Lesson 037
The Ten Plagues
Exodus 7:14-11:10; 12:29,30
MEMORY VERSE
D AN IEL 6:27a
God deliv ers and resc ues, and He w orks signs and w onders
in heav en and on earth.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED:
A piece of paper with the memory verse printed in a sealed
envelope addressed to your class, masking tape, and prepared 3”x
5” index cards. A table, plain cheerios, fruit loops, drinking straws,
and a stopwatch or watch with a second hand.
Play-doh, red construction paper and small sandwich baggies.
ATTENTION GRABBER!
Please Mr. Postman!
You will need a piece of paper with the memory verse printed on it
and sealed in an envelope addressed to your class, masking tape,
and prepared 3x5” index cards.
Tape two long parallel lines on your floor about 10 inches apart
and nine feet long. Then tape every three inches or so from one
line to the next making approximately 25 spaces. Your floor
should look like a ladder. Then tape a square off at each end. One
end is “start" and the other one is "finish." Make several 3x5” cards
ahead of time and have them well shuffled. Make the majority of
the cards say "advance 3 spaces," and one each of the cards say:
"windstorm, back 1 space," "hailstorm, back 1 space," "lightening
strikes, back 1 space," "tree fell, back 1 space," "bridge out, back 2
spaces," "rainstorm, back 2 spaces," "snowstorm, back 2 spaces,"
"flood, back 3 spaces," "got sick, back 3 spaces." Be sure that the
majority of cards will ensure that the letter will reach the finish
line. Place the letter with the verse inside on the "start" square and
let the children take turns drawing a card and do what it says with
the letter When the letter gets to the finish open the letter and read
its’ contents. Remind your class that God is always able to deliver
us! God can save His people from anything.
LESSON TIME!
God wanted to bring the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into
the Promised Land; but Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler, would not let
the Israelites go. In today’s lesson we will learn how God worked
with Pharaoh and the Egyptian nation to do what He wanted them
to do.
We are going to see Pharaoh harden his heart against God and His
people. We will also see him fail to keep his promises. We will also
see God judge the nation that has rejected Him to worship idols. As
we study the ten plagues it is interesting to note that each plague
was a judgment on an Egyptian god. For example, the Nile River
turning to blood was a judgment on the god that the Egyptians
worshipped who was supposed to be over the Nile. God showed
Himself more powerful than all of the Egyptian gods.
We also learn that God can save His people from anything.
There is no Pharaoh or king, false god or person who can stop God
from accomplishing His plan. God’s power is very comforting to us
because He loves us so much and wants to use His power to help us
in our time of need.
EXOD U S 7:14-20
S o t h e LOR D s ai d t o M o s e s : " Ph ar ao h 's h e ar t i s h ar d ;
h e r ef u s es t o l et t h e p eo p l e go .
" G o t o Ph ar ao h i n t h e m o r n i n g, w h e n h e go e s o u t t o
t h e w at er , an d you s h al l s t an d by t h e r i v er 's ban k t o
m eet him ; and t he rod w hic h w as t u rned t o a serp ent
you shall t ak e in you r hand .
" An d y o u s h a l l s a y t o h i m , ' T h e L O R D G o d o f t h e
Hebr ew s h as s en t m e t o y o u , s ay i n g, "Let M y p eo p l e
go , t h at t h ey m ay s er v e M e i n t h e w i l d er n es s "; bu t
ind eed , u nt il now you w ou ld not hear!
'Thu s says t he LOR D : "By t his you shall k now t hat I
am t he LOR D . Behold , I w ill st rik e t he w at ers w hic h
are in t he riv er w it h t he rod t hat is in m y hand , and
t h ey s h al l be t u r n ed t o bl ood .
" An d t h e f i s h t h a t a r e i n t h e r i v e r s h a l l d i e , t h e r i v e r
s h al l s t i n k , an d t h e Egy p t i an s w i l l l o at h e t o d r i n k
t he w at er of t he riv er."
