Unit 5: Life of Moses OT5.5 Crossing the Red Sea Lesson …€¦ · Unit 5: Life of Moses OT5.5 Crossing the Red Sea Lesson Scripture: Exodus 13-15 Lesson Goal: God called Moses to

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OT5.5 Crossing the Red Sea ©Beverly Wilson 2017

Unit 5: Life of Moses OT5.5 Crossing the Red Sea Lesson

Scripture: Exodus 13-15

Lesson Goal: God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt so they could return to the Promised Land. In this lesson we will learn how God's power made a dry path through the sea so the Israelites could escape from the land of Egypt. We will see how God's people thanked Him for rescuing them from the Egyptians!

Introduction: This is the fifth lesson in Unit 5: Life of Moses. God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt so they could return to the Promised Land. In this lesson we will learn how God's power made a dry path through the sea so the Israelites could escape from the land of Egypt. We will see how God's people thanked Him for rescuing them from the Egyptians! The lesson is found in the second book of the Bible called Exodus. Exodus is in the Old Testament. Exodus is a word that means exit because it tells how Israel left Egypt. Exodus follows the Book of Genesis and is one of the books of Law. The books of the Law are the first five books in the Old Testament. Let's say the books of Law together: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Attention Getter: “Playing Tag” Who likes to play tag? Have you ever played tag at the park? Chasing each other is fun, if you're just playing a game! But it is not fun to be chased by an angry person! That is scary! Today we are going to learn about some people who were being chased by angry soldiers. Have students share their favorite tag game. Here are some examples you might talk about:

Amoeba tag: two people are it. They hold hands and chase people.

Back to back: Two people hold hands start off as being "it." They can try to tag any other player but they can only use their free hands. When they tag someone, that person joins onto them by holding hands. Players are safe from being tagged if they find another player and stand back to back with them. They can stand back to back and be safe for only 10 seconds before they can be tagged.

Band-Aid Tag: One person is "it." Whenever someone is tagged by "it" they must hold a bandaid (their hand) on the spot where they were tagged. Then the game continues. When someone runs out of bandaids, (they get tagged three times), they are frozen until two other people come over to them and "operate." The two other people need to tag the frozen person at the same time and count to five.

Blind Man’s Bluff: Blindfold one player and spin them around 3 times. The blindfolded player tries to tag one of the other players, who may crouch low, sneak up behind the "blindman" and yell "Boo", or stand still and keep very quiet.

Clothes Pin Tag: Hand any number of clothes-pins to all the kids (the more clothes-pins everyone starts with, the longer the game lasts. I use 3-5) and have them pin them to their shirt sleeves, hems, pockets, etc. Then have them all scatter on the playing field. On the signal, everyone runs around snatching clothes-pins from one another, kneeling down to attach their newly acquired prizes. At the end of the game (usually a time-limit), the one with the most clothespins wins.

Opening Prayer: "Lord, we want to praise you for always being in control of every situation. Help us to trust you when we are scared or afraid. We love you Lord and thank you for leading us and guiding us through each and every circumstance in life. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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Memory Verse: The memory verse is Psalm 106. 1. "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good."

