Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

Chapter 28
Israel Worships a Golden Calf
This chapter is based on Exodus 32 to 34.
While Moses was away on the mountain, it was a time of
waiting and suspense for Israel. The people waited eagerly for his
return. In Egypt they had become accustomed to material objects
representing deity, and it had been hard for them to trust in an
invisible being. They had come to rely on Moses to sustain their
faith, but now he was taken from them. Week after week passed,
and he still did not return. It seemed to many in the camp that their
leader had deserted them or that he had been consumed by the
devouring fire.
During this period of waiting, there was time to meditate on the
law of God which they had heard and to prepare their hearts to
receive any further revelations that He might make to them. If they
had been seeking a clearer understanding of God's requirements and
humbling their hearts before Him, they would have been shielded
from temptation. But soon they became careless, inattentive, and
lawless--especially the "mixed multitude." They were impatient to
be on their way to the land flowing with milk and honey. That good
land was promised to them only on condition of obedience, but they
had forgotten this. Some suggested they return to Egypt, but whether
forward to Canaan or backward to Egypt, most of the people were
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