T h e n t h e L O R D s p o k e t o M o s e s , " S a y t o Aa r o n , ' T a k e
you r rod and st ret c h ou t you r hand ov er t he w at ers
o f Egy p t , o v e r t h e i r s t r e am s , o v e r t h e i r r i v e r s , o v e r
t heir p ond s, and ov er all t heir p ools of w at er, t hat
t h e y m a y b e c o m e b l o o d . An d t h e r e s h a l l b e b l o o d
t h r o u gh o u t al l t h e l an d o f Egy p t , bo t h i n v e s s e l s o f
w ood and v essels of st one.'
An d M o s e s a n d Aa r o n d i d s o , j u s t a s t h e L O R D
c om m and ed . S o he lif t ed u p t he rod and st ru c k t he
w at e r s t h at w e r e i n t h e r i v e r , i n t h e s i gh t o f Ph ar ao h
a n d i n t h e s i g h t o f h i s s e r v a n t s . An d a l l t h e w a t e r s
t h at w er e i n t h e r i v er w er e t u r n ed t o bl ood .
Pharaoh had a hard heart. He would not listen to God and chose to
disobey Him. So God brought the first of 10 plagues on Egypt. God
turned the Nile River into blood. By doing this God was proving
that He was the only real God and that He was powerful. The
Egyptians worshipped a river god, but God proved that He had
power over the river. God can save His people from anything.
One of the interesting things we learn from Pharaoh is the danger
of pride and having a hard heart. Because he thought he knew
more than God and refused to be humble, he brought a lot of pain
upon himself and others in his nation. If he had just humbled
himself before God then he could have been spared so much. If we
refuse to humble ourselves and have a soft heart, we will only bring
pain to ourselves and to those we love.
If we will humble ourselves and obey the Lord then we will be
blessed by God as His people were here. Even though God’s people
were in slavery, God heard their cry and was doing something
about it. God will always help those who have a humble heart
towards Him. God can save His people from anything.
EXOD U S 8:1-3
An d t h e L O R D s p o k e t o M o s e s , " G o t o P h a r a o h a n d
s ay t o h i m , 'T h u s s ay s t h e LOR D : "Let M y p eo p l e go ,
t hat t hey m ay serv e M e.
"Bu t i f y o u r ef u s e t o l et t h em go , beh o l d , I w i l l s m i t e
al l y o u r t er r i t o r y w i t h f r o gs .
"S o t h e r i v er s h al l br i n g f o r t h f r o gs abu n d an t l y ,
w h i c h s h al l go u p an d c o m e i n t o y o u r h o u s e, i n t o
you r bed c h am ber , on you r bed , i n t o t h e h ou s es of
you r serv ant s, on you r p eop le, int o you r ov ens, and
i n t o you r k n ead i n g bow l s .”
After the plague of blood was over, Pharaoh's heart grew harder
and God sent a plague of frogs to cover the land. By this God
showed that He was real and the Egyptians' frog goddess was a false
god. So Moses prayed for the Egyptians, that the frogs would leave
and God took them away. "But when Pharaoh saw that there was
relief, he hardened his heart and did not heed them, as the Lord
had said." (Exodus 8:15). God can save His people f r o m
anything.
EXOD U S 8:16-19
S o t h e L O R D s a i d t o M o s e s , " S a y t o Aa r o n , ' S t r e t c h
ou t you r rod , and st rik e t he d u st of t he land , so t hat
i t m ay be c o m e l i c e t h r o u gh o u t al l t h e l an d o f Egy p t .'
An d t h e y d i d s o . F o r Aa r o n s t r e t c h e d o u t h i s h a n d
w it h his rod and st ru c k t he d u st of t he eart h, and it
b e c a m e l i c e o n m a n a n d b e a s t . Al l t h e d u s t o f t h e
l an d be c am e l i c e t h r o u gh o u t al l t h e l an d o f Egy p t .
N ow
the
m agi c i an s
so
worked
with
their
en c h an t m en t s t o br i n g f or t h l i c e, bu t t h ey c ou l d n ot .
S o t h er e w er e l i c e on m an an d beas t .
T h e n t h e m agi c i an s s ai d t o Ph ar ao h , " T h i s i s t h e
f i n ge r o f G o d ." B u t Ph ar ao h 's h e ar t gr e w h ar d , an d h e
d id not heed t hem , j u st as t he LOR D had said .
