“And now go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold my angel will go before you. Nevertheless in the day that I visit I will visit their sin on them.” And Yahweh smote the people because they made the calf which Aaron made.'
Now Yahweh makes clear that the people as a whole will not be destroyed, for He commands Moses to go forward with the people to the land He had promised them, and assures him that as He had previously promised His angel would go before them (compare 23:20-23; 3:2; 33:2-3; Joshua 5:13-15; Judges 2:1-5). This was a gracious promise in view of the fact that the people had themselves wanted the molten calf to go before them (Exodus 32:1). But what they would enjoy would now only be second best (Exodus 33:3). Yahweh would no longer be with them in person.
However, the matter is not totally settled. Yahweh may have restrained from destroying the people because of Moses' intercession, but punishment there must be. He would visit the camp, and at that point He would ‘visit' them. And this was clearly followed by some dreadful judgment which smote many of the people. It was probably some plague or illness. We may surmise what as much as we like, for we will never know. Others, however, consider it refers to the day when God smote them (Numbers 14:45) and sentenced them to a further 38 years in the wilderness (Numbers 14:27-35).
Note for Christians.
We are certainly justified in comparing Israel here with ourselves and seeing their behaviour as a warning to us not to go after idols Not possibly golden idols in a literal sense, but the idols of pop stars, sporting heroes, football teams, actors and actresses, TV personalities and so on. Once any of these become too important to us they have become an idol. Once they keep us from reading the word of God or from prayer they have become an idol. Once they cause us to behave in an unseemly way they have become an idol. Once they take up too much of our thoughts or of our time, they have become an idol.
We should also recognise that the way God is revealed here has not changed. We must not be deceived. God is not mocked. And what men sow they will reap, and no misconceptions about ‘the love of God will prevent it (Galatians 6:7-8).