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/Uzaya8-Zdv4 God talked to Moses in the burning bush and told him that he was the one He had chosen to lead the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. This was a big job and would mean that Moses would have to trust God to show his power. Because Moses was afraid, God gave him a helper in this job--his brother Aaron. God told Aaron to go out into the desert and meet Moses at Mt. Sinai. Together they traveled to Egypt. When Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt they gathered together the leaders or elders of the Hebrews and told them the good news that God was going to deliver them and lead them to the Promised Land. Then Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, "The God of Israel says, "Let my people go so they can worship me in the wilderness." Immediately Pharaoh got very angry. He demanded, "Who is the Lord that I should obey Him? I do not know the Lord and I will not let His people go." Then Moses and Aaron answered back to him. "If you don't obey God He may bring plagues." Instead of listening to Moses Pharaoh gave orders to the slave drivers to make the Hebrews work harder. Now the Israelites had to gather their own straw to make bricks besides making the same number of bricks! When Moses saw all the trouble he began to pray to God, "Why have you brought trouble to these people? I spoke to Pharaoh in your Name but You have not rescued them." God replied to Moses, "My mighty hand will drive the people out of Egypt. I keep my promises." God told Moses that He would have to bring plagues on the Egyptians until they let His people go.” So Moses and Aaron went back to see the Pharaoh. Moses showed him that God was more powerful than any of his magicians or sorcerers. Aaron threw down his staff and it became a snake. Then the snake swallowed up the other snakes of the Pharaoh's magicians. This showed that God's power was stronger than their magic power! Despite seeing the great power of God Pharaoh refused to let the Hebrew slaves go--just as God had said he would. It was now time for God to show His power by bringing plagues on the Egyptians. Ten times Moses and Aaron went to the Pharaoh and asked him to let the children of Israel to go into the wilderness to worship God. But each time Pharaoh said, "No!" So God brought ten plagues on Egypt to try to change the Pharaoh's mind. First Aaron struck the River Nile with his staff and the water was changed to blood. The fish died and the Egyptians could not drink the water. Next God told Moses to tell Aaron to stretch his staff over the ponds to make the frogs come out onto the land. Frogs were everywhere! They were in the houses, in the ovens and the beds! Frogs frogs all over the place. But still the Pharaoh refused to let God's people go! Then God told Moses to tell Aaron to strike the dust with his staff and the dust would become gnats! Gnats were everywhere. But Pharaoh still had a hard heart! He refused to let the Hebrews go and worship God. He would not listen, just as the Lord had said. The third plague was swarms of flies! Dense swarms of flies came into the palace and into the houses of the Egyptians. But still Pharaoh said, "No!" But the flies stayed away from the Hebrew slaves! God was protecting His people!

https://youtu.be/Uzaya8-Zdv4

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The fifth plague was on the Egyptian horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats. They all died! But still Pharaoh's heart was hard. Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron to toss handfuls of soot from a furnace into the air in front of Pharaoh and tell him to let my people go!" Moses obeyed God and the soot became a fine dust that caused people and animals to get festering boils. The seventh plague was God sending the worst hailstorm Egypt had ever had. Lightning filled the skies and large hailstones came pounding down! The stones were so large that anyone not inside his house died! The hail destroyed the crops! Still Pharaoh did not let God's people go! The eighth plague was locusts. These grasshoppers ate all the crops and covered the land. But AGAIN Pharaoh became stubborn and refused to let God's people go and worship Him. For the ninth plague Moses stretched out his hands and total darkness came over the land for three days. The darkness was so thick the Egyptians could not see anyone else or move about! Now the Pharaoh was so angry that he told Moses never to come before him again. But God has one more plague to send. This plague would be the worst of all! About midnight the firstborn son of every family and animal would die and there will be weeping everywhere except among God's people. The Lord told Moses to tell His people that on the tenth day of the month the father of each family were to sacrifice a perfect lamb. Then they were to smear the blood on the top and sides of the door frame of the house where they were going to eat the meat for a Passover meal. God explained that on this night He was going to pass through the land to bring judgment. If He saw the blood on the doorposts of a house, He would pass over. Those people who were inside the house with the blood on the doorposts would be spared. So the Hebrews did as God instructed and their firstborn were saved. At midnight the Lord passed over the land and the firstborn son of Pharaoh and every Egyptian family was found dead. There was weeping and wailing in every house except those houses with blood on the doorposts. That night Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. He said, "Up, leave my people, you and your Israelites! Go worship the Lord God as you have asked. Take your families and animals with you." God's people quickly packed their belongings. The Egyptians were afraid they would all die so they gave them gifts of silver and gold. "Hurry and leave," they urged. God's people rushed off so quickly they did not have time to add yeast to the dough they had made for bread. God told them to walk very quietly not saying a word! While they were not making noise on the outside, they must have felt like shouting on the inside because now after 400 years they were free! Just as God had promised! Hundreds and thousands of Israelite people followed Moses out of Egypt. God showed them where to go. During the day God set a big cloud to move across the sky in front of them. God wanted the people to know that He was with them on their journey to the Promised Land. At night God sent a pillar of fire to guide them. The fire lighted the camp of the Israelites so even at night they could see their way! Meanwhile back in Egypt the Pharaoh thought that the people were only going out to the wilderness for one day to worship their God. But when he found out they had packed everything and were moving out for good, he regretted letting the people go. He said, "Why have we done this? Now we do not have any slaves!" So the Pharaoh pulled his great army together. He called for his soldiers, all the chariots and their horses. "Go after them!" he ordered. The pharaoh was going to chase the Israelites and bring them back to Egypt. He thought they were just wandering around in the desert land in confusion and would be easy to catch!

