One of the most surprising things that regularly presents itself in the Scriptures, and
in our own lives when we are honest, is the fickleness of the human heart. We can go
from a moment of pure joy and satisfaction in God, expressing thankfulness for what
He's done, to immediately questioning, doubting, and abandoning God altogether. It's
remarkable to think about all that we’ve seen God do for His people here in Exodus,
yet they still betray Him. God has been at work in supernatural ways to provide, guide,
and protect them, yet they quickly forget about it all and turn to an idol for worship. In
this act of idolatry, we see God's response when the people turn toward lesser gods.
Towards the end of this experience, we see Moses yet again act in a way which brings
deliverance for God's people. However, this time it was deliverance from God Himself,
not any other enemy. While it is easy to judge the actions of the Israelites here, this
story invites us to examine our hearts more closely to see where we are guilty of a
similar fickleness of heart.