VERSES: Exodus 9:13-35 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 9:18 "Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now." Abbreviate to the first comma if the class is for very young children. BOOK TO REMEMBER: Nahum. Write "Nahum" on slips of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class. PRAYER: Thank God for the beautiful weather that we enjoy, even when it rains and hails. God sends the rain down on the just and the unjust. (Mt. 5:45) SPECIAL SONG: The Wise Man Built His House Upon A Rock (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3). VISUAL AID: Huge picture of hail, thunder, and lightning (see Activity below). LESSON POINTS:
After the LORD had taken away the plague of boils, He told Moses to get up early in the next morning and stand before Pharaoh and tell him, "The LORD God of the Hebrews says to let my people go that they may serve Me." God wanted Pharaoh to know that there was none like God in all the earth. None of Pharaoh's gods which were made out of wood and stone could send plagues like these. Only the LORD God! God had not let Pharaoh forget that God wanted His people. Maybe Pharaoh thought Moses and Aaron would get tired and eventually go away. All the Bible says is that Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.
God told Moses to tell Pharaoh that the next day about the same time that Moses was talking to Pharaoh right then that God would cause it to rain a grievous hail, a hail that had never been in Egypt before or since. It was a hail to remember! God warned Pharaoh to gather everything he had in the field and for all the people to stay inside because when the hail came down, whatever was in the field would die. Let's turn our Bibles to Exodus 9:20 and read something that the Egyptians had not done before. (Read verse.) Let's put our bookmarks right here. Do you know what it was that the Egyptians had not done before this? That's right! Some of the Egyptians feared the word of the LORD! The smart ones did what God said by gathering everything he could out of the field and did not go out again into the field during the hail storm. The ones who were not so smart didn't listen to God and died.
So Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven and the LORD sent thunder and hail and lightning that ran across the ground. So there was what? Thunder, hail, and lightning, but no one in Egypt had ever seen before in their lives. The Bible said it was very grievous and there had never been anything like it since Egypt had become a nation (Ex. 9;24). The hail killed everything that was in the field, broke down trees, and the crops were destroyed. Everywhere in Egypt, but where? The Land of Goshen! Why was there not any hail--not even a drop--in Goshen? That's where God's people were! God protects Hius own.
Pharaoh had had enough. He called Moses and Aaron and said that he had sinned this time. He said that the LORD was righteous and he and the Egyptians were wicked. He asked Moses and Aaron to talk to God and stop the hail. Pharaoh said that it was enough. He said that he would let the people go.
Moses said that as soon as he would go out of the city, he would spread his hands out to God that the thunder and hail would stop that Pharaoh would know that the earth was God's. Moses said that Pharaoh and the Egyptians would still not fear the LORD yet. He said the barley and flax were hit hard with the hail because those crops were already grown, but the wheat and the rie were not hurt because they had not grown up, yet.
When Moses went out of the city, he did what he said he would do. He stretched out his arms toward heaven and everything stopped. The hail and the lightning and the thunder all stopped, but Pharaoh changed his mind again and would not let God's people go. Pharaoh hardened his heart.
"Older Student" Tips:
The memory verse is a great verse this time, showing the power of God and the stubbornness of Pharaoh. God said that the reason He raised Pharaoh to king of Egypt was to show through him God's power (Ex. 9:16). God knows our hearts. (Ps. 139:23).
God protects His own people. He always has and always will. (Ps. 37:27).
ACTIVITY: Hail In Egypt Materials needed: 9" x 12" gray construction paper, 4.5" x 12" yellow construction paper, 4.5" x 12" brown paper, white paper, hole punch, scissors, glue, crayons.
Pass out the gray paper. This is the foundation of the picture.
Fold the yellow paper in half, length-wise.
Cut the yellow paper into jagged pieces like lightning.
Glue brown paper at the bottom of the gray paper like dirt.
Glue yellow 'lightning' on gray paper.
If the students punch out many circles out of the white paper like 'hail.' The more the better or until the students are tired of punching.
Glue 'hail' onto gray paper.
Write "Hail In Egypt" and "Exodus 9:13-35" somewhere on the paper.
Adding the words "Crash!" and "Thunder!" helps with the audio effects!
VERSES: Exodus 9:8-12 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 9:9 "...shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast..." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Micah. Write "Micah" on small slips of paper and pass out to students at the end of class time. PRAYER: Thank God for our good health, for good doctors, good medicine, and His good care. SPECIAL SONG: Be Careful Little Eyes (see VISUAL AID: On a large (6 foot x 3 foot) piece of butcher paper, draw a huge Egyptian (see Activity below). Color him, but do not draw boils on him until you are telling that part of the lesson. LESSON POINTS:
Do you remember what we have been studying about for the past few weeks? That's right! The Plagues of Egypt! Moses and his brother Aaron are continuing to go before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to tell him that the LORD God wants him to let God's people, the Israelites, go, so they can travel out into the wilderness to worship Him. But will Pharaoh let the people go? No! Pharaoh has not listened to God, Pharaoh has not obeyed God, and Pharaoh and his people have suffered the consequences of his disobedience.
How have Pharaoh and the Egyptians suffered? Let's think. What are the plagues that we have studied so far? Can we name them in order?
