33 The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book.
The Israelites were each going to be held accountable for their individual actions in connection to the golden calf. Not everyone was equally involved, so the Lord does not hold them equally responsible. They don’t get a universal punishment for being there. Those who sinned against the Lord get punished. Those who didn’t, don’t. Unfortunately, very few were not guilty. The idea of being blotted out of the Lord’s book as a punishment is an interesting one. Does the Lord need a book to keep track of things? Of course not, but He uses this idea that the people could understand in order to get His point across. The Lord might talk about erasing your name from God’s database, if He had to express these ideas today. Or maybe revoking our membership, or pulling our security clearance. But unlike some of our bosses, the Lord does not do blanket punishments. He only punishes those who need the correction. Let’s be careful in our corrective actions, that we target them at those who need the correction. Let’s be like the Lord who sent the plagues on the Egyptians, but spared the Israelites in order to teach that the Lord protects His own.
The Arnold Journey 