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There is one point here which requires more particular inquiry than it has yet received.
As commonlyunderstood, the slaughter of these 3,000 stands out as an unexplained
fact. Why just these 3,000?Did they fall simply because they happened to stand by
nearest, on the principle, as has beensuggested, of decimating an offending host; and
why did no one come to their aid? Suchindiscriminate punishment seems scarcely in
accordance with the Divine dealings. But the text, as itappears to us, furnishes hints
for the right explanation. When Moses stood in the camp of Israel andmade
proclamation for those who were on Jehovah's side, we read that "he saw that the
peoplewere naked" (ver. 25), or unreined, licentious (comp. ver. 6; 1 Corinthians 10:7,
8). In short, therestood before him a number of men, fresh from their orgies, in a state
of licentious attire, whom evenhis appearance and words had not yet sobered into
quietness, shame, and repentance. These, as weunderstand it, still thronged the open
roadway of the camp, which so lately had resounded with theirvoices; these were met
by the avenging Levites, as, sword in hand, they passed from gate to gate,like the
destroying angel through Egypt on the Paschal night; and these were the 3,000 which
fell onthat day, while the vast multitude had retired to the quietness of their tents in
tardy repentance andfear, in view of him whose presence among them betokened the
nearness of that holy and jealousGod, Whose terrible judgments they had so much
cause to dread.
Thus ended the day of Moses' return among his people. On the morrow he gathered
them to speak,not in anger but in sorrow, of their great sin. Then returning from them
to the Lord, he entreatedforgiveness for his brethren, with an intensity and self-denial
of love (vers. 31, 32), unequaled by thatof any man except St. Paul.
Thus far he prevailed, that the people were not to be destroyed, nor the covenant to
cease; but Godwould not personally go in the midst of a people so incapable of
bearing His holy Presence; Hewould send a created angel to be henceforth their
leader. And still would this sin weight the scale inthe day of visitation, which the
further rebellion of this people would only too surely bring. The firstwords of the final
sentence, that their carcasses were to fall in the wilderness, (Numbers 14:29)were, so
to speak, already uttered in this warning of the Lord on the morrow of the slaughter of
the3,000: "Nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them."
"Thus," in the language ofScripture (ver. 35), "Jehovah smote the people, because they
made the calf, which Aaron made."
That the Lord would not go personally with Israel because of their stiffneckedness,
was, indeed, feltto be "evil tidings." (Exodus 33:4) The account of the people's
repentance and of God's graciousforgiveness (Exodus 33) forms one of the most
precious portions of this history. The firstmanifestation of their godly sorrow was the
putting away of their "ornaments," not only temporarilybut permanently. Thus we
read:" The children of Israel stripped themselves of their ornaments fromthe mount
(^)