YEA Lesson Library
Sidetracked
About This Lesson
This lesson uses Moses’ experience with the burning bush to teach the student that God’s plan is always best, even when it involves waiting.
Scriptures
Exodus 2:11-25
Exodus 3:1-22
Exodus 4:1-31
Psalm 25:1-5
Psalm 37:34
Isaiah 40:28-31
Matthew 6:33
Philippians 1:6
Words to Know
HOREB - rugged mountain range in the southern Sinai Peninsula between the two arms of the Red Sea
REPENT - to feel sorry for and change your actions
SIDETRACK - to switch from the main track to one along side
The Lesson
Roger and his family were riding through the country in the car. They came to a railroad crossing. Roger saw a train ahead, but it wasn’t moving. He heard the engines running as they drove past. Roger asked, "Why is that train just sitting there not moving?" His dad explained that sometimes trains had to be switched to sidetracks to allow other trains to pass.
“I don’t think I would like to sit on a sidetrack and watch other trains pass me by," said Roger. "I like to move and go fast!" But, then his dad told him the sidetracks were necessary. If one train didn't give way for the other one to pass there could be a terrible wreck. Somewhere in a terminal a dispatcher was keeping track of all the trains. He knew where they were all going. It was the dispatcher's job to say which trains should wait on the sidetrack. He knew what was best.
After Moses killed the Egyptian, he ran away from Pharaoh and Egypt. He wanted to get far away. So he ran into the desert of Midian. Tired from his trip, Moses sat down by a well. After a while the daughters of a priest of Midian came to the well. They came to get water for their sheep to drink.
Then shepherds came with their flocks. They started chasing away the sheep that belonged to the priest. Moses came to the girls' rescue. He helped them give water to their sheep. They took Moses home to meet their father. Moses stayed with the priest and married one of his daughters.
One day Moses took a flock of sheep into the desert near the mountains of Horeb. He stopped dead in his tracks! In front of him, a bush was on fire. An Angel of God appeared to Moses out of this burning bush. Even though the bush burned. it was not burning up. Moses wanted to get a closer look at this bush.
Then a voice called to Moses from the bush. It was the voice of God! "Don't come any closer. Take off your sandals. This place is holy ground,” the voice of God told him. Moses couldn't look at the bush when he knew it was God speaking to him. He was afraid.
God told Moses He had seen how the Israelites were mistreated in Egypt. He felt sorry for them. God said He would take the Israelites out of Egypt and give them a wonderful, large land of their own that flowed with milk and honey. Then God said He was going to send Moses to Pharaoh, to demand that he let Moses lead His people out of Egypt.
Moses asked, "Who am ? I How can I go and tell Pharaoh to let the people go?" But, God promised that He would go with Moses to help him.
Moses had a shepherd's rod in his hand. God told him to throw it down on the ground, and he did. To Moses' surprise it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it! God told Him to grab it by the tail and when he did it became a rod again. Moses didn't think the Israelites would believe him- he didn't feel that he was the man for this very big job. God always knows best. He told Moses to throw down his rod in front of the Israelites and it would again become a serpent. "This will make the Israelites know that I have appeared to you," God told him.
Moses still wasn't happy doing what God told Him to do. He wanted to get Sidetracked and forgotten about. But God told him to go back and tell the Israelites that their fathers’ God had sent him. While the Israelites were in Egypt, they had forgotten the true God. So God told Moses to go back and explain how the true God had appeared to him in a burning bush. Moses still wasn't happy doing the job God wanted him to do. So he pled with God, “Please send someone else." Now God had heard enough excuses from Moses. And God got angry with Moses for not doing what He told him to do. But even though God was angry, He agreed to help Moses. He said that He would send Moses' brother, Aaron, along with him to do the talking to Pharaoh. This job was so important that God wasn't going to let Moses get Sidetracked. So God promised Moses that He would help him and Aaron every step of the way.
When Moses killed the Egyptian, he thought he was helping the Israelites. He didn't want them to be mistreated. There were some things Moses needed to learn. God is our Dispatcher. He knows when it's best for us to be Sidetracked and when we shouldn't be.
God does things in His own time. He knows what is best for us, just like the dispatcher knows what is best for the trains. When God tells us to wait, it is for our own good. If the train refused to wait on the sidetrack, what could happen? There most likely would be a wreck. And, when we want things our own way, it could be bad. When God says "Wait," He may want you on a sidetrack to teach you something! We must always be ready to do or go where God wants us to.
