In this sermon, the preacher discusses the tragic incident of the Israelites turning to idolatry while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the law from God. The people, thinking Moses had abandoned them, asked Aaron to make gods for them to worship. Aaron complied and created a molten calf, which the people then worshipped and sacrificed to. God was angered by their apostasy and threatened to consume them, but Moses interceded on their behalf, showing his great faith and prayerfulness. The sermon emphasizes the lesson on the importance of prayer and the consequences of turning away from God.

Now, in chapter 32, again, we are coming to something that is tragic as far as the children of Israel was concerned, and yet here we see one of the greatest teachings and revelations concerning our God, and also one of the greatest lessons on prayer that you'll find in the Bible. Moses was a great man of prayer, by the way. Now, I'll get into the chapter. Chapter 32, verse 1, And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we want not, or we know not what's become of him. They thought Moses had gone or that he'd probably been killed or something had happened to Moses, and now they want to make gods, idols, to lead them along the wilderness march. They were ready to go into idolatry, you see. These people lapsed into it almost immediately. Now notice what happened. You'd think Aaron now would keep them from going into idolatry. No, Aaron did not. Aaron went right along with the liberalism of the people of wanting to return to idolatry. Verse 2, And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And did you know those earrings in that day were a sign of idolatry? It was a sign these people were serving the gods of Egypt. That's what the earrings meant. Now they'd bring these earrings, and all the people break off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand. And notice what it says, and Aaron is in on this, friends, and he fashioned it with a graving tool after he had made it a molten calf, and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt. Now can you imagine these people lapsing into apostasy this quickly? Well, it would be amazing to me if it wasn't for the fact that I live in the day that I live in, and I've seen the church lapse into an apostasy that I never dreamed that I'd live to see it, and yet I knew it was going to come some day. Now notice what happens here, And they rose up early on the morrow, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and they rose up to play, which means it was gross immorality. They already have departed from God. They said, All his commandments we'll keep, while they are not keeping any of them. Now will you notice verse 7? Now Moses is on the mount getting the law and the instructions blueprint for the tabernacle. 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've 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. And the Lord said unto Moses, I have seen this people, and behold, it's a stiff-necked people. God didn't redeem them, friends, because they were superior, or great, or good. They were none of these. God says, I knew you were a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may wax hard against them, and that I may consume them, and I will make of thee a great nation. That was a real temptation to Moses. God says, Now Moses, I'll use you like I did Abraham, and make of you a great nation, and I'll still be able to make my covenant good with Abraham.