Water turned to blood
Frogs
Lice
Flies
Murrain
Today we are studying about how Moses and Aaron go before Pharaoh ONE MORE TIME! God talks to Moses, Moses talks to Aaron, and Aaron talks to Pharaoh. God tells Moses and Aaron to once again go before Pharaoh and for Moses to take handfuls of ashes from the furnace and sprinkle it toward heaven in front of Pharaoh, so he could see what Moses was doing. Let's read in our Bible to see what these ashes were to become. Let's turn to Exodus 9:9 and read. (Read verse.) What did the ashes turn in to? Boils! Do you know what a boil is? It's a sore that really hurts! It's about as big a quarter and it swells up and hurts a whole lot! When someone has one boil, they are miserable, but when people have many boils they are in anguish or tremendous suffering. The boils that God made from the ashes went all over Egypt and the Bible says that they were boils with blains which meant that the boils were swollen and extremely painful. In fact, even the magicians had boils, so they could not even come and stand before Pharaoh! The animals had boils! The Egyptians had boils! Pharaoh had boils!
But Pharaoh was stubborn and would not listen to God and he would not let the people go. So now we add another plague to our chart. What was the 6th plague? Boils! Pharaoh just won't listen, would he? His heart is hardened.
"Older Student" Tips:
Only five verses talk about the sixth plague. Sometimes it doesn't take very many verses to say a whole lot. If God says it once, that is enough, but if he says something twice, we'd better listen! How many times has God told Pharaoh to let the people go and he has refused? At least seven times!
ACTIVITY: Boils on an Egyptian Materials needed: light colored construction paper, crayons, scissors.
Draw an Egyptian man with unhappy face on a piece of construction paper.
Draw red boils all over the man.
Cut the man out.
On the back of the man, write "Boils - Plague 6" and "Exodus 9:8-12.
VERSES: Exodus 9:1-7 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 9:3 "Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field..." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Jonah. Write "Jonah" on slips of paper and pass out to the students at the end of class. PRAYER: Thank the LORD for helping those who are sick and cannot come to Bible class.
SPECIAL SONG: Be Patient And Kind (see April - Joseph Meets His Brothers Who Hated Him) VISUAL AID: Pictures of Horses, Camels, Oxen, and Sheep LESSON POINTS:
There have been many times when Pharaoh had the opportunity to save himself and his people the pain and suffering that they endured due to refusing to obey God. For someone who had seen with their very own eyes the water turned to blood, the frogs in their home, the lice all over their body, and the flies that were so thick that they did damage to the cities, it would seem that Pharaoh would do whatever it was to keep from something bad happening again. But Pharaoh did not learn.
God told Moses to go into Pharaoh's court and say that the LORD of the Hebrews said to let His people go, so that they would serve him. God said that if Pharaoh refused, then God would send a cattle disease called murrain that would make the horses, camels, oxen and sheep die. Any cattle in the field would die of the disease if Pharaoh would not let God's people go. God said that He would make a difference in the Egyptian cattle and the Hebrew cattle. He said that nothing at all would die of the children of Israel's. God was the one who set the time when the disease began which would be the next day.
That next day, the LORD caused the murrain to begin and all of the cattle of the Egyptians died. Pharaoh sent someone to check on the Hebrew cattle and let's see what happened to God's people's cattle. Let's turn to Exodus 9:7. (Read verse.) Let's put out bookmarks right here. What happened to the Hebrews' cattle? That's right! Not even one of the Israelite's cattle had died. Not even one! But, that was not enough proof for Pharaoh that the LORD was God over all of the earth. Pharaoh hardened his heart and did not let the people go.
Let's see if we can say all of the plagues of Egypt in order. What was the first plague? The water turned to blood. What was the second? Frogs. What was the third plague? Lice. What was the fourth plague? Flies. And what was the fifth plague today? Murrain. Let's write it on our chart. We shall see if Pharaoh listens to God next time.
"Older Student" Tips:
Explain that when we hear the word "cattle" today, we usually think of cows, but back in the Old Testament times, horses, camels, oxen and sheep were all valuable types of cattle.
ACTIVITY: The Cattle Die Of Murrain Materials needed: 9" x 12" any color of construction paper, scraps of dark brown, light brown, black, and white construction paper, scissors, glue, crayons. Optional: Clip art of horses, oxen, camels, and sheep.
Pass out the 9" x 12" construction paper to each student. This is the background.
Either print out clip art of the above types of cattle or let the students draw their own and cut them out. Remember, great artists are not needed, only illusionists! If there is trouble distinguishing what the student has drawn, just label the animals!
Color the fields on the background (see picture).
Glue cattle to background.
Either draw "X"'s for the cattle's eyes, showing tat they are deceased, or draw a red "X" on each animal.
Write "Murrain - Plague #5" and "Exodus 9:1-7" at the top of the paper.
VERSES: Exodus 8:20-32 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 8:21 "...and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies..." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Obadiah. Write "Obadiah" on slips of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class. PRAYER: Thank God for creating all of nature for us to enjoy and thank Him for keeping everything in balance. SPECIAL SONG: The Bible, The Bible (see February - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #2), Books Of The Old Testament (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3) VISUAL AID: Whiteboard or Chalkboard Drawing of the Activity below. EXTRA VISUAL AID: Add the word "Flies" to the "Plagues" chart from last time. LESSON POINTS:
After the lice were taken away by the LORD, we learned last time that Pharaoh changed his mind again and would not let the children of Israel go to the wilderness to worship God. God told Moses to get up early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh when he came to the river. God told him to tell Pharaoh again to let God's people go or God would send swarms of flies that would be on all the Egyptians and Pharaoh and their servants, but there would not be any swarms of flies in the land of Goshen where God's people were living. By not having any swarms of flies in Goshen, the Egyptians would know that God was the LORD God because God was putting a division between the Egyptians and the Israelites which He had not done before. God did what He said He would do.
