By leading Israel to this daring insult and blasphemy to Jehovah, Satan had planned to cause their ruin. Since they had proved themselves to be so utterly degraded, so lost to all sense of the privileges and blessings that God had offered them, and to their own solemn and repeated pledges of loyalty, the Lord would, he believed, divorce them from Himself and devote them to destruction. Thus would be secured the extinction of the seed of Abraham, that seed of promise that was to preserve the knowledge of the living God, and through whom He was to come--the true Seed, that was to conquer Satan. The great rebel had planned to destroy Israel, and thus thwart the purposes of God. But again he was defeated. Sinful as they were, the people of Israel were not destroyed. While those who stubbornly ranged themselves on the side of Satan were cut off, the people, humbled and repentant, were mercifully pardoned. The history of this sin was to stand as a perpetual testimony to the guilt and punishment of idolatry, and the justice and long-suffering mercy of God.

Det var Satans plan at styrte Israel ud i fuldstændig ødelæggelse ved at få dem til at håne og spotte Gud på denne grove måde. Satan troede, at Herren ville forkaste folket og overlade dem til ødelæggelse, fordi de havde fornedret sig så dybt og vist, at de var så blottet for al forståelse af de forrettigheder og velsignelser, Gud havde tilbudt dem, og af deres egne højtidelige og gentagne løfter om troskab. Derved ville Abrahams sæd blive tilintetgjort, den løftets sæd, som skulle bevare kundskaben om den levende Gud, og gennem hvem Kristus, den sande sæd, som skulle besejre Satan, skulle komme. Den store oprører havde planlagt at tilintetgøre Israel og derved krydse Guds planer. Men atter led han nederlag Skønt Israel havde syndet, blev de ikke udryddet. Mens de, der hårdnakket havde stillet sig på Satans side, blev udryddet, fik folket ved ydmyghed og anger Guds nådige tilgivelse. Beretningen om denne synd burde være et evigt vidnesbyrd om den skyld og straf, afgudsdyrkelsen medfører, og om Guds retfærdighed, langmodighed og nåde.