Exodus 32:6-8 "And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play. And the LORD said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt."
As Aaron had proclaimed, the day after he fashioned the golden calf the people held a feast. They tried to cover the idolatry of it by calling it a feast to the LORD (Exodus 32:5). Just because they tried to associate the LORD’s name with their doing did not make it acceptable to Him. God’s people are seen still making that same mistaken assumption today: our sins do not become less sinful because we claim to do them to the honor of God.
The people were excited about what they had done and were in great anticipation of their feast day. They made sacrifices of burnt offerings and peace offerings. Then they sat down to feast on the things they had supposedly brought to offer to God. They feasted and then rose up to play. The word translated as play meant to mock: they were making a mockery of the service of God.
Moses had been gone so long that they assumed he was not coming back. If Moses was not coming back, then God probably was not even paying any attention to them. Dear ones, never make the mistake of thinking that we are ever out from under God’s watchful eye. As soon as the people had fully committed themselves to this idol they had made, the LORD sent Moses down in haste.
The children of Israel had, by their actions, dismissed God and shown contempt for His servant. They had corrupted themselves; something they had done to their own detriment. They could not lay this to anyone else’s charge. The promise they had made to obey the LORD was quickly forgotten and the people turned aside.
Dear ones, our God is never far from us. He has taken up His dwelling in the hearts of His people, and nothing is hidden from Him. We need to be always faithful to our promise of obedience, for this is our pledge of love to Him who has saved us. He will never let our idolatries stand, even if we try to attach His name to them.