This chapter contains some amazing things such as the fickleness of the Israelites faith, including that of the future high priest Aaron, and the lethalness of the judgement of God upon the sin of his people.
The Israelites got fed up with waiting for Moses, who was up Mount Sinai receiving the law from God, and which took a long time. 40 days and 40 nights (Exodus 24:18) is not to be taken literally but is an idiomatic expression meaning a long time. So the people got Aaron to make a calf from the women's gold jewellery, he made an altar in front of it, and the people worshipped it as their deliverer from Egypt! God was furious when he saw this and decided to destroy the Israelites, but Moses interceded, reminded God of his covenant (which the people had broken!) and God changed his mind. When Moses came down the mountain and saw what his brother and the people had done he threw the tablets of the law to the ground and smashed them to smithereens, and asked Aaron what had got into him? So Moses asked the people who was on the Lord's side and the Levites said they were. Then Moses equipped them with swords and they went round the camp killing a total of 3,000 people and God struck the people with a plague.
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