Lesson 51

Open the Flip Chart to Lesson 51. We learned that Pharaoh was afraid of the Israelites, so he forced them to be his slaves. Then he ordered that all the baby boys be thrown into the Nile River.

• But there was one mother who put her baby in a basket and placed it in the water. Do you remember the name of this baby? Moses.

  Pharaoh’s daughter, the princess of Egypt, came to the river and found the basket. She felt sorry for the crying baby and adopted him as her own. God watched over baby Moses. He worked everything out perfectly so Moses grew up as a prince in Egypt.

  But when he was a man, Moses didn’t like the way the Israelites were being treated. When he killed an Egyptian, Moses had to run away.

God watched over Moses and protected him. Let’s sing the song we learned about baby Moses. Sing the song together.

Lesson 52

Refer to the Lesson 52 Flip Chart. One day as Moses was out with the sheep, he saw a bush burning with fire.

• What was so strange and amazing about this bush? It wasn’t burning up!

  When Moses came closer, he heard a voice coming from the bush! It was God speaking. He said he knew the Israelites were being treated badly as slaves, and it was time for Moses to lead them out of Egypt.

  But first, Moses would have to prove to the Israelites that it was really God who sent him. So God gave him three special signs to show them.

• What did Moses’ staff turn into when he threw it on the ground? A snake.
• What happened to Moses’ hand when he put it in his robe and back out again? It got leprosy and then was healed.
• What did God do to the water for the third sign? Turned it into blood.

  Moses and his brother, Aaron, went to the Israelite leaders to show them the signs and the Israelites believed them.

Lesson 53

Refer to the Lesson 53 Flip Chart. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him to let God’s people go. God knew Pharaoh wouldn’t obey. He sent ten terrible plagues to show his power and to punish Pharaoh and the Egyptians for treating the Israelites so badly.

Let’s look at the first nine plagues. I’ll point to each picture, and you tell me what that plague was. 1) water turned to blood, 2) frogs, 3) gnats, 4) flies, 5) animals sick, 6) boils, 7) thunder, fire, and hail, 8) locusts, 9) darkness.

• Pharaoh’s heart was hard and stubborn. What did he say every time Moses asked him to let the Israelites go? No!

  God would show Pharaoh that he needed to obey because God is omnipotent and the Israelites were his people.

Lesson 54

Refer to the Lesson 54 Flip Chart. The tenth plague was worse than any of the others, but God gave his people instructions that would keep them safe.

• First, what kind of animal did God tell each family to choose? A perfect lamb.
• After all the families killed their lambs, what were they supposed to do with the lamb’s blood? Where would they put it? They put it on the two doorposts and the lintels of their houses.
• Next, they would roast the lamb and eat it with flat, unleavened bread and bitter herbs. What was the meal called that the Israelites ate that night? Passover.

  God struck down all the firstborn sons in Egypt, including Pharaoh’s son, but he passed over the homes with blood on the doorposts. After that, Pharaoh finally let the people go.

  The Passover was a picture of another perfect lamb, Jesus, the Lamb of God. Just as lambs' blood was spread on the doorposts to save the Israelites, Jesus’ blood was shed on the cross to save us from the punishment for our sins.

God showed his great power when he sent the plagues on Egypt. Let’s sing about God’s omnipotence. Sing the song together.

Lesson 55

Refer to the Lesson 55 Flip Chart. God led the Israelites out of Egypt and guided them with a pillar of cloud and fire. They went out into the wilderness and came to the Red Sea.

But Pharaoh changed his mind and chased after the Israelites. They were trapped between the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s army.

• What did God do to rescue the Israelites? Parted the Red Sea.

  The Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground!

• What happened to the Egyptians when they tried to follow the Israelites through the sea? God made their chariot wheels get clogged so they would not work right! The water came down over them. They were destroyed.

  God rescued his people from Pharaoh and brought them out of slavery, just like he promised.

Lesson 56

Refer to the Lesson 56 Flip Chart. In the next lesson, we saw how God provided everything the Israelites needed as they traveled through the wilderness.

The Israelites quickly forgot that God could take care of them, and they grumbled and complained. But God was merciful and provided food for them.

• What did they call the bread God provided on the ground in the morning? It’s a word that means “What is it?” Manna.
• What was another thing God provided? Here’s a hint: it came from a rock. Water.

  God also provided protection when enemies attacked.

• During a battle with the Amalekites, God told Moses what to do for them to win. What was that? Hold his hands/staff up.

  Moses’ arms got tired, so Aaron and Hur helped him keep his hands up until the Israelites won the battle.

Lesson 57

Refer to the Lesson 57 Flip Chart. God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments, and they are important for us, too. The first four tell how we should treat God, and the last six tell how we should treat each other.

Let’s look at them now. Use the Flip Chart to remind students of the connection between each number-shaped picture and the command.

God put the Ten Commandments in his Word so we could understand our sin and our need for Jesus. He was the only one who ever obeyed all of God’s laws perfectly. That’s why he could take the punishment for our sins when he died on the cross. And when we turn to Jesus and believe in him, we are made right with God.

God calls us to trust him and obey. And even when it’s hard to do, God will help us. Let’s sing about that. Sing the song together.

Lesson 58

Refer to the Lesson 58 Flip Chart. After God spoke to the Israelites and told them to keep the Ten Commandments, he called Moses to come up to the top of Mount Sinai.

• Meanwhile, down in the camp, what did the people tell Aaron to do while Moses was gone? Make an idol.
• What did Aaron make out of gold ? A golden calf.
• What did the Israelites do when the golden calf was finished? Worshipped it.

  The Israelites already broke the first two commandments God told them to follow! They weren’t worshipping God—they were worshipping a statue of a cow!

• Did Aaron take responsibility for his actions? No.

  Aaron blamed the people and made it sound like the gold turned into a statue of a calf by itself!

  Aaron and the Israelites were all guilty of sin. God was ready to destroy them. But Moses prayed for them, and God listened and chose to show mercy. The people were still punished, but they were not wiped out.

Lesson 59

Refer to the Lesson 59 Flip Chart. In this last lesson, we talked about the instructions God gave to the Israelites for building the tabernacle and the pieces of furniture that went in it.

• What was the tabernacle for? It was a place to worship God.

  The tabernacle included a large tent called the tent of meeting with a fence all around it. Right inside the fence stood two things: an altar and a basin.

• What was the altar used for? Animal sacrifices.

  This is where the Israelites brought animals to sacrifice for their sin when they came to worship. But it was also a picture of what Jesus would do when he came to die on the cross to save sinners once and for all.

  The basin was where the priests washed. This reminded them to keep themselves clean and holy as they served the Lord.

  Inside the tent, the first room was called the holy place. There were three pieces of golden furniture in the holy place: a golden lampstand, the table of showbread, and the altar of incense.

  The next room was called the most holy place. The ark of the covenant was in this room. It reminded the Israelites that God was with them and that they were sinners and needed God’s mercy and forgiveness.