Why Aaron was not punished?
Exodus 32: 2 And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.
4 And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”
5 So when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.”
6 Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
35 So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.
Here is what God said about this situation?
Exodus 32:7-8 (WEB) 7 Yahweh spoke to Moses, “Go, get down; for your people, who you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves! 8 They have turned away quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made themselves a molded calf, and have worshiped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.’”
Regarding Aaron
I agree with the other "
throughfiierytrial" that Aaron's main punishment was that, because of his unfaithfulness, he died in the wilderness with the rest of the Israelites whom God swore would never enter His rest for their unfaithfulness (
Psalms 95:10-11), and we Christians today must take heed, lest we also fall in like manner:
Psalms 95:10-11 (WEB)
Forty long years I was grieved with that generation, and said, “It is a people that errs in their heart. They have not known my ways.”
11 Therefore
I swore in my wrath, “
They won’t enter into my rest.”
Hebrews 4:1-3, 11 (WEB) Let us fear therefore, lest perhaps anyone of you should seem to have come short of a promise of
entering into his rest. 2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, even as they also did, but
the word they heard didn’t profit them, because
it wasn’t mixed with faith by those who heard. 3 For
we who have believed do enter into that rest, even as he has said, “
As I swore in my wrath, they will not enter into my rest;” [
Psalms 95:11] although the works were finished from the foundation of the world... 11 11 Let us therefore
give diligence to
enter into that rest,
lest anyone fall after the same example of disobedience.
1 Corinthians 10:1-12 (WEB) 1 Now I would not have you ignorant,
brothers, that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; 2 and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 3 and all ate the same spiritual food; 4 and all drank the same spiritual drink. For they drank of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ. 5 However with
most of them, God was not well pleased, for they were overthrown in the wilderness. 6
Now these things were our examples, to the intent
we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. 7
Don’t be idolaters,
as some of them were. As it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink, and
rose up to play.” [
Exodus 32:6] 8
Let us not commit sexual immorality,
as some of them committed, and in one day twenty-three thousand fell. 9
Let us not test Christ,
as some of them tested, and perished by the serpents. 10
Don’t grumble, as some of them also grumbled, and perished by the destroyer. 11
Now all these things happened to them by way of example, and they were written for
our admonition, on whom the ends of the ages have come. 12
Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall.
