bought so great a sin upon them?
22 And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief.
23 For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that bought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.
24 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.
25 And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)
26 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.
27 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.
28 And the children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men.
29 For Moses had said, Consecrate yourselves [fill your hand] 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.
30 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.
31 And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.
32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
34 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.
35 And the LORD plagued the people, because they made the calf, which Aaron made.
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