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The Israelites had been traveling across the desert for several days. The cloud and pillar of fire had led them to the edge of the Red Sea. As everyone was setting up their tents, Moses and the people heard a loud rumbling sound. Was it thunder? They wondered. No! It was the sound of 600 horses and chariots and soldiers marching! The sound of the rolling chariot wheels got louder and louder! "Oh no, Pharaoh is coming after us!" someone shouted. The Israelites looked around. They felt like running--but there was no here to go! The sea was in front of them and the soldiers were coming right behind them! The people were angry and afraid, "Why did you bring us here to die?" they shouted at Moses. "We can't go forward because of the sea, and we can't go back because of the soldiers. What can we do?" After asking God what to do, Moses tried to calm the people. He said, "Don't be afraid! God will fight for us. Just stand still where you are and watch, and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will rescue us today. " And Moses was right! Before Pharaoh and his soldiers could reach the Israelites, God moved the big cloud right between them and in front of the Egyptians. The sky over them became dark. It was so dark the Egyptians had to stop for the rest of the night--they couldn't see anything! God had sent the darkness and the cloud to stop Pharaoh's army! But on the other side of the cloud was light for the children of Israel to see. This darkness kept the Egyptians from coming toward the Israelites. Then God told Moses exactly what to do. "Raise your staff and hold your hand over the shore of the sea," God said. Moses did what God said. The people waited. "Listen!" someone may have whispered. Everyone listened. The sound started out small and then all of a sudden everyone knew what the sound was! A big wind roared through the night! All night long the wind blew very hard--so hard that the waters of the sea began to separate and the wet ground became dry. There was a big path right through the middle of the sea! The people felt like cheering! They lined up and followed Moses along the path. The Israelites crossed the sea on dry ground with a wall of water on their right and a wall of water on their left! They all made it safely across. No one even got WET! Just then Pharaoh's army marched up to the sea. They rushed down the path after the Israelites. When Pharaoh and all the soldiers were in the middle of the path, God showed His power once again. He made the wheels of their chariots fall off so they could not drive them! Then God told Moses to stretch his hand out over the sea. Moses did as he was told and the wall of water came crashing down upon Pharaoh's army. The Lord swept the Egyptian army into the flood of water and covered them all—the chariots and horsemen and the entire army were drowned! The Israelites looked over the sea. There were no soldiers, no chariots, no Pharaoh to hurt them. God had saved them again! Everyone wanted to show God how happy they were and how thankful they felt for their safety. Moses and the Israelites sang a special song telling about God's great power. They sang and danced and clapped their hands. They sang, “The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation!” Miriam, Moses' sister even began to play a tambourine and lead the other women to dance in praise to God! They wanted to show their love for God. It was the best celebration they had ever had! God helped the Israelites in an amazing way!

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The Israelites gave thanks to God because He cared for them. God miraculously parted the Red Sea and they were delivered from their enemies! They all sang, “Sing to the Lord! For He is highly exalted. The horse and its rider he has hurled into the sea!” There are many reasons we can thank God. God helps us at school. God gives us parents and teachers to help us learn. God gives us food, clothing, and homes in which to live! We can thank God for His love and help. The best way God helps us is by making it possible for us to become members of His family. He gave His only Son Jesus to die on the cross for us. Jesus paid the price for our sins so we could go to heaven. God invites us to become part of His family. He promises to always love and care for us. He helps us every day! Remember Give thanks to the Lord!

Review Questions: “Crossing the Red Sea” Preparation: two 3 or 4 foot lengths of blue colored fabric or two blue plastic table cloths or two twin size blue sheets Procedure: The teacher and a volunteer student or teacher’s aide are to hold the fabric or tablecloth lengthwise in front of the class to form the pathway through the Red Sea. The blue fabric will represent the Red Sea. Have students line up in front of the “Red Sea.” Ask one of the following questions to the group. As the group answers the question correctly, then that one student may “safely cross the Red Sea.” Continue asking the questions until all the students have crossed over to the other side of the blue fabric “Red Sea.”

