Moses receives the Word of God
key words
biblical reference
Exodus 20:1-17; 24:12-14; 32:15-16
lesson objective
To help children learn the Bible gives us instructions from God to live better.
memory verse
“Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your Word” (Psalm 119:17, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, whom he chose to make his Word known to the people of Israel.
At the beginning, God appeared to the Israelites as Yahweh, which means “I Am” (Exodus 3:14-15). With that name, God is known as a personal God, directly involved in the life of his people. By means of the Ten Commandments, he made a pact with the Israelites: he would be their God and they would be his “precious possession” (19: 5).
In response to this covenant of love, his people committed themselves to live according to the commandments. These principles taught them how to live before God, and also how to relate to one another. God expected loyalty, love, and obedience from them. There were to be no other gods in their lives. In addition, they had to respect their neighbors and also their belongings.
We, as his people, are also to live guided by those commandments, and we have a relationship with God through his Son Jesus.
Consider your personal relationship with the only living God as you prepare for this class. The quality of your relationship with him will determine the level of impact his life and teachings will have on you and your children.
“The B-I-B-L-E, yes that’s the book for me ...” Perhaps songs like this remind us of our childhood. As you prepare for this class, meditate for a moment on how you came to know Jesus and his Word. If you have known Christ since childhood, tell your children the importance of the Bible in your life. If you did not know him at an early age, you can still tell them how the Word of God helped you to stay on the path of eternal life. Children learn from the examples they see.
Tell children about your personal experiences so that they are motivated to give the Bible a special and important place in their lives.
The natural curiosity of preschoolers makes them very happy to turn the pages of a book. They love to see the illustrations of the stories while listening attentively.
If today’s story is well known, do not skip any part. Let the children help you develop it! That will further affirm their knowledge, and develop confidence that they can express themselves freely to other people.
introduce the lesson
Tell the group: “At the beginning, God appeared to the Israelites as Yahweh, which means “I Am” (Exodus 3:14-15). With that name, God is known as a personal God, directly involved in the life of his people. By means of the Ten Commandments, he made a pact with the Israelites: he would be their God and they would be his ‘precious possession’” (19: 5). Ask the children: “What do you have that are precious or very special to you?” (allow several responses)
Then say: “In response to this covenant of love, God’s people committed themselves to live according to the commandments. These taught them how to live before God, and also how to relate to one another. God expected loyalty, love, and obedience from them. There were to be no other gods in their lives. In addition, they had to respect their neighbors and also their belongings. We, as his people, are also to live guided by those commandments, and we have a relationship with God through his Son Jesus.”
teach the lesson
Use some or all of these activities to capture the attention of the children and help them learn today’s lesson.
Study Exodus 20:1-17; 24:12-14; 32:15-16 prior to the session. Be prepared to tell the story in your own words.
God reveals his Word
Moses looked toward the mountain. It was so big! God told him to go up to the top to talk to him. He wanted to give him something very special.
Moses said goodbye to the people and told them to wait for him. Then he began to climb to the top of the mountain. God met Moses at the top of the mountain and spoke to him, instructing him and his people. He also wrote his words on a stone tablet. The Word of God was to teach people how to live.
We have those same words today. They are in the Bible, the Word of God, which is a special book that tells us how God wants us to live.
The Bible says that he alone is the true Living God, and that the people who love him should have nothing more important. God does not want anyone to use his name in a bad way. He wants us to praise him, and set aside a special day for him. This special day is Sunday for most Christians.
God also wants us to listen and obey our parents. And he asks us not to hurt anyone with what we do or think. He does not want us to take what is not ours, and not to tell lies. Moses had to go twice to the mountain to obtain the law of God, and then he went down and showed the words written on the stone tablets. They are what we call the Ten Commandments.
connect the lesson
The tablets of the law
Provide your pupils with a small piece of modeling clay or Play-Doh.
Tell them: “God gave Moses special rules called “the Ten Commandments.” He wrote them on large stones. You can make stones like those that God gave to Moses.
Show them how to make the tablets of the law. With a pencil or stick they can make lines that resemble letters.
Moses receives the Word of God
Give the children Student Activity Sheet #37. Ask them to draw or paste a picture of a Bible on it. Or, you may privide them Bible-shaped stickers. Help them trace the Word of Faith letters B i b l e.
Encourage them to take the activity sheet home and share the lesson with friends and family. Tell them to share their favorite Bible story with someone they love very much. They can also use activity sheet to share with others the story of Moses and the commandments that God gave on the mountain.
practice the memory verse
Let your children line up and you go in front as a leader. Walk around the meeting area, doing different activities (for example, walk on tiptoe, jump, jump on one foot, spin, etc.). Each time you stop before beginning a different action, they must stop and say the memory verse.
A very special book
Refer to Student Activity Sheet #37, let the children talk about it.
Collect the sheets but tell them that they can take them home and use them when telling today’s story to their families and friends.
wrap-up
Pray
Pray for your children and give thanks to God for the teaching of the Ten Commandments.
Encourage
Give them the classwork they completed, and encourage them to pray during the week and ask their family to read their Bible together to learn what God wants for their lives.
Invite
Thank the children for attending today’s session and encourage them to attend 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.™