God Called Moses- Sunday December 5, 2021
Sunday December 5, 2021 (Vol 2, Unit 4, Session 1)
Hi there, and thanks for joining us this week. I am sorry for the weeks missed and pledge to do better from now on. The new year is fast approaching, and I am feeling renewed and refreshed in the Spirit and ready to take us all further into God’s word. I am going to attempt to publish the weeks missed for those who have been following so that you get the full story of the Bible. For this week, I am getting us back on track. Again, I am sorry for dropping the ball.
For those of you who are new here FriendshipKids exists to help families bring their children to Christ and disciple them into maturing, lifelong, reproducing followers of Jesus Christ. We hope this blog will be a useful tool for you to use to fulfill that call on your life. Week by week, we will review the previous Sunday’s Children’s church lesson and help your kids grow in their faith. Please feel free to use as much of it as you choose. You know your kids and are the best possible teacher for them. God has given you the power of the Holy Spirit to enable you to do more than you think possible (Eph 3:20). So, let’s have some fun and teach our kids from the scriptures.
Parent Devotional
God Called Moses
Exodus 1–4
Moses’ life was in danger from the moment he was born. He was an Israelite—a descendant of Israel (Jacob)—living in Egypt after Jacob’s family had moved there, seeking food during a famine.
Four hundred years later, this family had grown and multiplied. Moses’ parents, Amram and Jochebed, likely lived in fear of the pharaoh who ruled Egypt and took drastic measures to oppress the Israelites. Could God’s promises for His people stand against such opposition?
Jochebed hid her baby boy, as long as she could—about three months—before she put him in a basket among the reeds of the river. She couldn’t have known that Pharaoh’s daughter would find him and want to raise him as her own, or that the princess would let Jochebed care for him until he was old enough to be raised as an Egyptian prince. She couldn’t have known that her son would grow up to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt. But God knew. All along, God had a plan for Moses and His people.
God appeared to Moses years later. Moses was a shepherd then, having grown up in Egypt’s royal household only to flee as a murderer to Midian. There, Moses started a family and worked as a shepherd, perhaps never imagining he would see Egypt again.
But one night, God drew a curious Moses to Himself and spoke through a burning bush. You see, God remembered the promise He made to Eve in Genesis 3. He remembered His covenant with Abraham in Genesis 12, which He repeated to Isaac and Jacob. So many years had passed, but God remembered His promises.
Moses was inadequate for the task of rescuing the Israelites, but God promised His power and presence. So in the early chapters of Exodus, we see Moses return to Egypt to confront Pharaoh—acting as a mediator between the Israelites and their burdensome king.
As you consider Moses’ calling, look forward to an even greater calling and rescue—the call of Jesus to come to earth to save God’s people from their sin. Jesus is greater than Moses. Moses delivered God’s people from physical captivity; Jesus delivers God’s people from captivity to sin and death.
PEOPLE TO KNOW
Moses: biblical patriarch; chosen by God to lead His people out of captivity and to the promised land.
Parent Guidance and Instructions
As we begin to explore this week’s devotional, take a moment to pray and meditate on the verse from Deuteronomy about teaching your children the scriptures. Deuteronomy 6:7 says: “You shall teach them diligently to your children and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.” Maybe you do not have time to sit and have an hour of Bible time all at once, or perhaps your children are too young to sit for that long. Consider the key points of the lesson and ask God to give you opportunities to speak them into the hearts of your children throughout the week. Let the Bible become a part of your day-to-day. Be blessed this week, my friends!
Each week we include songs, activity pages, the bible lesson video, and memory verses. We pray this will help you find ways to engage your kids spiritually. It is written in script form from the K-2nd grade lesson, so you can read directly from it or change it to suit your children. Take some time to look at and print the activity pages and to review the lesson so you can adjust as needed. Once you are ready, go ahead and start with these songs if you would like, or pick some of your favorite worship songs and then jump right in! Have fun! And remember, this does not need to be done in one sitting! Feel free to break it up over the week. Please contact us at the church if you have any questions or suggestions. We would love to hear from you!