Next God brought lice on the land of Egypt. Pharaoh had magicians
who had copied the other two plagues after Moses announced
them. They were able to make blood and bring frogs, but this time
they could not copy the plague. Even the magicians realized that
this was from God. And God proved that the god of the desert was
a false god, but Pharaoh's heart grew harder.
Sometimes false prophets try to imitate God’s truth. Because
Pharaoh’s magicians could copy the plagues, Pharaoh felt like he
was just as powerful. However, now God has done something that
can’t be copied. God was showing that He was more powerful than
their idols as well as more powerful than their magicians and false
religions. Even after blood in their water supply, frogs everywhere,
and lice everywhere, Pharaoh still refused to let God’s people go.
EXOD U S 8:20-22
An d t h e L O R D s a i d t o M o s e s , " R i s e e a r l y i n t h e
m o r n i n g an d s t an d be f o r e Ph ar ao h as h e c o m e s o u t
t o t he w at er. Then say t o him , 'Thu s says t he LOR D :
"Let M y p eo p l e go , t h at t h ey m ay s er v e M e.
"Or el s e, i f y o u w i l l n o t l et M y p eo p l e go , beh o l d , I
w ill send sw arm s of f lies on you and you r serv ant s,
on you r p eop le and int o you r hou ses. The hou ses of
t h e Egy p t i an s s h al l be f u l l o f s w ar m s o f f l i e s , an d
al s o t h e gr o u n d o n w h i c h t h ey s t an d .
" An d i n t h a t d a y I w i l l s e t a p a r t t h e l a n d o f G o s h e n ,
in w hic h M y p eop le d w ell, t hat no sw arm s of f lies
s h al l be t h er e, i n or d er t h at you m ay k n ow t h at I am
t he LOR D in t he m id st of t he land ."
This time God not only brought a plague of flies, but He showed
Pharaoh that He could keep the flies away from the land where the
Israelites dwelled; this proved the Egyptian fly god as false. Isn’t it
interesting that God was even showing His strength more by
blessing the Israelites and protecting them from the plagues while
He was judging the Egyptians?
So Pharaoh agreed to let the Israelites go into the wilderness to
sacrifice, but when the plague was over he changed his mind and
would not let them go. He didn’t’ keep his promise; but, God is
still in control, and God can save His people from anything.
EXOD U S 9:1-7
T h e n t h e LOR D s ai d t o M o s e s , " G o i n t o Ph ar ao h an d
t el l h i m , 'T h u s s ays t h e LOR D G od of t h e Hebr ew s :
"Let M y p eo p l e go , t h at t h ey m ay s er v e M e.
"Fo r i f y o u r ef u s e t o l et t h em go , an d s t i l l h o l d t h em ,
"beh ol d , t h e h an d of t h e LOR D w i l l be on you r c at t l e
in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the
c am el s , on t h e oxen , an d on t h e s h eep . T h er e w i l l be
a very severe pestilence.
" An d t h e L O R D w i l l m a k e a d i f f e r e n c e b e t w e e n t h e
l i v e s t o c k o f I s r ae l an d t h e l i v e s t o c k o f Egy p t . S o
n o t h i n g s h al l d i e o f al l t h at bel o n gs t o t h e c h i l d r en
of Israel." ' "
Then t he LOR D ap p oint ed a set
t i m e, s ay i n g,
"Tom orrow t he LOR D w ill d o t his t hing in t he land ."
S o t he LOR D d id t his t hing on t he next d ay, and all
t h e l i v e s t o c k o f Egy p t d i e d ; bu t o f t h e l i v e s t o c k o f
t he c hild ren of Israel, no one d ied .
T h e n Ph ar ao h s e n t , an d i n d e e d , n o t e v e n o n e o f t h e
liv est oc k of t he Israelit es w as d ead . Bu t t he heart of
Ph ar ao h be c am e h ar d , an d h e d i d n o t l e t t h e p e o p l e
go .
Next God sent a plague of disease upon all of the Egyptians'
livestock. Once again God proved that the Egyptian livestock gods
were false.
