Apr 13-19
The Law Written on Stone
๐ Exodus 21-24
God's Rules for Being Kind
Last week, God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments from the top of a smoky, shaking mountain. This week, God explains more about what those rules mean.
What Does "Be Kind" Actually Look Like?
Saying "be kind" is easy. Knowing what it means every single day is harder.
God helped the Israelites by giving them very specific rules. Things like:
- If you find something that belongs to someone else, give it back. Even if it's someone you don't like very much. Even if it's their donkey wandering around lost. You bring it home to them. (Exodus 23:4)
- Be fair to everyone. Don't treat poor people badly, and don't lie to make someone look guilty when they're not.
- Be kind to strangers. God told the Israelites, "Remember โ you were strangers in Egypt once. You know what it feels like to be the outsider."
God cares about the little things. How you treat the new kid at school. Whether you share when it's hard. Whether you tell the truth when lying would be easier.
Dinner on the Mountain
After the people agreed to follow God's rules, something amazing happened.
Moses and seventy leaders climbed up the mountain. And they saw God. The ground under His feet looked like bright blue stone โ clear like the sky on the most beautiful day you've ever seen.
And then โ they sat down and ate a meal together. Right there, with God.
Can you imagine eating lunch with Heavenly Father? Sitting right there with Him?
That's what a covenant looks like. It's a promise so big that you celebrate it like a special dinner. When we take the sacrament on Sunday, we're doing something a lot like what those seventy people did on that mountain โ sharing bread and remembering our promises to God.
Moses Goes Up Into the Cloud
After the meal, God called Moses even higher. Moses walked into the cloud on the top of the mountain. From far away, it looked like the mountain was covered in fire.
Moses stayed up there for forty days! That's a long time. God was writing His commandments on stone tablets with His own finger. He wanted those rules to last forever.
๐ฎ What did God tell the Israelites to do if they found something that belonged to someone else? - Keep it [correct: false] - Give it back [correct: true] - Hide it [correct: false] - Throw it away [correct: false]
๐ฎ Why did God say to be kind to strangers? - Because strangers are always nice [correct: false] - Because the Israelites were strangers in Egypt and know how it feels [correct: true] - Because strangers have more money [correct: false] - Because Moses said so [correct: false]
๐ฎ What did the ground under God's feet look like on the mountain? - Gold [correct: false] - Bright blue stone, clear like the sky [correct: true] - Green grass [correct: false] - White snow [correct: false]
๐ฎ What did the seventy leaders do after they saw God? - They ran away [correct: false] - They ate a meal together in God's presence [correct: true] - They fell asleep [correct: false] - They went back to camp [correct: false]
๐ฎ How long did Moses stay on the mountain? - Two days [correct: false] - One week [correct: false] - Forty days [correct: true] - One year [correct: false]
๐ฎ How did God write the commandments on the stone tablets? - Moses carved them [correct: false] - God wrote them with His own finger [correct: true] - An angel wrote them [correct: false] - The people wrote them [correct: false]
Your Mission This Week: This week, try to be kind to someone who feels like a stranger or an outsider. Maybe it's a new kid at school, someone sitting alone at lunch, or someone in your neighborhood you haven't talked to before. Say hi. Sit with them. Ask their name. Remember โ you know what it feels like when someone is kind to you. Be that person for someone else!
Family Activity: At dinner this week, have everyone share one rule they think your family should follow โ like "always say thank you" or "help without being asked." Write them all down on a big piece of paper and put it on the fridge. You're making your own "family covenant," just like the Israelites made theirs at Mount Sinai!