"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, He is God."--_Deut. 7:9._
WHEN Moses went up into the awful cloud upon Mount Sinai, he stayed
there forty days.
But all the Israelites below were impatient. They could not think what
had become of Moses; and though they had so lately heard God's own
Voice speaking to them, they would not wait as they had been told to
do. They cried out that they wanted something instead of Moses, whom
they had lost.
So they took all their gold ear-rings and melted them, and made an
image of a golden calf. And then these foolish wicked people began to
feast and dance, and worship this golden idol.
Moses was coming down Mount Sinai with the two Tables of the
Commandments in his hands. And first he heard a shouting and singing;
then he saw the people leaping and dancing, and the great golden idol
standing in the midst. Then he was sure it was of no use to bring them
the Commandments if they minded them no better. So he took the two
tables of stone, and threw them out of his hand, and broke them to
pieces.
Then he went down, and severely punished the worst of the Israelites
for having disobeyed the commandment. And he broke the golden calf to
pieces, and ground it to powder.
Then he went and prayed to God to forgive the people. God did forgive
them, and let Moses bring two fresh tables of stone to be written with
the Ten Commandments. But the first that they had lost were the tables
God had given, and they could never have them back again!