1. How did God try to prove His mightiness to Pharaoh? (God showed His power by sending the plagues to Egypt.)

2. What was the first plague? (God turned the water into blood when Aaron’s rod touched the water.)

3. What was the second plague? (The second plague was frogs.) 4. What was the third plague? (The third plague was lice.) 5. What was the fourth plague? (The fourth plague was flies.) 6. What was the fifth plague? (God brought a terrible plague on all the domesticated animals--

horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goat. But the livestock of the Israelite slaves was spared!)

7. What was the sixth plague? (God caused soot to become a fine dust and people and animals got festering boils. The sores were on all the men and animals throughout the land.)

8. What was the seventh plague? (God sent a huge hail storm. The hail beat the limbs off the trees and made holes in the roofs of the houses. The hail destroyed the wheat and barley crops Those outside were killed. But the Israelites were safe and their house and animals were not hurt!)

9. What was the eighth plague? (God told Moses to stretch out his staff over Egypt and the Lord made an east wind to blow across the land to bring in a swarm of locust. They covered the ground and made it look black. They ate everything growing in the fields until nothing green remained on the plants or trees!}

10. What was the ninth plague? (God caused a deep darkness to fall over the land for three days. Only in Goshen where the Hebrew slaves lived was there light. The darkness was so thick the Egyptians could not see anyone else or move about!}

11. What was the tenth plague and why was it worst than all the others? (The tenth plague was the death of every firstborn son of all the Egyptian people and animals.)

12. Why did the Israelites have to pack up and leave Egypt in such a hurry? (They knew that Pharaoh might change his mind again.)

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13. What did the people of Israel have to do to get ready for this plague? (All the Israelites had to slay a lamb without blemish and prepare a special supper called the “Passover Meal.” They had to smear the blood on the top and sides of the door frame of the house where they were going to eat the meat.}

14. What was special about the bread the Israelites took with them as they left Egypt? (It was unleavened or did not have any yeast. The Israelites were in such a hurry they did not have time to let the bread rise before they baked it.)

15. Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart against the Israelites? (If Pharaoh let the people go right away, it would have been so easy for Moses to have taken the credit for leading the Israelites out of slavery. God wanted to prove His mighty power to both the Egyptians and to the children of Israel so that they would have no doubt that He is the only true God and Master of the universe.)

16. In what form did God go before the people by day and at night? (By a pillar of cloud in the

day and by a pillar of fire by night.) 17. Why did God lead them by these pillars day and night? (So they would know that He was with

them day and night!) 18. Why did Pharaoh chase after the children of Israel? (He regretted letting his slaves go.) 19. Why did the Israelites complain to Moses? (They were afraid of the Egyptian army closing in

on them.) 20. Why did the situation seem hopeless to the Israelites? Why did they think they were

doomed? (They were trapped against the sea with the Egyptian army coming in from behind.) 21. After watching God’s powerful hand deliver them from Egypt, why were they fearful? (They

didn’t trust God.) 22. What helps us to have confidence in God when we’re in the midst of a trial? (By remembering

God’s faithfulness in the past. And by remembering that God is always in control.) 23. How did God keep the Egyptian army from catching up to the Israelites while they were

camped by the Red Sea? (He caused a cloud to come down with darkness on the side of the Egyptians and light on the side of the Israelites.)

24. When there was no apparent way out, how did the Lord open up a way of escape? (He caused a wind to come and parted the Red Sea.)

25. What did God do to stop the Egyptian army in the middle of the Red Sea? (He took off the wheels of their chariots and then closed the sea over them.)

26. What did Moses and the people do to express their Thanksgiving to God? (They sang a beautiful praise song.)

27. What did Miriam do to praise God? (She began to play a tambourine and lead the other women to dance in praise to God! They wanted to show their love for God.)

