Adult Lesson Plan: Exodus 19–20;24;31–34

OPENING (2–3 minutes)

Picture the timing. Israel stands at the foot of Sinai and says, with full voice and full confidence, “All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient” (Exodus 24:7). Moses goes up the mountain. Forty days pass. And while Moses learns how God can dwell among His people, the people build something they can see, touch, and control.

That tension sits at the center of this week’s reading. God offers covenant presence. We offer substitutes.

A question to put on the table at the start is this: Why do human beings, even covenant-making human beings, reach for a golden calf when the living God has already spoken?

SCRIPTURE EXPLORATION (15–20 minutes)

Begin at Sinai with the Lord’s description of covenant identity. Read Exodus 19:3–6 slowly, because the Lord’s language is both intimate and demanding.

“Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel; Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.” (Exodus 19:3–6)

The covenant begins with memory: “Ye have seen what I did.” Then it moves to relationship: “brought you unto myself.” Only then does it name obligations and identity. The Lord does not introduce commandments as an abstract list. He frames them inside rescue and belonging.

Come, Follow Me highlights President Russell M. Nelson’s comment on “peculiar,” using the Hebrew term segullah: “valued property,” or “treasure” (“Children of the Covenant,” Ensign, May 1995, 34). That helps a class hear Exodus 19 without the modern baggage of the word peculiar. The Lord is not calling Israel odd. He is calling them His.

Now step into Exodus 20 and listen for the first covenant priority. Read Exodus 20:3.

“Thou shalt have no other gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)

Before discussing a list of ten, let the class sit with the first commandment as the foundation for everything else. Ask: In the story that follows, what counts as an “other god” for Israel? What counts as an “other god” for a modern disciple who never bows to a statue?

Then move to Exodus 24 and watch how Israel’s promise becomes formalized. Read Exodus 24:7.

“And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.” (Exodus 24:7)

It is worth noticing how public this is. Moses reads “in the audience of the people.” They answer together. Covenant is personal, but it is also communal. Israel binds itself to God as a people.

Now pivot to the rupture in Exodus 32. Read Exodus 32:8, because it captures the speed of spiritual drift.

“They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them: they have made them a molten calf, and have worshipped it, and have sacrificed thereunto, and said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 32:8)

The shock is not only the calf. It is the theft of testimony. They take the Lord’s saving act, “brought thee up,” and attribute it to the idol. Idolatry in this chapter is misdirected gratitude.

Finally, take the class to Exodus 34, where the Lord names His character after the disaster. Read Exodus 34:6.

“The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,” (Exodus 34:6)

The chapter does not pretend the calf was small. It also refuses to pretend mercy is scarce.

DOCTRINAL DISCUSSION (10–15 minutes)

The readings put covenant in the real world, where people mean what they say and still struggle to keep it. That is one reason these chapters feel so modern.

First doctrine: The Lord’s covenants aim at closeness, not mere compliance. Exodus 19 begins with deliverance and ends with identity: “brought you unto myself… a peculiar treasure… a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:4–6). President Nelson’s explanation of segullah gives teachers language for this. God calls His people “valued property,” “treasure” (“Children of the Covenant,” Ensign, May 1995, 34). Covenant life is not God collecting rule-followers. Covenant life is God gathering a people He can bring near.

Discussion question: When have you felt the Lord “brought you unto myself” (Exodus 19:4)? What did that closeness ask of you afterward?

Second doctrine: Preparation is part of worship, because meeting God changes us. Come, Follow Me points to Exodus 19:10–11, 17 and uses the phrase “meet with God” (Exodus 19:10–11, 17). The Lord does not treat Sinai as casual. He insists on readiness. The manual connects that pattern to preparation for “spiritual experiences, including the sacrament and temple ordinances” (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 20–26. ‘All That the Lord Hath Spoken We Will Do’”). If conversation turns toward temple specifics, this is sacred and personal, please speak with your bishop or refer to the temple recommend questions.

Discussion question: What does “preparation” look like for adults who are busy, tired, and still trying to worship with a whole heart?

Third doctrine: Idolatry often begins as impatience, fear, or the need to control. Come, Follow Me names the pressures: “impatience, fear, or doubt” can overcome faith (Come, Follow Me, For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 20–26…”). Israel does not stop believing in God in Exodus 32. They panic about absence and uncertainty, and they reach for something immediate.

Discussion question: What kinds of uncertainty make people reach for substitutes today, substitutes for revelation, substitutes for patience, substitutes for trust?

Then bring in the Sabbath as a diagnostic of loyalty and love. Read the line from President Nelson quoted in the manual, because it reframes Sabbath living away from checklists and toward covenant meaning: “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 [see Exodus 31:13; Ezekiel 20:12, 20]. 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” (“The Sabbath Is a Delight,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2015, 130).

Discussion question: If someone asked you, “What sign do you want to give to God?” how would you answer in ordinary language?

Finally, let Exodus 34:6 stand as the Lord’s self-description after covenant failure: “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6). Many adults carry private discouragement about repeated weakness. These chapters put mercy in God’s own mouth.

Discussion question: How does it change repentance when we begin with who God says He is (Exodus 34:6), rather than beginning with our shame?

PRACTICAL APPLICATION (5–7 minutes)

Adults often live in the space between Exodus 24 and Exodus 32. We promise, then we wait. We try to worship, then life drags on, and a part of us wants something quicker than covenant trust.

Invite the class to name, quietly in their own mind, one “golden calf” temptation that looks respectable. It might be the urge to let work become a god that “brought thee up,” the habit of outsourcing faith to other people’s certainty, or the constant reach for distraction because silence feels like Moses taking too long.

Then offer one simple practice drawn from the readings. When anxiety rises, borrow President Nelson’s Sabbath question and generalize it beyond Sunday: “What sign do I want to give to God?” (“The Sabbath Is a Delight,” May 2015, 130). That question can guide a conversation with a spouse, a decision about media, or the way we respond when we feel alone. It turns the moment from impulse to covenant.

Also, encourage preparation that fits adult life. Sinai preparation was intentional (Exodus 19:10–11, 17). For many, that might mean arriving at sacrament meeting with a settled heart, or setting aside a few minutes before worship to stop scrolling and start praying. Small acts of preparation can make room for big spiritual experiences.

CLOSING TESTIMONY & INVITATION (2–3 minutes)

Israel’s story holds two sentences in tension: “All that the Lord hath said will we do” (Exodus 24:7), and “They have turned aside quickly” (Exodus 32:8). The Lord’s answer is not abandonment. The Lord declares His name: “merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth” (Exodus 34:6).

Invite the class to carry one question into the week: What sign do I want to give to God today? (see “The Sabbath Is a Delight,” May 2015, 130; Exodus 31:13). Encourage them to watch for moments when they feel pulled toward substitutes, and to practice turning toward the Lord again, trusting the God who calls His covenant people His “treasure” (Exodus 19:5; “Children of the Covenant,” Ensign, May 1995, 34).

I bear witness that the Lord who spoke at Sinai still binds up covenant hearts, and He still receives returning disciples with mercy and truth (Exodus 34:6).