Fragen und Antworten BEGRIFFSERKLAERUNG
STEM Publishing
Elberfelder 2023
Logos | Logos Bible Study Platform
www.Bibelkreis.ch
https://www.bibelkommentare.de/
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https://www.bibelkreis.ch/BEGRIFFSERKLAERUNG/kelly_william_at.html
https://www.bibelkreis.ch/BEGRIFFSERKLAERUNG/Kelly%20William%20NT.html
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Overview of Exodus 32–34
Exodus 32–34 belongs to the most dramatic
and at the same time most Gospel-clear chapters of the entire Bible.
The people fail under the Law, Moses steps in as intercessor, and God newly
reveals His glory.
Chapter 32 shows the shocking apostasy: the golden calf, unbelief, and complete
violation of the Law.
The absence of the mediator leads to idolatry—a picture of our present time.
Aaron fails; the people slip into a mixture of worship and idolatry.
God speaks of “your people”—He distances Himself and announces judgment.
But Moses intercedes: a mighty intercession that restrains the wrath of God.
The tablets are broken—the Law is broken before it even reaches the people.
The Levites show faithfulness in the crisis, yet the Law brings death, not life.
Chapter 33 reveals the full depth of divine grace: God offers an angel instead
of Himself.
Moses pleads for the presence of God—and God hears him.
Then follows the exalted request: “Show me Your glory!”
God reveals His goodness, His name, His grace—but not His face.
The cleft of the rock becomes a picture of Christ, the true refuge of man.
Chapter 34 brings new tablets, a renewed covenant, and the greatest revelation
of God in the Old Testament:
“Jehovah, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness and truth.”
Grace and holiness stand perfectly side by side without contradiction.
Moses’ face shines—a testimony to the nearness of God, yet veiled for Israel.
These chapters reveal God’s pathway:
Law → Failure → Intercession → Grace → Glory.
Here the Gospel shines in the Old Testament like a bright light:
“Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)
Now we come to one of the most dramatic,
profound, and at the same time most Gospel-rich sections of the entire Old
Testament:
Exodus 32–34—the “calf chapter,” Moses’ intercessory ministry, and the renewed
revelation of the glory of God.
These three chapters form one salvation-historical unit:
| Chapter | Theme | Salvation-historical thought |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | The golden calf (Israel’s apostasy) | Man immediately falls under the Law |
| 33 | Moses’ intercession (infinite grace) | Only mediator-grace preserves the people |
| 34 | New tablets & God’s revelation | Grace triumphs, yet God remains holy |
“This Moses, the man… we do not know what
has happened to him.”
Unbelief and impatience are the soil of idolatry.
They deny:
God’s leading
Moses’ mediation
God’s plan
The absence of Moses (a picture of Christ
in this present age) leads to the people’s apostasy.
👉 Principle: Man under the
Law falls immediately when the Mediator is “not seen.”
Aaron is weak—he gives in.
He demands gold: the earrings, signs of ownership and obedience.
The calf is:
not “another god,” but a representation of Jehovah (32:5)
a mixture of worship and idolatry
the origin of Israel’s idolatry to this day (Hos 8:5)
The covenant obligation (ch. 24) is broken within just a few days.
Consequences:
sacrifices
feast
“rising up to play” (sexual immorality)
👉 Law + man = immediate apostasy.
“Your
people… have corrupted themselves.”
Note:
Not: My people, but
your people.
God distances Himself.
“Let Me alone, that My wrath may burn against them and consume them.”
Here we see:
God’s holiness
God’s justified wrath
His right to destroy Israel
God offers to make a new nation from Moses.
One of the mightiest intercessions in the
Bible.
He appeals to:
God’s honor (“Egypt will say…”)
God’s promises (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob)
God’s character (faithfulness)
He stands between God and the people.
👉 Moses as a type of Christ
Christ intercedes for us (Heb 7:25).
