Sunday School Quiz – Lesson 66: The Golden Calf

#1 In this new series about the people of Israel as they journeyed from slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, Moses, their leader had to leave them for a short while. Where had Moses gone and why?

He had gone to look for food because the people were hungry.

He had gone up Mount Sinai to receive the 10 commandments from the Lord God.

He was tired of being leader and was hiding away to get some peace and quiet.

Moses had the amazing privilege of receiving God’s instructions directly and receiving the 10 commandments written in God’s own hand.

#2 Even though Moses hadn’t been gone very long, the Israelites got restless waiting for him to return. What did they do?

They asked Aaron the priest to make them other gods so they could enjoy worshipping them, instead of the one true God.

They decided to go back to Egypt, because they didn’t know where else to go.

They were tired and hungry, so they decided to go to bed and see if Moses was back by the next day.

Even though the Israelites knew that God hated sin, they gave in to temptation, just wanting to enjoy themselves, regardless of the consequences.

#3 The Israelites asked Aaron to make them an idol to worship, instead of God. What did they have to give Aaron?

They had to give him some of their most valuable possessions, golden jewellery.

They had to give him their promise that Aaron would be their leader instead of Moses.

They had to give Aaron all their thanks for making them very happy.

Paying for the sinful idols of this world is very expensive, not just in terms of money, but damage to our lives and character.

#4 What did Aaron make out of the gold he collected from the Israelites?

A golden altar.

A golden calf.

A golden statue of himself

Could a golden image of an animal really replace the true and living God? Never!

#5 What did the people do when they saw the golden calf?

They felt guilty and decided to wait for Moses to come back.

They were angry with Aaron and said they did not like the golden calf and wanted their own jewellery back.

They had a great feast, with a lot of food and drink and dancing in a hysterical frenzy.

They turned their back on God’s ways and all the gifts of intelligence, reason, and self-control that He had given them and became more like animals.

#6 Moses, following the Lord God’s instructions had saved the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, with the promise of going to a wonderful new home. How did the Israelites feel the day after their drunken party?

Ashamed, because they had disobeyed God.

Foolish, because a golden statue of an animal cannot replace a real living God.

Selfish, because they had chosen to do what they wanted, forgetting all about Moses and what he had done for them.

Sad, because they had ignored the promise of long-term joy and happiness for short term, so called ‘pleasures’.

All of the above.

God created us to worship Him and follow his laws because that is what will bring us long term joy. When we think we know better than God, we fall into sin, which eventually will make us sad and unhappy and lose our place in heaven.

#7 When Moses returned from Mount Sinai with the two stone tablets with the 10 commandments written by God, and saw what the people had done, what did he do?

He made all the people line up and say sorry to him.

He led all the people back to Egypt because they didn’t deserve the freedom that God had given them.

He smashed the stone tablets on the ground and burned the golden calf.

Moses was very angry that the people had allowed such a great sin to get the better of them. God had created them in His image, but they had chosen to behave like animals, turning their backs on God’s great love. God hates sin.

#8 Just like the Israelites, we are all tempted to sin, breaking God’s laws. We don’t have Moses to lead us, but how can we avoid the mistakes that the Israelites made and avoid the consequences of sin?

Believe in the Lord Jesus, repenting of our sins, knowing that Jesus died to take our punishment.

Avoid golden statues and anything that might become an idol to us.

Read our Bible to understand more about the Lord Jesus and how he can save us.

Ask Jesus for forgiveness for all the sins we have committed.