Jochebed
key words
biblical reference
Exodus 1:8-10, 22; 2:1-10 and Numbers 26:59
lesson objective
To help the children know that God has every situation under control, no matter how difficult it is.
memory verse
“My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Elementary children like to feel that everything is under control. At this stage of their development, emotional stability is very important. Therefore, knowing that God is in control in all circumstances will give them strength and tranquillity.
Explain in a simple way what it means to trust in God. We can trust him because he is our friend, and he wants to have a close relationship with us. Like Jochebed and Moses, the children of God face difficult situations and sometimes suffer. However, it is important to know that God knows what is happening to us and has control over everything. Learning to trust in God is a big step in the spiritual growth of your children. Infuse in them the assurance that we have an almighty God on our side.
biblical commentary
The Israelites were in Egypt for 400 years. As the Hebrew people were increasing, the Egyptians decided to make them slaves. In addition, fearing that they would rebel and try to seize the country, Pharaoh planned to control their increase by killing all the baby boys. He ordered his officers to throw them into the Nile River.
At that time, Jochebed, a Levite woman, gave birth to her third child. Her daughter Miriam was then 10 or 11 years old, and Aaron was three.
After hiding her baby for three months, Jochebed and her husband developed a plan to save the baby’s life. She made a basket with rushes, and with great care sealed it with tar so that the water would not seep in. Then she put her son inside, took the basket to the Nile River, and left it there.
Perhaps Jochebed knew that Pharaoh’s daughter regularly went down to the river at that time and would find the baby. And she did. The princess found the basket, and although she knew that the child was a Hebrew, she felt sorry for him.
The story tells us that Miriam stayed close by, observing the scene, and did not hesitate to offer her mother’s services as the baby’s wet nurse. The princess would pay Jochebed to raise her own son!
As an adopted son of Pharaoh’s family, Moses received the best education and military training of the time. He possessed power, fame and prestige. But before that, God gave Jochebed the opportunity to instill in Moses the traditions and religion of the Hebrew people.
Jochebed’s role in instructing Moses in his childhood is fundamental to understanding the love he felt for his fellow Hebrews. Moses did not forget his Hebrew heritage, even though he was immersed in Egyptian culture.
Jochebed did not know what would happen to her baby when she left him by the banks of the Nile. She only knew that God would take care of him. By faith she obeyed God, and trusted in his divine provision. The situation she was going through was beyond her control, but she was sure that God would keep his promises.
introduce the lesson
Heroes
For this activity, you will need cardboard or heavy paper, scissors, colored markers and adhesive tape.
Before the meeting, write the word HERO on the cardboard or paper. Cut it out letter by letter, and hide the letters in different parts of the room. At this point of the lesson, ask your children to look for them. When you find them, ask them to put the word together, and then stick it in a visible place.
Ask the children: “What is a hero?” (Someone who performs courageous acts to help people.)
Then ask: “Who are some heroes?” (Give the children time to mention some. If they mention science fiction or cartoon characters, clarify that although they are famous, they do not belong to the real world.)
Emphasize that heroes are real people, such as missionaries, firefighters, police officers, and especially, the characters in the Bible. Show them illustrations of biblical characters, or ask them to mention the heroes they remember, and write them down on the board.
Tell them: “All the biblical heroes we know had something in common: they trusted in the power of God. During these lessons, we will study the story of three women who relied on God’s care and protection.”
teach the lesson
Before the lesson, get a basket, a toy doll and a blanket or sheet to cover it. Encourage the children to hold and rock the baby doll. Ask them to treat it with love when it is their turn to take care of it.
Tell them that in the Bible story they will hear about a baby whose mother put him in a basket.
Remember that when you use illustrations to visualize the subject of the lesson, children focus their attention more easily. Get some pictures about the story, or draw those using drawings or clippings. You can also use the basket and the baby as illustrations while telling the story.
Jochebed saves her son
“What a beautiful baby!” said Jochebed softly when her third child was born. Jochebed and her husband were Hebrews and lived as slaves in Egypt. Since the Egyptian Pharaoh was not happy that there were so many Hebrews in his country, he decided to make them slaves.
