OT 27B The Tenth Plague and the Passover

Reference: Exodus 11-12

Story Summary: 
     After nine plagues, Pharaoh would not let the Israelites go. God then told Moses about the tenth plague. After this plague, he said, Pharaoh will change his mind. So Moses went and told Pharaoh what the tenth plague would be: the firstborn son of every family in Egypt would die. But Pharaoh still would not listen.
     Moses told the Israelites about the tenth plague, that God would be sending an angel and the firstborn son in each family would die. Moses told them to take the blood of a lamb and spread in on the top and sides of their door. When the angel saw the blood, it would pass over their houses and they would be saved. He also told them to eat a special meal of lamb meat, bitter plants, and unleavened bread. So, the Israelites did what he asked.
     That night, God's angel went through Egypt. The firstborn son in each family died, but those who placed the lamb's blood on their door were saved. When Pharaoh saw that his own son had died, he finally let Moses and the Israelites go. The Egyptians were kind to the Israelites. They gave them silver and gold items as they left.

Big Idea and Motions: God wants us to remember how he saved us.
God - point up
Us - point to yourself
Remember - tap your brain
Saved - do the baseball “safe” sign

Verse / Motions: Deuteronomy 5:15, ESV - You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand...
Remember - tap your brain
Slave - cross your wrists over top of each other
Egypt - form a pyramid over your head with your arms
Lord your God - point up
Brought you out - pretend to reach down and help someone up
Mighty hand - hold out your hand

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
When Moses told Pharaoh what the tenth plague would be, did Pharaoh let the Israelites go? // No.
What was the tenth plague? // The death of the firstborn son of each family.
Who was God going to send to do the tenth plague? // A destroying angel
What did Moses tell the people to do to make the angel pass over their house? // Spread a lamb’s blood on the top and sides of their door
What did God tell the Israelites to eat that night? // Lamb meat, unleavened bread, bitter plants
What was the name of this special meal? // The Passover
How often were they to eat the Passover? // Once a year
Why did he want them to eat the Passover? // To remember how God saved them
During that night, what happened? // The oldest son in each family died
What did Pharaoh do after the tenth plague? // Let the Israelites go
What did the Egyptians give the Israelites while they left? // Silver and gold items

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/8S8IKb
Resources - http://goo.gl/8kXKYG

OT 27A The First Nine Plagues

Reference: Exodus 8-10

Story Summary: 
     God sent Moses to tell Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, to let the Israelites leave Egypt to worship him. To prove that God was with them, Aaron threw down his staff and it turned into a snake. Despite this, Pharaoh refused to let the Israelites go. Instead, he made their work as slaves even harder!
     God told Moses that he was going to send a series of plagues on Egypt. These great punishments would show God's great power and eventually make Pharaoh let the Israelites go.
     In the first nine plagues, God turned the water in Egypt to blood, covered the land with frogs, flies, gnats, and locusts, killed the livestock, sent lightning and hail, gave people painful boils, and covered the land in darkness. During these plagues, God kept his people, the Israelites, safe from danger.
     Because Pharaoh was so stubborn, each time he refused to let the Israelites go. And because Pharaoh
would not let the Israelites go, God would send one last plague. It would be the most terrible of all and Pharaoh would finally let God's people go.

Big Idea and Motions: God is really, really powerful.
God - point up
Really - hold up one fist
Really - hold up the other fist
Powerful - flex your muscles

Verse / Motions: Psalm 77:14, ESV - You are the God who works wonders; you have made known your might among the peoples.
You - point to another person
God - point up
Works wonders - gesture your arms out while wiggling your fingers
Made known - tap your temple
Might - flex your muscles
Peoples - point to various people in the room

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Why did the Israelites need to be rescued? // They were slaves in Egypt
What did Pharaoh do when Moses and Aaron told him to let the Israelites go? // Make their work harder
What happened when Aaron threw down his staff? // It turned into a snake
What did Aaron’s snake do to the Egyptian wise man’s snake? // It swallowed it up.
What is a plague? // A great big punishment from God.
Why did God send the 10 plagues? // To show his power, make Pharaoh let the Israelites go.
Name one of the nine plagues we talked about? // Water into blood, Frogs, Gnats, Flies, Death of Livestock, Boils, Hail, Locusts, Darkness
Who was protected during these plagues? // The Israelites
What did Pharaoh do after each of these plagues? // Not let the Israelites go.