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
I'm glad you are in control.You know what is best for me, even when I want to rush and do things my own way. Help me learn to wait. Teach me to do things your way and in your time.
In Jesus' name.
Amen
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Philippians 1:6
Monday - Exodus 2:11-15
Tuesday - Exodus 2:16-22
Wednesday - Exodus 3:1-6
Thursday - Exodus 3:7-10
Friday - Isaiah 40:28-31
Saturday - Psalm 25:1-5
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, the students will be able to:
1. Tell about the circumstances leading up to Moses leaving Egypt.
2. Describe how God met with Moses in the desert.
3. Describe the burning bush.
4. Explain that God sometimes wants us to be Sidetracked and sometimes He doesn't. We must be ready to do what He tells us to do.
Topics & Themes
Aaron
Burning Bush
Egypt
Egypt, Coming Out
God’s Plan
God’s Presence
God’s Will
Miriam
Moses
Obedience
Sign
Wait on God
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse chart, stickers, music player and CD or tape, songbook, map of Egypt and Sinai Peninsula, butcher's paper, pencils, glue, index cards
Preparation
Not all students learn in the same way. Some like to listen, others like hands-on involvement, still others like to talk about the lesson. Give all the students an opportunity to be involved in the lesson in the way that best suits them and their abilities. Motivate them to practice and apply the lesson to their own lives in some way.
For the Activity: Attach a piece of butcher’s paper to the wall. Prepare enough index cards for each student to have one (For large classes, make more than one of each). Write one of the following on one side of the cards: Baby Moses; In The Palace; The Slaves; Running Away; At The Well; A Shepherd; What I Learned; Burning Bush; God's Promise.
You will need a large map of Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. One can be purchased at a local Christian bookstore, or you can make your own on poster board.
How to Teach This Lesson
Activity- Begin with the first part of the Activity.
Sidetracked for a Reason - Discuss the circumstances leading up to Moses running away from Egypt. He took things in his own hands. Ask: What did Pharaoh do when he heard what had happened? Moses ran away in fear. (Find Egypt on the map. Show where Moses ended up in Midian.) Ask: Do you think it was hard for Moses to leave Egypt and run away to the wilderness? Why? As he sat beside a well of water, the daughters of a priest of Midian came to draw water. Ask: How did Moses take things in his own hands again? God had a purpose for Moses being in the desert wilderness (Philippians 1:6). Moses was there for about 40 years. During that time there were some things he had to learn.
Feed My Sheep - Moses married one of the daughters of the priest of Midian. (Explain the nomadic life of a shepherd.) He had lots of time to think as he watched over the sheep. Ask: What do you think Moses thought about while out in the wilderness? Do you think he wondered what he was doing there?
The Burning Bush - Moses led his sheep to a place near Mt. Sinai. There he came upon a curious sight. Ask: Why was this bush so unusual? (It did not burn up. A voice came from the bush.) Who was speaking to Moses from the bush? God told Moses to take off his sandals - he was standing in a very special place. He warned him not to get closer to the bush. Then God said, "I have seen, I have heard, and I am coming to deliver the children of Israel." God would deliver the people out Egyptian slavery. But, He wanted Moses to be His hands and feet and mouth. He wanted Moses to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go to worship Him.
"Who Am I?" - Discuss why Moses questioned God's call on his life. Ask: Do you think God made a mistake? Why?
God's Timing - "Trying to redeem Israel in his own way and at his own time, Moses failed. But in God's time he was called upon to deliver in God's way and by God's power" (The Wycliffe Bible Commentary). (Have one of the better readers read Psalm 25:1-5 aloud.) Ask: From these verses, what are some lessons Moses (and David) learned?
God's Promise - God reminded Moses of the promise He made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Ask: What was that promise?
Don't Rush! - Allow the students to tell about some things they wish they were old enough to do. Have them think of why it is best for them to wait until they are older to do those things. Remind the students that when God tells us to wait it is for our own good.
