Lesson 53.4-54.3 Wed 11-4

Wed 11-4      53.5-54.3         Exodus 31-32           

Lesson 53: Exodus 28–29; 31

V. Exodus 31:12–18The Lord teaches about the Sabbath and gives Moses the stone tables

---Explain that the Lord often uses signs or symbols to remind His children of what they have promised Him and what He has promised them.
---Read Exodus 31:13 aloud looking for a sign God uses to remind us of our relationship to Him and His promise to sanctify us.

• According to verse 13, what is the sign that God is the Lord “that doth sanctify [us]”?
• How does keeping the Sabbath day holy help us stay clean and set apart from worldliness? (If time permits, consider having students review the scriptures listed in the Topical Guide under “Sabbath.”)

---Read Exodus 31:14–17 aloud looking for an indicator of how strongly the Lord feels about keeping the Sabbath holy. Ask them to report what they find.

(click to view larger)

---Invite students to refer to their copies of the handout “Moses’s and Israel’s Experiences with Jehovah at Mount Sinai” (see lesson 48). (A completed version of the handout is located in the appendix of this manual.) Explain that before the Lord concluded His revelation to Moses at Mount Sinai, He gave him an additional reminder of His law and covenant with Israel.

---Ask a student to read Exodus 31:18 aloud. Invite the class to follow along and look for what the Lord gave to Moses.

• What did God give to Moses? (Two tables of stone containing His law.)

---On line 8 of the handout, invite students to write God writes His law on stone tables.

---You may want to conclude by sharing your testimony of the truths taught in this lesson.

Commentary and Background Information

Exodus 29:22–46. The temple and its ordinances prepare us to be in God’s presence

President Ezra Taft Benson taught about how the priesthood and the temple prepare us to enter into the presence of God:

“The Prophet Joseph Smith said that Adam blessed his posterity because ‘he wanted to bring them into the presence of God’ [Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith (2007), 105].

“Here is an illuminating passage from Section 107 of the Doctrine and Covenants which tells us how Adam was able to bring himself and his righteous posterity into God’s presence:

“‘The order of this priesthood was confirmed to be handed down from father to son, and rightly belongs to the literal descendants of the chosen seed, to whom the promises were made.

“‘This order was instituted in the days of Adam, and came down by lineage in [order] … that his posterity should be the chosen of the Lord, and that they should be preserved unto the end of the earth.’ (D&C 107:40–42; italics added.)

“How did Adam bring his descendants into the presence of the Lord?

“The answer: Adam and his descendants entered into the priesthood order of God. Today we would say they went to the House of the Lord and received their blessings” (“What I Hope You Will Teach Your Children about the Temple,” Ensign, Aug. 1985, 9).

Exodus 28:36. “Holiness to the Lord”

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the meaning of the words “holiness to the Lord”:

“Inscribed on each temple are the words ‘holiness to the Lord’ [see Exodus 28:36; 39:30; Psalm 93:5]. That statement designates both the temple and its purposes as holy. Those who enter the temple are also to bear the attribute of holiness [see Exodus 19:5–6]. As temples are prepared for the people, the people need to prepare themselves for the temple” (“Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple,” Ensign, Oct. 2010, 41).

Exodus 29:1–21. What does it mean to be set apart?

President Spencer W. Kimball explained what it means to be set apart:

“The setting apart may be taken literally; it is a setting apart from sin, apart from the carnal; apart from everything which is crude, low, vicious, cheap, or vulgar; set apart from the world to a higher plane of thought and activity” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 478).

Lesson 54: Exodus 32

Old Testament Seminary Teacher Manual, 2014

https://www.lds.org/manual/old-testament-seminary-teacher-manual/introduction-to-the-book-of-exodus/lesson-54-exodus-32?lang=eng

Introduction

While Moses was on Mount Sinai speaking with the Lord, the children of Israel made a golden calf and worshipped it. The Lord told Moses that those who did not repent would be destroyed. Moses descended the mountain and destroyed the stone tables as well as the golden calf. Three thousand rebellious Israelites were also killed. Moses acted as a mediator between the Lord and the people (see Joseph Smith Translation, Galatians 3:19–20 [in the Bible appendix]).

Suggestions for Teaching

I. Exodus 32:1–8 While Moses is on Mount Sinai, the children of Israel make and worship a golden calf

---Before class, place a picture of Jesus Christ  (Gospel Art Book [2009], no. 1; see also LDS.org) at the front of the class and a picture of a golden calf at the back of the class (you can draw a simple picture of a golden calf or write the words Golden Calf on a piece of paper).
---Invite the class to stand, and ask students to name events that they think helped the Israelites come closer to Jesus Christ. (Students’ answers may include the plagues on the Egyptians, the protective pillar of fire, the parting of the Red Sea, the miracles of manna and quail, and water flowing out of a rock, as well as the Lord giving Moses the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai.)
---After each response, list the event on the board and ask students to take a step closer to the picture of Jesus Christ.

---Explain that Moses had spent 40 days and nights on Mount Sinai, and the people began to wonder what had happened to him.
---Read Exodus 32:1–6 aloud and look for what the Israelites did in Moses’s absence.