The Bible says that there came a tremendous swarm of flies in the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses and into all of the land of Egypt. There were so many flies that the Bible says the land was corrupted or destroyed! Pretty soon, Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said that the people could worship God in the land of Egypt, but that's not what God wanted. That's what Pharaoh would allow, but God did not want the people to stay in Egypt. God wanted them to go out of Egypt and into the wilderness. That's what Moses explained to Pharaoh. If they stayed in the land of Egypt and worshiped God, then the Egyptians would stone them. Moses said no, that the people needed to go three days' journey into the wilderness. Pharaoh then said that it was okay to go into the wilderness, but only if Moses asked God to take away the flies. Moses said that he would ask God, but not to be deceitful or lie about letting the children of Israel go.
Moses asked God and God did as Moses asked. God took away all the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. There remained not one fly. But Pharaoh changed his mind and lied to Moses and would not let the people go. Pharaoh's heart was hardened. God kept His promise, but Pharaoh did not keep his promise.
"Older Student" Tips:
Discuss the word "integrity." God has always treasured honesty and sincerity very highly. Pharaoh had none of these qualities, yet God used Pharaoh to show the Egyptians that He was the LORD God of all of the earth, including Egypt.
ACTIVITY: A Table of Flies Materials needed: 9" x 12" construction paper (any color), a 4.5" x 10" piece of brown construction paper, small pieces of scrap paper, glue, crayons, scissors.
Hand out pieces of 9" x 12" paper. This is the background for the picture.
Cut the brown paper into the shape of a long table. (see picture above).
Cut shapes of bowls, pitchers, pans, and food out of the small pieces of scrap paper.
Glue those shapes to the top of the table.
Write "Flies - Plague #4" and "Exodus 8:20-32" under the 'table.'.
Make black dots for flies all over the table, food, in the air, everywhere!
VERSES: Exodus 8:16-19 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 8:16 "...stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Amos. Write 'Amos' on slips of paper and hand out to students at the end of class. It is beneficial to review all of the books of the Old Testament as a class, adding another book when the class is finished reciting. The song, The Books Of The Old Testament, is also helpful (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog). PRAYER: Thank God for being a great God who is everywhere, knows everything, and is all powerful. God is our Father in heaven who loves us enough to send His only Son to save us from our own sin. (John 3:16) SPECIAL SONG: Day 1, Day 1 (see March - Lesson - God Created Everything) VISUAL AID: Large poster of Activity (see below under Activity). Might be nice to collect some dust as we do our housework this week and save it in a small jar to show that God could create lice from what we had in the jar. EXTRA VISUAL AID: Make a list of all of the plagues in order. Different ideas: 1) Using construction paper, write the number of the plague in one color and, on a matching colored paper, the plague 2) Or use a chart such as the one pictured below, adding the next plague as the class studies it 3) Or use a chart such as the one pictured below, but with the plagues already written in theappropriate spaces.
LESSON POINTS:
Remember last time how we talked about how God had told Moses and Moses had told Aaron and Aaron had stretched his rod over the river and what came up out of the river and hopped into the people's homes? That's right! Frogs! Before that, when he hit the river with his rod, what happened to the water? Yes! It turned into blood! Why did all of this happen to Egypt? That's right! Pharaoh did not listen to God and obey him. What did God want Pharaoh to do? He wanted Pharaoh to let His people go into the wilderness to worship Him. But what did Pharaoh do his heart? He hardened it! He chose to turn his heart away from God and not listen to Him, so through these plagues, God was showing Pharaoh and all Egyptians that He was the LORD God.
On another day, God told Moses to tell Aaron to stretch out his rod and hit the dust of the earth. Do you know happened? The dust turned to lice! Lice are little tiny insects or bugs that get on people's skin and in their hair and are annoying. They make you itch and you scratch and scratch and it still itches. So God caused the lice to get on men and women and children and even on the animals. Even Pharaoh's magicians knew that what was happening was not a trick like they had been doing with the water and with the frogs. They told Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God!" which meant that God had performed this miracle!
But, still, Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go. Pharaoh would rather suffer and let all of his people suffer rather than let God's people go. He was stubborn and would not listen to God. Sometimes we get stubborn, too, don't we? We know in our hearts that it is better to listen to our moms and dads and teachers and do what they say, but sometimes we don't. We are stubborn and must suffer the consequences for our sin, whether it is a time out, a spanking, not being able to go somewhere special or do something special or receive a treat...all because we are stubborn just like Pharaoh. We need to have a heart like Moses who obeyed God and did what He said.
"Older Student" Tips:
Discuss how only God can create things like creating lice out of dust.
Talk about how the 'heart' is sometimes referred to as the brain or that thinking process rather than the organ that we have in our chests that pumps blood. (Proverbs 23:7)
ACTIVITY: Materials needed: 9" x 12" construction paper, a 6" x 8" tan piece of paper, fasteners, glue, scissors, crayons.
