Advanced Level, Block 4, Week 33: The Plan of the Tabernacle and the Golden Calf

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Advanced Level, Block 4—Wilderness

Week 33
The Plan of the Tabernacle and the Golden Calf

Point to Emphasize: We should use our spare time in a positive way, not just for play (or our own entertainment).

Reference Reading: Exodus 19:1-25 (law was given); 24:1-4, 12-18, footnote 181; 25:1, 8-9; 32:1-6, footnote 42; 18-19

Memory Verse: …Always pursue what is good both for one another and for all.
(1 Thessalonians 5:15b)

Story Sample

After speaking the law to His people, God charged Moses to come up to Mount Sinai to stay with Him. This time, God was going to show him the design of the tabernacle that He wanted them to build. The tabernacle was the place God would dwell among His people. God was very thorough in everything He said about this building. God gave specific instructions: measurements, materials, sizes, colors, furniture, metals, and stones. Everything that happened on that mountain between God and Moses was very important, serious, and solemn. In all, Moses was up on the mountain for forty days.

Forty days might seem like a long time. Do you think the children of Israel were waiting with anticipation to hear what God had to say? Sad to say, while Moses was there receiving these important words from God, they made a golden calf, an idol. After the golden calf was made, the Bible says that “the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play” (Exodus 32:6) in front of the idol. Most of the children of Israel just wanted to fill their time with “enjoyment” and play.

What took place in these chapters of the Bible brings in a very important matter for all of us to consider. Human life is not about playing when we should be focused on doing other things. At your age, life should be about learning, doing your duties (homework and chores), exploring, and applying yourself to constructive pursuits, and NOT just about aimlessly “hanging out” or wasting time. There is a time for everything. God gave us twenty-four hours in a day. We have time to sleep, time to eat, time to go to school, time to do homework, time to exercise, and we still have spare time. What do we do with our spare time? We can do different activities that are safe and beneficial to us so that we can grow and be someone useful to God. The things we do when we are children will impact who we are when we grow older.

When I was about your age, many times I had a lot of spare time. Usually, my mom was taking care of my younger sisters and younger cousins and I had to figure out what to do on my own. So, I decided to study more, in this way I got straight A’s. I learned how to ride a bike, how to play volleyball, and how to babysit younger children. There was one thing I really wanted to become good at and that was cooking and baking. I was famous for my pancakes and my cakes. Years later, I was able to bake and sell desserts to earn money for my first trip to California! I am glad I used my time wisely in things that made a positive impact on who I am today. [Storyteller, please share your own example of a positive activity that helped you.]

What do we do with our time? We need to give this matter some serious consideration, especially after the example we learned of the children of Israel. While Moses was with God, they were carried away with having a good time, being entertained, and spending their time to “play”. What a waste of forty days!

With your spare time each day, you can pursue things like learning another language. Maybe at home, you speak Spanish or Chinese but that does not mean you really know the language. Maybe you should spend time every week, learning how to speak, read, and write in that language. Or maybe you could learn to play an instrument and even learn to read and compose music. Learning to play an instrument and learning to speak, read, and write another language are both excellent ways to use your time. What about diving into a subject that really interests you—space travel, the universe, the deep seas, explorers, etc.? Why not take a sewing class or a cooking class on-line with your parent’s supervision? There are so many healthy, interesting, and constructive activities that we can and should be engaged in to become useful and skillful people.

I hope that there is a serious consideration in you now. Be sure to sit down with your parents and talk about these things. If you don’t sit down with your parents and talk about all we have covered today, then I am afraid you won’t have the way to work it out. Talking with them will give you a way to use your time wisely.

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