Moses trusts in God
key words
biblical reference
Exodus 14:1-31
lesson objective
To help the children learn to trust God, as Moses did.
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
God delivered the Israelites from Egypt through the leadership of Moses. The people trusted Moses and his instructions, because it was evident that God was leading them.
Today’s story tells us about how the Israelites crossed the Red Sea. It is unclear exactly where they crossed. What we know is that as the people of God approached the sea, Pharaoh’s army was behind them ready to keep them from getting away. The people were afraid and began to cry out to God.
But God had a very special purpose: He would confirm His power and His strength once more by delivering the Israelites from Pharaoh’s hand.
During this story, we can see that Moses was a man of faith.
Reflect on your personal life. How is your faith? Do you sometimes feel that your faith fails you? If so, seek God’s help and ask Him to confirm His love for you.
As you present this lesson to the children, remind them that God has promised that He will always be with them.
Love and trust may seem like abstract concepts that are difficult for young children to fully understand. However, they are vitally important for the emotional development of preschoolers.
“God cares for His people” is a promise to be planted in children as they grow up. You can make a spiritual connection with the children by reminding them of God’s promises. When you sing and pray, emphasize the words that speak about God’s care and love.
introduce the lesson
Use some activities to capture the attention of the children and help them learn today’s lesson.
God cares for us
Sing a chorus or hymn about the love of God. If you have tambourines, rhythm or musical instruments in your class, allow your children to use them. Explain that trusting in God is something that helps us feel safe and secure. Say: “In today’s class, we will learn how Moses and the Israelites trusted God.”
teach the lesson
Meet the sea
Look for illustrations about the seas and oceans in books or magazines, and show them to your children during the introduction. Ask children who already know about the sea to talk about their experiences.
Remind the children that God created the sea. It is so great and so wide that they could never see everything. Many different animals live there, some large, like whales; and other small ones, such as shrimp.
It is also very deep and majestic. Today we will learn a story that reminds us that God has absolute control over the sea.
God opens the sea
The people were happy. Moses had returned and told the people that God wanted them to leave Egypt.
“God wants us to leave this country and go to a new and wonderful place.” After God sent many bad things to make the Egyptians unhappy, Pharaoh agreed to let the Israelites leave Egypt.
Everyone was very excited. They had lived for many years as slaves to the Egyptians, and now they were free. They packed all their possessions with great speed, took their animals, and set out from that country Moses as their leader.
The Israelites began to walk in the desert. They were approaching the shore of the Red Sea when they heard the sound of horses. They looked back and were greatly astonished when they saw Pharaoh and his army coming toward them. Pharoah and his army wanted to capture the Israelites and take them back to Egypt. The people were very afraid, so Moses prayed to the Lord. God said: “Do not be afraid. I will overcome the king and his army. This will bring honor my name and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” God had a plan to save Moses and the Israelites.
“Moses, the king is nearer and nearer, what shall we do?” the people asked.
But Moses trusted God, and said to them, “Do not be afraid. Just wait. Trust in God and see what God will do.”
God told Moses to take the stick he used to walk and lift it over his head toward the sea. Moses obeyed and the sea divided and opened up, allowing the people to cross through the middle without getting wet. The Egyptian army began to follow the Israelites deep into the sea. When all of the Israelites had crossed the Red Sea and were safely on the other side, God told Moses to use the rod again, and he did. At that moment, the waters of the sea fell on the Egyptians so they could not get to the Israelites. The Israelites saw what God had done and said, “Moses trusted God, and God saved us from Egypt’s king.”
connect the lesson
Crossing the Red Sea
Before class, gather Student Activity Sheet #33-A and #33-B. Cut out the figures, the strips, and the scene of the Red Sea in Student Activity Sheet #33-A. Make a few vertical cuts at the bottom of the figures. Make a sample of the project to show the children. Provide bags for the children to take the project home.
In class, give the children the figures, the scene of the Red Sea, and the strips of paper. Let the children color these. Show the children how to insert the strips in the bottom of the figures to make them stand up. Show the children how to fold the sea scene forward to show how the water covered everything. Use these to review the Bible story. Give a bag to the children to take this project home to share with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Memory verse variety
Repeat the Bible memory verse in different ways (for example: with clapping, jumping, hopping, etc.). These actions will help make learning fun, and your children can review the contents of the memory verse several times.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask the children for prayer requests. Let the children pray if they will. Do not force any child to pray. Finish the prayer time by thanking God for being someone we can trust.
Encourage
Show the children how to make a letter T by using their two index fingers. One index finger becomes the top of the T, and the other index finger becomes the vertical line of the T. Say, “Whenever you are afraid, make a T with your fingers. Remember that God cares for those who TRUST in Him.”
Invite
Invite the children to come to the next session. They will learn how the Israelites lived in the desert on the other side of the Red Sea.
* 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.™