All of the Israelites’ livestock was spared, but Pharaoh's heart
became hard again and he would not let Israel go. God can s a v e
His people from anything.
Cheerio Rodeo
You will need a table, plain cheerios, fruit loops, drinking straws,
and a stopwatch or watch with a second hand.
Divide your class into teams of three or four and give each child a
straw. Place one cup of cheerios and one cup of fruit loops on a
tabletop and mix them up. Have one team play at a time. When
you say, "GO!" the chosen team will try to separate the cheerios
from the fruit loops. Time each team and write it on the
chalkboard. The team with the shortest time wins. You will need
to wipe the table and start with new cereal each time.
Remind your class that throughout all the plagues, God made a
distinction between His people and the Egyptians; He never made
any mistakes. In the same way we are a separate people in the
world today. The Bible says that we are to be in the world, but not
of it. God’s hand of protection is upon His people and we need to
live our lives in obedience to what He says, not according to the
ideas of the world.
EXOD U S 9:8
S o t h e L O R D s a i d t o M o s e s a n d Aa r o n , " T a k e f o r
you rselv es hand f u ls of ashes f rom a f u rnac e, and let
M o s es s c at t er i t t o w ar d t h e h eav en s i n t h e s i gh t o f
P h a r a o h . An d i t w i l l b e c o m e f i n e d u s t i n a l l t h e l a n d
o f Egy p t , an d i t w i l l c au s e bo i l s t h at br e ak o u t i n
s o r es o n m an an d beas t t h r o u gh o u t al l t h e l an d o f
Egy p t ."
Then God sent boils and sores on all of the Egyptians. Here God
proved Himself mighty over the Egyptian goddess of disease. This
time God hardened Pharaoh's heart because He saw that Pharaoh
was intent on disobedience. God can save His people from
anything.
EXOD U S 9:13-18
Then t he LOR D said t o M oses, "R ise early in t he
m o r n i n g an d s t an d be f o r e Ph ar ao h , an d s ay t o h i m ,
'T h u s s ays t h e LOR D G od of t h e Hebr ew s : "Let M y
p eo p l e go , t h at t h ey m ay s er v e M e,
"f o r at t h i s t i m e I w i l l s en d al l M y p l agu es t o y o u r
v ery heart , and on you r serv ant s and on you r p eop le,
t hat you m ay k now t hat t here is none lik e M e in all
t he eart h.
"N ow if I had st ret c hed ou t M y hand and st ru c k you
and you r p eop le w it h p est ilenc e, t hen you w ou ld
h av e been c u t of f f r om t h e ear t h .
"Bu t ind eed f or t his p u rp ose I hav e raised you u p ,
t hat I m ay show M y p ow er in you , and t hat M y nam e
m ay be d ec l ar ed i n al l t h e ear t h .
" As y e t y o u e x a l t y o u r s e l f a g a i n s t M y p e o p l e i n t h a t
y o u w i l l n o t l et t h em go .
"Beh ol d , t om or r ow abou t t h i s t i m e I w i l l c au s e v er y
h eav y h ai l t o r ai n d ow n , s u c h as h as n ot been i n
Egy p t s i n c e i t s f o u n d i n g u n t i l n o w .”
Next, God sent a plague of hail to destroy the Egyptian crops. He
proved Himself true over their gods of crops and storms. This time
Pharaoh pleaded for relief. As these plagues happened there were a
lot of people in Egypt who were suffering. It is too bad that many
people suffered because of Pharaoh’s pride. We need to remember
that our disobedience not only affects ourselves, it affects others.
It does affect others we care for. God can save His people f r o m
anything.
EXOD U S 9:27-34
An d P h a r a o h s e n t a n d c a l l e d f o r M o s e s a n d Aa r o n ,
and said t o t hem , "I hav e sinned t his t im e. The LOR D
i s r i gh t eo u s , an d m y p eo p l e an d I ar e w i c k ed .
" En t r e at t h e LOR D , t h at t h e r e m ay be n o m o r e m i gh t y
t h u n d er i n g an d h ai l , f o r i t i s en o u gh . I w i l l l et y o u
go , an d y o u s h al l s t ay n o l o n ger ."
