Text: Exodus 19-20; 24; 31-34

Supplemental Text: The Third Thousand Years chapters 14-16

BYU Lecture 20: After a 2 month journey from Egypt, Moses brings the entire camp of Israel to the base of Mt Sinai. Moses climbs the mount and meets with God, who offers Israel a covenant to make them His chosen people and to do His work throughout the world, if they would be obedient. This is the same covenant God made with Enoch, Jared, Melchizedek, and the Latter-day Saints. Moses returns and presents God’s offer to the Israelites who accept the covenant wholeheartedly. Moses ascends back up the mount to report to God. He asks God to allow the Israelites to see and hear God for themselves, as He did for the people of Enoch. God agrees to let the people see great wonders and hear His voice, but they are not yet prepared spiritually to see His face. Moses returns down the mount and instructs the people to begin their sanctification. God begins to show great wonders and the voice of God thunders across all Israel as He recites to Moses the ten commandments. This so frightened the entire camp of Israel that they all fled “afar off” and meekly ask Moses to be their spokesman.

Again ascending the mount, this time with Aaron, his two sons and 70 righteous elders, God visits them. Moses climbs further and for 40 days receives the two tablets of stone (10 commandments), additional higher laws, and the sacred temple ordinances. Meanwhile, Aaron, his 2 sons and the 70 elders become impatient and return to the camp of Israel. These people had also become impatient and regressed into recklessness, returning to the debauchery of heathen cults and fertility worship as learned in Egypt, including the worship of a golden calf. The Lord commands Moses to hurry down the mountain because Israel had corrupted themselves.

Moses hurries down and when he saw what the Israelites were doing he was so disgusted he smashes the sacred tablets and commands the Levites to slay the 3,000 who were participating in the cult.

Again, Moses ascends the mount and stays for another 40 days for further instruction.

The tabernacle is built, but for a lessor purpose and a lesser priesthood. The carnal commandments are set in order, including tedious offerings, sacrifices, rituals, health codes and other schoolmaster elements. These carnal commandments will remain as part of the Law of Moses until the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.