God protects Moses
key words
biblical reference
Exodus 1:8; 2:1-10
lesson objective
To enable the children to learn that God protected Moses when he was a baby.
memory verse
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him” (Nahum 1:7, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
The story of Moses’ birth and his time on the Nile River is, in fact, the story of God’s presence in the life of His people. The book of Exodus focuses on how God rescued His people from the Egyptians and established them in the Promised Land. It provides us with beautiful passages that speak of the powerful things that God did to help the Israelites during their exodus and journey.
This unit tells us about the story of God working through Moses. God found a Levite man and woman in whom he could entrust His plans of preparation to free his people from Egyptian bondage. Moses, the son of this couple, would become the man God would use to help the people of Israel. The Pharaoh’s command to kill every male born of the Hebrew people was evidence of his despair and hatred toward the Israelites. The people were multiplying rapidly, and the fear of a rebellion was increasing. However, Pharaoh could do little against the power of God.
The fundamental message of this story is God’s care for His people. Can you feel the presence of God in your daily life? Are you aware that God loves and cares for you? Ask God to help you communicate your love and care to the children in the class. They can understand that God cares for them.
Encourage children to express ways in which God cared for the Israelites. These stories will provide opportunities for children to express to others how God cares for them. Help the children connect with biblical truths, allowing them to express feelings of care, and asking questions about how God wants them to act. Review the Bible story thoroughly in the class and show the care of God through your words and actions.
Most preschoolers receive love and care for in their homes. Some children receive less attention and care than others, so be sensitive to their needs. God desires that the members of the family provide each other with mutual love. He wants parents to protect their children. This is a way in which God shows His care for us.
In today’s Bible story, Moses’ family took care of him as a child and protected him. It was through the care that God demonstrated through his family that Moses was able to live. Help the children discover the ways their families care for them. Do they have food, a house, a place to sleep, and clothes? These are provisions of God through their families. Care also includes words of affection and acts of love. Thank the children who show care for others in the class.
As a teacher, demonstrate God’s care with your words and actions. As your children become aware of God’s care through you, they will also begin to extend that kind of care to others.
introduce the lesson
A great river
Before the session gather books or magazines with pictures of large rivers. It would be best if you have the Nile River. Let the children see the pictures, and talk about the rivers. If anyone has been on a river, let them tell about their experience to the group.
Say: “God created the rivers. Animals, fish, and plants live in rivers. There are some rivers so large that ships can sail on them. Baby Moses sailed on one of them, but he was not in a boat. He was in a basket. Today’s story tells why baby Moses was in a basket.
teach the lesson
Seeing the baby in the basket
When you use illustrations to visualize the topic of the class, it helps the children focus their attention more easily. Get some pictures about this story or make them, using drawings or clippings. Point to the people in the Bible pictures and tell the children who they are. Point out the differences in clothing and other cultural objects in the pictures. Say, “We will learn more about baby Moses and his family in our story today.”
Baby Moses
A Hebrew man and his wife had a baby boy. They him named Moses. They already had two older children, Aaron and Miriam. When Moses was born, they felt very happy; but they also knew that it would be the cause of many problems. They were slaves in Egypt, and the Pharaoh had ordered that all the newborn Hebrew boys would die. Moses’s mom knew that she had to hide her son from the evil king. So she decided to trust God to help her keep her baby alive.
One morning she fed Moses and put him to sleep. Then she told her daughter, “We must hide your brother so Pharaoh will not hurt him.” Miriam and her mother placed the baby inside a basket. They took the baby to the river and hid it among the tall grasses that grew there. Miriam watched the baby from the reeds on the shore.
Suddenly, an Egyptian princess went to the river to bathe, along with her servants. Miriam was very afraid, so she began to pray for God to protect her little brother. The princess discovered something floating around her. “What is that?” she asked. She looked inside the basket, and the baby boy was crying. Miriam was hidden and heard the princess say: “What a cute baby! I found him and I want to keep him.”
Miriam left her hiding place and said to the princess: “I know a good woman who can take care of the baby. If you want I can bring her.” Miriam ran to her house to bring her mother.
“I found this beautiful child,” said the princess. “Could you help me take care of him? I am going to call him Moses, because I found him in the water.” Moses’ mother was happy. She trusted God and knew that he would protect her son. Moses’ family cared for him and taught him to love and trust in God.
connect the lesson
Baby Moses
Before class, be sure Student Activity Sheet #31-A and #31-B are printed back. Then, carefully cut the strips for the baskets from them. Also cut out the figures of baby Moses. Follow the instructions to practice how to make the baskets. Provide glue for the children. Give each child the activity. Point to the figure of baby Moses, and say: “This is the baby Moses, and he needs a basket.” Show a sample of the way the finished basket will look.
Help the children assemble and glue the baskets. Have the children place 4 strips of paper vertically and not apart on the table, and then the other 4 strips horizontally on the vertical strips, forming a carpet or rug. Help them bond the joints where the strips come together.
When finished, they should fold up the excess ends of the strips to form the basket.
Let the children put the figure of baby Moses inside, and encourage them to tell the story. As you work, remind them: “God cared for baby Moses just as He cares for us.” Ask the children to take the activity home to share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Echo verses
Say, “Our verse for this unit is Nahum 1:7. It is: ‘The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.’ Today we will start with the first sentence. There is a word in the verse that I want to explain what it means. A refuge is a place of safety or protection. Can you tell me some places where you feel safe and protected?” Let the children respond with answers like home, school, and church. “The verse also talks about times of trouble. Can you tell me what some time of trouble could be?” Let the children respond with answers like having no house, no clothes, no food, someone in the family being sick, a family member losing a job, etc. “This verse says that the Lord is good, a [place of safety and protection] in times of trouble.” Say the verse in phrases and let the children echo what you say. For the first time, use your normal speaking voice. For the second time, use a high, squeaky voice and let the children mimic it. For the third time, use a low, bass voice, and let the children mimic it. For the fourth time, use your normal voice again.
Having fun with a verse
Begin by explaining the meanings of refuge and times of trouble. Then provide some noise makers (bells, rattles, small containers with rice, seeds, or beans inside). Start with the first sentence of the verse in this lesson. Let the children make noise while they repeat the phrases of the verse with you. At the end of the verse, hold up your hands as a signal for all noise makers to be quiet.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask for prayer requests. Pray with the children, thanking God for taking care of Moses and his family. Pray for the concerns the children express for their families.
Encourage
Talk about God’s care for his people. Say: “Today’s story was about baby Moses. His mother trusted God with the care of her baby. We can trust that God will also take care of us.”
Invite
Tell the children there will be four more lessons about Moses. Invite them to be in class for all these stories about Moses.
* 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.™