“And Jehovah relented…”
Not that God changes His nature,
but that judgment is averted through intercession.
“Written with the finger of God”—the greatest treasure of the covenant.
Moses breaks the tablets:
picture of the broken Law
the people have broken the covenant
the Law can now bring them only death (cf. 2 Cor 3:7)
The calf is burned, ground to powder,
scattered into the water.
A majestic seriousness!
The golden calf is utterly destroyed.
👉 Christ was made sin (2 Cor 5:21)—He too was “burned,” but for atonement.
Aaron’s excuse is tragically comic:
“I threw the gold into the fire—and out came this calf!”
Picture of the flesh’s drive for self-justification.
Man always tries to excuse himself.
The Levites stand on Moses’ side.
Result:
they must draw the sword
3,000 die
the Levites receive their office here
(32:29)
They show faithfulness in a time of crisis.
👉
Pentecost: 3,000 are saved
(Acts 2:41)
→ The Law brings death, grace brings life.
“Forgive them—and if not, blot me out of
Your book.”
The highest expression of human intercession,
but: Moses cannot die for others.
Christ can—and has.
God does not forgive immediately.
A plague remains.
Fellowship is disturbed.
“I will not go up in your midst.”
This is more serious than punishment.
It means:
no immediate presence of God
distance and loss of glory
👉 A people without God’s presence = religious emptiness.
They remove their ornaments—a sign of
humiliation.
God requires the stripping away of outward glory.
Not the actual tabernacle—it is not yet
built.
It is a “tent of meeting.”
Moses’ position:
he goes in alone
the people remain outside
the cloud descends
“And Jehovah spoke to Moses face to face.”
Meaning: direct communion, not visible divine essence.
Joshua does not depart from the tent—first indication of his later ministry.
Teach me Your way
Let me know Your presence
Show me Your glory
God answers:
“My presence will go with you.”
The people will not go alone.
👉 The intercession of Moses determines Israel’s survival.
God reveals:
His goodness
His name
His grace
His mercy
But:
“No man can see My face.”
God places Moses in the cleft of the rock—a
picture of Christ.
The hand of Jehovah = divine protection.
The view of the “back parts” = limited revelation.
👉 In Christ we see the face of God (John 1:18; John 14:9).
This time Moses must hew the tablets
himself.
The first ones were entirely from God.
Picture:
the Law comes again
but the foundation is now: grace &
intercession
God remains holy, yet reveals grace.
The most exalted self-revelation in the entire Old Testament:
“Jehovah, God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abundant in goodness and truth…”
Sevenfold description:
Merciful
Gracious
Slow to anger
Abundant in goodness
Abundant in truth
Keeping mercy to the thousandth generation
He will by no means clear the guilty
💎 Grace and holiness in perfect harmony.
He falls down and worships.
He again asks for forgiveness.
God re-establishes:
feast calendar
firstfruits
sacrificial ordinances
Sign: God accepts Israel again.
Moses descends from the mountain—and his face shines.
Why?
he was in God’s presence
he carried the words of God
glory is reflected
But:
He must veil his face when speaking to the people.
👉
2 Cor 3:
The Law is a ministry of condemnation,
yet the glory was real.
In the Gospel the veil is removed (Christ).
Man fails under the Law.
The calf reveals the inner nature of man.
Moses saves the people through
intercession.
Picture of Christ as Mediator.
New tablets.
New relationship.
New revelation of God.
Grace + truth (John 1:17).
Moses as mediator → Christ as perfect mediator
Cleft of the rock → Christ as refuge
New tablets → new heart in the New Covenant
Judgment at the calf → the cross of Christ
Glory on Moses’ face → glory of Christ in us (2 Cor 3:18)
These chapters reveal:
the deepest failure of man
the highest grace of God
the strongest power of intercession
the renewed revelation of divine glory
the transition from Law to grace
Here the Gospel shines in the Old Testament as brightly as almost anywhere:
“Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (John 1:17)