Pass out 9" x 12" pieces of paper for the background.
Either instruct the students draw or the Bible teacher draws in advance a large picture of a man or woman from the the elbows up on the piece of tan paper. Draw two arms separately. (see picture below.)
Color picture, drawing person's unhappy face.
Cut out body and two arms.
Glue body to background at bottom of paper.
Fasten arms on with fasteners--NO GLUE! Arms need to move around easily, so the person can scratch the lice
Write "LICE-Plague #3" and "Exodus 8:16-19" at the top of the paper.
VERSES: Exodus 8:1-15 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 8:2 "...I will smite all thy borders with frogs." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Review Old Testament books from Genesis to Joel. PRAYER: When we pray, may we remember to praise God for the wonderful creation that He has given to us to enjoy. SPECIAL SONG: Read, Read Every Day (see February - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #1) VISUAL AID: Pictures Of Frogs In The Home. Unless you want to use a REAL frog, purchase a plastic frog and, in your own home, place the frog in the places that the Egyptians found frogs in their homes: on the tables, in chairs, in the oven, in the beds, etc., taking pictures as you move the frog.
LESSON POINTS:
Remember last time when Pharaoh said that he would NOT let God's people go into the wilderness and worship Him, what happened to the land of Egypt that was VERY unusual? That's right! All the water turned to blood! Do you remember how long the water stayed turned to blood? Yes! Seven days! That's a long time without water!
After the water turned back into water, God told Moses to go back and see Pharaoh again with the same message. What do you think Moses told Pharaoh that God wanted him to do? That's right! To let God's people go! God told Moses that if Pharaoh refused and said, "No!" then God was going to send...FROGS! Some people like frogs. A frog here, a frog there, outside in the field, or in the grass, but when God said He was going to send frogs, He meant LOTS of frogs! God told Moses to tell Pharaoh that if Pharaoh refused to let His people go, then he would send many, many frogs that would come out of the river. The frogs would come into their homes, into their kitchens, into their bedrooms; they would be EVERYWHERE, even in their ovens!
Because Pharaoh refused to let God's people go, God told Moses and Moses told Aaron to stretch his hand with his rod over the streams and the rivers and the ponds and Aaron did what God said. Then all the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt, and they were everywhere just like God had said.
The Bible says that Pharaoh's magicians brought up frogs, too. Pretty soon, there were frogs in places that frogs would never go unless it was a plague from God. A plague is a number of many annoying things. Do you think having frogs in your bedroom and in your bed would be annoying? I think so, too. Frogs were definitely the second plague. Do you remember what the first plague was? That's right! The water turned to blood. What was the second plague? Frogs!
Lets' see what happened next. Let's turn our Bibles to Exodus 8:8 and see how Pharaoh feels about all those frogs! (Read verse.) Let's place our bookmarks right here. How did Pharaoh feel about those frogs being in places they should not be? That's right! He wanted them to go away! Pharaoh even called for Moses and said that he would let the people go and worship God in the wilderness! Moses asked Pharaoh when should the frogs go back into the river and Pharaoh said, "Tomorrow." Moses answered and said, "There is no god like the LORD God. It will be tomorrow that the frogs will only stay in the river." So, Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, and Moses cried to God and asked Him to make the frogs stay in the river.
And God answered Moses' prayer and did as Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses and villages and fields. The people gathered up the frogs in heaps and the land of Egypt did not smell good at all! The Bible says it stunk!
Now you would think that Pharaoh, who had seen the water turned to blood and all the frogs come upon the land, would really let the people go, but he changed his mind and hardened his heart and lied. He did NOT let the people go! Pharaoh did not learn from his mistakes, did he? He did not obey God, and there are always consequences when we do not obey God. I wonder if something else annoying will happen to Pharaoh because he will not let the people go? You think so? Me, too! We'll see next time what happens!
"Older Student" Tips:
Talk about frogs--how many have the students seen at one time, etc. Stress that God is the ruler over all of the earth. He is the one with total control over everything.
Discuss how Pharaoh is slowly learning about God. God always says what He means and means what He says. Yes, today, too!
ACTIVITY: Frogs Were In The Beds! Materials needed: Small box (any size - the box above is 6" x 3" x 2"), enough brown butcher paper to cover box on all sides, enough white butcher paper to cover box as a 'blanket", inexpensive plastic frogs (I bought mine at a dollar store for 8 frogs for $1.00), cotton ball, glue, tape, pencil or crayon or pen.
Cover box with brown butcher paper; wrap like a present with tape. If short on time, the Bible teacher might want to do this step for each student.
Pull cotton ball to 'fluff' like a pillow.
Glue pillow on small edge of bed.
Glue white butcher paper to top of brown paper on two sides and to the top of the 'bed', resembling a sheet.
Press corners of 'sheet' with fingers.
Write "Frogs - Plague #2" and "Exodus 8:1-15" on the sheet in small letters.