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/2ObtdY
Resources - http://goo.gl/TvvPYl

OT 26 Moses and the Burning Bush

Reference: Exodus 2-4

Story Summary: 
     When Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, he attacked and killed him. When Pharaoh found out, he wanted to punish him, so Moses ran away to Midian. There, Moses married, had a son, and grew old.
     While watching sheep one day, Moses came to a bush that was one fire, but didn't burn up. God spoke to Moses from the bush. He told Moses he was sending him to rescue the Israelites, who were slaves in the land of Egypt.
     Moses didn't know why God would pick him to be the one to rescue the Israelites, but God promised to be with him. Moses asked what God's name was, so he could tell the Israelites who sent him. God said his name was, "I Am Who I Am."
     God had Moses do two miracles: turning a staff into a snake and healing a disease from his hand. Moses would do these miracles again in Egypt to prove that God had sent him. But Moses said, "I can't go. I don't speak well." God promised to help Moses speak, but Moses still would not go. So God picked Moses' brother, Aaron, to go with him. Aaron would do the speaking for Moses. So finally, Moses left for Egypt.

Big Idea and Motions: God gives us the power to obey him.
God - point up
Gives - pretend to hold a present and give it to someone
Power - flex your muscles
Obey - form the letter “O” with your hands above your head

Verse / Motions: Philippians 4:13, ESV - I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
I - point to yourself
Can do - bump one fist on top of the other
All things - gesture your arms in a wide circle
Through him - point up
Strengthens - flex your muscles
Me - point to yourself

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
Why did Moses run away? // He killed an Egyptian for hurting an Israelite
Where did Moses run away to? // Midian
Why did the Israelites cry out to God? // They were slaves in Egypt
What strange sight did Moses see? // A burning bush that didn’t burn up
Who spoke to Moses from the bush? // God
What message did God have for Moses? // He was sending him to rescue the Israelites
When Moses asked God’s name, what did God say? // Yahweh, I Am Who I Am
What did God have Moses do to prove God was with him? // Turned his staff into a snake, healed a disease on his hand
Why didn’t Moses think he could do it? // He didn’t speak well
Who did God pick to help Moses speak? // Moses’ brother Aaron

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/FO6YGK
Resources - http://goo.gl/tcNXRw

OT 25 The Birth of Moses

Reference: Exodus 1-2

Story Summary: 
Years after Joseph, his brothers, and their children died, the Israelites grew into a large nation of people among the people of Egypt. A new Pharaoh came to power who did not remember Joseph. He was afraid the Israelites would continue to grow, join with Egypt's enemies, and go to war with them.
   To stop them from growing, Pharaoh worked the Israelites like slaves, having slave masters beat them as they worked. But the Israelites continued to grow and the Egyptians contiued to be afraid.
   Then, Pharaoh commanded that all the Israelite boys be thrown into the Nile River. A while later, an Israelite woman gave birth to a baby boy. After hiding him for three months, she coated a basket with tar, placed the baby inside, and floated him on the Nile River, where he was discovered by Pharaoh's daughter, who felt sorrow for the baby. She paid the baby's own mother to nurse him. When she was done, he was brought back to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses.
   Moses' story is important because he was the man God picked to lead the exodus out of Egypt.

Big Idea and Motions: God takes good care of his people.
God - point up
Good care - hug yourself
People - hold your palms out and wiggle your fingers

Verse / Motions: 1 Peter 5:7, ESV - casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
Casting - pretend to cast a fishing rod (or throw a ball)
All - gesture your arms in a wide circle circle
Anxieties - put your hands on your cheeks and look worried
Him/he - point up
Cares - hug yourself
You - point to another person

Questions to Ask Throughout the Week
What does the word “exodus” mean? // To exit or leave
Why was the new Pharaoh worried that the Israelites grew and grew? // They could fight against Egypt
What was the new Pharaoh’s first plan to stop the Israelites from growing? // Work them like slaves and beat them
Did the plan to work them like slaves keep them from growing? // No
What was Pharaoh’s second plan to keep the Israelites from growing? // Throw baby boys in the river
What special baby was this story about? // Moses
How long did Moses’ mom hide him? // Three months
What did she do with him after three months? // Floated him in a special basket in the river
Who found Moses in the basket? // Pharaoh’s daughter
Who hid and watched Moses float in the basket? // His big sister
Who did Pharaoh’s daughter get to take care of baby Moses? // His own mother

Google Docs Links:
Lesson - http://goo.gl/JZniWU
Resources - http://goo.gl/kn28XB