One day the evil Pharaoh thought, “There are still too many Hebrews.” So he ordered his officers, “As soon as a Hebrew boy child is born, go throw it in the Nile River to drown!”
After the baby was born, Jochebed said crying, “We must hide our baby. We cannot allow the Egyptians to kill him.”
Jochebed and her family hid the baby Moses for three months. But babies grow and, as time goes by, they get bigger and noisier. “What can we do to save our son?” they asked.
Jochebed thought and prayed.
One day she told her family, “I have a plan! Help me pick up papyrus canes to make a basket. Then we will cover it with tar so that the water does not enter it. The basket will be like a boat for our baby.”
Everyone in the house helped. Miriam and her little brother of three years, Aaron, collected all the canes that their mother needed. Jochebed’s husband got tar. Thus, she made a basket with the canes, and then she covered it well with the materials that her husband had obtained.
“Son, I must put you in the basket,” said Jochebed in a soft voice as she put baby Moses inside.
“Miriam, come with me,” she said to her daughter, and the two of them went silently to the river.
“Please, keep watch behind these plants,” Jochebed said to Miriam as she very carefully put the basket in the river. How hard it must have been for her to leave the baby in the basket in the water! How brave she was to trust that God would take care of her baby!
“What do I do if someone approaches the river?” Miriam wondered after her mother left. She was watching the basket in which her little brother floated quietly in the river. “Little brother, please do not cry,” the girl whispered.
“Oh no! Who’s coming?” Miriam thought, listening to women talking and laughing. “It is the princess with her servants. Surely, they have come to the river to bathe. What should I do?”
“What is that?” the princess asked, pointing to the basket. “Bring it to me,” she ordered one of her servants.
“It is a baby!” she exclaimed as she opened the basket. “Look, it is a Hebrew child! Poor baby!” said the princess as she rocked him in her arms. “I’ll have him stay with me!”
Miriam knew what she had to do, so she ran quickly to the princess and said, “Would you like me to look for a Hebrew woman to take care of your baby?”
“Of course,” said the princess.
Guess who Miriam found? The baby brother’s own mother, Jochebed!
“Take care of this baby and I’ll pay you,” the princess told Jochebed.
Thus, the baby Moses could stay with his family for some years. They taught him about God and the traditions of his people.
“The time has come for our son to go to the palace to live with the princess,” said Jochebed, while packing some belongings.
“I’ll call him Moses, because I got him out of the water,” said the princess. “He is my son and I will give him the best possible education.”
connect the lesson
God is in control
Provide paper, crayons or colored pencils.
Talk with the children about times when everything seems to be out of control in our lives. Remind them that despite the difficult circumstances, God is in control of everything.
Ask them to draw a picture that shows that even in a difficult situation, they can be brave, because God is with them. Ask some volunteers to explain what they drew. Remind them that we are not brave because of our character, but because we trust, that God is sovereign and powerful in all circumstances.
practice the memory verse
To teach the memorized text of this unit, write the words of Psalm 121:2 on a poster board or on the board. Read it together a couple of times. Then, erase a word and reread it; delete a second word and say it, and so on until the board is blank and the children can say the whole memory verse.
Jochebed's Basket
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #158-A, scissors and pencil. Help them follow the instructions for this activity.
Give them Student Activity Sheet #158-B. Help them cut out the Verse of the Month Club cards to take home and review the verse during the week.
Before saying goodbye, repeat the memory verse.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask your children if they have requests. Mention each one as you pray, so that they know that you care about them and entrust them into the hands of God.
Encourage
If possible have a visible place to write down prayer requests and answers. Thus, encourage the children to exercise the habit of prayer. Encourage your children to attend each lesson and to invite friends.
Invite
Prepare a plan to reward or recognize children who, during a certain period, do not miss lessons and are punctual. If possible, contact the parents of your children and request their information to create a directory. This will be very useful during the year.
* 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.™
* 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.™