What happened to the Israelites when they worshipped the golden calf?
They offered burnt and peace offerings to a pagan idol, sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. The Hebrew phrase indicates they engaged in naked, seductive dances. Their golden-calf worship became abject immorality and human depravity, which they had brought out of Egypt.
Les explains that the Israelites were not worshiping Jehovah but a pagan idolatrous god. They rose early, offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings, then sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. Les says the Hebrew word for "play" indicates they were naked and put on seductive dances. He emphasizes that paganism and idolatry have always been steeped in abject immorality, and that was part of their worship. They brought that out of Egypt, made the golden calf, and went down into a lower level of human depravity. Moses and Joshua then came down from the mountain.
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.
More Questions
Where did the Israelites get the immoral worship practices they used at the golden calf?
The Israelites carried this immoral pagan worship practice right out of Egypt, and in making the golden calf they descended into that lower level of human depravity.
What did the Israelites actually do in front of the golden calf?
With the calf set in the center of the camp, Israel sat down to eat and rose up to play, so what they did was simply a practice of the satisfaction of the flesh.
Why did the Israelites fall into such depravity at the golden calf?
The Israelites carried Egypt's immoral worship practices out with them, so when they made the golden calf they went right down into that lower level of human depravity.