17 All That the Lord Hath Spoken We Will Do

All That the Lord Hath Spoken We Will Do

All that the Lord Hath Spoken We Will Do




Moses read the law at the foot of Mt. Sinai, and the people said,

Exodus 24:7 “All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.”

God called Moses back into the Mt.

Exodus 25:8 “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.”

The people had said that they would be obedient, but when Moses was speaking with the Lord, learning about his word and how the people could have God’s presence with them, the people were making an idol god to worship instead.

When we promise to always remember Him, do we remember, or do we choose idol gods, too?

I am thankful that the Lord always remembers us, even when we have not always remembered Him.

Exodus 34:6 And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Church

The Lord’s covenant people are a treasure to Him.
Exodus 19:3–6

Are your own children a treasure to you? Do you remember what a beautiful gift they are from your loving Heavenly Father? Do you remember that they are His children first? How can we learn to treasure our children, and each other, as children of God?

Children of the Covenant
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.’ … For us to be identified by servants of the Lord as his peculiar people is a compliment of the highest order.”

Do we recognize our relationship to the Father of Lights? Do we stand as lights to the world in bearing testimony of Him. Do people notice a difference in our countenances?

How do you know that the Lord treasures you?

Exodus 19:3–6
And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, saying, 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.

Sacred experiences require preparation.
Exodus 19:10–11, 17

How are you preparing to meet the Lord? Do you take certain measures in your preparation to participate in taking the sacrament and in temple worship?

Exodus 19:10–11, 17 10 ¶ And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to day and to morrow, and let them wash their clothes,

11 And be ready against the third day: for the third day the Lord will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.

17 And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount.

What part does your own physical preparation play in your sanctification? What part does you faith in Jesus Christ and the Spirit play in your sanctification? What does it mean to you to feel prepared and sanctified to worship the Lord?

Exodus 19:5 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:

Are you keeping the covenants that you have made, and that you are renewing, with the Lord?

How do you prepare for spiritual experiences, including the sacrament and temple ordinances? How can you help others prepare?

How do you pray in order to become close to the Lord? How do you pray before rendering a service or sacrifice to the Lord?

Luke 6:12–13
12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

13 ¶ And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

How hungry are you to know the word and the will of the Lord? How hungry are you to feel His love and His forgiveness?

Enos 1:2–6
And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.

Behold, I went to hunt beasts in the forests; and the words which I had often heard my father speak concerning eternal life, and the joy of the saints, sunk deep into my heart.

And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens.

And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed.

And I, Enos, knew that God could not lie; wherefore, my guilt was swept away.

Are you willing to put in the effort that you need to, in order to know God and be able to serve Him? Are you willing to let go of relationships when others, who may forsake God, want to pull you down?

Do you rejoice in the repentance and brotherhood that you share with others?

Alma 17:2–3
Now these sons of Mosiah were with Alma at the time the angel first appeared unto him; therefore Alma did rejoice exceedingly to see his brethren; and what added more to his joy, they were still his brethren in the Lord; yea, and they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God.

But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.

 

Obedience to God’s commandments brings blessings.
Exodus 20:1–17

From the base of Mt. Sinai, the children of Israel heard the voice of the Lord giving the Ten Commandments.

Deuteronomy 4:12–13 12 And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice.

13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

Exodus 20:1–17
As you study the Ten Commandments, you might want to divide them into commandments that agree with the First Great Commandment (1st 4), and those that agree with the Second Great Commandment (the next 6). What is the Lord asking us to do (or not to do), and what are the blessings that we will receive as we adhere to His commandments and remember Him?

Matthew 22:34–40
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

How are the Ten Commandments in perfect harmony with the gospel of Jesus Christ found in the 1st Two Great Commandments?

The Ten Commandments are NOT obsolete.

How Gentle God’s Commands

How has the Lord shown His love and mercy for you as you have strived to obey His commandments?

Exodus 20:6
And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

The Great Commandment—Love the Lord

No Other Gods

Commandments

Video: Let Us Cherish, Ponder, and Follow the Ten Commandments: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqxwoFvfckg

Making covenants shows my willingness to obey God’s law.
Exodus 24:1–11

What covenants have you made with the Lord? Do you see similarities in rituals that people did while looking forward to Jesus Christ’s first coming and to Latter-day Christians? Can you see a relationship to the covenants that were made anciently and those made now?

Sin is turning away from God; repentance is turning toward Him and away from evil.
Exodus 32–34

Exodus 32:1–8 Are you learning to rely on the gift and power of the Holy Ghost in your life? Have you developed a relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ through prayer? If you were not to hear from a spiritual leader, who holds priesthood keys, authority, and power, for a month or so, would you still hold on to the testimony that you have and worship the true and living God?

How can we help ourselves and others to remember the Lord and worship Him, even when there is confusion in the world around us?

Why do we seek golden idols in our lives?

Exodus 33:11–17 Do you have faith to plead with the Lord in your own callings and mission, and to find favor in His sight?

