Exodus 32:26-29 (ICB)

8/3/25

“Each man must kill his brother, his friend and his neighbor.”

Moses, Exodus 32

Since I never believed all the laws could be as harsh as Christian and Grace are saying, they picked a story from Exodus for this week. I thought I pretty much knew the story. Moses came down from the mountain and got mad because Aaron threw gold in the fire, and out came a golden calf. Moses got so mad at the idolatry that he smashed God’s tablets and had to make new ones, using his own handwriting, but not before melting the calf down and making the people drink the ashes.

“I thought I’d jar your memory about the tale of the golden calf,” Christian said.

“The people got punished more, didn’t they?” I asked.

“Do you remember the Levites?” Christian said.

“They’re like the priest family,” I said. “Aaron let Moses down, so Moses needed new priests.”

“Do you remember how they became priests?” Grace asked.

“They were obedient to God’s will,” I said.

“How so?”

“They followed the law and stuff,” I said.

“I have the International Children’s Bible here,” Christian said. “Earlier this year, you thought it would be more appropriate for children than adult versions of the Bible. Chapter 32. You can start at verse 26 if you want, or you can read the whole thing.”

Christian slides the Bible across the table.

“‘So Moses stood at the entrance to the camp. He said, “Let anyone who wants to follow the Lord come to me.” And all the people from the family of Levi gathered around Moses. Then Moses said to them, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says this: ‘Every man must put on his sword and go through the camp from one end to the other. Each man must kill his brother, his friend and his neighbor.’” The people from the family of Levi obeyed Moses. That day about 3,000 of the people of Israel died. Then Moses said, “Today you have been given for service to the Lord. You were willing to kill your own sons and brothers. And God has blessed you for this.”’ Exodus 32:26-29.”

“That’s a pretty extreme reaction, wouldn’t you say?” Grace asked.

“They were…um.”

“The Lord blessed them for going on a killing spree,” Christian said. “Those are your holy people. All that killing is what made them blessed in the eyes of the Lord.”

“God really commanded that?” I asked.

“Moses certainly did,” Grace said.

“I thought you didn’t think he really existed,” I said.

“I said there might be a kernel of truth to the story,” Grace said, “but there is no evidence millions of people wandered that region for forty years. If they did, they left no evidence behind.”

“So…all those people didn’t really get killed?” I asked.

“Would you prefer that?” Christian said. “There was certainly a lot of slaughter in the ancient world.”

“Moses is harsh,” I said. “That’s a lot of people to kill…more than here in the Four Corners, and it was their family and friends.”

“If you killed your family and friends and said God told you to do it?” Grace asked.

“Nut hut,” I said.

“Inappropriate word choice,” Grace said, “but yes…or worse.”

“Would you want this taught in public schools?” Christian said.

“I always thought Moses was holy and good, but I don’t think I like Moses very much anymore,” I said. “Jesus probably didn’t either.”

“Oh, really,” Grace said. “Let’s find out next week.”

In state legislatures across the country, Christian fundamentalists are passing laws meant to force the teaching of the Christian Bible in public schools. From the posting of textually inaccurate iterations of the Ten Commandments on the walls of classrooms to the incorporation of the “Trump Bible” across multiple pedagogical disciplines, these laws and mandates are sweeping the reddest parts of this nation.

The height of hypocrisy is banning books in the name of “protecting children” while mandating one particular book rife with numerous acts of sexual violence and scenes of graphic violence and genocide.

Book bans are dangerous. The Bible is worth reading and exists online and in public school libraries across the country, but proponents of mandating its formal teaching in public schools need to know what it actually says.

Some themes in my books below might not be appropriate for children.