WEEK 10- "I Know!": The Lesson of the Golden Calf
MONDAY — Read the passage with your team.
1 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
2 Do not be quick with your mouth; do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.
3 As a dream comes when there are many cares, so the speech of a fool when there are many words.
4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5 It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. 6 Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the temple messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7 Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.
Ecclesiastes 5:1-7
1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, "Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."
2 Aaron answered them, "Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me." 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt."
5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar in front of the calf and announced, "Tomorrow there will be a festival to the Lord." 6 So the next day the people rose early and sacrificed burnt offerings and presented fellowship offerings. Afterward they sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.
Exodus 32:1-6
What does this passage have to say about humility?
Why is that important?
TUESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
1) Ecclesiastes 5:1-7 warns about being slow to listen and quick to speak many words. The passage describes those who engage in these habits as people “who do not know that they do wrong” (v. 1). Does that phrase scare you at all? Why or why not?
2) Do you ever catch yourself saying, “I know! I know!” when someone is telling you something? Do you say this to your coach when he instructs you? Why? Do you think your coach would be telling you this if you really did know it already?
3) We want so desperately to be right; we want to explain that we already know! Why is it so hard to listen? What is the consequence of “the speech of a fool” (v. 7)? In order to avoid this tragic consequence, gain wisdom from the words of verse 2: “Do not be quick with your mouth; do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.”
WEDNESDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
4) Most of us know the story of Israel’s disobedience in Exodus 32 — even after all of the wonders they had seen God perform in freeing them from slavery in Egypt. But...did you notice what Aaron says in verse 5: “Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.” Who was this feast intended to honor? Did the people really think they were honoring the Lord in this?
5) Does it scare you to think that you sometimes believe you are honoring God, but your actions are really outright sin? How can you humbly sit at God’s feet and learn to keep yourself from these things? Really, what are some specific things you could do to humble yourself before God?
THURSDAY — Discuss the passage with your team.
6) What words and actions of pride or willful disobedience do you need to confess to your coaches and teammates? To what habits can you commit yourself in order to humble yourself before God and honor your team?
7) Do you need to do the same with your family? How about your teachers? Your boss or co-workers? Ask your teammates to pray for you in these things.
FRIDAY — Discuss sport applications of humility, and pray together.
· Ask your athletes to briefly reflect on what they’ve learned about humility this week, and to repeat some of those things. (Remind them of some of the Biblical truths about humility you’ve discussed, if necessary.)
· Ask your team, “Based on what we learned about humility this week...What does a humble athlete do?” Do not settle for vague answers; challenge your athletes to go beyond general qualities of a humble athlete, and to determine what those qualities look like in action.
· Add the results to your team’s list of descriptions of the “humble athlete”, and be sure the list is displayed somewhere that is constantly visible, as a reminder to the team.
· Pray together as a team. Encourage your athletes to pray for your team’s growth in regard to the discipline of humility — especially in relation to some of the issues and challenges that you discussed together this week. Challenge them to also ask for forgiveness, when applicable. Give time for athletes to request prayer (regarding humility or anything else), and pray together.
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