28. What is today’s memory verse? (Psalm 106:1 "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good." ).

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Clay Talk” (Grades K-5) Our memory verse is Psalm 106. 1: "Give thanks to the Lord for He is good." Have students look up the verse in scripture and read it aloud several times. Say: “Why should we give God thanks? Yes, Because He is good! We know that God loves and cares for us. He listens to our prayers and gives us people like our parents and teachers to love and care for us.” Preparation: Provide the following Bibles, fist-sized lump of play dough or clay for each student. (Optional: Make play dough by mixing 1 cup flour, 1 cup water, ½ cup salt, 1 Tablespoon cooking oil and 2 teaspoons cream of tartar together in medium sauce pan. Stir and cook until the dough pulls away from the side of the pan. Store in airtight container. This recipe makes enough clay for 6-8 students.) Cover table with butcher paper or plastic tablecloths to make clean up easier. Procedure: Give each student a fist sized lump of play dough or clay. Name a location such as school. Each student is to make an object that is likely to be found at school. Let students know they will have three or four minutes in which to make their objects. When time is

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called, ask volunteers to show and describe objects they have made. Talk with students about ways God can help them at school and why they could give Him thanks. Repeat the memory verse several times as students work on clay objects. Say: “Do any of these objects remind you of a time when a kid might be worried or afraid at school? When might someone your age need God’s help at school? What things can you give thanks to the Lord for at school? What makes kids worried or afraid at school?” Repeat activity with other locations such as home, neighborhood, park, amusement park, mall. End the activity in prayer. Begin the prayer by asking students to read the memory verse again. Then invite students to thank God for His help. When you close the prayer time, briefly mention students’ responses in your prayer.

Group Learning Activity: Re-enact “Crossing the Red Sea” (Grades K-3) Preparation: two blue twin sheets; long stick for Moses’ staff; large poster board drawing of the sun; large poster board drawing of the cloud. Procedure: Act out the story using two blue twin sheets. Have two teams of 4 children hold each sheet at the corners so that the sheets are parallel to each other with a 2 foot gap between them. They then wave the sheets up and down to create waves. The remaining children in the class walk or run between the sheets single file from one end to the other. If you have enough children, divide them into Israelites and Egyptians. Allow the Israelites to pass through. When the Egyptians come through, have the children holding the sheets bring the two sheets together to trap them. Allow the children to take turns being sheet holders, Israelites and Egyptians. Say: “Today we are going to act out the lesson we have just studied. I will read the story and you are to pretend to be the children of Israel. We will need one person to be Moses. Who would like to volunteer?” (Then read the following story.) When God led the people out of Egypt, He didn’t lead them on the easiest road. He took them through the hot desert to a big sea called the Red Sea. (Have students walk as a group across the room to the other side.) God led them with a big cloud by day. The cloud helped shade the people from the heat of the desert during the day. (Have students follow the cloud as they move back across the room.) He led them with a pillar of fire by night. The fire helped warm the people from the cold at night. (Have students follow the pillar of fire as they walk around to another side of the room.) God took care for His people. When the king saw what had happened, he had his best men and chariots chase after the people. He was sure that he would force the people to come back, BUT he was wrong. When the people looked up and saw the chariots, they were scared. (Have children act frightened.) Moses talked to them and told them that God would help them and care of them. All of a sudden they reached a dead end. The Red Sea was right before them. The people began to panic because there was no way of escape from the king’s army. (Spread out the blue plastic cloth on the floor in front of the group.) Suddenly, God told Moses to lift his stick. (Have child who is Moses raise the stick into the air.) A great wind began to blow. It separated the water into 2 walls. In the middle was a dry walkway. (Use scissors to cut the plastic cloth into two pieces. Separate the two pieces with a pathway through the middle.) All of God’s people walked through the water on dry land! (Have Moses lead the students and all walk through the two pieces of blue plastic table cloth.) The angel of God moved behind the people and protected them from the king’s army. In fact, while it was night on the king’s side, God made it light as the people were traveling through the sea. When all the people got to the other side, God told Moses to stretch out his hand over the waters. (Have child portraying Moses to stretch out his rod.) Suddenly the waters closed. God took care of His people! They were so excited that they began singing songs to God to thank Him for saving them

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from the evil king. (Have students sing songs to thank God for how good He is to us!) (Close in prayer.)

