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The Sabbath-School

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International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 11, 1889

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 10.

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The Sabbath-School.

Old Testament History

RETURNING TO BONDAGE.

(Lesson 12, March 23, 1889.)
1. AFTER the covenant between God and Israel had been ratified, what did the Lord say to Moses?
"And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into the mount, and be there; and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them." Ex. 24:12.
2. What covered the mount, and what was its appearance?
"And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon Mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel." Verses 15-17.
3. How long was Moses in the mount?
"And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount; and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights." Verse 18.
4. Did he eat or drink during that time?
"When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights; I neither did eat bread nor drink water." Deut. 9:9.
5. When the Lord had finished talking with Moses, what did he give him?
"And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God." Ex. 31:18.
6. What was on these tables of stone?
"And the Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words which the Lord spake with you in the mount, out of the midst of the fire, in the day of the assembly." Deut. 9:10.
7. Whose workmanship were the tables, and how were they filled?
"And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand; the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables." Ex. 32:15, 16.
8. What did the people say and do when they saw how long Moses was gone?
"And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden ear-rings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden ear-rings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron." Verses 1-3.
9. What did Aaron do with the gold?
"And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf." Verse 4, first part.
10. What did they call this golden calf?
"And they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt." Verse 4, last part.
11. What does the psalmist say of this?
"They made a calf in Horeb, and worshiped the molten image. Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass." Ps. 106:19, 20.
12. Before they could do this, what did they forget?
"They forgot God their Saviour, which had done great things in Egypt; wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea." Verses 21, 22.
13. How did they worship this image?
"And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt-offerings, and brought peace-offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." Ex. 32:6.
14. What must we conclude as to the nature of this "play"? See notes.
15. How did the people happen to make a calf to worship, instead of the image of a man? See notes.
16. What was the Egyptian calf-worship? See notes.
17. How extensive was sun-worship anciently? and what was the nature of it? See notes.
18. What did God think to do to the Israelites for their abominable idolatry? Ex. 32:9, 10; Deut. 9:20.
19. With what words did Moses plead for them? Ex. 32:11-13, 31, 32.
20. Did the Lord grant his request?
"And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people." "And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee; behold, mine Angel shall go before thee; nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them." Verses 14, 33, 34.
21. What immediate punishment did the people receive? Verses 19, 20, 26-28, 35.