What does the golden calf symbolize in Exodus?
Mentioned in Exodus 32 and I Kings 12 in the Old Testament, worship of the golden calf is seen as a supreme act of apostasy, the rejection of a faith once confessed. The figure is probably a representation of the Egyptian bull god Apis in the earlier period and of the Canaanite fertility god Baal in the latter.
What was God’s punishment for the golden calf?
He drowned Pharaoh’s army for them. He punished the Egyptians with boils and locusts and frogs. Even though God had done all that, now they’re in the desert, Moses is gone, and it’s been a while.
What happened in Exodus chapter 32?
Moses reaches the camp, sees everyone rejoicing around, and smashes the tablets in anger. Then he burns the calf, grinds it up into powder, mixes the gold-dust with water, and forces the Israelites to drink it. Moses draws a line in the sand, and the Levites (a tribe of Israel) come over to Moses.
Why was the tribe of Levi special?
The Levites were one of the most important tribes of Israel because they were the tribe responsible for the religious leadership of the Jews. Jacob, who took on the responsibility of the priesthood because of the importance of Moses and Aaron to the Israelites, was the sort of patriarch to the Levites.
How big was the golden calf in Exodus?
The calf is about 4 1/2 inches long, 4 1/4 inches tall and weighs just under one pound. The figure is well articulated and was formed in parts. The legs, horns, tail and other parts were attached in sockets, and they are of different metals.
What are the two tablets of testimony?
According to the Hebrew Bible, the Tablets of the Law as they are widely known in English, or Tablets of Stone, Stone Tablets, or Tablets of Testimony (in Hebrew: לוחות הברית Luchot HaBrit – “the tablets [of] the covenant”) in the Exodus 34:1, were the two stone tablets (steles) inscribed with the Ten Commandments when …
What is the 5th commandment of God?
“Honor thy father and thy mother, that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee”: fifth of the Ten Commandments.
Why was Israel spared from God’s wrath after worshiping the golden calf?
Why was Israel spared from God’s wrath after worshiping the Golden Calf? Because Moses was so selfless that he turned down God’s offer to be the new Abraham.