From Rephidim the Israelites passed into the desert of Sinai and from the top of Mount Sinai God gave Moses a message for them. Among clouds from which lightning gleamed and thunder muttered, Moses was given the Ten Commandments, which were to be kept by the Israelites and their children, and laws which they were to observe. [Illustration: "Among clouds from which lightning gleamed."] "AMONG CLOUDS FROM WHICH LIGHTNING GLEAMED." A second time Moses was called to communion with God on Mount Sinai, and Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy of the elders of the children of Israel were permitted to accompany him a part of the way, while he and Joshua, the young leader of the Israelites in their first battle, went on further. After waiting for six days Moses went alone nearer to the top of the mountain and staid there forty days and forty nights while God disclosed to him His purposes regarding the children of Israel, and delivered into his hands two tables or tablets of stone upon which He had graven the Ten Commandments. When Moses came down from Mount Sinai a strange sight met his eyes. In his absence the fickle Israelites had persuaded Aaron to make them an idol such as they had seen in Egypt and which they could worship. They had given Aaron their jewels of gold and he had made of them a golden calf, to which they were now bowing down and offering sacrifices. In his anger Moses cast the tablets of stone from him and in their fall they were broken. Then after reproaching Aaron for what he had done, Moses destroyed the golden calf by fire and by grinding it to powder, and strewed the ashes and powder upon water, which he made the Israelites drink. Then he stood at the gate of the camp and called for all those who were on the Lord's side to come and stand beside him. The children of Levi, the third son of Jacob, answered this call, and Moses told them to go through the camp and slay every man they met. This they did, and three thousand Israelites fell at that time. After this God told Moses to make two tablets of stone like those he had broken, and with them come alone to Him on Mount Sinai, where He would engrave upon them the words which were on the first tablets. Moses did this, and when he came down from the mountain his face shone so that Aaron and the people were afraid to speak to him until he had put a veil over it. For more than a year the Israelites remained near Mount Sinai, and during that time Moses told them, among other things which God had imparted to him, how the Tabernacle was to be made, who its priests were to be, and how the services were to be conducted. The people brought him all the material they had that was suitable for those purposes, and skilful men built the beautiful and costly Tabernacle, in which was placed the Ark of the Covenant, which they were also instructed to make.