Come, Follow Me · Week 17 · April 20–26

Exodus 19–20; 24; 31–34

This Week's Reading

This week’s Come, Follow Me reading covers the dramatic moments when God called Israel to be His holy people at Mount Sinai. The scriptures describe how Moses mediated between a reluctant nation and a majestic Creator, establishing the foundational laws that would guide their lives for generations. These passages teach us that Jesus Christ is the ultimate fulfillment of these covenants, as He perfectly kept the Law and offers mercy to those who strive to follow it. We see God’s character revealed through His power to deliver Israel from bondage and His profound desire to dwell with His people despite their imperfections.

Key Passages

Exodus 19:3–6 God invites Israel to be a "peculiar treasure" and a "kingdom of priests," showing that our identity is found in our relationship with Him.
Exodus 20:1–10 The Ten Commandments begin by declaring who God is—the Redeemer who brought us out of Egypt—and define the boundaries for honoring His name and resting in Him.
Exodus 24:3–8 The people collectively agreed to keep God's words, sealing their covenant with blood that symbolized both the seriousness of the law and the grace of God.
Exodus 31:12–17 The Sabbath is established as a sacred sign between God and His people, reminding us that He created the world and rests in His perfect work.
Exodus 34:5–10 When Moses sees God's glory, he learns that God is "merciful and gracious," forgiving iniquity while remaining holy, pointing to the Savior who bridges our sin and His righteousness.

Questions to Ponder

How does understanding God as a jealous God who demands our first love change the way we prioritize Him in our daily lives?
In what ways do you see Jesus Christ fulfilling the role of the perfect High Priest who mediates between us and God?
Why is the Sabbath described as a "sign" between God and His people, and how can keeping it help us feel closer to the Creator today?
How does the story of Moses interceding for Israel encourage you when you feel like God might be too holy to forgive your mistakes?

A Thought to Take Home

These ancient scriptures remind us that God is not distant or indifferent but deeply desires a personal relationship with us. While we cannot perfectly keep the Law on our own, Jesus Christ has already fulfilled every requirement and offers His atoning sacrifice to cleanse our sins. As we study these texts, may we find comfort in knowing that God's mercy extends to thousands of generations, inviting us to return to Him with humble hearts.

Further study

Exodus 19:3–6 Exodus 20:1–10 Exodus 24:3–8 Exodus 31:12–17 Exodus 34:5–10

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This guide was prepared with AI from the scriptures and checked against the text; it can still make mistakes. For the Church's own guidance, read the official Come, Follow Me manual for this week. Nephite Atlas is not affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Key passages

Exodus 19:3–6

³And 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; ⁴Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. ⁵Now 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: ⁶And 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.

Exodus 20:1–10

¹And God spake all these words, saying, ²I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. ³Thou shalt have no other gods before me. ⁴Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: ⁵Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; ⁶And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. ⁷Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. ⁸Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. ⁹Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: ¹⁰But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

Exodus 24:3–8

³And Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. ⁴And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵And he sent young men of the children of Israel, which offered burnt offerings, and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen unto the LORD. ⁶And Moses took half of the blood, and put it in basins; and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient. ⁸And Moses took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people, and said, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made with you concerning all these words.

Exodus 31:12–17

¹²And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, ¹³Speak 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. ¹⁴Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ¹⁵Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD: whosoever doeth any work in the sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. ¹⁶Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. ¹⁷It 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.

Exodus 34:5–10

⁵And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. ⁶And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, ⁷Keeping 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. ⁸And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped. ⁹And 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. ¹⁰And 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.