YEA Lesson Library
A Precious Gift
About This Lesson
This lesson equates Pharaoh’s murder of babies to the abortion done in today’s society. Both are wrong and will receive God’s judgment and punishment.
Scriptures
Exodus 1:8-22
Psalm 127:3
Psalm 127:3-5
Psalm 139:14-17
Mark 10:13-15
Luke 1:39-44
1 Corinthians 15:57-58
Revelation 21:8
Words to Know
DEFORMITY - something that is not formed or made correctly
ABORTION - the act of killing a baby before it is born
CONSEQUENCES - the result of your actions
MIDWIVES - women who help deliver a baby
ISRAELITE - a descendant of Jacob (Israel)
POLITICALLY CORRECT - what is accepted by a large part of this society
The Lesson
Tara and Shane raced into the kitchen after school, eager to tell their mom about the homework assignment. "Mom!" they called, "You won't believe what we have to do for homework tonight. We have to watch television!" Well, it was just the evening news, for the current events discussion the next day. Mrs. Peterson decided to watch the news with her twins.
Tara and Shane each had a notebook on their laps, ready to take notes. After the newscast, the twins looked at their mom with concern and confusion. Tara asked her mom, "What is abortion? Why are so many people upset about it? Are you pro-life or pro-choice?" Mrs. Peterson explained, "Abortion is killing a baby before the baby is born. There are lots of reasons why some pregnant mothers want to kill the baby. Sometimes the mother wants a boy instead of a girl, or a girl instead of a boy. Sometimes she just doesn't want the baby. Sometimes the baby would be born with a severe disease or deformity. Sometimes it is a teenage girl who is ashamed to be pregnant and doesn't want her parents to ever find out."
Mrs. Peterson told her children, "Babies are alive, even before they are born. They feel heat and cold. They hear noises and see light. And they kick! Abortion is wrong. It is wrong to kill the most helpless of all human life! God tells us that children are a gift from Him. When we, as a society, decide to kill that gift, we will pay the consequences." Tara, Shane, and their mom talked for a long time about why people would kill babies and how God feels about it.
Then Mrs. Peterson told her twins about Egypt, Pharaoh, and Jacob's descendants - the Israelites. Even after the famine was over, the sons of Jacob continued to live in Egypt. Their families grew larger and larger! Exodus 1:7 says "The people of Israel had many children. They greatly increased their numbers. There were so many of them that they filled the land" (NIrV Kids Devotional Bible). There were so many Israelites that the Egyptians were afraid of them. So the Egyptians began to mistreat the Israelites, forcing them to work very hard. But God blessed the Israelites with more and more children.
So the Pharaoh told the midwives to watch the Israelite women as they were helping them deliver the babies. He said that if the baby was a girl, the midwives should let her live. But if it was a boy, the midwives should kill him! The midwives feared God and did not do what the Pharaoh had ordered them to do. When the Pharaoh asked them why they didn't do as he had told them, the midwives told him that the babies were already born before the midwives arrived. God continued to bless the Israelites with many children, and He also blessed the midwives and gave them families of their own.
So Pharaoh ordered his people to let the baby girls live. But he told them to throw the baby boys into the Nile River for the crocodiles to eat. God would punish Pharaoh for doing this! Eighty years later, the first plague was the Nile River turned to blood. And the last plague before Israel left Egypt was the death of all the firstborn sons - those who were not protected by God. In the same way, God will punish people today who kill babies- even the unborn.
You need to know the truth. Pro-life means that you believe all babies should have a chance at life. God is the One who decides to grant this gift. It is too late to make this choice after a woman is already pregnant. This choice should be made before a woman gets pregnant. Pro-choice means that you want the right to kill an unborn baby. Even if our government says that it is all right, that it is legal, God's law says that it is murder. And God says that the place for murderers is the lake of fire (Revelation 21:8).
It is not politically correct to call abortion murder. It is not politically correct to take a stand against abortion. But it is the right thing to do. However we are not the civil government. So it would be wrong for us to go out and kill those who have abortions or perform abortions. May God grant you the strength to stand up for what is right in a Christian way. "Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain" (I Corinthians 15:58).
