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.
- 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).
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!