“Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34,” Old Testament Institute Teacher Manual (2026)
Moses and the Tablets, by Jerry Harston
Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34
After leading the Israelites out of Egypt, Jehovah brought them to Mount Sinai. There He invited them to make a covenant with Him. Moses ascended the mountain to receive the word of the Lord for the people. The Lord revealed the Ten Commandments, and the people promised to obey His law. Later, when Moses was again on the mountain, the Israelites broke their covenant with the Lord by making and worshipping a golden calf. After the Israelites suffered the consequences of breaking their covenant, the Lord reminded them that He is just, merciful, and long-suffering.
Additional Resources
Scripture Helps: Old Testament, “Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34.”
Note: The “Introduction to the Course” provides guidance on how to use the standard lesson elements that follow.
Encouraging Personal Study
Before class, consider sending students one or more of the following messages or some of your own:
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How can making covenants with God help you become more holy? Reflect on this as you study Exodus 19:1–11.
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As you study the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:1–17, think about what the commandments reveal about the love Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have for us.
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Reflect on how you show your love for God on the Sabbath day as you read Exodus 31:12–18.
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The children of Israel fell into idolatry even after having miraculous experiences with God. As you study Exodus 32, consider what idol worship might look like in today’s world.
Questions and Sharing
Provide time for students to ask questions and share insights and truths they discovered in their personal study of Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34.
Skill Training
The learning activity for Exodus 19:1–11 might be a good place to review “Looking for Cause-and-Effect Relationships in the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills.
Learning Activity Options
Multiple learning options are provided for you and your students. Prayerfully choose which option or options will be most meaningful for your class. You could also seek input from your students.
Improving Our Teaching and Learning
Help learners strengthen their relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. “The purpose of teaching and learning about Jesus Christ is to help each person draw closer to Him and our Heavenly Father. Help the people you teach to never lose sight of that purpose. Encourage them to strengthen their relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by studying the scriptures, repenting continually, speaking with the Father in prayer, and testifying of the Father and Son. Teach learners by word and example how making and keeping covenants binds us to Them. Help them know how precious and beloved we are to Them. Strengthen their faith that Jesus Christ, by virtue of His perfect Atonement, is the only way back to our Father” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 9).
Why does the Lord want me to make covenants with Him?
Consider writing the word covenants on the board. Then invite students to write down their answers to one more of the following questions:
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How would you describe what a covenant is to someone who is unfamiliar with them?
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Why do you think God wants us to make covenants with Him?
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What difference has making covenants with God made in your life?
Encourage students during this learning activity to look for truths that can help them better understand the blessing of making covenants with God.
You could display an image of Mount Sinai as you explain that after the Lord delivered children of Israel out of Egypt, He led them to Mount Sinai. For Moses and the children of Israel, Mount Sinai was like a temple—it was a place where they would make covenants with God.
A photograph of a mountain in Egypt traditionally believed to be Mount Sinai.
Invite students to read Exodus 19:3–6, looking for how the Lord described the covenant He desired to make with the Israelites. You could also have them read “Exodus 19:3–6. What were the Lord’s covenant promises to the children of Israel?” in Scripture Helps: Old Testament. Then consider asking:
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What can we learn from these verses about the Lord and His desires for His people?
Consider writing the phrase If Then . on the board. Invite students to share how they could complete this phrase based on their study of Exodus 19. (This is an example of looking for cause-and-effect relationships. For more about how to use this scripture study skill, see “Looking for Cause-and-Effect Relationships in the Scriptures” in Scripture Study Skills.)
Students could identify a truth like this: If we obey the Lord’s voice and keep our covenants with Him, then we will become His peculiar treasure and holy people.
To help students better understand how making and keeping covenants with God can help them become more holy, consider displaying the following instructions and giving students time to record their responses:
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Make a list of times in your life when you have made covenants with God.
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Write about how the covenants you have made help you become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
When students have finished, invite them to share some of their insights with a partner or small group or together as a class.
Explain that along with helping us become more like our Heavenly Father, making and keeping covenants with God changes our relationship with Him. You could share this statement by President Russell M. Nelson and discuss the question that follows:
Once you and I have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer than before our covenant. Now we are bound together. Because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust His merciful patience with us. Each of us has a special place in God’s heart. He has high hopes for us. (“The Everlasting Covenant,” Liahona, Oct. 2022, 6)
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How has making and keeping covenants with God affected your relationship with Him?
Invite students to consider actions they could take to apply what they have studied today. Encourage them to record thoughts or spiritual impressions.
Why do commandments matter?
Consider inviting students to create and share an analogy that demonstrates the purposes and blessings of God’s commandments. To help them think of ideas, you could show the videos “Going to Grandma’s” (4:02) or “The Parable of the Kite” (1:04), or you could use the following analogy shared by President Dallin H. Oaks:
Our experiences in mortality are like the little boy and his father flying a kite on a windy day. As the kite rose higher, the winds caused it to tug on the connecting string in the little boy’s hand. Inexperienced with the force of mortal winds, he proposed to cut the string so the kite could rise higher. His wise father counseled no, explaining that the string is what holds the kite in place against mortal winds. If we lose our hold on the string, the kite will not rise higher. It will be carried about by these winds and inevitably crash to the earth. (“Following Christ,” Liahona, Nov. 2024, 24)
Explain that in this learning activity, students will have the opportunity to study the Ten Commandments. It may be helpful to remind students that the Lord gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites while they were camped at the base of Mount Sinai.
