What happensPermalink
Aaron makes a golden calf for Israel to worship and offers burnt offerings to it. God tells Moses He will kill them for it, but Moses convinces Him otherwise. Moses and Joshua go down the mountain, break the tablets, destroy the calf, and kill 3,000 of the worshipers.
Why it mattersPermalink
We were made to worship, but there is only One who is worthy. When we worship anything else, God’s wrath is justice. The Levites’ service in killing the blasphemers earns them the position of caretakers of the tabernacle and aides to the priests.
Key versePermalink
Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf, the one that Aaron made.