The Covenant in Pieces: Idolatry, Anger, and a Bitter Drink Text: Exodus 32:15-20
Introduction: The Permanent Relevance of Ancient Sins
We live in a sophisticated age, or so we are told. We have smartphones in our pockets and rovers on Mars. We consider ourselves to be far removed from the crude, primitive fumblings of ancient Israel. We read a story like this one, about a golden calf and a wild party at the base of a mountain, and we are tempted to feel a certain chronological snobbery. We think to ourselves, "How could they be so foolish? How could they, with the smoke still on the mountain and the thunder of God's voice still ringing in their ears, descend into such tawdry idolatry?"
But to think this way is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of sin, the nature of idolatry, and the nature of the human heart. The technology changes, but the temptations are perennial. The idol may no longer be a golden calf; it may be a political party, a sexual identity, a 401(k), or even a particular style of worship. But the root sin is precisely the same. It is the creature attempting to dictate terms to the Creator. It is man, impatient with God's timing and uncomfortable with God's transcendence, deciding to create a god he can manage, a god he can see, a god who will lead him where he already wants to go.
The scene at the bottom of Sinai is not ancient history. It is a mirror. It is a diagnosis of the modern condition. We are a people who have grown impatient with the God who speaks from the mountain. We want a god who will come down to our level, endorse our revelries, and bless our self-defined projects. We want a tame god, a convenient god, a god who can be fashioned from our own melted-down trinkets. In short, we want a god who is not God at all.
This passage is a bucket of ice water to the face of all such sentimentalism. It shows us the reality of God's covenant, the gravity of its breach, the fury of righteous leadership, and the bitter consequences of corporate sin. What happened at Sinai is a covenant lawsuit, and we are called to pay close attention to the proceedings. The law of God is not a suggestion, and the worship of God is not a DIY project. What Moses does when he comes down from that mountain is a picture of holy violence against unholy rebellion, and it is a lesson we desperately need to relearn.
The Text
Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain. And the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets. Then Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted. And he said to Moses, “There is a sound of war in the camp.” But he said, “It is not the sound of the cry of triumph, Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat; But the sound of singing I hear.” Now it happened, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain. Then he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it.
(Exodus 32:15-20 LSB)
The Divine Original (v. 15-16)
We begin with Moses' descent, carrying the very words of God.
"Then Moses turned and went down from the mountain. And the two tablets of the testimony were in his hand, tablets which were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets." (Exodus 32:15-16)
Notice the emphasis here. The text goes to great lengths to establish the divine origin and absolute authority of these tablets. They are not Moses's good ideas. They are not a collaborative project. Three times the text hammers the point home: the tablets were the "work of God," the writing was the "writing of God," and it was "engraved" by God. This is the ultimate top-down authority. This is the Creator giving the creature His terms of service. The law of God is not a product of human culture or evolving wisdom; it is a direct, objective, and eternal reality, handed down from heaven.
The fact that they were written on both sides signifies their completeness and sufficiency. There are no blank spaces for human amendments or footnotes. God's law is comprehensive. It covers the whole of life. This is the very foundation of theonomy, the simple recognition that God's law is the standard for all human life, personal and political. Our modern world despises this idea. It wants a God who stays in the private sphere of personal devotion, but who has nothing to say about economics, justice, or civil government. But these tablets, written front and back, are God's claim on everything.
Moses is descending the mountain with the covenant documents. He is carrying the constitution of the nation of Israel, authored by God Himself. This is the marriage certificate between Yahweh and His people. But as he descends with the law of God in his hands, a party of lawlessness is already in full swing at the bottom.
The Sound of Sin (v. 17-18)
Before the sin is seen, it is heard. The contrast between the faithful Joshua and the discerning Moses is instructive.
"Then Joshua heard the sound of the people as they shouted. And he said to Moses, 'There is a sound of war in the camp.' But he said, 'It is not the sound of the cry of triumph, Nor is it the sound of the cry of defeat; But the sound of singing I hear.'" (Exodus 32:17-18)
Joshua, the military man, hears the noise and interprets it through his grid. He hears a battle. He is not wrong that there is a conflict, but he misidentifies the enemy. The great threat to Israel is not an external army, but the corruption within their own worship. This is always the case. The church is never truly threatened by the culture wars outside her walls; she is threatened by the liturgical compromises and idolatrous flirtations within them.
Moses, who has just spent forty days in communion with God, has a finer ear. He has spiritual discernment. He knows this is not the sound of war but of worship, and it is the wrong kind of worship. It is the sound of "singing," or more accurately, a wild, unrestrained revelry. This is not the orderly, God-centered praise that the law would command. This is the chaotic, man-centered, emotionally driven noise of paganism. It is the sound of creatures celebrating themselves in the name of the Creator. It is the sound of a church service where the goal is to get a buzz, to feel a vibe, to have an experience, rather than to bow in reverence before the Holy One of Israel.
