1.26.2025 | The Golden Calf
Exodus 32; 34:1-9
The average person will spend 52 days of their life waiting in line. That’s a lot of ... waiting! We don’t like waiting in line at the store, waiting for our food to be ready, and waiting on our sister to get out of the bathroom. The worst is waiting on someone to help us do something we really want to do for ourselves. Waiting makes us impatient and frustrated, which leads us to say or do things we wouldn’t normally do.
This was exactly the case for the Israelites. God led His people into the wilderness, but He did not leave them there alone. He was there with them. He provided meat, bread, and water to satisfy them. But when Moses went up on the mountain and did not return for several weeks, the people felt abandoned. Instead of trusting God and being patient, they decided to make something new to worship.
When God saw what they were doing, He wanted to destroy the people. It may sound harsh, but God had every right to do so! They took the worship that belonged to God—the one who saved them from Egypt—and gave it to a metal cow!
The Israelites deserved to be punished for their sin against God, but Moses asked God to forgive the people. In the same way, we deserve to be punished for our sin, but God has made forgiveness available through Jesus.
The people chose to worship a golden calf instead of God, and God’s anger burned against them. Moses interceded so that God would forgive them. We are all sinners who deserve the wrath of God, but Jesus interceded for us through His life, death, and resurrection so we can be saved!
Memory Verse & Question
Family Prayer Time
Mornings
Praise God for being a compassionate and merciful God. Thank Him for not immediately giving us the punishment we deserve when we sin, and for giving us the chance to be forgiven through faith in Jesus.
Evenings
Ask God to help you trust Him more than anything else. Have you ever trusted in your own ability, other people, or other things more than God? Why Does God deserve to be first in our lives?
Family Activities
For Fun
Bake cookies together as a family. Allow each family member to help in the process. While the cookies bake in the oven, talk about how hard it is to wait for something you really want—like cookies! Talk with kids about how our impatience often reveals what we truly desire most. Pray as a family that God would work in your hearts to desire Jesus and His will more than anything.
To Serve
Take time this week to clean out a closet or toy box. As you prepare to donate or get rid of items, talk about how we all desire to have things that make us feel happy or more popular. Discuss with your kids how our “stuff” can be an idol—something that we love or trust to satisfy us more than God. Ask God to cleanse your heart of any idols and to help you look to Him as your only need.