Group Learning Activity—“Pepper and Water” Object Lesson (Grades 2-5) Preparation: 9 X 12 cake pan; salt, pepper, dishwashing detergent Procedure: Say: “We have something really amazing to see today. I call this the "Pepper and Water Trick." As you see, I have a small dish of plain water. Now I am going to take this pepper shaker and shake pepper all over the water. Can you see the pepper floating on top of the water? Now, I want to to watch what happens when I put my finger into the water and touch the bottom of the dish. Did you see that? What happened? You are right -- nothing happened! Next I am going to take just a drop or two of this dishwashing detergent and put it on the tip of my finger. Now I will once again put my finger into the water and touch the bottom of the dish. Now, watch carefully. Wow! Did you see what happened? The pepper all separated and moved to the sides of the dish! That is pretty amazing, isn't it? Our Bible lesson today is about an event that is far more amazing that the little trick I just showed you. In fact, it may the most spectacular event in the entire Bible. In our last lesson, we learned that God sent Moses and his brother, Aaron, to tell Pharaoh to set his people free. The Israelites had been slaves in Egypt for over 400 years. Pharaoh refused to let God's people go until God sent ten plagues upon Egypt. Finally, he let the Israelites go. When God led the people out of Egypt, He didn’t lead them on the easiest road. He took them through the desert toward a big sea called the Red Sea. God led them by day with a big cloud and He led them by night with a pillar of fire. The cloud helped shade the people from the hot desert sun during the day and the fire helped keep them warm at night. God took care of His people. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, when the king realized that the Israelites were gone, he changed his mind and decided he wanted them back again. "What have we done, letting our slave labor, go free?" So Pharaoh took his best men and chariots started chasing the Israelites. When the children of Israel saw the Egyptian army and chariots coming, they were afraid. But Moses said, "Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord save you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! The Egyptians, with their horses and chariots, chased after the Israelites through the sea, but God twisted their chariot wheels, making them difficult to drive. When the Israelites reached the other side, the Lord said to Moses, "Raise your hand over the sea again." When he did, the waters returned and all of the chariots and horses -- the entire army of the Pharaoh who chased the Israelites into the sea were drowned. Not a single one survived. When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses. You and I have seen the mighty power of God in our lives. Let us worship and praise him for the mighty acts he has performed.

Additional Activity: Take a pan of water. Ask students if they can hold back the water. Let them try with a tongue depressor, their hands, etc. Then put a transparent glass in the water. Show how the glass forms a wall that holds back the water. Ask the students if man could hold back water without some kind of wall. Of course not! It takes huge concrete devices like the Hoover dam to hold back water. God was able to push the water into walls with his mighty power.

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Group Learning Activity—“Alcohol and Water” Object Lesson (Grades 2-5) Preparation: Before class, fill a glass with water and add a few drops of red food coloring. Use an eyedropper to gather a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Procedure: During class, you will pour a small pool of red water into the saucer. Then using the eyedropper, squeeze out a few drips of rubbing alcohol into the center of the water. The water will separate, and form a dry spot in the middle. (The rubbing alcohol does not mix with the water.) You will compare this trick to when God parted the Red Sea for His people to cross on dry ground, but you will also explain how impossible it would be to part a huge sea using an eyedropper. The children will admit that only God can perform a miracle. Say: “This lesson about God parting the waters of the Red Sea is one of the most well known miracles in the Bible. God parted the Red Sea so Moses and the Israelites could cross on dry ground before Pharaoh's army. There were probably over a million people. Would you believe it, if I said that I could part water? Well, let me show you I can. Here I have a glass of water; yes, it is red, like red sea water. Let me pour a little onto this saucer. Now watch carefully. I have a special ingredient in this eyedropper. Look what happens when I squeeze out a few drops. See, I parted the water; it is dry in the middle and has room for perhaps two ants. Some people try to explain God's miracles with science. No wonder, science is quite remarkable. What I did was in no way a miracle. Can you imagine parting an entire sea in this way? Think of how big the eyedropper would have to be. Just picking it up would take a miracle. Only God can perform miracles. Science, no matter how remarkable, cannot explain how He does it. However, we know it is because He is an Almighty God.