VERSES: Exodus 7:14-25 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 7:20 "...and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Joel. Wrote "Joel" on slips of paper and hand out to students at the end of class. PRAYER: Thank God for being an all-powerful God who is capable of great, magnificent things! Be thankful that we are His children. SPECIAL SONG: The B-I-B-L-E (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3) LESSON POINTS:
God knows things in advance and He knew that Pharaoh was not going to let the children of Israel go into the wilderness to worship God, so He told Moses that Pharaoh's heart was hardened and was not going to let the people go. He told Moses to go out to the river the next morning because Pharaoh would be there. God told Moses to stand by the river's edge and wait for Pharaoh. Then Moses was to take the rod that had turned into a snake and to tell Pharaoh, "The LORD God of the Hebrews sent me to you and said to let His people go, but you would not listen. Now you will know that I am the LORD God." God told Moses to take his rod and hit the water with it and all the water in the river would turn to...blood! God said all the fish in the river would die and then it would stink! He said the Egyptians would hate to drink the water that had turned to blood.
God told Moses to tell Aaron to take his rod and stretch his hand out over the waters of Egypt, upon their rivers, upon their streams, upon their ponds, upon their pools of water, that all the water would be turned to blood, even the water that was in containers of wood and stone.
Moses and Aaron did everything that God said and it happened just like God said! While Pharaoh and all his servants were watching, he stretched out his hand and rod and hit the water and all the water turned to blood! The fish died and the river smelled terrible. The Egyptians could not drink the water because all the water had turned to blood throughout all the land of Egypt. The Bible says the magicians did the same thing with their enchantments and, just like God had said, Pharaoh did not listen to them. Pharaoh went back to his house and did not let the people go.
The Egyptians dug all around the river for water because they could not drink the water in the river. The water stayed turned to blood for seven days (Ex. 7:25).
"Older Student" Tips:
Talk about the difference in a "hard heart" and a "tender heart." Which kind of heart should His children have?
Discuss how the smell of dead fish smells terrible. Imagine the Egyptians not being able to get away form that smell. Because of the leader (Pharaoh) of the country's actions and decisions, the people (Egyptians) had to suffer, too. Sometimes, it is like that in our country, too.
ACTIVITY: Water Turned To Blood Materials needed: Yellow 9" x 12" construction paper, two green 4.5" x 12" construction paper, one 4.5" x 12" blue construction paper, one 4.5" x 12" shiny red paper (I used foil poster board available at school supply stores, one 4.5" x 6 " orange construction paper, scissors, glue, crayon.
Pass out yellow construction paper. This is the background.
Glue blue paper to bottom of yellow background.
Turn yellow paper over to back.
Glue shiny red paper to bottom of construction paper.
Cut two green papers into "grass" by cutting triangles on one edge.
Glue one green paper onto blue paper at the bottom edge.
Turn yellow paper over.
Glue one green paper onto red paper at the bottom edge.
Cut small fish out of orange paper.
Glue three or four fish to blue "water."
Turn yellow paper over.
Glue rest of fish on the green grass by the red "blood." (See picture on top).
Draw "x"s for eyes on dead fish ("red" side).
Write "The Water Turns To..." on the blue water side.
Draw two arms with one arm holding the rod but does not touch the blue water on the blue side. Color.
Write "Blood!" and "Exodus 7:17-19" on the red blood side.
Draw two arms with one arm holding the rod, touching the blood on the red side.
The student tells the story by turning the paper over and over!
VERSES: Exodus 7:1-13 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 7:12 "...but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods." BIBLE BOOK TO REMEMBER: Hosea. Write "Hosea" on small slips of paper and pass out at the end of the class. PRAYER: May we always obey God as we live on this earth each and every day, knowing that there will be a time when we are accountable for all the things that we do and say. Let us be patient and kind to one another. SPECIAL SONG: Read, Read Every Day (see February - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #1 on this blog), and Be Patient And Kind (see April - Lesson - Joseph Meets His Brothers Who Hated Him on this blog). VISUAL AID: Whiteboard or Chalkboard Drawing (see Activity below or draw Moses and Aaron standing before Pharaoh and Aaron throwing his rod to the ground.) LESSON POINTS:
From what we have been studying, it sounds like Pharaoh will never let the children of Israel leave Egypt. He knew that God's people were great in number and if Pharaoh let them leave, he would have no one to make his bricks. Perhaps He thought that they would never come back. What little Pharaoh thought he might know about the LORD, his thinking changes; in fact what all the Egyptians think about God changes. God wanted the Egyptians to know who He is.
God told Moses in advance that certain events were going to happen. God knows the future and could tell things to people in advance if He choose to tell them. Now He tells us what is going to happen in the Bible. All we need to do is read it! Remember God told Abraham and Sarah that they were going to have Isaac -- and they did! God told Joseph what was going to happen to the baker and the butler in advance--and it all happened exactly like God said it would! God knows everything! So, God talked to Moses, Moses told Aaron what God said, and Aaron then told Pharaoh to let God's people go out of the land of Egypt. God said that by hardening Pharaoh's heart that it would result in many signs and wonders performed in Egypt, but still Pharaoh would not listen to Moses. God said that in the end, the Egyptians would know that the LORD is God, not the sun or moon or stars like they worshiped as idols. Moses and Aaron did exactly as God told them to do.
Let's turn our Bibles to Exodus 7:7 and find out how old Moses and Aaron were when they spoke to Pharaoh. (Read verse.) Let's place our bookmarks right here. How old was Moses? 80 years old! How old was Aaron? 83 years old! Which brother was older? Aaron!