Distribute the handout titled “Studying the Ten Commandments,” and give students time to complete it. Explain that they will have an opportunity to share some of their answers later in the class.
After completing the handout, invite students to share their responses with a partner or small group. You could also ask a few students to share with the entire class.
Conclude the activity by having students reflect on what they have learned or felt during their study. Encourage them to record specific ways they can more fully obey God’s commandments.
What do my actions on the Sabbath day communicate to the Lord?
Begin by inviting students to think about how they show their love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. You could do this by giving each student a piece of paper and having them fold it into four sections. In the first section, ask students to write one way they show their love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Then have them pass their paper to the person next to them, who can write an additional response in a second section of the paper. Repeat this process until the four sections of the paper are completed. Have students then read the responses on the final paper that was passed to them.
Remind students that the Lord spoke the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai to the children of Israel (see Exodus 20). The Lord later wrote His law on stone tablets, including more details about the meaning and purpose of the Sabbath (see Exodus 31:13–18). Point out that keeping the Sabbath day holy is an important way for us to show our love and devotion to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Invite students to read Exodus 20:8–11 and Exodus 31:13, 16–17, looking for what the Lord taught about the Sabbath day. Then consider asking:
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What do you learn about the Sabbath day from these verses? (Some possible insights students could share include these: The Sabbath is the Lord’s day and is holy. We keep the Sabbath day holy by resting from our labors. Our observance of the Sabbath day is a sign between us and the Lord.)
To help students better understand how our Sabbath observance is a sign between us and the Lord, consider reading together “Exodus 31:12–17. How did Sabbath observance represent a sign between the Israelites and the Lord?” in Scripture Helps: Old Testament.
Display the following question, and invite students to discuss it in small groups:
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What are some signs we can give to the Lord to show our love for Him on the Sabbath day?
You could have a member from each group write down the ideas that are shared. After the discussions, invite groups to share their responses with the class. Consider writing their answers on the board. Then consider discussing some of the following questions:
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How is the Sabbath day an example of the Lord’s love and mercy?
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What might you say to someone who feels that the Sabbath day is too restrictive or not worth observing? (As part of this discussion, consider showing the video “Upon My Holy Day—Honoring the Sabbath” [1:30].)
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How has the Lord blessed you for keeping the Sabbath day holy?
Invite students to think of one sign they will show to God on the next Sabbath day to demonstrate their love and devotion to Him. Encourage them to record their plan, along with any impressions they may have received from the Holy Ghost.
How can I avoid idol worship today?
You could begin by sharing this statement by President Dallin H. Oaks and discussing the question that follows:
Our priorities determine what we seek in life. (“Focus and Priorities,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2001, 83)
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What are some examples of priorities that people have in life?
Write students’ answers to the question on the board. Then invite students to share examples of how a person’s actions might change depending on which of the priorities listed on the board they choose to focus on the most.
Invite students to think about their own priorities as they study today. Encourage them to look for truths that can help them prioritize their relationship with God over less important things in life.
To help prepare students to study Exodus 32, consider explaining that after the Israelites received the Ten Commandments, they formally entered into a covenant with the Lord and promised to keep His commandments (see Exodus 24:2–8). Moses then returned to Mount Sinai to receive further instructions from God.
Invite students to read Exodus 32:1–6, looking for what the Israelites did while Moses was away. Then ask:
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What stands out to you about the actions of the Israelites?
Invite students to read Exodus 32:7–10, 15–20, looking for how God and Moses responded to the Israelites’ actions.
For additional context, you could also have students read “Exodus 32:1–8. Why did the Israelites create a golden calf to worship?” in Scripture Helps: Old Testament. You might also share the following statement by President Dallin H. Oaks:
The second of the Ten Commandments elaborates the direction to have no other gods and identifies what should be the ultimate priority in our lives as His children. “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing” in the heavens or the earth (Exodus 20:4). The commandment then adds, “Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them” (Exodus 20:5). More than merely forbidding physical idols, this states a fundamental priority for all time. Jehovah explains, “For I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, … shewing mercy unto … them that love me, and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:5–6). The meaning of jealous is revealing. Its Hebrew origin means “possessing sensitive and deep feelings” (Exodus 20:5, footnote b). Thus we offend God when we “serve” other gods—when we have other first priorities. …
… The question posed by the second commandment is “What is our ultimate priority?” Are we serving priorities or gods ahead of the God we profess to worship? (“No Others Gods,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 73)
Invite students to share what these resources helped them understand about the seriousness of the Israelites’ actions. Then consider writing the following truth on the board: We offend God when we serve other gods or place other priorities ahead of Him.
Consider displaying the following questions and having students discuss them with a partner or small group:
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What are some priorities that people may be tempted to place ahead of God?
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Why do you think it is offensive to God when we place other priorities above Him? How can it be harmful for us?
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What has helped you put God first in your life?
Invite students to seek guidance from Heavenly Father to determine what they can do to put Him first in their lives. Invite them to record their plans. If students are comfortable, invite a few to share their plans with the class.