God rescues his people
key words
biblical reference
Exodus 13:17 – 15:2
lesson objective
To help the students learn that God has power to help them in difficult situations
memory verse
“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Children love stories about miracles. The miraculous deliverance of the Israelites in Exodus 14 will allow them to learn more about the signs and wonders that our God does. Due to shifts in many societies, it is likely that some of your students are encountering situations of violence or separation from one or more parents. They may be praying for a miracle to help them resolve such situations beyond their control.
It is important that through this lesson you strengthen their confidence and belief that God has the power to help them solve even the most difficult problems. However, it is also important to emphasize that God is not a “wish-fulfilling machine”. Rather, he is a loving Father who listens to us and answers our requests according to his will. Sometimes, God’s answers are not immediate, but they are never late.
biblical commentary
Read Exodus 13:17. Finally, after hundreds of years, the Israelites were liberated from their bondage and God led them away from Egypt. However, he took them the long way. Surely for the people it was very difficult to understand why it would be easier to survive in a dry hot desert, than to make pyramids under the mistreatment of the Egyptians. But God had his plans, and taking them the long way was his strategy to protect them. He knew that at that time, the Israelites were vulnerable and easily discouraged, so the long way was the best way to avoid wars with enemy people.
It is very significant to know that among all the belongings that were carried with them on this long journey were Joseph’s remains. Exodus 13:19 says, “Moses also took with him the bones of Joseph, who had made the children of Israel swear by saying to them, ‘God will certainly visit you, and then you will take my bones from here with you.’” Joseph wanted to be buried in the land that God had promised Abraham many years before the exodus of the people. Joseph trusted God and believed in the covenant that the Lord had made with Abraham many years ago.
On the other hand, the Israelites lost their faith very quickly while they were in the hot desert. Their first mistake was to question if God had abandoned them. God knows what he’s doing when he takes us the long way. While it challenges us to remain firm in our faith and trust in him, it also enables us to get to where he wants us to go. God never leaves us alone. He goes before us to open the way. The Lord went before the Israelites as a pillar of cloud and fire as they walked through the desert. God does not promise to rescue us from all difficult situations, however we can be sure that he will always be there to help us get ahead with his power.
introduce the lesson
Biblical review
Draw or paste on the board the figures of: a fly, hail and frogs. Ask the children: “What do these three figures have in common with our previous session? (These were some of the plagues God sent on Egypt to free the Israelites.) Listen to the children’s responses and briefly review what they studied during the last session.
teach the lesson
Ask the children to sit in a semicircle and ask them to open their Bible to Exodus 13:17. Tell them: “In the last session we learned that God punished Egypt with ten different plagues because Pharaoh did not want to free the Israelites that he kept as slaves. In today’s story, we’ll learn what happened when they finally were able to leave that country.
Rescue at the Red Sea
Imagine what it would be like to live for years working as slaves under the hot sun. Imagine working every day making bricks and carrying heavy rocks from one place to the other. That was the way the Israelites lived before God sent Moses to deliver them from Egypt. God sent ten plagues upon the Egyptians before Pharaoh finally released them and let them go. The people were happy with the news. God had promised them that he would take them to a beautiful land. Everyone praised him because they would finally be free from Egyptian slavery.
The Israelites took all of their belongings, including their animals, and left happily from the land where they had been held captive for so many years. However, God did not take them by the short way to the land of Canaan, but chose the long way. God laid out a special plan to guide the Hebrews to the land of Canaan. He let them know that he would be with them: a column of clouds would guide them during the day and at night a pillar of fire would light there way as they traveled.
When they reached the shores of the Red Sea, the people camped, and that’s where the problems began. “Here come the Egyptians!” someone shouted. “Look at the dust that their chariots raise; they’re getting closer!” Pharaoh had changed his mind and wanted his slaves to return to their labors. “We should have stayed in Egypt!” others shouted. “Why did you bring us to die in the desert?” they asked Moses. God had told him that the Egyptians would come after them, but he also knew that God was more powerful. “Do not be afraid; watch and you will see that the power of God will free us from danger!” said Moses to the people.
The noise of horses and chariots was heard closer and closer. When it began to get dark, God moved the column of cloud and put it between the Hebrews and the Egyptians. The people of God would be able to see to continue traveling, while the Egyptians would be in darkness.
“Raise your staff over the sea,” God commanded Moses. Moses obeyed and the wind blew so hard that it opened the sea in two, forming a dry road for the Israelites to cross. Very early in the morning, all the people began to cross the sea by the dry road, and when they looked back they realized that the Egyptians were following them on the same road. God caused the wheels of the Egyptian chariots to break and the soldiers shouted, “We must get away from the Hebrews; their God is fighting against us!”
When the Hebrews got to the other shore, God told Moses to raise his staff and the waters returned to their place. All the Egyptian soldiers, their horses and their chariots were covered by the sea. Through his great power, God saved his people. Moses and all the people praised God and sang happily: “God is my strength and my song, from him comes my salvation. He is my God and I praise him.”
connect the lesson
A wonderful rescue
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #254-A and #254-B to work on. Follow the instructions in #254-C to do the activity. As they do, ask them: “In what way did God rescue the Israelites? What happened to the Egyptians? What was it that caused the waters of the sea to open in two?” Review the story as they work and turn the page and fill in the blanks with the corresponding words.
practice the memory verse
During the week, look in a book or magazine for a picture of a castle or fortress and take it to this session with you so that the students can observe it. Explain that in ancient times, kings built these fortresses to defend themselves against enemies. They used large stones to build high walls so no one could get in. In times of war, those inside the fortresses were safe. In the same way, the memory verse in this unit reminds us that God is our refuge and strength, therefore, we should not fear. Hand out paper and colored pencils to draw a fortress and write the memory verse as a reminder.
wrap-up
Pray
Lead the group in thanking God for what they learned.
Encourage
Remind the children that God is our refuge and strength, and encourage them to not be afraid.
Invite
Do not forget to invite the children to the next session to study more about the great power of God. Tell them is is good to invite others too.
* 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.™