God then told Moses and Aaron what would happen when they went in to see Pharaoh. God told them that Pharaoh would ask for a miracle, then Moses should say to Aaron, "Throw down your rod!" Everything that God said would happen, happened exactly that way! All Pharaoh's servants were with him the day that Moses and Aaron walked into his palace. Pharaoh asked for a miracle to be performed just like God had told them in advance. Moses told Aaron to throw his rod down on the ground just like Moses had shown the children of Israel and guess what Aaron's rod turned into? That's right! A snake! Well! Pharaoh called in all of his wise men and his magicians and had them throw down their rods, too. Guess what they became? That's right! Snakes! BUT...Aaron's snake swallowed all of the other snakes up!! And even after seeing all of this miracle, do you think that Pharaoh let the people go? NO! Pharaoh said, "NO! I will NOT let the people go!"
We will see next time what God does about Pharaoh's disobedience--about Pharaoh saying, "NO!" to God. When we say, "No!" to God, we know there are always consequences!
"Older Student" Tips:
God uses Pharaoh's hard heart to show all of the land of Egypt that it is the LORD who is control and God wants the Egyptians to know who He is. God uses nations to do His will.
Sometimes we think of Moses and Aaron as being young men when all this was happening, but they were 80 and 83. By having Exodus 7:7 in the Bible, we can learn, not only how old they were when they spoke to Pharaoh, but how much older Aaron was than Moses. Aaron was older by how much? Three years! So when Moses was placed in the ark that was in the river, Moses' brother was only three years old! Amazing facts that are in the Bible!
Talk about disobedience to God. Life is always harder when we do not obey God as Pharaoh and his people will see in their very near future. There are consequences to disobeying God. Discuss Adam and Eve, the wicked people in the flood, and the terribly evil people in Sodom and Gomorrah. There were, are, and always will be consequences for sin.
ACTIVITY: Aaron's Rod Materials needed: 6" x 18" green construction paper, 3" x 18" red, yellow, and orange construction paper, scissors, stapler and staples or glue, crayon.
Pass out green construction paper.
Fold green paper in half, length-wise.
Being very careful NOT to cut on the fold, cut out a long snake.(see picture at top).
Staple the open side of the green paper, leaving the 'head of the snake' open to "swallow up" the magicians' rods-that-turned-into-snakes.
From the red paper, cut out a long, skinny snake.
From the orange paper, cut out a long skinny snake.
From the yellow paper, cut out a long, skinny snake.
Draw eyes on all snakes.
Write "Aaron's Rod" and "Exodus 7:8-12" on the green snake.
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.
VERSES: Exodus 4:1-31 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 4:3 "...and he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses fled from it." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Ezekiel. Write "Ezekiel" on slips of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class.. PRAYER: Pray that we will always do the Lord's work whether we are old or young. We should always be ready to work for God! SPECIAL SONG: "Be Patient And Kind" (see April - Lesson - Joseph Meets His Brothers Who Hated Him) VISUAL AID: Moses' Rod and Plastic Toy Snake (see below under Activity) LESSON POINTS:
Remember last week when God wanted Moses to go back to Egypt and deliver the children of Israel from slavery? When we left Moses last week, Moses had not agreed to go; in fact, Moses was not too sure that he wanted to go back all that way to Egypt. He had two arguments for not wanting to go back to Egypt. He asked God, "What happens if the people do not believe me or listen to me? What if they don't believe that you appeared to me?" Do we know how God appeared to Moses? That's right! The burning bush! Moses didn't know if the people would believe that God had appeared to him in the burning bush. God gave Moses two signs to prove to the people that God was sending Moses to help them:
God asked Moses what was in his hand. Moses said that he had his rod, his shepherd's crook, in his hand. Shepherds used their rods to help the sheep get out of difficult places. Sometimes sheep would fall into cracks in the rocks or tumble down a small cliff and couldn't get out by themselves. The shepherd would then reach down with his rod and lift the stranded sheep up and out of the hard spot. This kind of rod is what Moses had in his hand. God said to throw the rod down on the ground and when Moses threw it down...it tuned into a snake! When Moses saw the snake, he ran away from it! Then God told Moses to reach down and grab the snake by its tail and when Moses caught it, it became a rod again in his hand! Can we do that? No. This was a miracle or something that only God could do! God wanted the people to believe that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had appeared to Moses and by turning Moses' rod into a snake, the people would know that God had sent Moses to them.
In the Old Testament times, there was a dreaded disease or sickness called leprosy. Leprosy made people's skin turn very white and have sores on it. There wasn't any cure or any medicine for leprosy back then. There are a few cases of leprosy today, but certainly not as many as there were back then. God told Moses to put his hand into his cloak and when he took his hand out, his hand had leprosy all over over it! It was as white as snow! When Moses put his hand back into his cloak and took it out again, his hand was normal again! God told him that if the people didn't believe Moses with the first sign, then maybe they would believe the second sign.
Moses then mentioned to God that he was not a n eloquent man or someone who could speak well. Moses said he was slow of speech. God answered Moses, "Who made your mouth? I will be with your mouth and I will teach you what to say." But Moses said, "Please send someone else." God was getting angry with Moses, so He said, "Is not Aaron the Levite your brother? I know he can speak well. I also know that when he sees you, he will be happy to see you. I will speak to you, you speak to him, and he can speak to whom I tell you to speak. You take your rod and you do the signs that I showed you!"