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Please give me the strength to stand up for what is right always,
whether it is against abortion or for your ways.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday: Exodus 1:13-14
Monday: Exodus 1:16-20
Tuesday: Psalm 127:3-5
Wednesday: Psalm 139:14-17
Thursday: Luke 1:39-44
Friday: 1 Corinthians 15:57-58
Saturday: Mark 10:13-15
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
I. Define abortion.
2. Explain how God feels about murder and abortion.
3. Differentiate between pro-life and pro-choice.
4. Relate abortion in this society to Pharaoh’s order to kill the Israelite baby boys.
5. State that God held Pharaoh accountable for the murder of little babies.
6. State that God will hold this society accountable for the abortion (murder) of little babies.
7. State that we must stand up for what is right - even when it is difficult or inconvenient.
Topics & Themes
Abortion
Consequences of Sin
Egypt
God’s Judgment
Integrity
Pharaoh
Plagues
Murder
Materials Needed
Bibles, YEA students' and teacher's books, pencils and pens, attendance and memory verse charts, stars, songbook, CD or cassette tape, music player, blackboard, chalk, punch, cupcakes, napkins, cups, new YEA books
Preparation
You may wish to invite parents to come to this Sabbath School class, due to the serious nature of the lesson. Also, as it is the last lesson in the book, you'll be sharing the Ten-Week Projects and Challenges. This is a good thing for the parents to observe. You may also wish to get materials from some pro-life organizations, such as:
I.) Life Issues Institute, Inc.
P.O. Box 785
Florence, Kentucky 41022
(513)729-3600
www.lifeissues.org
2.) Vitae Society
1731 Southridge Drive, Suite D
Jefferson City, MO 65109
(573) 634-4316
vitaefoundation.org
3.) Focus on the Family
Colorado Springs, CO 80995
(719) 531-5181 or 1-800-232-6459
4.) National Right to Life, Suite 500
P.O. Box 96498
Washington, DC 20077-7606
(202) 626-8800
www.nrlc.org
How to Teach This Lesson
Abortion vs. murder - Write murder at the top left of the blackboard and ask the students to define it. Then write abortion on the top right of the blackboard and ask the students to define it. If the students question whether the baby is really alive and is really a person prior to birth, talk about the conception of Jesus Christ. What would have happened if Mary, an unwed mother, had decided to have an abortion? What about the baby who was to become John the Baptist leaping for joy in the womb of Elizabeth when he heard Mary come in? (Luke 1:41.) If you have parent visitors, ask them to describe the joy of hearing the heartbeat in the doctor’s office the first time, the wonder of seeing the baby on ultrasound at 16weeks, and the joy of feeling kicks and movements (although some kicks may really hurt!). It is important for the students to realize that this is a tiny human being. This is a good time to have the students recite their memory verse.
Abortion rationale- Talk about some of the reasons why people feel they can or should have an abortion. Be sure to have looked up the statistics on how many babies are aborted on average in the United States every year so that you can share the numbers with the students.
Pharaoh- Discuss with the students the events of Exodus 1. Pharaoh though the had a good reason for killing the baby boys of the Israelites. He was afraid that the Israelites would be too powerful and might side with the enemies of Egypt. So Pharaoh first enslaved the Israelites. Then he told the midwives to kill the baby boys as they were being born. When the midwives didn't do that, Pharaoh ordered the baby boys to be thrown into the Nile River for the crocodiles to eat.
Consequences - What was the penalty for murder in the Bible? Death (Numbers 35:16-18). What penalty did the Egyptians receive for killing all the boy babies? Their first born sons were killed when the death angel passed over. What was the penalty for those nations who sacrificed their children in the fire to their pagan gods? God destroyed those nations (Ezekiel 23:37-49). What will be the consequence to this nation for allowing the millions of babies to be aborted? God will punish this nation in some way. It will not be allowed to prosper and to continue killing babies (Revelation 21:8).
Your responsibility - You must be ready to give an answer to anyone who asks (1 Peter 3:15-17). You must be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10:16). You must be a light of the ways of God and of the Gospel to those around you (Matthew 5: 14-16). Keep yourself unspotted from the world (James 1:27). Stand firm in the faith (1 Corinthians 16:13). And remember to let God's ways and laws direct your paths (Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 3:5-6). God will never leave you nor forsake you (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Hebrews 13:5; Romans 8:39).
Review Questions
1. What is abortion?
2. How does God feel about murder?
3. How does God feel about abortion? How do we know?
4. What is the difference between pro-life and pro-choice?
5. Many years after Joseph died and the Israelites became so numerous, what order did Pharaoh give to the midwives?
6. When the midwives wouldn't kill the baby boys, what order did Pharaoh give?
7. What were the consequences of Pharaoh killing the baby boys?
8. Will God hold societies that allow abortions accountable?
9. Do you have to stand up for what is right when it could cause you some discomfort?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Have the students share their Ten Week Projects (Memorize Genesis 35:23-26) and Ten Week Challenges (Collection of scriptures which are promises to them or that provide encouragement in time of need). Then end the class time with some punch and cupcakes. Give the students their new YEA books.
