YEA Lesson Library
20/20 Hindsight
About This Lesson
This lesson reviews the sequence of events from Joseph’s time in Egypt to the plagues on Egypt. It emphasizes the necessity of learning to obey God all the time.
Scriptures
Exodus 3:1-10
Exodus 11:1-13
Isaiah 51:2
Isaiah 66:2
Acts 7:34-35
Acts 9:15-16
Hebrews 11:28
1 Peter 2:9-10
Words to Know
RELUCTANT - feeling or showing aversion, hesitation, or unwillingness
The Lesson
Do you recall? “One day as Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian, out at the edge of the dessert near Horeb, the mountain of God, suddenly the Angel of Jehovah appeared to him as a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw that the bush was on fire and that it didn't burn up, he went over to investigate. Then God called out to him.”
Well, I think you'd agree there's been a lot of water that has gone under the bridge since that day. You might even say a lot of major destruction has taken place and a nation destroyed.
When God called Moses from the burning bush, he protested to God that he wasn’t the person for this job. God assured him that He would be with him. Moses was still insecure about this job. One reason was because the Israelites had been in Egypt so long they didn’t even know who the True God was. God told Moses He would destroy Egypt with His miracles, and then at last He would let the Israelites go. God promised that the Egyptians would actually load the Israelites down with gifts of jewels, silver, gold, and the finest of clothes. But Moses said, “They won’t believe me! They won’t do what I tell them to. They'll say, 'Jehovah never appeared to you!'" Did Moses sound a little like you might have felt?
Now you have 20/20 Hindsight. You know all of these things did happen and much, much more as well. Moses started this God-given assignment without the knowledge you now have. He had doubts, fears, and was reluctant. It would have been much easier to live a normal life and enjoy his friends and family. But in the end, Moses did the right thing and rose to the occasion. He turned out to be a God-fearing leader who went down in history as the man God used to deliver over one million Israelites from the clutches of slavery. Exodus 11:3 says, "Moses was a very great man in the land of Egypt and was revered by Pharaoh's officials and the Egyptian people alike.”
Think about what you've covered in the past seven lessons. Without a doubt, Egypt was the most prosperous nation on the face of the earth before the plagues began. Do you remember how Egypt became so prosperous? The people would have died off in a famine if God hadn't caused Joseph's brothers to sell him as a slave. Do you remember the dream where there would be seven good years and seven bad years? It was Joseph's plan that saved Egypt and made it prosperous. But, oh, how fast the Egyptians forgot this and became ungrateful. Egypt became the greatest nation on the face of the earth at that time, because of the Israelites. The Egyptians owned the Israelites.They benefitted from their intelligence. Israeli manpower was at their total disposal for over 400 years. They could use them as many hours a day as they wanted. The work of the Israelites made Egypt richer and greater.
But the Egyptians and their leaders were not a humble, God-fearing, gentle people. They abused the Israelites, killed their babies, and never dreamed the day would come when the Great God of Heaven would take notice and do something about it. But God did.
He told Moses, "I have seen the deep sorrows of my people in Egypt, and have heard their pleas for freedom from their harsh taskmasters. I have come to deliver them from the Egyptians and to take them out of Egypt into a good land, a large land, a land 'flowing with milk and honey' -the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites live. Yes, the wail of the people of Israel has risen to me in heaven, and I have seen the heavy tasks the Egyptians have oppressed them with. Now I am going to send you to Pharaoh, to demand that he let you lead my people out of Egypt" (Exodus 3:7-10 TLB).
According to Halley's Bible Handbook some think all the plagues that unnecessarily destroyed Egypt took about one year. Egypt experienced plague after plague, including an awesome hail storm that flattened everything. Then came a plague of locusts that ate every twig that survived
There are so many lessons you can learn from one year of history. You can learn from the character of Moses and Aaron and what leaders they were. When God says, "I have a job for you to do," you'd better say, "Yes, Lord," and go do it. We've seen that after Moses' initial reluctance, he carried out every command the Lord gave him right on schedule.
We've learned how respected Moses was by the Egyptians and even revered by Pharaoh's officials. We can see clearly with 20/20 Hindsight and learn from this awesome story that it pays abundantly to obey God, go where He says, and do what He commands.