An d M o s e s s a i d t o h i m , " As s o o n a s I h a v e g o n e o u t o f
t he c it y, I w ill sp read ou t m y hand s t o t he LOR D ; t he
t h u n d er w i l l c eas e, an d t h er e w i l l be n o m or e h ai l ,
t hat you m ay k now t hat t he eart h is t he Lord 's.
"Bu t as f or you and you r serv ant s, I k now t hat you
w ill not yet f ear t he LOR D God ."
N ow t h e f l ax an d t h e bar l ey w er e s t r u c k , f or t h e
bar l ey w as i n t h e h ead an d t h e f l ax w as i n bu d . Bu t
t he w heat and t he sp elt w ere not st ru c k , f or t hey are
lat e c rop s.
S o M o s e s w e n t o u t o f t h e c i t y f r o m Ph ar ao h an d
sp read ou t his hand s t o t he LOR D ; t hen t he t hu nd er
and t he hail c eased , and t he rain w as not p ou red on
t he eart h.
An d w h e n P h a r a o h s a w t h a t t h e r a i n , t h e h a i l , a n d
t he t hu nd er had c eased , he sinned yet m ore; and he
hard ened his heart , he and his serv ant s.
Pharaoh was willing to acknowledge God when he needed help, but
not when all was well. There are many people like that who will
turn to God only when bad things happen in their lives. They even
make promises to serve Him; but when the bad times are over, they
break their promises. People like that have not really repented or
turned from their sin. We need to be careful not to have that kind
of attitude in our lives. Pharaoh sinned again by hardening his
heart to the voice of the Lord, but God can save His people f r o m
anything.
EXOD U S 10:1-6
N o w t h e LOR D s ai d t o M o s e s , " G o i n t o Ph ar ao h ; f o r I
hav e hard ened his heart and t he heart s of his
s er v an t s , t h at I m ay s h o w t h es e s i gn s o f M i n e bef o r e
him ,
"and t hat you m ay t ell in t he hearing of you r son
an d y o u r s o n 's s o n t h e m i gh t y t h i n gs I h av e d o n e i n
Egy p t , an d M y s i gn s w h i c h I h av e d o n e am o n g t h e m ,
t hat you m ay k now t hat I am t he LOR D ."
S o M o s e s a n d Aa r o n c a m e i n t o P h a r a o h a n d s a i d t o
h i m , "T h u s s ays t h e LOR D G od of t h e Hebr ew s : 'How
l on g w i l l you r ef u s e t o h u m bl e you r s el f bef or e M e?
Let M y p eo p l e go , t h at t h ey m ay s er v e M e.
'Or el s e, i f y o u r ef u s e t o l et M y p eo p l e go , beh o l d ,
t om or r ow I w i l l br i n g l oc u s t s i n t o you r t er r i t or y.
' An d t h e y s h a l l c o v e r t h e f a c e o f t h e e a r t h , s o t h a t
n o on e w i l l be abl e t o s ee t h e ear t h ; an d t h ey s h al l
eat t he resid u e of w hat is lef t , w hic h rem ains t o you
f rom t he hail, and t hey shall eat ev ery t ree w hic h
gr o w s u p f o r y o u o u t o f t h e f i el d .
'They shall f ill you r hou ses, t he hou ses of all you r
s e r v an t s , an d t h e h o u s e s o f al l t h e Egy p t i an s --w h i c h
neit her you r f at hers nor you r f at hers' f at hers hav e
seen, sinc e t he d ay t hat t hey w ere on t he eart h t o
t h i s d a y . ' " An d h e t u r n e d a n d w e n t o u t f r o m P h a r a o h .
It is interesting in these verses that God tells Moses that one of the
reasons that He is hardening Pharaoh’s heart and allowing these
things to happen is so that he and the nation of Israel could
understand His mighty power. He tells them that they are to pass
these stories down from one generation to another so that the
Israelites would never forget what God has done for them.
