Scripture Helps
Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34
The Lord promised to make Israel a holy nation, and Moses prepared the people to enter into a covenant with Him. After hearing the Lord proclaim the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai, Israel made a covenant to obey them. Later the Lord wrote His law on two stone tablets. While Moses was on Sinai, the people asked Aaron to make a golden calf, and they worshipped it. When Moses descended the mountain, he broke the stone tablets and destroyed the golden calf. Because of Israel’s sins, the Lord withheld His higher priesthood and ordinances from Israel, giving them instead the preparatory law of Moses.
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Background and Context
What was significant about Mount Sinai?
The book of Exodus refers to Mount Sinai (also called Horeb) as the “mountain of God.” This was a sacred place where Moses entered the presence of God on at least three separate occasions. Sinai provided the first temple-like experience for the Israelites. It was the location where the Lord gave His law to the children of Israel and where the Israelites first made covenants with Him. The Israelites remained at Sinai for nearly a year. The events at Sinai are recorded throughout the remainder of Exodus, all of Leviticus, and the first 10 chapters of Numbers.
A traditional site of Mount Sinai in Egypt
What promises did the Lord make to the children of Israel if they would keep their covenant with Him?
While Moses spoke with the Lord at Mount Sinai, the Lord declared His desire to enter into a covenant with Israel. He promised the following significant blessings if Israel would obey His voice and keep His covenant:
“Ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people” (verse 5)
President Russell M. Nelson taught: “In the Old Testament, the Hebrew term from which peculiar was translated is segullah, which means ‘valued property,’ or ‘treasure.’ … Thus, we see that the scriptural term peculiar signifies ‘valued treasure,’ ‘made’ or ‘selected by God.’ For us to be identified by servants of the Lord as his peculiar people is a compliment of the highest order.”
“Ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation” (verse 6)
The phrase “kingdom of priests” suggests a group of people who have received God’s priesthood authority and are responsible for administering the ordinances of the gospel. In the Old Testament, someone or something designated as holy is set apart for God’s purposes. Holiness also refers to a person’s moral character.
Latter-day revelation clarifies that the Lord had intended for the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood to play an important role in the Israelites becoming a kingdom of priests and a holy nation that could “behold the face of God.” The Lord taught that in the ordinances of the Melchizedek Priesthood, “the power of godliness is manifest.” Without the ordinances of the priesthood and the power of godliness, “no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live.” However, because of the children of Israel’s hard hearts, the Lord withdrew the Melchizedek Priesthood while the lesser Aaronic Priesthood remained.
The Prophet Joseph Smith spoke of establishing a kingdom of priests in our dispensation that would consist of men and women who had made covenants with God in the house of the Lord. Those who inherit the celestial kingdom are called “priests and kings” and “queens and priestesses.”
What is the significance of the Ten Commandments?
While the Israelites were gathered at the base of Mount Sinai, they heard the voice of God proclaim the Ten Commandments to them from a cloud at the top of the mountain. The Ten Commandments are a foundational part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are taught and repeated throughout the scriptures. President Spencer W. Kimball taught that these commandments were “known to Adam and his posterity” before Moses received them.
The Ten Commandments coincide with the Savior’s two great commandments: to love God and love others. Elder L. Tom Perry taught that the first four commandments “have to do with our attitude toward God; the remaining six with our attitude toward our fellowman. Reverence for God was a basis for the Ten Commandments.”
Illustration of Moses holding the Ten Commandments, by Sam Lawlor
Why does the Lord refer to Himself as a “jealous God”?
While speaking about the second commandment, which forbids the worship of idols, President Dallin H. Oaks taught: “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.”
What does it mean to take the Lord’s name in vain?
For the ancient Israelites, taking the Lord’s name in vain meant using God’s name in a trivial, disrespectful, or irreverent way—whether in conversation, making covenants, or swearing oaths. Speaking about this commandment in our day, Elder Dale G. Renlund taught: “At baptism and when we partake of the sacrament, we witness that we are willing to take on ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. In this context, let us be mindful of the Old Testament commandment, ‘Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain’ [Exodus 20:7]. To our modern ears, this sounds like a prohibition against irreverently using the Lord’s name. The commandment includes that, but its injunction is even more profound. The Hebrew word translated as ‘take’ means to ‘lift up’ or ‘carry,’ as one would a banner that identifies oneself with an individual or group. The word translated as ‘vain’ means ‘empty’ or ‘deceptive.’ The commandment to not take the Lord’s name in vain can thus mean, ‘You should not identify yourself as a disciple of Jesus Christ unless you intend to represent Him well.’”
What is meant by the commandment to not kill?
The Hebrew word translated as “kill” in the King James Version is better understood as “murder.” To murder means to intentionally and unjustly end another person’s life. There are some situations in which one might kill another person that do not constitute murder—for example, in self-defense or during military action in the line of duty.
What was significant about the Israelites’ unwillingness to have God speak directly to them?
The Israelites were afraid when they saw lightning and smoke upon Mount Sinai and heard thunder as the Lord’s voice declared the Ten Commandments. They requested that Moses converse with Jehovah instead of having Jehovah continue to speak to them directly. Although Moses admonished them to “fear not,” the Israelites “stood afar off” while Moses ascended Mount Sinai to speak with the Lord.
Three days earlier, the Lord had commanded Moses to sanctify the people so they could be prepared for when “the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.” Doctrine and Covenants 84 explains that Moses had sought to sanctify the people so they could be prepared to “behold the face of God.” Although the Israelites heard the Ten Commandments, it appears that the Lord had intended for them to experience something more significant. However, the Israelites “hardened their hearts and could not endure [God’s] presence.”
