to question his authority.5 At the beginning of chapter 32 they had rejected Moses as their mediator—not for the first time, and not for the last. As a result God needed to reestablish the prophet’s authority in some way. He was sending Moses to give the law. But how would the people know that the law came from God? How would they know that Moses spoke on his behalf? All it took was one look at the prophet’s face. There could be no doubt that he had been with God: He was shining with the reflected