22/02 Journey to the Promised Land: The Golden Calf

Life Group Discussion Notes

Exodus 32|:1-14 — The Golden Calf

Read Passage

Discussion Questions

1. Waiting and control

• Why do you think waiting is so hard for us as humans?

• Do you think the people were wrong, or simply human?

• Is taking control always a lack of faith? Or can it sometimes be necessary?

2. Modern golden calves

• What do you think are the most common “golden calves” today?

• Is busyness always unhealthy? Or can it sometimes be faithful?

• How do you know when something good has become something unhealthy?

3. God’s apparent absence

• Have you ever experienced a time when God felt distant or silent?

• What helped, or didn’t help, in that time?

• Do you think God is still at work when we can’t feel it?

4. Mercy

In the story, God does not abandon the people.

• What does this story suggest about God’s character?

• Do you find that comforting, challenging, or surprising?

• Why?

5. Personal reflection (optional)

• Where in your life might God be inviting you to stop, wait, or trust?