YEA Lesson Library
Like It Or Not
About This Lesson
This lesson uses the story of God sending Moses to rescue the Israelites as an illustration to obey God (what is written in the Bible) and to trust that He is always concerned about and ready to help His people.
Scriptures
Exodus 1:1-22
Exodus 2:1-25
Exodus 3:1-22
Hebrews 12:11
Words to Know
MIDWIFE - a woman who delivers babies
TASKMASTER - one who imposes a task or burden on another with labor.
AUDIBLY - heard, or capable of being heard
The Lesson
A banker called one of his customers about his account. He rebuked him for his financial affairs being in such a mess. Then he complained that his wife's account was constantly overdrawn, she was behind on her charge accounts, and her check stubs a mess. Then he asked, "Why don't you talk to her about it?" The man answered, "Because I would rather argue with you than with her.”
Our lesson today is about Moses who would rather have argued with anyone other than Pharaoh. But God was about to give him this assignment, Like It or Not.
A man and a woman from the tribe of Levi married. They had a beautiful baby boy. But Like it or Not, the new Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, had given an order that all boy babies were to be killed. The Israelites were having so many babies that he was frightened that the Israeli population would outnumber the Egyptian population and threaten his security.
Pharaoh first told the midwives to kill every boy baby that was born. The midwives told him that Israelite babies were born so rapidly that they never got there in time for the birth and to kill the baby. So he went to plan B. That plan was to throw all boy babies into the Nile River.
This young mother from the tribe of Levi looked at her beautiful little boy and didn't have the heart to throw him in the Nile River. So she went to plan B. She built a little basket and waterproofed it. Then she put Moses in the basket among the reeds in the Nile River. She assigned Moses' sister to watch and see what happened to baby Moses.
Before long, Pharaoh's daughter came down to the river to bathe and noticed this floating basket with a beautiful, crying baby boy in it. Moses’ older sister knew exactly what to do. She approached the princess and asked if she could get a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby. This sounded like a neat idea to the princess. So the little girl got none other than Moses’ own mother to nurse and care for Moses. The princess didn’t know this was the baby’s mother. So she let her take him home with her. Later she brought Moses back to the princess and Moses became her son.
Moses grew up to be a man. He was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, near Horeb. Suddenly, the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him as a flame of fire in a bush. But this bush didn’t burn up. This was cool! Moses thought this was worthy of a second look. While he was checking things out, God called out to him, “Moses! Moses!”
“Who is it?” Moses asked.
“ ‘Don’t come any closer,’ God told him. ‘Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground. I am the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’ Moses covered his face with his hands, for he was afraid to look at God.”
God has a message for Moses. He had seen how badly His people, Israel, were being mistreated and what deep sorrow they were experiencing. They wanted so desperately to be freed from the harsh taskmaster. God’s time had come to deliver them. Not only that, He was going to take them to a wonderful land that flowed with milk and honey. And Moses was the man God had chosen to free His people, Like It Or Not. Well, Moses didn’t like it. “I’m not the person for that job,” Moses exclaimed.
God had no intention of letting Moses do this enormous task all by himself. He told Moses that He would go with him. But that didn’t satisfy Moses. He told God that if he went to the Israelites and told them that their fathers’ God had sent him, they would ask, “Which God are you talking about?” They had been slaves in Egypt so many years that they had lost track of who the true God was. God said, “Just tell them the God of your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, has sent me to you.”
God instructed Moses to call all the elders of Israel together and tell them that He had appeared to him in the burning bush and promised to rescue them from the drudgery and humiliation they were undergoing. He said they would accept God’s message and that they had to to go to Pharaoh with him to explain that God had commanded them to go on a three-day journey to worship Him in the desert. God promised that they would leave Egypt with Egypt’s finest clothes and jewelry.
Moses told God that the elders wouldn’t believe him and would even doubt that Jehovah ever appeared to him. God assured Moses that his wasn’t going to be an easy job. But He would keep the pressure on Pharaoh and, at last, he would let the Israelites go, Like It Or Not.
If God spoke to you, would you believe Him? Would you do what He said? Would you even know for sure that it was the true God speaking to you? How does God speak to you today? God speaks to you through the page of your Bible. How can you know that you would do what God asked you to do, if He spoke audibly to you? If you are presently obeying the things in the Bible that God tells you to do, you can know. Are you reading your Bible every day? Are you praying every day? Do you obey your parents when they tell you to be home at a certain time? Do you keep the Sabbath as it says to in Isaiah 58:13-14?
Student Prayer
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
Thank you for revealing yourself to me. Thank you for showing me beyond a doubt, who the true God is. Help me to believe you and to always do what you say.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Exodus 1:1-10
Monday- Exodus 1:11-17
Tuesday - Exodus 1:18-22
Wednesday - Exodus 2:1-4
Thursday - Exodus 2:5-9
Friday - Exodus 2:10-13
Saturday - Exodus 2:14-17
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Tell the story of God calling Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to "Let my people go".
2. Discuss the benefits of obeying God and the consequences for not obeying God.
Topics & Themes
Burning Bush
Consequences of Sin
Faith
God’s Provision
Jochebed
Miriam
Moses
Obedience
Pharaoh
Pharaoh’s Daughter
Trusting God
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's Books, attendance and memory verse charts, songbook, doll (preferably a boy baby doll), basket, orange, red, and yellow crepe paper, flashlight, brown grocery bags filled with newspaper and stapled at the top, green paint
How to Teach This Lesson
This lesson will be acted out as a skit. As students arrive assign the following parts: Moses, princess, Moses' sister, Moses’ mother. Open the class with prayer. Give those playing in the skit a few minutes to read through their lesson to ensure they know when they are to participate in the skit and what they are to do. During this time, have the students who are not in the play complete the Activity in their book, if they haven't already done it.
