The Tables of the Law Broken.

Moses came from the mount with the precious record in his hands, a pledge of God to man on condition of obedience. Moses was the meekest man upon the earth; but when he viewed the apostasy of Israel, he was angry and jealous for the glory of God. In his indignation he casts to the ground the precious pledge of God, which was more dear to his soul than his life. He sees the law broken by the Hebrews, and in his zeal for God to deface the idol they were worshiping, he sacrificed the tables of stone. Aaron stood by, calmly, patiently bearing the severe censure of Moses. All this might have been prevented by a word from Aaron at the right time. True, noble decision for the right in the hour of Israel's peril, would have balanced their minds in the right direction.T24 6.1

Does God condemn Moses? No, no; the great goodness of God pardons the rashness and zeal of Moses because it was all on account of his fidelity, and his disappointment and grief at the sight of his eyes in the evidence of Israel's apostasy. The man who might have saved the Hebrews in the hour of their peril is calm. He does not show indignation because of the sins of the people, neither does he reproach himself and manifest remorse under the sense of his wrongs, but seeks to justify his course in a grievous sin. He makes the people accountable for his weakness in yielding to their request. He was unwilling to bear the murmuring of Israel, to stand under the pressure of their clamors and unreasonable wishes as Moses had done. He entered into the spirit and feelings of the people without remonstrance, and then sought to make them responsible. The congregation of Israel thought Aaron a much more pleasant leader than Moses. He was not so unyielding. They thought Moses showed a very bad spirit, and their sympathies were with Aaron, whom Moses so severely censured. But God pardoned the indiscretion^{*The original publication had the spelling “indescretion.”} of honest zeal in Moses, while he held Aaron accountable for his sinful weakness and lack of integrity under a pressure of circumstances. Aaron, in order to save himself, sacrificed thousands of the Israelites. The Hebrews felt the punishment of God for this act of apostasy; but in a short time they are again full of discontent and rebellion.T24 6.2