Exodus 32:6-14

God does not lie. And no doubt, He would have done what He said, but the point is that He was looking for something else. Moses, as he was being prepared, became an intercessor. He put forth before God what His promises were; he knew them well. And he knew that he did not want to do anything that would bring shame upon God before the world.

Moses was prepared to do a work that from this point forward. As you read above, God said, “For your people whom you brought out.” From this point forward, Moses the one who commanded them. He led them. God gave him the power to do it. He prepared him for this great task. And this was part of the preparation. Moses selflessly turned away from himself—he could have become a great nation. This is an incredible thing to think about.

Exodus 32:7-10

God was not faking His anger. To say He was mad is, I think, to underestimate the intensity of His anger. I think He meant exactly what He said. God does not mislead people and fake something. He was upset by what these people had done. This occurred pretty early in their journey, and it is important because it shows the concept of the nature of God that the Israelites brought with them out of Egypt. To them, God's nature—His very being—was conceived to be something no greater than an uncomprehending, non-communicating beast that had nothing in common with them, except that it was a mammal, and that it was alive.

Exodus 32:7-8

The Israelites' lack of faith while Moses was on Mt. Sinai made them feel insecure. Moses was gone 40 days when the Israelites fashioned a calf of molded gold to substitute for the invisible Creator God. How shameful and foolish!

In their own minds, they had reduced God to something that they could control and call upon when convenient. Those who repented were ashamed at what they had done. So thankfully some Israelites do actually repent.

Exodus 32:7-10

These people were undoubtedly sincere. I do not think we can question that. But God did not like their sincerity one bit. Do you know why? Because God saw this as an attempt by these people to control Him through a human redefining of His nature.