REACH Activity
Back to the Bible: Stand Firm
People down through the ages have had to decide whether they were going to stand for what is right in God’s sight - or whether they were going to be swayed by the people around them who wanted to do wrong. At the very end of his life, Joshua assembled the leaders of Israel and warned them of the consequences of not choosing God’s way. And then he left the decision up to them. Read about it in Joshua 24:14-15. You get to make this decision too. Are you going to stand firm, like the midwives in Egypt did? Are you going to stand firm like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did? Are you going to stand firm like Daniel did? The Bible is full of examples of people who took Joshua’s exhortation to heart.
Write the last portion of Joshua 24:15 in bold letters in your Bible notebook. Then pray that God will give you the strength and courage to stand firm.
Journal Jot: Serving God
You may find yourself at some point in your life working for someone. You will be their employee. They sign your checks and tell you what you will do if you want to be paid. You may like your boss; you may not like your boss. It doesn’t really matter because, as an honorable person, if you agreed to do a job for a sum of money, you need to work very hard to do a good job. Here’s why: Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, put your whole heart and soul into it, as into work done for God, and not merely for men . . .” You see, God is sovereign. He’s the ultimate boss; He’s the One you obey. And He tells us (through the apostle Paul) that whatever our hand finds to do, do it with all of our might.
In your Bible notebook, brainstorm as many reasons as you can why you should do a good job in whatever you’re doing. If you get stuck and can’t think of any reasons, go ask your mom. Then go ask your dad. Then call up your grandparents and ask them. You will find it very interesting to hear the answers they give you. Write them down. Think about what you’ve been told. Then, the next time you have something to do, do a good job!
Word Study: yârê
Exodus 1:17 says that the midwives feared God and did not obey Pharaoh’s command to kill the male Hebrew babies when they were born. This word “fear” is the Hebrew word yârê. There are two main types of fear associated with this word. Here the words means “a very positive feeling of awe or reverence for God, which may be expressed in piety or formal worship . . . Fearing God is often the motivation which effects godly living” (Source: Zodhiates’ Hebrew-Greek Key Word NAS Study Bible, 1990).
Write this word and its meaning in your Bible notebook. Make a note about where it is found in the Bible, i.e. Exodus 1:17; Leviticus 19:3; Job 6:21; Psalm 86:11.
Just Toolin’ Around: Godly Counsel
Oftentimes you open a Bible encyclopedia, Bible map book, or Bible commentary to find more information about a topic. But God’s Holy Spirit dwells within your parents, if they are baptized. And we know that God’s Holy Spirit will lead us into all truth (John 16:13). So pray that God will give you wisdom and then go seek godly counsel (Psalm 37:30). Abortion is a hot topic, even among Christians. Talk about this with your parents. Talk about who gives life. Talk about what murder is. Discuss the arguments for and against abortion. Be thoroughly convinced of whether it is right in God’s sight or not - because you likely will be faced with having to take a stand for it or against it at some time in your life.
Did you Know? Solomon
Psalm 127 (from where the memory verse comes) is one of two psalms in the Bible that was written by King Solomon. Can you find which other psalm was written by Solomon?
Stretch It Out: A Quiver Full
Read Psalm 127:3-5. King Solomon paints a vivid word picture of how valuable children are by comparing them to arrows in the hand of a warrior. You certainly wouldn’t want to reach for an arrow and find out that you’d already shot all of them!
On a piece of 11 x 17 drawing paper, draw a quiver full of arrows. Make each arrow as unique because every child is a unique creation. Use your favorite color tools to complete your artwork. Finish by adding the memory verse across the bottom. Display in your room to remind you to memory your verse by Sabbath class.
Music Notes: Put God First
This hymn is on page 204 of the CEM Hymnal.
This hymn was written in 1927, just after Baxter had bought “part of Virgil Stamps’ Gospel music firm, which became the Stamps-Baxter Music and Printing Company, one of the most successful Gospel music publishers of the early 20th Century.” (Source: https://hymnary.org/text/in_everything_you_do_or_say#Author)
It’s always remarkable to find a hymn where both the words and music are written by the same person. That’s truly a gift from God.
Sing this hymn. Then think about the attitude of the midwives in Egypt, who chose to obey God rather than Pharaoh. They were putting God first! Can you think of a situation in your life where you had to make a choice of putting God first? Write about it in your Bible notebook.
Questions?
Write down any questions you have in your Bible notebook so that you can remember to ask your parents or your pastor.
Song
"Dare To Be A Daniel" is on page 9 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead the students in prayer asking God's help for each student to be as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves as they stand up for His ways!
Printable Pages
