Exodus 32:7-8 And the Lord said unto Moses, Go, get thee down; for thy people, which thou brought east out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves: They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped and sacrificed there unto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
The Lord tells Moses His view of what the people are doing: they have responded to My words of Law and deeds of Gospel by making and worshipping another god; in doing so they have corrupted themselves and turned aside from Me, My way, and My will. He interprets their blatant disobedience of the First Commandment as corruption. They have made themselves to be filthy, foul-smelling, and ugly. They didn’t even know what their disbelieving disregard and disobedient response did to them, how corrupt they made themselves.
We sinners also don’t realize how corrupt we make ourselves and how disgusting we appear to God every time we sin, every time we distrust, and every time we disobey. If we could see, smell, taste and experience how corrupt we are when we sin we probably wouldn’t do it again. He must reveal to us how awful sin, pride and unbelief make us look, so He holds up the mirror of the Law. We repent and receive by faith the cleansing flood of the blood of Jesus. His Gospel refreshes, restores, renews us. And we promise once again to not disappoint God or corrupt ourselves again.