God provides for his people
key words
biblical reference
Exodus 16:1-17
memory verse
“Teach me to do your will, for you are my God” (Psalm 143:10a, NIV*).
lesson objective
To help children understand the care and patience God has towards them.
prepare yourself to teach
The people of Israel were like little children who needed God to teach them a new lifestyle. During the time they lived in Egypt they had turned away from him and his commandments.
Soon the Israelites forgot about the miracles that God had done to free them, and they were constantly complaining about everything that happened to them. The Lord had sent many plagues to punish the Egyptians for their hardness of heart; he had opened the Red Sea to let the Israelites pass, and protected them with a pillar of fire by night and a cloud by day. He looked after them with great love and incredible patience.
However, they continued to complain and speak against Moses. They were hungry in the desert and longed for the food that they had had in Egypt. God heard them and sent them quail and bread called “manna” from heaven to pick up each morning. Manna was the main food of the Israelites during the forty years of their journey to the Promised Land.
But, that was not the only problem; they cried about the lack of water and their complaints were even stronger. Moses suffered because of allegations that he received from the people. However, God’s love and infinite patience remained intact and he provided his people with sweet and fresh drinking water from a rock. He kept showing his love for the Israelites, like a mother does with her hungry and whiny child.
As you prepare for today’s lesson remember that you are helping prepare your young believers to be future members of the church. And, you are laying a foundation for their involvement in future appropriate Christian ministries.
adaptation
Your children often show impatience and restlessness when their needs or desires are not satisfied. Through this story they may understand that God meets the needs of his children because He loves us and cares for us.
Children will realize that even when we feel God working in our lives, we become impatient and complain, questioning his great power. Help the children understand that they must learn to trust in the Lord Almighty and be grateful for each blessing they receive.
introduce the lesson
“A walk in the wilderness”
Take your children for a walk around the church and return to the meeting room. If possible hand out a local (salty) snack, but do not give them anything to drink. This may cause them to become thirsty. To introduce the Bible story start talking about what happens when we feel very thirsty.
teach the lesson
Study Exodus 16:1-17 before the session and be ready to tell the story in your own words.
Ask children to imagine that they are in the desert on a very hot day, and are very thirsty and all they can think about is a huge glass of cold water. Suddenly, in the distance, they see trees, plants, and grass. Ask them, “What does it mean if there is vegetation in such a hot, dry place? Of course there must be water!”
Ask how many of them are thirsty and give them some water. Then talk about how they feel now that they’re no longer thirsty. Tell them that God showed his love for his people because while they were complaining and cranky, he was taking care of them.
Ask how the Bible story relates to what the children felt when they were thirsty, so they can understand what the people of God went through in the heat of the desert. Show a video clip or have some books that contain information and pictures about the desert.
Explain that sometimes it is difficult to trust when we are in the midst of a situation that makes us suffer. However, we can be sure that God will never leave us nor forsake us.
He always meets our needs because he loves us and cares for us.
connect the lesson
God provides water for his people
Give your children Student Activity Sheet #109 and read them the instructions. Give them time to connect the dots, creating a waterfall. Then help them cut out the arm of Moses and attach it with a fastener, so that Moses can hit the stone with his staff.
While doing this activity ask these questions, as a reminder:
Why did the people of Israel complain?
How do you think God reacted when hearing all the complaints of his people?
How did God show his love for his people, even if they did not trust him?
practice the memory verse
Write the memory verse on the board (Psalm 143:10) and read it with your children. Then remove the first and last words and ask for a volunteer to say it. Then continue to remove words until the board is blank and your children can say the memory verse completely.
wrap-up
Pray
Form the habit of praying with your children every time your group meets. This creates a strong link between the teacher and the children, because the children feel appreciated and loved. Ask for prayer requests and pray for the children. Commit to also praying for them during the week.
Encourage
Encourage them to pray and read the Bible at home and memorize the verse and tell the Bible story to their parents and relatives.
Invite
Ask the children to bring a friend that they shared the good news with during the week. Sing songs of praise to God, and invite them to the next session.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™