The Covenant Shattered (v. 19)
When Moses sees the reality of their apostasy, his reaction is immediate and violent.
"Now it happened, as soon as Moses came near the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing; and Moses’ anger burned, and he threw the tablets from his hands and shattered them at the foot of the mountain." (Genesis 32:19)
First, he saw the calf and the dancing. This was not a solemn, respectful ceremony. This was a pagan rave. They had violated the first two commandments in spectacular fashion. They had made an image, a creaturely representation of the uncreatable God, and they were bowing down to it. This is the essence of idolatry: confusing the Creator with the creature. They wanted a god they could manage, a god made of gold, not the God who is a consuming fire. They wanted a god who would lead them in a party, not a God who would lead them in righteousness.
And Moses's anger burned. Let us be clear. This is not a sinful temper tantrum. This is righteous, holy wrath. It is the reflection of God's own wrath, which Moses had just turned aside through intercession on the mountain. Moses is zealous for the glory of God. He is enraged by this flagrant treason against the divine King. We live in an effeminate age that has forgotten the category of righteous anger. We are told that to be angry is always a sin, that we must be perpetually nice, tolerant, and understanding. This is a lie. There are things that ought to make a godly man's blood boil, and high on that list is blasphemous, man-centered worship.
His anger is not just an emotion; it is an action. He throws the tablets down and shatters them. This is not a fit of pique. It is a profound, symbolic, legal act. He is demonstrating visually what the people have already done spiritually. They broke the covenant. They shattered the relationship. The broken tablets were the legal verdict. It was Moses, the covenant mediator, formally declaring the contract null and void on account of their breach. God had given them His law, and they had responded with contempt before it was even delivered. The shattered stones were a lawsuit in action. Israel stood guilty as charged.
The Idol Pulverized (v. 20)
Moses's righteous anger does not stop with the symbol of the covenant; it moves directly to the object of their idolatry.
"Then he took the calf which they had made and burned it with fire and ground it to powder and scattered it over the surface of the water and made the sons of Israel drink it." (Exodus 32:20)
This is a systematic, contemptuous destruction of their idol. He burns it, which would separate the gold from any wooden core. He grinds it to powder, a work of immense effort, showing his utter disdain for it. He scatters it on their water source. And then, the final stroke of judgment: he makes them drink it. He forces them to ingest their sin.
This was a divine ordeal. It was a test, much like the ordeal for a wife suspected of adultery in Numbers 5. Their god was utterly powerless to save itself from being burned, pulverized, and turned into a bitter drink. Moses is showing them the absolute impotence of their idol. You cannot drink your god and have it be God. He is forcing them to internalize the consequences of their rebellion. Their sin, which was sweet in their mouths during the party, has now become a gritty, bitter poison in their bellies. This is always how it works. Sin promises freedom and pleasure, but it always delivers bondage and a foul aftertaste.
This act establishes a non-negotiable principle: there can be no fellowship between the worship of the true God and the worship of idols. You cannot blend them. You cannot compromise. False worship must be confronted, torn down, ground to powder, and purged from the camp. This is not a matter for dialogue; it is a matter for destruction.
Conclusion: Drinking Our Sin
This entire scene is a terrifying picture of the law, sin, and judgment. Israel, standing at the foot of the mountain, is a picture of all humanity. We are all covenant-breakers. We have all, in our hearts, preferred a golden calf of our own making to the transcendent God of the universe. We have all danced in rebellion. And the law, in its perfect holiness, stands over us, shattered by our sin, testifying to our guilt. The just verdict for our idolatry is that we must drink the bitter water of our own rebellion, which is death.
But this is not where the story ends. The covenant that was broken by the first Adam was kept perfectly by the Second Adam, Jesus Christ. He came down from the heavenly mountain, not with tablets of stone, but with the law written on His heart. He saw the full extent of humanity's idolatrous revelry and our treason against His Father.
And on the cross, a profound reversal of this story took place. At Sinai, the people were made to drink the powder of their own sin as a curse. At Golgotha, Jesus, the innocent one, drank the full cup of the wrath of God that our sins deserved. He drank the bitter cup of judgment so that we might drink the sweet cup of salvation. He ingested our rebellion so that we might be filled with His righteousness.
Moses ground the idol down and made the people drink it. But our sin was ground into the body of the Lord Jesus. He was pulverized for our iniquities. Because He drank that cup of cursing to the dregs, He now offers us the cup of blessing. This is the cup of the new covenant in His blood. Therefore, we must respond as the Levites did later in this chapter. We must choose a side. We must forsake our golden calves, whatever they may be, and stand with the Lord. We must tear down the idols in our hearts and in our land, and drink deeply of the grace offered to us in the gospel, for it is the only water that can wash away the bitter taste of sin.