Opening
“Blessings and Bummers”
Let’s get started. Tell me, what have you seen the Lord doing in your lives this week? What have your greatest blessings been? How about your biggest challenges?
Parents share your blessings and bummers, encourage the kids to do the same. The goal is for kids to see God at work in the everyday, seemingly small and mundane things. It doesn’t matter if it is something as small as getting to watch a favorite TV show or something big like a new baby sibling being born, God is active and in our midst.
Prayer
Let’s go to the Lord in prayer: Father God, Thank you. Thank you for providing for our needs. You are so good to us even though we do not deserve it! Thank you for continuing to bless us, Lord. Thank you for being patient with us. Thank you to our friends as well as our families. Most importantly, we thank you always for sending Jesus to live a perfect life and die to pay for our sins. Thank you for raising Him from the dead and promising us life with you forever if we believe in Him. Please help us be thankful for all you do for us and look to you in all that we do. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
(Please add to or customize prayer time to fit your family)
Praise the Lord for hearing our prayers!
Think about it.
If you grew up as a prince or princess, what is one thing you would do?
Spend a few moments considering the questions before moving into the next section.
Let’s go!
Hello, everyone! I’m [your name], and I am so glad to see you. If you have your Bible with you today, hold it up! [Provide Bibles for kids who need one.] The Bible is God’s Word. It tells us the wonderful story of God’s plan to rescue sinners.
Have you ever thought that the Bible is too long or too old or too hard to understand? Maybe you aren’t even sure what the Bible is about, or maybe you’ve heard stories from the Bible since you were little. No matter how familiar or unfamiliar you are with the Bible, I am excited for you to join me each week as we learn more about God—who keeps His promises—and about the good news He has for us.
Big Picture Question
Today and over the next few weeks, we are going to be thinking about a big picture question. The big picture question helps us learn and remember something that is true about God or ourselves. It reminds us that beyond the smaller details of a Bible story, God is working out a greater plan.
Our big picture question is, Does God keep His promises? What do you think? [Allow kids to respond.] Yes, God always keeps His promises because He is faithful. Because God keeps His promises, we know that we can trust Him. Let’s say our big picture question and answer together: Does God keep His promises? Yes, God always keeps His promises because He is faithful.
Review
We started with the first book of the Bible, Genesis, which means ‘beginning.’ In the beginning, God created everything for His glory. He made people in His image. When sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, God revealed His plan to bring people back to Himself through a descendant—His own Son.
Today’s Bible story comes from the second book of the Bible: Exodus. Exodus means ‘departure.’ In the stories from Exodus, we will see how God remained faithful to His promises. Many years had passed since God used Joseph to rescue His people from a famine by bringing them into Egypt. Now, however, God’s people were enslaved and needed to be set free. God raised up a new rescuer to deliver His people out of Egypt and lead them to the promised land. We’ll see how this all started in our story, ‘God Called Moses.’
Bible Lesson
Wow! What a story. The Israelites were slaves in Egypt for 400 years. Life under Pharaoh was hard. How do you think Jochebed (JAHK uh bed)—Moses’ mom—felt when she held him in her arms as a baby? [Allow kids to respond.] She was probably afraid that he would have a hard life too, or even be killed. She hid her baby in a basket, and Moses was discovered and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter. So Moses grew up in the palace as part of Pharaoh’s family. God protected baby Moses and had a plan for him.
What happened that caused Moses to leave Egypt? (Moses killed an Egyptian.) He fled to the wilderness. When Moses was 80 years old, God spoke to him through what? (a burning bush) [Choose a volunteer to read aloud Ex. 3:7-9.] God called Moses to confront Pharaoh and deliver the Israelites from Egypt. Was Moses willing to go? Not exactly. Moses made excuses and even asked God to send someone else. But God promised He would go with Moses, and He told Moses what to say. When Moses still felt afraid, God allowed him to take his brother, Aaron, with him. God had rescued Moses as a baby to be part of His plan to lead the Israelites from captivity, and God would be with Moses the entire way.