Because of the hardness of heart demonstrated by the Israelites during this experience and their worship of the golden calf shortly thereafter, the Lord withheld His higher law from them. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “When God offers a blessing or knowledge to a man, and he refuses to receive it, he will be damned. The Israelites prayed that God would speak to Moses and not to them; in consequence of which he cursed them with a carnal law.”
Why did Moses sprinkle blood on the altar and the people?
After the Israelites agreed to accept the covenant of the Lord, Moses performed a special ritual. The blood that Moses sprinkled on the altar represented the blood of Jesus Christ, which He would shed at Gethsemane and on the cross. When Moses sprinkled blood on the people, it symbolized the blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ that the people would receive through the covenant they had made. It also symbolized the seriousness of those covenants. Sprinkling blood showed that both God and the people were mutually bound by this covenant.
Why did Moses and others eat and drink while they were in the presence of God?
Moses and some other Israelite men ascended Mount Sinai after the children of Israel formally entered into a covenant with the Lord. There “they saw God, and did eat and drink.” In Old Testament times, sacred meals were often part of a covenant-making or covenant-renewal process. Eating a meal together was a formal way of affirming the covenant and binding the parties of the covenant together. In our day, partaking of the sacrament is a way we renew our covenants with the Lord and strengthen our relationship with Him.
Illustration of Jehovah appearing to Moses and 70 elders of Israel, by Jerry Harston
How did Sabbath observance represent a sign between the Israelites and the Lord?
The Lord taught the Israelites that He gave the Sabbath day to them as a “sign” of their covenant relationship with Him. As they observed His Sabbath, the Lord promised to make His covenant people holy.
President Russell M. Nelson taught: “The Sabbath was given as a perpetual covenant, a constant reminder that the Lord may sanctify His people. …
“How do we hallow the Sabbath day? In my much younger years, I studied the work of others who had compiled lists of things to do and things not to do on the Sabbath. It wasn’t until later that I learned from the scriptures that my conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father. With that understanding, I no longer needed lists of dos and don’ts. When I had to make a decision whether or not an activity was appropriate for the Sabbath, I simply asked myself, ‘What sign do I want to give to God?’ That question made my choices about the Sabbath day crystal clear.”
Why did the Israelites create a golden calf to worship?
As Moses spent 40 days and nights on Mount Sinai, the people began to wonder what had happened to him. They asked Aaron to make “gods, which shall go before us,” and Aaron complied with their demand. These actions might seem strange considering that, not long before, the Israelites had covenanted to obey God’s commandments, including the commandment to not make any graven images.
Some scholars have suggested that the creation of the golden calf may have been a misguided attempt by the Israelites to remember Jehovah or draw upon His power. Aaron declared that the day of the calf’s dedication would be “a feast to the Lord.” He may have believed that the golden calf represented Jehovah.
Regardless of the Israelites’ intentions, it is clear that their actions were deeply offensive to the Lord. He lamented that the Israelites had “corrupted themselves” and “turned aside quickly” from His ways. A Psalmist later observed that through their worship of the golden calf, the Israelites “changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt.”
How can Moses’s pleading for his people remind us of Jesus Christ?
Although Moses recognized the seriousness of the Israelites’ sins, he pleaded with God to be merciful to them. He later even offered to take their punishment upon himself. The Lord promised that He would spare those who would repent.
Moses’s pleading with the Lord on behalf of his people can remind us of Jesus Christ, who is our advocate with the Father. An advocate is someone who pleads on behalf of another. Elder Dale G. Renlund taught that, as our advocate, Jesus Christ “champions what the Father has wanted all along: for us to return to Him as inheritors in His kingdom.”
What blessings did the Israelites lose because of their disobedience?
When Moses came down from Mount Sinai and saw the golden calf and the people’s behavior, he broke the stone tablets that had been written by the Lord. Moses’s act of breaking the tablets reflected Israel’s broken covenant. President Jeffrey R. Holland explained that “there was considerably more on those tablets than the Ten Commandments.”
The Joseph Smith Translation clarifies that the broken tablets contained the Lord’s instructions for the ordinances and covenants of the Melchizedek Priesthood. These ordinances and covenants are necessary for us to become like God and dwell in His presence. However, because the Israelites hardened their hearts, they were not worthy to receive these blessings from the Lord.
Despite Israel’s disobedience, the Lord was still merciful to those who repented. When Moses climbed Mount Sinai later, the Lord instructed him to institute the “law of a carnal commandment,” or the preparatory gospel administered through the Aaronic Priesthood. This law came to be known as the law of Moses.
Who can see God’s face and live?
The Lord’s statement in verse 20 that “there shall no man see me, and live” seemingly contradicts verse 11, which states that “the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.”
The Joseph Smith Translation provides helpful clarification to verse 20. The Lord indicated that because of Israel’s sins, they would not be allowed to see the Lord’s face at that time. He also added, “And no sinful man hath at any time, neither shall there be any sinful man at any time, that shall see my face and live.”
Learn More
The Lord’s covenant promises in Exodus 19
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“Exodus 19:5–6,” New Era, July 2011, 5
The Ten Commandments
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L. Tom Perry, “Obedience to Law Is Liberty,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 86–88
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Russell M. Nelson “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 129–32
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Dallin H. Oaks, “No Other Gods,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2013, 72–75
Media
Music
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“Keep the Commandments,” Hymns, no. 303
Videos
Images
Moses with the Ten Commandments, by Greg K. Olsen
Moses and the Tablets, by Jerry Harston
Composite of a golden calf, by Ron Herman
Worship of the Calf, by W. C. Simmonds