Exodus 32 - The Lord replied "no"

Sabbath School From Home

Moses responds dramatically to the golden calf, but does this actually look like "substitutionary atonement"?

The story of the golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai is well-known, but a pointed question about the substitutionary model of atonement gives us a particular lens through which to explore this part of Exodus. Some well-known details turn out to be in a different sequence, and we are intrigued by a sort of blame-game between God and Moses. In the end, it almost seems as though "substitution" and "atonement" are featured separately in this passage rather than in partnership.