Group Learning Activity: “Character of God” Scrapple (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Distribute several sets of wooden crossword letters so that each student has enough letters to spell out the words that describe the character of God. If wooden letters are not available then print the alphabet on small slips of paper. Add two or three blank papers to the set. Procedure: Distribute the crossword letters evenly among students. Say: “In the lesson we learn about the power of God to lead the children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. We see that the God is very powerful. We are going to look at several other characteristics of God. I will call out a word that describes God. You are to use the wooden letters that you have to spell out that word. You will need to arrange the letters in the word correctly. You can use the blanks to any letter in the alphabet that you need a duplicate of or any letter that you may not have in your set.” Call out the following words and then lead a discussion about that character quality and what it means:

Holy—God is deity. He is worthy of being worshipped. He is without any fault and is above any other being. He is “cut off” or separate from sin.

Awesome—“God is filled with wonder and awe. We are filled with fear and adoration when we realize Who He is. When we see what He has created or the miracles He has accomplished we are filled with adoration.”

Majestic—“God is great in His appearance. He is full of dignity, splendor and is far above anyone else. We realize His majesty when we see the works of God.”

Perfect—“God is complete. He has no defects or does not lack anything. He completely morally and never makes mistakes.”

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Forgiving—God has pardoned our sin. He canceled the debt of sin by Christ’s death on the cross which paid for our sin. He restores us to a right relationship to Him. We become sons of God. He forgives us even though we are not worthy.”

Loving—God is the essence of love. He does not merely love us, He is love! Everything that God does flows from His love for us. The whole Bible is about how God loved us and gave His Son Jesus to die on the cross so we could be forgiven. God’s love is not based on our merit but out of His graciousness and mercy toward us.” He loves us with a love that is divine and totally unselfish.”

Eternal—God is eternal. That is, He has no beginning or end. He always has been and always is, and will always be! He is not bound by our understanding of time. He is timeless and is not limited by the bounds of existence as we know.”

“This lesson shows us that God is always at work for us. We see His character at work in the events and lives of His people. God protected His people. He guided them with a cloud and pillar of fire. God used His great power to form a dry path through the sea so the Israelites could walk across it on foot. God caused that same sea to drown their enemies. Whether we realize it or not God is always at working to make a way for us during difficult times. His love and care are always available to us. We need to think about God’s mighty protection and help. God does not want us to forget what He has done for us. When we reflect on His mighty power at work in our lives, our trust in Him will be strengthened and we will know that He is worthy of praise far beyond anything we can even think or give!”

Group Learning Activity: “Praise Puzzles” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Gather the following items: Bibles, index cards, markers, scissors. Print the following references on separate index cards: Exodus 15:2; Exodus 18:10; Deuteronomy 10:21; 2 Samuel 7:22; I Kings 8:23; Nehemiah 9:6; Psalm 18:31; Psalm 148:1-3. Cut each card into two puzzle pieces as shown. Procedure: Shuffle the puzzle pieces on the table in front of the students. Have students put the puzzle pieces together to form the references. As soon as the student puts together a puzzle, he or she is to find the Bible verse in their Bibles. Have students take turns reading their verse aloud.

Exodus 15:2—“The Lord is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Exodus 18:10—He said, “Praise be to the Lord, who rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and of Pharaoh, and who rescued the people from the hand of the Egyptians.

Deuteronomy 10:21-- He is the one you praise; he is your God, who performed for you those great and awesome wonders you saw with your own eyes.

2 Samuel 7:22—How great you are, Sovereign Lord! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

I Kings 8:23-- “Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below—you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.

Nehemiah 9:6—You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

Psalm 18:31—For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?

Psalm 148:1-3—Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above. Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts. Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you shining stars.

Say: “What is similar about all these verses? (They are prayers of praise to God.) What sections of the Bible are these verse found? (Books of Law, History, and Poetry) “Who praised God in our lesson today? Why? (The children of Israel praised God for delivering them from their enemies the Egyptians who were chasing them as they crossed the Red Sea. God delivered them by sending a wind to

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separate the water into walls so they could walk across on dry land. He also caused the walls of water to collapse so the chariots and Egyptian horsemen would drown.) (If you have more than eight students in your group, have students work as pairs. You can also make more than one card for each reference.)