Review Questions
1. What happened that led Moses to run away from Egypt?
2. Why was it hard for Moses to leave Egypt and go to the wilderness?
3. What kind of job did Moses do in the wilderness?
4. Why do you think God Sidetracked Moses ni the wilderness?
5. Whose voice spoke to Moses from the bush?
6. What did God tell Moses to do?
7. Why does God say we have to wait sometimes?
Teacher-Directed Activity
Give each student an index card with an event in Moses life written o nit. Allow time for them to write, from Moses' point of view, what happened and how he felt about it. Example: In
Egypt - "When I lived in Egypt I lived in the palace of Pharaoh. It was great. I learned a lot. But, I missed my real family." After the lesson has been taught, have the students glue their index cards about Moses’ life in the order the events happened on a strip of butcher paper.
REACH Activity
Back to the Bible: Examples of Being Sidetracked
Can you think of any examples of people in the Bible who were sidetracked?
*Jacob probably didn’t expect to spend 20 years with his mother’s relatives. After all, he was just going to go find a wife!
*David probably thought that, when Samuel anointed him king, it wouldn’t take years to be king over all of Israel. (He was king over Judah for 7.5 years before becoming king over all of Israel. 2 Samuel 5:5)
*Elijah (just after the event on Mt. Carmel) thought Jezebel was going to sideline him permanently - and he ran for his life. (1 Kings 19)
Choose one of these situations and write about God’s plan and purpose even when they couldn’t see what God was doing.
Journal Jot: Sidetracked
Sometimes we feel like we’re just sitting and waiting for something to happen. But God doesn’t waste time. Think about how much Moses was learning as he was herding sheep! Sheep do dumb things. They get themselves into trouble easily. They follow each other - if one sheep does something, many will follow. They are very social; they want to be together. They are easily scared. When their fleece is long and if they’ve been out in the rain, it gets so heavy that, if they fall over, they can’t get back on their feet.
Think about each description of sheep. Is it any wonder that God’s people are compared to sheep? Are the descriptions of sheep also good descriptions of people at times?
Write about this in your Bible journal. Be sure to include a section in your essay about nothing being wasted.
Word Study: qâvâh
Your memory verse says, “Don’t be impatient for the Lord to act.” In the NAS, it is rendered this way, “Wait for the LORD.” The Hebrew word for “wait for” is qâvâh. It means “to expect, to await, to look for patiently, to wait, to hope, to be confident, to trust; to be enduring.” (Source: Zodhiates’ Hebrew-Greek NAS Key Word Study Bible, 1990.)
Write this word and its definition in your Bible notebook, along with a scripture reference where it can be found.
Just Toolin’ Around: Midian
Who were the Midianites? Where did they come from? Using a Bible dictionary or encyclopedia, find out who they are. (It might surprise you, if you don’t already know!) Then find some other instances where God’s people interacted with the Midianites. Write down what you find and share it with your family.
Did you Know? Not Wasted Time
According to the NIV Archaeological Study Bible (2005, p. 88), “as shepherd of his father-in-law’s flocks, Moses gained first-hand geographical knowledge of the territory surrounding the Gulf of Aqabah. Little did he realize that through this area he would one day lead the great nation of Israel!”
Write about how God used this (and all of Moses’ experiences) in your Bible notebook. Then consider the fact that God may be using every experience you have to prepare you for the future.
Stretch It Out: Waiting on God
Create a picture of a shepherd with his sheep. After you have added color with your favorite color tool, make your picture 3D by gluing pieces of cotton balls on your sheep. Then write your memory verse across the bottom as a caption for your picture. Display where you can see it as you memorize your memory verse this week.
Music Notes: The Lord’s My Shepherd
This hymn is on page 58 of the CEM Hymnal.
The composer of this hymn is William H. Havergal. He was a pastor in England who was more well known as a musician than as a hymnist. In this hymn, he set the 1650 Scottish Psalter version of Psalm 23 to music. William Havergal is the father of Francis Ridley Havergal, who wrote “Take My Life and Let It Be,” “Like a River Glorious,” and “I Gave My Life For Thee.”
So many composers have set David’s beautiful words to music. Maybe you have a tune in mind that would work really well with these words. Try it out. Who knows, maybe someday we’ll be singing your version in church.
Questions?
Remember to write down any questions that you think of as you are reading your lesson, daily devotionals, or doing the REACH activities. Plan to ask your parents or your pastor these questions.
Song
"The Lord Is My Shepherd" is on page 81 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead the students in prayer, thanking Him for being in control of our lives. Ask Him to teach them to wait to do things in His time and His way.
Printable Pages
