Once upon a time, the people of Israel had just left Egypt. They were very happy to be free. Moses was their leader, and he loved God very much. God told Moses to go up a tall mountain called Mount Sinai. Moses went up the mountain to talk with God.
The mountain was very high, and the clouds covered the top like a big, soft blanket. Moses stayed there for many days. The people waited and waited. But after a long time, they started to feel worried. They didn’t see Moses come back.
Some people said, “Maybe Moses is never coming back!” They felt scared and lonely. They wanted something to help them feel safe. So, they asked Aaron, Moses’ brother, to make something they could see and touch.
Aaron took all the shiny gold from the people’s jewelry. He melted the gold and made a golden calf—a statue that looked like a little cow. The people looked at the golden calf and said, “This is our god who brought us out of Egypt!” They danced and sang around it.
But God was very sad. He had told the people to love only Him. He said, “You must not make gods from gold or anything else.” God’s heart was like a broken flower because the people forgot Him so quickly.
When Moses came down from the mountain, he saw the people dancing around the golden calf. His heart felt heavy, like a big stone. He said loudly, “Why did you do this? God is the one who saved you!” Moses was very sad, but he loved God and the people very much.
Moses prayed to God and asked for forgiveness for the people. God is very kind and always ready to forgive when we say sorry. Moses told the people to stop and remember God’s love. The people felt sorry and promised to follow God again.
This story teaches us how much God loves us and wants us to trust Him only. Even when we make mistakes, God is ready to forgive us if we ask Him with a true heart.
Questions to think about
- Why did the people make a golden calf?
- How do you think Moses felt when he saw the calf?
- What did God want the people to do?
- What can we do when we make mistakes?
- How does God show His love to us?
Message of the story
God loves us very much and wants us to trust and follow Him only. When we make mistakes, God is always ready to forgive us if we say sorry.
Bible passage
Exodus 32:1-35 (World English Bible)
1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered themselves together to Aaron and said to him, “Come, make us gods that will go before us. For this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don’t know what has become of him.”
2 Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings that are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.”
3 All the people broke off the golden earrings that were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.
4 He received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it into a molten calf. Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
5 When Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. Aaron made a proclamation and said, “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.”
6 So the next day they rose early and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings. The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play.
7 The Lord said to Moses, “Go, get down! For your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted
