Even while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the Law, 40 days was all it took for the people to demand that Aaron make gods for them to worship. The worship the golden calf, sacrificed to it, then may have gotten drunk and naked. There was definitely dancing. In this chapter Moses demonstrates why he is a type of Christ, as he stands between sinful people deserving judgment and a holy but angry God ready to judge them.

Exodus 32

When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together before Aaron, and said to him “Get up, make us gods which shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 

2 Aaron said to them “Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them to me.”

3 All the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

4 And he received them from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool after he had made it a molten calf: and they said “These be your gods, O Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

5 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 And they rose up early the next morning, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.

7 The LORD said to Moses “Go, get back down; for your people, which you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves:

8 They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made themselves a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed to it, and said “These are your gods, O Israel, which have brought you up out of the land of Egypt.”

9 And the LORD said to Moses “I have seen this people, and, behold, they are a stiffnecked people:

10 Now leave me alone so that my anger can burn against them, and that I may consume them: and I will make of you a great nation.”

11 And Moses implored the LORD his God, and said “LORD, why does your anger burn against your people, which you have brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand?

12 Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say ‘He brought them out with evil intent to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth?’ Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.

13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom your swore by your own self, and said to them ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it for ever.’”

14 And the LORD relented of the disaster which he thought to do to his people.

15 Moses turned, and went down from the mountain, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand: the tables were written on both sides; they were written on one side and the other. 

16 And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven on the tables.

17 When Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said to Moses “There is a noise of war in the camp.”

18 But Moses said “It is not the voice of them that shout for mastery, neither is it the voice of them that cry for being overcome: but I hear the sound of singing!” 

19 As soon as he came near the camp, he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger grew hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and broke them beneath the mountain. 

20 And he took the calf which they had made, and burned it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and scattered it over the water, and made the children of Israel drink it.

21 Moses said to Aaron “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?”

22 And Aaron said “Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot: you know the people, that they are set on mischief.

23 For they said to me ‘Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

24 And I said to them ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire and out comes this calf.”

25 When Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked to their shame among their enemies:)

26 Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said “Who is on the LORD’s side? Let him come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

27 And he said to them “The LORD God of Israel says ‘Every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out of every gate throughout the camp, and every man kill his brother, his friend and his neighbor.”

28 The children of Levi did according to the word of Moses: and three thousand men of the people fell. 

29 For Moses had said “Consecrate yourselves today to the LORD, even every man on his son, and on his brother; that he may bestow on you a blessing this day.”

30 And the next day Moses said to the people “You have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.” 

31 Moses returned to the Lord, and said “Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made themselves gods of gold.

32 Yet now, if you will forgive their sin–; and if not, please blot me out of your book which you have written.”

33 The LORD said to Moses “Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot him out of my book.

34 Now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you about: behold, my Angel shall go before you: nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.”

35 And the LORD struck the people with plagues, because of what they did with the calf the Aaron made. 

Exodus 32 in ESV, HCSB, NASB and ESV