What does Exodus 34:1–10 teach you about the Savior?
And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin

And he said, If now I have found grace in thy sight, O Lord, let my Lord, I pray thee, go among us; for it is a stiffnecked people; and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for thine inheritance.

10 ¶ And he said, Behold, I make a covenant: before all thy people I will do marvels, such as have not been done in all the earth, nor in any nation: and all the people among which thou art shall see the work of the Lord: for it is a terrible thing that I will do with thee.

Exodus 32:30–32 Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin.

31 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.

32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.

Mosiah 14:4–8
Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all.

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb so he opened not his mouth.

He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living; for the transgressions of my people was he stricken.

15:9
Having ascended into heaven, having the bowels of mercy; being filled with compassion towards the children of men; standing betwixt them and justice; having broken the bands of death, taken upon himself their iniquity and their transgressions, having redeemed them, and satisfied the demands of justice.

Doctrine and Covenants 45:3–5
Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—

Saying: Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified;

Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life.

The Sabbath is a sign.
Exodus 31:13–16

“My conduct and my attitude on the Sabbath constituted a sign between me and my Heavenly Father….What sign do I want to give to God?” (President Nelson).

Exodus 31:13
13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.

Ezekiel 20:12, 20
12 Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them.

20 And hallow my sabbaths; and they shall be a sign between me and you, that ye may know that I am the Lord your God.

The Sabbath Is a Delight

What sign you want to give God with your observance of the Sabbath.

What was the difference between the two sets of stone tables Moses made?
Exodus 34:1–4

Because the Israelites had chosen wickedness, Moses broke the tablets of stone that contained the higher law.

Exodus 31:18 18 ¶ And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.

32:19 19 ¶ And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.

I am not convinced that it wasn’t just a fit of rage. The people were not ready to have the higher law. To have a law written by the hand of the Lord would be something! To break our covenants to it is detrimental.

Moses was commanded to make the second set, before he returned to the mount to see what the Lord was willing to do for this repentant, learning, people.

Exodus 34:1–4 Moses commanded to hew two tablets of stone and to meet the Lord in the morning.

After the children of Israel had participated in such wickedness, they were in dire need of healing. The Lord told Moses to take to tablets and to come up to Him [call Him] in the morning.

Joseph Smith Translation of Exodus 34:1–2
And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee two other tables of stone, like unto the first, and I will write upon them also, the words of the law, according as they were written at the first on the tables which thou brakest; but it shall not be according to the first, for I will take away the priesthood out of their midst; therefore my holy order, and the ordinances thereof, shall not go before them; for my presence shall not go up in their midst, lest I destroy them.

But I will give unto them the law as at the first, but it shall be after the law of a carnal commandment; for I have sworn in my wrath, that they shall not enter into my presence, into my rest, in the days of their pilgrimage. Therefore do as I have commanded thee, and be ready in the morning, and come up in the morning unto mount Sinai, and present thyself there to me, in the top of the mount.

Doctrine and Covenants 84:17–27 Because the children of Israel weren’t yet prepared for the higher law, along with the responsibilities of the Melchizedek Priesthood, they were given the lower law, along with the Preparatory Priesthood, or the Priesthood of Aaron.

The Melchizedek Priesthood is given to us so that we can prepare to enter God’s presence.

The children of Israel really chose the lower law themselves. They did not feel ready to enter God’s presence. How are we doing in that regard?

Scripture Helps

Click to see more.

For Children:

God gives me commandments because He wants me to be happy.
Exodus 20:3–17

Help children understand that the commandments are given to guide us in decisions we make to be true to God. They help us to make covenants, so that we can have the Spirit with us, gain blessings, and be happy.

Keep the Commandments

When children share spiritual experiences, their testimony grows. The questions you ask can encourage your children to share how they feel about the Savior and how living the gospel has blessed them (see Teaching in the Savior’s Way32). When they do this, they are bearing testimony. Consider how you can do this as you discuss the blessings that come from living the Ten Commandments.

Video: Invite Diligent Learning: Let children share what they learn: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/video/teaching-videos/2026-03-invite-diligent-learning-let-children-share-what-they-learn?lang=eng

The Lord wants me to honor my parents.
Exodus 20:12
12 ¶ Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

How did Jesus honor His parents?

Luke 2:48–51
48 And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.

49 And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?

50 And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

51 And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

John 19:26–27
26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!

27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.

 

Honoring the Sabbath is a sign of my love for the Lord.
Exodus 31:13, 16–17

You can allow your children to name some signs and symbols. Talk about the purpose of signs.

Exodus 31:13, 16–17
13 Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you.

16 Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant.

17 It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed.

How do you and your family show your love to the Lord on the Sabbath day?

I will not “turn aside” from God’s ways.
Exodus 32:1–8, 19–2434:6–7

Video: Moses on Mount Sinai

Why was it wrong for the Israelites to worship a statue instead of God?

Exodus 34:6–7
And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,

Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



  

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