• Based on these verses, which direction were the Israelites now facing? (Invite students to turn around and face the drawing of the golden calf.)
• According to verse 6, what type of behavior accompanied their worship of the golden calf? (You may need to explain that the phrase “rose up to play” implies that the Israelites became unruly, riotous, and immoral.)
• Why do you think the Israelites would stop their progression toward Jesus Christ and instead direct their attention and devotion toward a golden calf?

---Ask students to return to their seats.
---Read Exodus 32:7–8 aloud looking for phrases that describe the direction the Israelites were heading.

• According to verse 7, what had the Israelites done to themselves? What do you think it means that they had “corrupted themselves”? (They had become unworthy.)
• According to verse 8, what had the Israelites done to corrupt themselves?
• What do you think it means that the Israelites had “turned aside quickly out of the way which [the Lord] commanded them”? (verse 8).
• What principle can we learn from these verses? (Students may identify a variety of principles, but be sure to emphasize that by turning aside from the Lord and His commandments, we corrupt ourselves.)

---To help students better understand this principle, invite a student to read aloud the following statement by President Spencer W. Kimball. Ask students to listen for things that some people choose to worship instead of God:

“Modern idols or false gods can take such forms as clothes, homes, businesses, machines, automobiles, pleasure boats, and numerous other material deflectors from the path to godhood. What difference does it make that the item concerned is not shaped like an idol?” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 40).

• What do people today turn their attention and devotion toward instead of the Savior? (List students’ answers on the board.)
• Why do you think we may sometimes choose to worship these things instead of the Savior?

---Invite students to think about where they may be directing their attention and devotion. Give students a few minutes to ponder and identify anything that may be causing them to turn aside from the Lord and His commandments.
---Encourage students to make any necessary changes to return their attention and devotion to Jesus Christ.

II. Exodus 32:9–14 The Lord speaks with Moses about the rebellious Israelites

(click to view larger)

---Invite students to refer to the handout “Moses’s and Israel’s Experiences with Jehovah at Mount Sinai” (see lesson 48). (A completed version of the handout is located in the appendix of this manual.)
---Ask them to write Israel breaks the covenant in the space next to number 9 on the handout.

---Explain that Exodus 32:9–14 contains the record of a conversation between the Lord and Moses about the rebellious Israelites. These verses can be confusing because of what they say about the Lord.

---Read Exodus 32:14 aloud  looking for words or phrases that may cause confusion about the Lord.  
---Invite students to report what they find.

---Explain that the Prophet Joseph Smith changed this verse in his translation of the Bible.
---Invite students to turn to the Joseph Smith Translation of Exodus 32:14 in the appendix of the Latter-day Saint edition of the King James Version of the Bible.

If this passage is not in the edition of the Bible available in your country, you can provide the following text as a handout:

“And the Lord said unto Moses, If they will repent of the evil which they have done, I will spare them, and turn away my fierce wrath; but, behold, thou shalt execute judgment upon all that will not repent of this evil this day. Therefore, see thou do this thing that I have commanded thee, or I will execute all that which I had thought to do unto my people” (Joseph Smith Translation, Exodus 32:14 [in the Bible appendix]).

• According to the Joseph Smith Translation of this verse, who actually needed to repent?
• What did Moses need to do?
• What was the consequence for the Israelites if they chose to repent? What was the consequence if they did not choose to repent?

III. Exodus 32:15–29 Moses destroys the stone tables and the golden calf, and the Levites kill 3,000 of the rebellious Israelites

---Divide students into pairs. Invite each partnership to read Exodus 32:15–25 aloud, alternating verses. Ask students to look for what Moses did because the Israelites had turned aside from the Lord so quickly and worshipped the golden calf. After sufficient time, ask the following questions:

• What happened to the stone tables that Moses had brought down from Mount Sinai?
• What did Moses do with the golden calf?

---Invite students to look at Exodus 32:25, footnote a, to discover the meaning of the word naked in this verse. (In this verse, naked means “riotous, let loose.”)

---Invite a student to read Exodus 32:26 aloud  looking for what Moses said to the people.

• What were those who wanted to be on the Lord’s side supposed to do?
• Who was the first group of people to gather to the side of the prophet Moses? What might standing next to the prophet indicate?

---Write the following incomplete sentence on the board: As we stand with the Lord’s prophet …

• According to verse 26, what do we demonstrate when we stand with the prophet? (Students may use different words, but make sure they identify the following principle: As we stand with the Lord’s prophet, we show that we are on the Lord’s side. Using students’ words, complete the principle on the board.)

---Invite students to share examples of times when they or someone they know chose to stand with the prophet. As students share their experiences, consider asking the following question:

• How does this experience show that you were choosing the Lord’s side?

---Invite students to write a goal in their class notebooks or scripture study journals concerning how they will stand with the Lord by standing with the Lord’s prophet.

Invite students to read Exodus 32:27–29 silently, looking for what happened to those who continued to rebel against the Lord and not stand with Moses. Invite students to report what they find. (You may want to clarify that Moses instructed the Levites to kill everyone who would not repent of worshipping the golden calf.)