The big question is how will these Lessons From a Leader change your life? God will probably never speak to you through a burning bush. But He has spoken to you through the pages of your Bible. He tells you to treat others as you would like to be treated. Will you be like Pharaoh, or will you do what God says to do? God tells you to, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." Will you carefully ensure that each Sabbath's celebration is an honor to God, or will you renege on your promise to keep it as Pharaoh did? Will you be faithful with your tithes and holy day offerings, or will you try to make yourself richer as Pharaoh did? How can you know if you will obey God? Use 20/20 Hindsight and look back at how well you obeyed God yesterday. That will tel you a lot.
God helped Moses when he felt like he wasn't the man for the job. He'll give you the strength to obey Him. But you must always try. Always remember, you were Born to Win and God is trying to turn you into a leader. Will you work with Him?
Student Prayer
Almighty God,
Thank you for these awesome lessons about how you used Moses and Aaron to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. You give and you take away. Egypt was so blessed, but they were a cruel people who mistreated your own chosen people. They were brought down in one year to poverty. Help me to always remember these lessons and walk with you daily.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Exodus 11:1-10
Monday - Exodus 3:1-10
Tuesday - I Peter 2:9-10
Wednesday - Isaiah 51:2
Thursday - Hebrews 11:28
Friday - Acts 7:34-35
Saturday - Acts 9:15,16
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. List the ten plagues.
2. Recall how Egypt actually became a wealthy nation.
3. Make the changes in their lives that this lesson shows they should.
Topics & Themes
Burning Bush
Egypt
Egypt, Coming Out
God’s Plan
Israelites
Moses
Obedience
Pharaoh
Plagues
Sabbath
Slavery
Tithes
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students’ and Teacher’s books, attendance and memory verse charts, songbook, prize
How to Teach This Lesson
After opening the class with prayer, explain that each student is to come to the table and draw one of the slips of paper. After every student has drawn a slip of paper, give the class a few minutes to read and think about their assignment. Explain they are to tell the class everything they remember about that incident. After the student tells what he remembers, ask other students to tell what they remember about this event as well. The students are to come back and draw a second time if there aren't enough students to initially draw all of the pieces of paper. Once all of the papers have been discussed, challenge the students to put the events in order.
It is said that you can only know if a person understands something if he is able to explain it. This will help you grade how well the students are grasping and remembering the YEA lessons.
Debrief - Ask: How did you feel about this way of reviewing the seven previous lessons we had in this YEA book? What was the most difficult thing about this activity? How was it like or unlike other things in your life? Which one was your favorite story? What do you think was the best lesson you've learned in this book? Why?
Egypt's prosperity - How many of you had forgotten that it was Joseph, an Israelite, who was responsible for saving Egypt from famine? What did Joseph do that changed the course of history for the nation of Egypt?
Background - Read the first two paragraphs under Background to the class. Ask: How many people do you think left Egypt after the Passover? Were they all Israelites? Ask a student to read Exodus 12:37-39.
Let's play a game - Say: I'm going to give you the name of a lesson in this book. Then I want you to raise your hand if you can tell us something about that lesson. The person who can tell us what was in the most lessons will get a prize.
You Can Count on It: (Jacob and his family moved to Egypt and were given land. Jacob blesses Ephraim and Manasseh and dies.)
Israel Yesterday and Today: (It shows that the nation of Israel can't be the entire 12 tribes that God promised to bless with a company of nations and kings.)
Like It or Not: (Moses put in the Nile River in a basket. God calls Moses from a burning bush.)
From Bad to Worse: (God tells Moses to go tell Pharaoh to "Let My People Go." The taskmasters become cruel. God turns the Nile to blood.)
Same Song, Second Verse: (Plagues of frogs, lice, flies.)
Flip Flopped: (Plagues of boils, hail, and locusts.)
The First Passover: (Instructions on selecting, preparing, eating the Passover lamb, and disposing of leftovers.)
Debrief - Ask: How did you feel about this way of reviewing the first seven lessons in this book? Which lesson did you like best? What did you like most about it?
Application - What do you think God would want you to remember from this lesson? How do you think He would want you to make it a part of your life? What kinds of changes do you think God would want you to make that you’ve learned from Pharaoh, Moses, the plagues, or anything else in these lessons? What are you going to do about it?
