Lesson 35 - Elementary

Memory Verse

"No man can serve two masters"  (Matthew 6:24).

Notes

The Idol

Because Moses stayed so long up in the mountain, talking with God, the people thought he was not coming down again. Then they wanted an idol. They should have known that an idol could not lead them as Moses had led them and that it was wicked to worship an idol instead of God. They seemed to have forgotten how good God had been to them.

Aaron had told them to bring their earrings. Men and women wore them, and they had given them to be made into the idol. They probably had seen an idol like a calf worshipped in Egypt, and they wanted that kind of idol.

A Terrible Deed

God knows just what is going on in the earth, and He saw what the people were doing. He told Moses to go down again, for they were doing a terrible thing. He said He would punish them very much.

Broken Tables

When Moses saw that the people were dancing around the idol, he threw the tables down and they were broken. Then he took the idol and melted it in fire, ground it into powder and made the people drink it in their water. They had done a wicked thing and he had to punish them for turning to an idol and dishonouring God.

The Prayer of Moses

God said they were a very disobedient people and He would not go with them any longer. But Moses begged Him to have mercy on them and go with them as before. Then God forgave them and said He would go with them. God is very kind and merciful, and forgives when men are sorry for their sins and ask God to forgive them.

New Tables of Stone

God told Moses to make two new tables of stone and bring them up to Him in the mountain, and He would write on them what He had written on the first ones.

God's Great Glory and Brightness

God told Moses that he could not see God's face or he would surely die. He said no one could look at His face and live. He told Moses that He would pass by him but God would put His hand over Moses' face and Moses would see only His back.

Moses Obeys God

Moses did what God told him to do. God passed by Moses and said He was the One Who was kind, merciful, and good. We know He is just the same today. How thankful we should be that we have such a loving God and Father, and such a loving Friend as Jesus!

Questions

1. What did Aaron make for the people to worship? [EXO:32:4].

2. Did the Lord see it? [EXO:32:7].

3. What did He say to Moses? [EXO:32:7-10].

4. What did Moses do when he saw the calf? [EXO:32:19-20].

5. Why did Moses cover his face with a veil? [EXO:34:33-35].