Craft Learning Activity: “Who’s in the Picture?” Mural (Grades K-3) Purpose: To help students understand how the children of Israel praised God for saving them from slavery and leading them to the Promised Land. To help students learn how to be thankful for God’s work in their lives. Preparation: Gather the following items: Bibles, butcher paper, pencils, crayons, scissors, markers, masking tape. Cut a length of butcher paper so there is room for each student’s upper body to be traced on the paper. Procedure: Group students into pairs. Each student takes a turn to lie down on the butcher paper while the partner traces around his or her upper body. Suggest that students pose in a variety of ways such as arms up, down, waving, etc. Each student then colors in the hands, arms, and clothing details. Next to his or her figure, students are to write a prayer of praise to God and draw a conversation balloon around it. Remind students of the memory verse. Say: “what can you praise and thank God for? How has God helped you and your family? What are you glad God has made.” Have two students hold up the mural drawing in front of each child. The child should be standing behind the moral so that their faces appear as the heads of the figures. Photograph the mural several times with the students standing behind different body figures. Video tape the students saying the prayers written next to the figures. Be sure to give your own ideas during this activity. Your personal example is the best teacher. Use simple words in your prayers and keep them brief. A few short sentences give the student a model for prayer which is meaningful and which he or she can imitate. Long sentences and long prayers make prayer seem boring and not something for a child.

Craft Learning Activity: “Crossing the Sea” (Grades K-3) Preparation: Print out the two pages of templates below on drawing paper. Use colored ink if desired or let students color the pieces using crayons or markers. Scissors and glue are needed to complete craft. Procedure: Distribute the Moses craft pages. Allow students to color with crayons or markers. Cut the pieces out on the heavy black lines. Assemble the paper craft by gluing the Moses on top of the hill. Glue the water walls onto either side of the hill. Optional: Use water color paint. Use shades of blue and light green.

Snack Learning Activity: Jello Jigglers “Walls of Water” Preparation: Using Very Berry Jell-O (or some other variety of blue gelatin) make “Jigglers” according to the directions on the box. Directions: Four 3 ounce boxes dissolved in 2 ½ cups of boiling water. Do NOT add the cold water (as with regular Jell-O.). Place the mixture in a shallow pan, so that the liquid is at least ½ to 1 inch deep. (Use an 8x8 baking dish to make the Jigglers thicker.) Add Fruit Snack shaped like fish, after it cools a few

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minutes. Allow Jigglers to cool in the refrigerator. Cut Jigglers into small squares. (Try to get some of the fish in the squares.) Procedure: Serve Jigglers on a white paper plate to the children. Allow them to stack up the Jigglers to make “walls” of water on their plates. Graham cracker crumbs make great “sand” A fun snack idea is to split a banana into two pieces lengthwise. Put blue Jell-O on each side to illustrate the water. In the middle add crushed graham crackers for the dry land. Enjoy!

Life Application Challenge: God's power is revealed in so many ways. No one but God could part a sea. God also does many powerful things for us every day. He brings the sun up in the morning, he showers the earth with rain, and makes the trees grow. He even created gravity to keep us from accidentally flying into outer space. This week, everyone should spend some time in prayer, thanking God for his mighty power.

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Path through the Sea

Psalm 106:1

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good."

http://www.massdym.com/2723/moses-coloring-pages.html/moses-coloring-pages-for-kids

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Crossing the Red Sea

(Exodus 13:7-22 & 14:1-29 NIV)

God led the people of Israel to the Red Sea

where he preformed a miracle for them.

The Egyptians were coming from behind and

the Red Sea is before them. Read Exodus

14:21 and fill in the blanks below to see

what happened.

"Then Moses _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

out his hand over the sea, and all

that night the LORD drove the sea

back

with a strong east _ _ _ _ and

turned it into _ _ _ _ _ _ _. The

waters were _ _ _ _ _ _ _,

and the Israelites went through the

_ _ _ on _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _,

with a _ _ _ _ of water on their

right and on their left."

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Documents

Unit 5: Life of Moses OT5.5 Crossing the Red Sea Lesson …€¦ · Unit 5: Life of Moses OT5.5 Crossing the Red Sea Lesson Scripture: Exodus 13-15 Lesson Goal: God called Moses to