Have your cast sit together so they will be available as you read the lesson. Read the lesson with each participant acting out their part as you come to it. Have a student shine the flashlight on the bush to make it appear to be burning when you come to that part of the story. Speak forcefully when you are doing the narration for God's voice. Stop the narration with the next to the last paragraph in the students' lesson. After the skit is over, debrief.
Debrief - Ask: How did you feel about this way of learning your lesson today?How was it like or unlike other experiences you've had? What do you feel is the most important lesson we can learn from this? How did you feel about Pharaoh commanding the midwives to kill all the boy babies? How did you feel about the midwives not obeying Pharaoh's instructions? How did you feel about Pharaoh commanding that all boy babies be thrown into the Nile River?What kind of critters do you think were in the Nile River? How safe was it for a tiny baby?
Moses - How did you feel about Moses' mother putting her beautiful baby boy in a waterproofed basket and floating him in the river? What kind of a chance do you think she was taking by doing this? How did you feel when the princess agreed for Moses' sister to go get his own mother to nurse him? How involved do you think God was in this situation? Why do you think God cared so much about Moses?
Burning Bush - Ask: How do you think you would have reacted if you'd heard God's voice speaking from a burning bush? Do you think this would have made you more willing to obey Him?
God called Moses - Ask: How was Moses’ reaction similar or dissimilar to what yours would have been if God had told you to go speak to Pharaoh and tell him, "Let my people go?" Why do you think Moses was reluctant to go to Pharaoh? Why do you think the elders in Israel wouldn't know which God had appeared to Moses?
Application - How does God speak to you today? How can you tell by looking at your life if you would follow God if He called you like He did Moses? How wiling should we be to obey and follow God? What are the benefits? What are the consequences if we don't obey and follow Him?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Go over the Activity in the Students' Book.
REACH Activity
Memory Verse Spotlight: Hebrews 12:11
Look up the word “discipline.” Write down the Greek word and its meaning. Then find three other Scriptures where this word is used.
Sometimes we hear the word “discipline” and think “punishment.” But athletes have to discipline themselves to work hard and become better in their game. Scholars learn within different disciplines, aka fields of study. Discipline doesn’t have to mean punishment. Once you find out where this word comes from, you might understand it better.
Where in the World? Egypt and Mt. Horeb
Find a map of the Middle East, specifically Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. Do some research to find out where Pharaoh’s daughter would have been living in order to bathe in the Nile River. Also do some research to find out where Mt. Horeb is. Be aware; there is some disagreement as to the location. It varies by quite a lot! Write down what you find in your Bible notebook and file your map with your notes.
They Did What Back Then? Shepherds
Do some research about shepherds in the Middle East. What kind of plant life would there have been around Mt. Horeb? Could Moses have herded cattle? (No. The land would not have supported cattle. Do you know why? It has to do with the way they eat. Find out how cattle and sheep or goats feed differently.)
Once you have research the kind of vegetation in that region, research the way shepherds in the Middle East work compared with those in the U.S. or the British Isles. The Middle Eastern shepherd will lead his sheep (or goats). He calls them and goes before them, leading them to grass and water. In the U.S. (and other places), a shepherd will drive the sheep in front of him, sometimes using a herd dog. Think about this! When Jesus said, “My sheep know my voice,” which kind of shepherd was He referencing? Would you rather be pushed before the shepherd or go to where the shepherd is calling you? How do you view your relationship with Jesus? Is He calling you to come to Him? Or is He pushing you to go down the road of life and He’s behind you? Write about this in your Bible notebook.
Making It Mine: Holy Ground
When Moses approached the burning bush, He heard God tell him to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. Moses was in the presence of God.
Are you ever in God’s presence? When? What is your attitude as you come into His presence? Do you take off your shoes? Why did Moses have to take off his shoes? What would be the equivalent in our society today?
How do you show respect and honor to God? Do you thank God before each meal? Do you bring tithes and offerings to Him? Do you sing hymns at church with all of your heart? (Look at how many of the hymns are directly addressing God!) Do you listen to the message? Do you think about what you have heard? Or do you have an attitude of wishing it was over so you can get on with what you want to do? It’s worth spending some time thinking about this.
Go ask your parents the same questions above. After you get their responses, have a discussion. Is there anything you think you should change about the way you come into God’s presence? Write about it in your Bible notebook.
Worldview Collisions: Abortion
A secular worldview says that life is cheap and babies are expendable. If they are a nuisance, get rid of them. Pharaoh saw the increasing numbers of Hebrews as a problem, so he mandated killing them at birth. When the midwives didn’t cooperate, Pharaoh passed a law to through the baby boys into the Nile River where they’d be eaten by crocodiles.
A Biblical worldview says that every baby is a gift from God and that every life is precious. God is the Creator and the Giver of Life. Abortion is murder and is diametrically opposed to God’s Law.
Write this worldview collision in your Bible notebook. Where do you see this worldview collision in our world today? How is the argument of those who are pro-choice similar to Pharaoh’s argument? How is it different?
Questions
As you’re working through the YEA lesson, Daily Devotionals, doing the activity, or reading the Bible, be sure to write down any questions you have. That way you’ll remember to ask someone. Also remember to share the really interesting things you’re learning with family and friends.
Song
"Father, I Adore You" is on page 41 of The Group Songbook.
Closing Prayer
Ask the students to form a circle and join hands. Ask a volunteer to lead in prayer asking for God’s help for us to trust and obey Him.
Printable Pages