Teacher-Directed Activity
See “How to Teach This Lesson.”
REACH Activity
Memory Verse Spotlight: Isaiah 66:2
Look up the word “poor.” Write down the Hebrew word and its meaning. Then find three other Scriptures where this word is used. Does it make you think of any scriptures in the New Testament? Think about the Beatitudes - Matthew 5:3. Look up the Greek word that is translated “poor” in Matthew 5:3. Are they the same definition? Where else is this Greek word used in the New Testament? Write down what you find in your Bible notebook.
Where in the World? Humble Beginnings
Think back to Moses’ birth. Remember how his mother, Jochebed, put him in a basket in the Nile River? Remember how Pharaoh’s daughter adopted him as her son? Trace the major events in Moses’ life - from his birth to the statement in Exodus 11:3. Then consider the reason why Moses had achieved that status. Was it because of being Pharaoh’s daughter’s son? Was it because he was a Hebrew receiving the blessings of God? Or was it something else? Write down your thoughts and then talk about it with your family.
They Did What Back Then? Pharaoh’s Ancestry
The ancient Egyptians believed that Pharaoh was god on earth. He was the intermediary between the gods they worshipped and the people he ruled. What if you, as Pharaoh, believed this to the point you really thought you were a god? What if you thought you were all-powerful and sovereign over all? One plague could be dismissed as just bad luck. Two plagues could be dismissed as coincidental. But ten plagues over the course of a year that completely ruined the economy of your country would make you seriously begin to doubt that you were as powerful as you had once thought! Or would it? Do some research. See if you can find out when the last Pharaoh reigned. Did that Pharaoh still believe he was god on earth? Share what you discover with your family.
Making It Mine: God of My Life
Sometimes we look at the characters in the Bible and wonder how in the world they could have believed what they did and could have done what they did. Unfortunately, we don’t always get the full picture of what was happening. For instance, when God told Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell Pharaoh to let his slave labor go to worship Almighty God, Moses was reluctant. He gave one excuse after another. We can judge Moses pretty harshly from all these years later. But what do you do when God tells you to honor Him for 24 hours every week? Do you have one excuse after another? Do you justify breaking the Sabbath with all sorts of reasons?
Or maybe you think that Pharaoh must have been pretty stupid. How in the world did Pharaoh think he could prevail against the God of the Universe? But apply Pharaoh’s behavior to your own life. Can you think of something that you know God wants you to do (or to refrain from doing)? Maybe you experienced some crisis event that convicted you to change your behavior. But then when the crisis resolved itself, you started second-guessing whether that conviction was accurate and your promise binding. Our minds are really going at coming up with all sorts of excuses to avoid submitting to God’s direction for our lives.
Maybe you think that this doesn’t apply to you at all. But it’s at least worth spending some time thinking about the things you do and evaluating them from a Biblical standpoint. In fact, if you really love God and want to do His will, pray Psalm 139:23-24.
Worldview Collisions: God and Law
There are worldview collisions even within Christian circles. Some people who claim to be Christians say that there’s no way we will ever be able to keep God’s laws perfectly so Jesus came and did what we could not do. He kept the law for us. Now we don’t need to worry about keeping God’s law; we just rely on God’s mercy and grace.
Other people who claim to be Christians agree that there’s no way we will ever be able to keep God’s laws perfectly. Jesus pays the penalty for the sins that we have committed and reconciles us to God. We are completely dependent upon God’s mercy and grace because we were dead in our sins. However, God also says that, if we love Him, we will keep His commandments. So we walk worthy of the calling we have received, empowered by the Holy Spirit to be obedient. We will not be perfect, but we persevere.
What do you think? Do you think that we can’t keep the law so why should we try? Or do you think that God expects us to bring every thought into submission to Him? Write about this in your Bible notebook.
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
"I Have Decided to Follow Jesus" is on page 60 of The Group Songbook.
Closing Prayer
Ask the students to form a circle and hold hands. Have each student briefly describe how they think teens felt the night they left Egypt. Ask for a volunteer to lead in prayer thanking God for His mercy in delivering the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and for giving Christ so we might be delivered from our sins.
Printable Pages
