The story of the golden calf and Moses breaking the stone tablets is a reasonably well-known part of the Exodus story, often considered its ‘darkest hour.’ However, the real darkest hour comes shortly after! In Exodus 33:3, God proclaims his final judgement on Israel’s sin: He would no longer go with them to the promised land. Yes, the God who had just led them out of Egypt and called them His “treasured possession”, was now leaving them. No wonder the people were so devastated!
Thankfully, the story doesn’t end there. Moses pleads for the people on their behalf, appealing not to their goodness or merit but to God’s own character. And God relents! He agrees to go with the people, forgives their sin, and renews the covenant in a special appearance before Moses, showing His glory in such a vivid way that Moses’ face shines with it whenever he goes to meet with God.
In Christian-ese, we often talk about God being with us. Sometimes we forget how remarkable this is and how devastating it would be to lose this. We are all sinners who make idols of worldly things, like the Israel-ites did with the golden calf. The right and terrible consequence of this is being separated from God. Yet because of God’s goodness and love, and through the actions of a man, Jesus Christ, who mediates between us and God, our sin is forgiven, and God can and does go with us and live within us. Thanks be to God!
James