Lesson 044
MEMORY VERSE
MATTHEW 4:10
"For it is written, 'You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.' "
Recap:
Last week: The 10 Commandments Exodus 19:20-20:17
The week before: Water From the Rock Exodus 17:1-6
ATTENTION GRABBER!
Worship Only God
Talk about worship with your class.
Talk about how some countries use bowing as a respectful greeting.
Have children practice bowing to one another and talk about it afterward.
Some bowing seems different than others bowing.
Sometimes you can tell if a person thinks it is silly to bow, or if they just do not want to bow, or maybe they really like you, and you can tell by their bow.
God had done so much for the Israelites.
God observed His people making a little cow and then bowing down to the cow.
Look at your paper in front of you,
the first commandment says you shall not have any other gods before me.
LESSON TIME!
Moses had been on Mount Sinai for forty days talking with God.
The Israelites back at the camp grew restless; instead of faith in God, they chose unbelief.
Though God had sent them a cloud to lead them by day and a pillar of fire by night to remind them of His presence, the people were faithless and craved a visible God to serve.
Their unbelief ended up causing a lot of problems.
Unbelief results in the costly consequences of sin and breaking the very first commandment and some others.
Who thinks God is mean because He gave the 10 Commandments?
Exd.32:7-12
7 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go down, because your people, whom you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupt. 8 They have been quick to turn away from what I commanded them and have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, ‘These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.’ 9 “I have seen these people,” the LORD said to Moses, “and they are a stiff-necked people. 10 Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation.” 11 But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. “LORD,” he said, “why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people.
Impatient and full of unbelief, the Israelites had urged Aaron, Moses’s brother to construct an idol and Aaron foolishly consented.
Using the gold and jewelry that God had provided for His people when they left Egypt, Aaron constructed a golden calf.
They gave from God’s provision the materials to make something that would insult God.
What are some things God gives to us?
The day after constructing the idol, Aaron blasphemously (profane) called for a feast before this heap of gold.
This great sin had deadly results.
Unbelief and sin always have consequences.
God said, “your people” to Moses. God did not even claim these people as His own.
A holy God could not tolerate sin; instead, God gave His judgment upon these willfully disobedient people.
Moses proceeded to pray--to stand in the place of God’s people requesting mercy for them.
He did not try to defend their actions or make excuses but cried out for God's mercy.
God heard Moses' cry just as He will hear our cries when we are asking for mercy for our own sin or interceding for others.
Moses’ stood in for the people of God, who is holy and must punish sin.
32:19-20
19 When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain. 20 And he took the calf the people had made and burned it in the fire; then he ground it to powder, scattered it on the water, and made the Israelites drink it.
Moses was carrying the very Word of God that He had written and engraved Himself.
Moses broke these holy tablets when he saw the people's wickedness as they sinned before their idol, breaking God’s commandments.
The breaking of the tablets was outward but the Word of the Lord had been broken by the people in their hearts.
Moses burned the idol because it lacked power and made the people drink it demonstrating that the Israelites must face the result of their actions.
Exd.32:26-29
26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, “Whoever is for the LORD, come to me.” And all the Levites rallied to him. 27 Then he said to them, “This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.’” 28 The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. 29 Then Moses said, “You have been set apart to the LORD today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day.”
Moses called to himself all those that would stand on the side of God.
These men and women were repentant (they wanted to turn from their wickedness back to God's way).
God spared those who asked for forgiveness, yet those who chose to walk in sin and defy the Creator of the universe were punished and many died.
So, we must choose—to serve God or follow our own ways.
There is only one choice that leads to salvation and eternal life—faith in Jesus Christ who bore the penalty for our sins.
To not choose to follow Jesus Christ (to be a Christian) is to choose a path leading to judgment and eternal separation from God in Hell.
Exd.32:33-35
33 The LORD replied to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against me I will blot out of my book. 34 Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.” 35 And the LORD struck the people with a plague because of what they did with the calf Aaron had made.
Moses interceded (prayed) for the people and asked God for mercy for them.
God is full of great love and will bestow great grace and forgiveness upon all those who call on Him.
Yet, we may still experience the results (the consequences) of our sinful actions.
Our choices are important. The wrong choices can result in tragedy; in fact, a decision not to follow Jesus Christ will result in eternal separation from God.
Because the Israelites defied God’s ways, many were slain.
How much better to obey God and keep our focus on Him!
God’s intentions for our lives are only good.
Psalm 37:3-4 says:
"Trust in the Lord and do good. Dwell in the land and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart."
Standing In The Gap
Moses intercedes for the evil people;
Have each child pair up with another and have them pray for one another.
Then close with a prayer for the snack
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