So Moses went back to Jethro, his father-in-law, and said, "Let me go back to Egypt and see my brothers and see if they are still alive." Jethro let him leave and take his wife and children back to Egypt.
God also spoke to Aaron, Moses' brother, and told him to go into the wilderness and meet Moses. Aaron went into the wilderness and met Moses and hugged and kissed him and was very happy to see him. Moses told Aaron everything that God had told him to do. Moses and Aaron called together all the elders of the children of Israel and Aaron spoke all the words that Moses had told him to say to the elders. Moses performed the signs-throwing the rod down and it turning into a snake and putting his hand in his cloak and it becoming as white as snow with leprosy and the people believed. When the people heard that the LORD had visited the children of Israel, they bowed their heads and worshiped God.
So, did Moses go back to Egypt like God wanted him to go? YES! Moses obeyed God. Next time, we will see who Moses and Aaron talks to next.
"Older Student" Tips:
God can see in each of His children 'potential' or what they are capable of being or becoming. God knows what WE are capable of becoming! Sometimes we don't see the good qualities in ourselves, but God knows what we can become just like He knew Moses' potential. We just need to trust God and take advantage of every opportunity as it comes our way.
Interesting facts about leprosy:
The number of new cases reported around the world in 2012 was 232,857 (http://www.who.int/lep/en/).
There is medication today that will help leprosy. In the Old Testament times, there was no medicine. Usually, people would go away from their families and friends and live by themselves or with other people who had leprosy.
Moses traveled over 200 miles back to Egypt to talk to Pharaoh just like God wanted him to do. That's a lot of miles!
ACTIVITY: Moses' Rod And Plastic Toy Snakes Materials needed: 3 feet or less of brown butcher paper, one toy snake (I bought mine at the Dollar Store six for one dollar), tape, crayons.
Roll butcher paper in one long roll and twist, forming a 'rod.'
Tape to secure rod and it will not come apart. Just an inch or two of tape will do the job.
Write "Moses' Rod" and "Exodus 4:3, 4" on the rod.
Pass out plastic snakes. Let the students take a plastic snake home to practice throwing the rod (gently) on the ground and it 'turning' into a snake.
VERSES: Exodus 3:1-22 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 3:3 "And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Lamentations. Write "Lamentations" on slips of paper and pass them out to the students at the end of class. PRAYER: Pray that we will always do what God asks of us. We must trust God and He will always take care of us. VISUAL AID: Large Burning Bush (See Activity below), Bible Map SPECIAL SONG: Read, Read Every Day LESSON POINTS:
Moses had a job while he was in Midian. He was a shepherd! He watched over his father-in-law, Jethro's flocks. One day he took the flocks to the backside of the mountain when he saw a bush on fire! The unusual thing about this burning bush was that it would not burn up! It kept burning and burning and burning until Moses said to himself, "I will go over there and see why this bush is not burning up!" When the LORD saw that the burning bush had caught Moses' attention, he called out to Moses, "Moses! Moses!" Moses answered, "Here I am!" God told Moses not to come any farther unless he took off his shoes because the place where he was standing was holy ground. God said, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." Moses not only took off his shoes, but he hid his face because he was afraid to look at God.
God's message to Moses was this: God said that He knew how hard life was for His people being slaves. God had heard the children of Israel's cries about their taskmasters or their 'bosses.' He knew they were extremely sad, but God said that He was going to deliver or save the Hebrews from out of the hand of the Egyptians and take them to a beautiful land that flowed with milk and honey. God was going to send someone to save the people from their slavery! Let's turn our Bibles to Exodus 3:10 to see who God was going to send. (Read verse). Let's place our bookmarks right here. Who was God going to send? MOSES! God chose Moses to help the people!
Moses wasn't too sure that he wanted to talk to Pharaoh about saving God's people because Moses said to God, "Who am I that I should go and see Pharaoh that I could even bring the people out of slavery?" God told Moses, "I will be with you. When you deliver the children of Israel out of slavery, then you shall serve God right here on this mountain." Moses asked God, "When I come to talk to the children of Israel, who should I say sent me?" God answered, "Tell them I AM THAT I AM sent you. Tell them that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sent you. Go and get all the elders of the people and tell them that I have visited you and have said that I will bring all of the children of Israel to the land of Canaan, a land that flows with milk and honey. They will listen to you. Tell Pharaoh that you want the children of Israel to travel three days in to the wilderness to worship God. Pharaoh will not let you go, but I will smite him with many wonders, then he will let you go."
Next time, we will see how Moses answers God. Will he go all that way back to Egypt to deliver God's people from slavery? We shall see!
"Older Student" Tips:
Talk about different names for God: God, the LORD, I AM THAT I AM, Jehovah, etc.
Why did Moses have to take off his shoes? Because God was there!
ACTIVITY: Burning Bush Materials Needed: Brown paper strips, white paper, shiny orange paper (cellophane works well. I didn't have any cellophane as I was blogging, so I looked through the kitchen pantry and found a shiny orange potato chip bag. Anything orange and shiny looks like fire), glue, scissors, crayons. *In advance, cut out bits of shiny orange paper.
Hand out any color paper to each child. This is the background for the picture.
Cut brown paper into strips to make bush branches. (See picture below.)
