In our previous reading, the Israelites broke the first Commandment and built a golden calf to worship. God wanted to destroy them, but Moses pleaded with God, and he relented. But there was a price to pay, and 3000 died in the camp. Today we’ll find the people leaving their camp as God leads them on the next leg of their journey to the promised land. God will promise to clear the way for them but tell them they must go alone. The people’s hearts turn back to God, and they beg for His presence to remain among them. We’ll see how God responds, how they receive a second set of tablets with God’s commandments, and how God instructs his people to construct His dwelling place, the tabernacle.