VERSES: Exodus 5, 6
MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 5:2 "And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go?..."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Daniel. Review the Old Testament books from Genesis to Daniel. The song, The Old Testament Books, on this blog under March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 might be helpful, especially if the children are struggling with the pronunciation of the books.
PRAYER: May we learn to always trust God. He knows what is best for us. Let us always be hard workers for the LORD and never, ever lazy. God loves busy people!
SPECIAL SONG: The Bible, The Bible (see February - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #2 on this blog.)
VISUAL AID: Large "Let My People Go!" Bubbles (see Activity below)
LESSON POINTS:
- At the end of our lesson last time, Moses and Aaron had gathered the elders of the children of Israel together and explained that God had appeared to Moses and instructed him to deliver the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. Do you remember what God had told Moses to do if the people did not believe that God had appeared to him? That's right! He threw down his rod on the ground and it became what? A snake! Moses then put his hand in his cloak and when he pulled it out it was as white as snow with leprosy! Did the people believe that God had sent Moses? YES! Remember they all bowed their heads and worshiped God.
- Moses and Aaron went in to talk to Pharaoh and delivered God's message--the reason why they were there: God wanted Pharaoh to let His people travel three days' journey into the wilderness and worship Him. Do you know what Pharaoh said? He said, "Who is the LORD that I should obey his voice? I will not let the people go." Egyptians did not worship God. They worshiped things that God had made; things like the sun, the moon, and the stars. They did not worship God like the children of Israel did. Egyptians worshiped idols. They didn't even know who God was! How very, very sad!
- Pharaoh then said to Moses and Aaron, "Why are you keeping the people from their work? Get back to work! There are many, many Hebrews and you are making the people rest from their hard work." Then Pharaoh spoke to the taskmasters or the 'bosses' over God's people and said, "From now on, you will not give these Hebrew people any straw for their bricks like they have had in the past. Let them go and gather straw for themselves, but they still must make the same number of bricks. They are lazy. That's why they want to go and sacrifice to their God." Was this Pharaoh kind to God's people like the Pharaoh was in Joseph's time? NO! Was this Pharaoh truthful? NO! God's people were not lazy! They were hard workers! That's how we should be! Hard workers and not lazy!
- When the children heard their taskmasters or Egyptian 'bosses' tell them they had to get their own straw AND still make the same number of bricks, they were angry with Moses and Aaron. They thought that Moses and Aaron had made their lives even harder! When the Hebrew people could not make bricks at the same rate as when they were given straw, their Egyptian bosses beat them and blamed the people for being lazy.
- The elders of the children of Israel met with Moses and Aaron and said to them, "Now look at the trouble you have caused us! The Egyptians will kill us if we don't do their work!" Moses talked to God about this trouble and God said, " Now, you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. Tell the children of Israel that I am the LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and I I have heard their groaning. I will deliver them from the Egyptians' hands and will make them My people. Pharaoh will let My people go!" Moses and Aaron told the people everything that God had said, but the people did not listen (Ex. 6:9). God then told Moses to go into Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go.
- We will see next time just what God will do to Pharaoh. We will, also,find out what happens to Moses and Aaron and if Pharaoh will let God's people go.
"Older Student" Tips:
- Discuss being a hard worker for the Lord. and what it means. How can we work hard for the Lord? God needs workers in His kingdom.
- Sometimes it is difficult to do those things which we know to be right by reading God's Word, but, just like Moses, we do them.
ACTIVITY: "Let My People Go!" Bubbles
Materials needed: White paper, any color construction paper, crayons, glue, fasteners.
- Pass out a sheet of construction paper to each child. This is the background.
- Draw Moses, Aaron, and Pharaoh on white paper.
- Color and cut out Moses, Aaron, and Pharaoh.
- Glue the three men's bodies on the background paper...but don't glue their heads! Fasteners and speech bubbles will be fastened behind their heads.
- Write "Exodus 5:1-23, 6:1-30" at the top of the background paper.
- Make three speech bubbles with a bit of extra paper (see picture below), so that when the fastener is poked into the speech bubble and the background, the speech bubble will turn around.
- On one side of Moses' white speech bubble, write "God said, Let My people go!".
- On the other side of the Moses' speech bubble, attach the fastener, so that the words will disappear behind Moses' head when he is not talking. (See picture)
- On one side of Aaron's white speech bubble, write "God said, Let My people go!".
- On the other side of the Aaron's speech bubble, attach the fastener, so that the words will disappear behind Aaron's' head when he is not talking. (See picture)
- One one side of Pharaoh's speech bubble, write "NO!".
- On the other side of the Pharaoh's speech bubble, attach the fastener, so that the words will disappear behind Pharaoh's head when he is not talking.
- As the student tells the story, he turns the speech bubbles around and reads what he has written.