It is also important for us to remember all that God has done in our
lives. We are to pass those things on to our own children and to
others that we care about. Imagine the stories that Moses had for
his grandchildren!
The eighth plague God brought upon Egypt was a plague of locusts.
Locusts were insects like grasshoppers and they came and covered
the land. The Egyptians also had a god of crops and God proved
him powerless by destroying their crops.
Again Pharaoh pleaded for relief and admitted his sin, but when
God removed the locusts Pharaoh would not release the Israelites.
God can save His people from anything.
EXOD U S 10:20-29
B u t t h e LOR D h ar d e n e d Ph ar ao h 's h e ar t , an d h e d i d
n o t l et t h e c h i l d r en o f Is r ael go .
Then t he LOR D said t o M oses, "S t ret c h ou t you r hand
t ow ar d h eav en , t h at t h er e m ay be d ar k n es s ov er t h e
l an d o f Egy p t , d ar k n e s s w h i c h m ay e v e n be f e l t ."
S o M oses st ret c hed ou t his hand t ow ard heav en, and
t h e r e w as t h i c k d ar k n e s s i n al l t h e l an d o f Egy p t
t hree d ays.
They d id not see one anot her; nor d id anyone rise
f rom his p lac e f or t hree d ays. Bu t all t he c hild ren of
Is r ael h ad l i gh t i n t h ei r d w el l i n gs .
T h e n Ph ar ao h c al l e d t o M o s e s an d s ai d , " G o , s e r v e
t h e LOR D ; on l y l et you r f l oc k s an d you r h er d s be
k ep t bac k . Let y o u r l i t t l e o n es al s o go w i t h y o u ."
Bu t M o s es s ai d , "Yo u m u s t al s o gi v e u s s ac r i f i c es an d
bu r n t o f f er i n gs , t h at w e m ay s ac r i f i c e t o t h e LOR D
our God.
"Ou r l i v es t o c k al s o s h al l go w i t h u s ; n o t a h o o f s h al l
be l ef t beh i n d . For w e m u s t t ak e s om e of t h em t o
serv e t he LOR D ou r God , and ev en w e d o not k now
w it h w hat w e m u st serv e t he LOR D u nt il w e arriv e
there."
Bu t t he LOR D hard ened
w o u l d n o t l et t h em go .
Ph ar ao h 's
heart ,
and
he
T h e n Ph ar ao h s ai d t o h i m , " G e t aw ay f r o m m e ! T ak e
heed t o you rself and see m y f ac e no m ore! For in t he
d a y y o u s e e m y f a c e y o u s h a l l d i e !"
An d M o s e s s a i d , " Y o u h a v e s p o k e n w e l l . I w i l l n e v e r
s ee y o u r f ac e agai n ."
The ninth plague God brought was a darkness that covered Egypt
for three days. There was no light except in the Israelites’ homes.
Here God challenged the Egyptian sun god, but Pharaoh's heart was
hard, and he would not let them go. God can save His p e o p l e
from anything.
EXOD U S 11:1-10
An d t h e L O R D s a i d t o M o s e s , " I w i l l b r i n g y e t o n e
m o r e p l a g u e o n P h a r a o h a n d o n E g y p t . Af t e r w a r d h e
w i l l l et y o u go f r o m h er e. Wh en h e l et s y o u go , h e
w i l l s u r el y d r i v e y o u o u t o f h er e al t o get h er .
"S p eak now in t he hearing of t he p eop le, and let
ev er y m an as k f r o m h i s n ei gh bo r an d ev er y w o m an
f r o m h er n ei gh bo r , ar t i c l es o f s i l v er an d ar t i c l es o f
go l d ."
An d t h e L O R D g a v e t h e p e o p l e f a v o r i n t h e s i g h t o f
t h e Egy p t i an s . M o r e o v e r t h e m an M o s e s w as v e r y
gr e at i n t h e l an d o f Egy p t , i n t h e s i gh t o f Ph ar ao h 's
s er v an t s an d i n t h e s i gh t o f t h e p eo p l e.