Glue into a 'bush' shape on a piece of paper.
Draw Moses hiding his face.
Color and cut out Moses.
Glue Moses on paper, but a short distance away from the bush.
Draw Moses shoes.
Color and cut out Moses' shoes.
Glue Moses' shoes on the paper.
Glue bits of shiny orange paper onto the bush.
Write "Moses And The Burning Bush" and "Exodus 3:1-22" at the top of the paper.
VERSES: Exodus 2:11-25; Acts 7:18-30; Hebrews 11:24-27 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 2:12 "...he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Jeremiah. Write "Jeremiah" on slips of paper and pass out to students as they leave the classroom. PRAYER: Pray that we will always be kind and compassionate to others. SPECIAL SONG: "Be Careful Little Eyes" (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3), Be Patient And Kind (see April - Lesson - Joseph Meets His Brothers Who Hated Him on this blog). VISUAL AID: Large Construction Paper "Sand" Pocket (See Activity below), Bible Map, showing Egypt and Midian. LESSON POINTS:
Time went by and Moses grew up. Because he lived in Pharaoh's palace and was considered Pharaoh's daughter's son, Moses was able to receive the best education in all of the land of Egypt. The Bible says that Moses was mighty in words and deeds (Acts 7:22), but Moses had also been taught by his mother and father, Jochebed and Amram. They had taught Moses many things about God, how he should live and behave, and that he was a Hebrew, not an Egyptian. He remembered these things as he grew up.
For a little less than forty years, Moses had seen how his people, the Hebrews, were treated by the Egyptians, how the Hebrews were slaves, and how they had very difficult lives.
One day when Moses was forty years old, he went out among the Hebrew people and spied an Egyptian hurting a Hebrew. The Bible says that Moses looked this way and he looked that way, and when he saw that no one was looking, he...well, let's turn our Bibles to Exodus 2:12 and read what happened. (Read verse.) Let's place out bookmarks right there. Uh-oh! Moses killed the Egyptian! And where did he hide him? In the sand!
The next day, he went out and saw that two Hebrews were fighting each other and Moses said to the one that was in the wrong, "Why are you hurting your brother?" The man asked Moses right back, "Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Are you going to kill me like you killed the Egyptian?" Moses was very afraid because he thought that everyone knew about what he did to the Egyptian.
When Pharaoh heard about Moses killing the Egyptian, he went looking for Moses to kill him for killing the Egyptian, but Moses had already run away from Pharaoh. He ran all the way down to Midian which was over 200 miles away! (Refer to map.) When he arrived in Midian, he sat down on the well where they were watering the sheep. There was a priest who lived in Midian and he had seven daughters. The daughters happened to come to the well to water their sheep while Moses was sitting on the well. As the women tried to water their sheep, the shepherds drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them water their sheep.
When the priest's daughters came home from watering the sheep, their father asked them, "Why are you here so early?" The daughters said that an Egyptian had helped them water the flocks. The priest asked them, "Where is this man? Why did you leave him at the well? Go get him, so that he can eat dinner with us!" So, Moses lived with the priest and his daughters for a while and, after time, Moses married Zipporah, one of the priest's daughters and eventually had a family there.
All the time Moses was in Midian, the children of Israel were still slaves, but time passed and finally the king of Egypt died. The children of Israel sighed when he died because of their slavery and cried to God to help them. God heard their groaning and remembered His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Bible says that God looked upon the children of Israel and had respect for them. God is going to help them out of their slavery! God never forgets a promise!
"Older Student" Tips:
Explain how the terms "children of Israel," "Hebrews," "God's people" are all synonyms and are used interchangeably.
Discuss how we must keep our tempers and emotions in check. Whenever our emotions are out of control, we are in danger of making huge mistakes. The mistakes sometimes come at great cost, but still we must endure the consequences. We must have self-control! (Gal.5:22, 23)
Take a look on a map and show the students just how far Moses tried to get away from Pharaoh. Trace his steps from Northern Egypt to Midian.
Even when we think NO ONE knows the things that we say and do, God always knows what we do. As we sang in our song, "Be Patient And Kind," 'the deeds that you do will follow after you!' We must always think out our actions before we do them.
A long time before Moses was born, God had made a promise to Abraham that through him all nations would be blessed. He also renewed this promise to Isaac and to Jacob. During this terrible time of slavery in Egypt, God still remembered His promise. We will see that God always keeps His promises. and we should do the same.
ACTIVITY: Construction Paper "Sand" Pocket Materials needed: Brown construction paper, white or tan paper, stapler with staples, glue, crayons, scissors.
Fold construction paper up a third of the paper, lengthwise. (In the picture above, the brown paper is already folded and stapled.)
Staple two staples on each side of the brown paper to form a 'pocket.'
Draw Moses kneeling down.
Color and cut out Moses.
Glue or staple Moses' knees ONLY to the bottom of the folded edge. *Caution: If Moses is completely glued or stapled, the pocket will not open. (See picture above.)
Draw an Egyptian with his eyes closed, laying with his legs straight out.
Color and cut out Egyptian.
Place Egyptian in pocket, so he can be taken in and taken out of the pocket.
Write "Moses Kills An Egyptian" and "Exodus 2:11-15" at the top of the paper. (See picture above.)
Write "sand" at the bottom of the page, close to the folded edge.