What do we learn about God in these chapters? [Allow kids to respond.] We learn that God is faithful, that He hears us, and that He is in control. We also learn God’s name. What did God tell Moses to call Him when speaking to the Israelites? Look at Exodus 3:14-15. [Choose a volunteer to read the passage aloud.]
God said His name was “I AM WHO I AM.” Sometimes it is translated or written as “I AM BECAUSE I AM” or “I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE.” All three answers describe that God is sovereign and He never changes. Sovereign means that God is in control and will accomplish or do whatever is pleasing to Him. By telling Moses His name, God reminded Moses of how great He is and that He is in control.
Open your Bible to Exodus 2:23-24. [Choose a volunteer to read the verses aloud.] God kept His promise to Abraham. When the Israelites called out to God in their suffering, God had a plan to give them the land He promised Abraham. Does God keep His promises? Yes, God always keeps His promises because He is faithful.
Christ Connection
God saved Moses’ life and called him to rescue God’s people from slavery. The calling of Moses points to a greater calling and rescue—the call of Jesus to come to earth to save God’s people. Jesus gave up His life to save us from slavery to sin.
Bible Time!
Distribute Bibles and display the Old Testament Mediterranean Map. Guide kids to open their Bibles to Exodus 4. Explain that Moses was born in Egypt (H7). When he killed an Egyptian and fled, he went east to Midian (I7). Canaan, the land God promised to Abraham, was north of Midian. The Midianites were distantly related to the Israelites.
Consider comparing the Old Testament Mediterranean Map to a modern-day map to help kids understand where these stories took place. (Tip: Locate the northwest area of Saudi Arabia.) Choose a volunteer to read aloud Exodus 4:5.
Say God called Moses out of Midian to go back to Egypt and deliver the Israelites. Why? Because God always keeps His promises. Does God keep His promises? Yes, God always keeps His promises because He is faithful.
DISCUSSION
Ask the following questions. Lead the group to discuss.
Say What has God promised us in His Word?
Remind kids that God had a plan for Moses’ life. God used many miracles to show that He is who He says He is and remind Moses of all the promises God kept in the past. Lead kids to recognize that just like God kept His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God kept His promise to us by sending His Son, Jesus.
(Option: Choose a volunteer to read 1 John 2:25.)
Say What are some other times God kept His promises?
Invite kids to think of other times in the Bible when God kept His promises. Lead kids to share their own experiences when God kept His promise. Reflect on how remembering God’s faithfulness can help us feel about the future.
(Option: Choose a volunteer to read 2 Cor. 1:20.)
Say What are some excuses we make when we don’t want to obey God?
Encourage kids to share their thoughts. Point out that God encouraged Moses with signs that He was with him. Remind kids that we can trust God to keep His promises, so we don’t have to be afraid.
(Option: Choose a volunteer to read 1 John 2:17.)
Key Memory Verse
Show the key passage poster. Lead kids in reading aloud Numbers 23:19 together.
SAY In today’s Bible story, God did miracles to show Moses He would keep His word. Our key passage reminds us that God does what He says He will do.
Instruct each kid to take a turn reading the key passage in a silly voice she chooses (sing-song like a bird, high-pitched like a mouse, growling like a lion, etc.). Remind the kids that God has a plan for us whether we feel weak like a mouse or strong like a lion, and He will be faithful to do what He promises.
Lead kids to sing “Unchanging God (Numbers 23:19).” You may also choose to sing a worship song of your choice.
That is all I have for this week. Let’s pray together:
God, You are constant and always keep Your word. Thank You for hearing us when we pray to You and for comforting us when we are afraid. Help us to faithfully keep our promises like You keep Yours. Amen.
Thanks for joining us! I hope to meet you here again next week!
Thank you to Lifeway for allowing us to publish this lesson using their Gospel Project materials.