T h e n M o s e s s a i d , " T h u s s a y s t h e L O R D : ' Ab o u t
m i d n i gh t I w i l l go o u t i n t o t h e m i d s t o f Egy p t ;
'an d al l t h e f i r s t bo r n i n t h e l an d o f Egy p t s h al l d i e ,
f r o m t h e f i r s t bo r n o f Ph ar ao h w h o s i t s o n h i s t h r o n e ,
ev en t o t h e f i r s t bor n of t h e m ai d s er v an t w h o i s
beh i n d t h e h an d m i l l , an d al l t h e f i r s t bor n of t h e
beas t s .
'T h en t h er e s h al l be a gr eat c r y t h r o u gh o u t al l t h e
l an d o f Egy p t , s u c h as w as n o t l i k e i t be f o r e , n o r
s h al l be l i k e i t agai n .
'Bu t agai n s t n o n e o f t h e c h i l d r en o f Is r ael s h al l a d o g
m o v e i t s t o n gu e, agai n s t m an o r beas t , t h at y o u m ay
k n ow t h at t h e LOR D d oes m ak e a d i f f er en c e bet w een
t h e Egy p t i an s an d I s r ae l .'
" An d a l l t h e s e y o u r s e r v a n t s s h a l l c o m e d o w n t o m e
an d bo w d o w n t o m e, s ay i n g, 'G et o u t , an d al l t h e
p e o p l e w h o f o l l o w y o u !' Af t e r t h a t I w i l l g o o u t . "
T h e n h e w e n t o u t f r o m Ph ar ao h i n gr e at an ge r .
B u t t h e LOR D s ai d t o M o s e s , " Ph ar ao h w i l l n o t h e e d
you , s o t h at M y w on d er s m ay be m u l t i p l i ed i n t h e
l an d o f Egy p t ."
S o M o s e s a n d Aa r o n d i d a l l t h e s e w o n d e r s b e f o r e
Ph ar ao h ; an d t h e LOR D h ar d e n e d Ph ar ao h 's h e ar t ,
an d h e d i d n o t l et t h e c h i l d r en o f Is r ael go o u t o f h i s
land .
The final plague God brought was one that killed the firstborn
child of every Egyptian and their livestock's first born also.
Pharaoh was not willing to let the Israelites go until this plague
came upon them. God proved Himself mighty over all of the
Egyptian gods, including their gods of reproduction. God can s a v e
His people from anything.
In all of the plagues God proved that He was the true God. He could
foretell the future and make His promises come to pass. God has
power over all things, alive or not, because He created them. G o d
can save His people from anything.
God proved that He cares for His people, those who believe in Him
and serve Him. Not one of the plagues harmed the Israelites. G o d
can save His people from anything.
Today God promises to protect us if we believe in Him and He
promises that we will not face the judgments that He has prepared
for non-Christians. Being a Christian means that God has saved us
from sin and even death because Jesus paid the price for us on the
cross. God can save His people from anything.
In Pharaoh we see a stubborn man unwilling to submit to God.
Even though God proved Himself to Pharaoh again and again,
Pharaoh chose not to listen to God. Pharaoh hardened his heart so
many times that he was callous and unable to believe in God. We
need to be careful to listen to God and obey Him every time or we
could end up like Pharaoh, unable to believe and facing God's
judgment.
Pass Over My Play-doh
You will need play-doh and red paper.
Give each child a piece of play-doh or home-made clay and a
quarter of a sheet of red paper. Let them work on their own
creations. Appoint one child (or teacher) to be the "angel of the
Lord” who can go around taking away play-doh creations unless the
child holds the red paper over the play-doh. The “angel” may
wander around while the kids work and probably shouldn't be the
most aggressive kid in class. But explain to the children that as
long as they hold up the red paper than the angel will “pass over”
them.
Use this as an illustration of how the Angel of the Lord passed over
the Israelites who had the blood applied over their doorposts. Also
explain how that this is a picture of the blood of Jesus that protects
us from God’s judgment and allows us to have a relationship with
God. Supply small baggies at the end of class for the children to
take their play-doh creations home.
PRAYER
Lead the children in a prayer of thanksgiving for God’s amazing
power to save us. If there are any children who have not yet
responded to the gospel, give them opportunity to do so.