Let My People Go

Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh that the Lord wanted His people to stop being slaves and to leave Egypt. Pharaoh became angry and treated the Israelites even more harshly. One after another, the Lord sent ten different plagues upon the Egyptian people. Sometimes, Pharaoh tried to bargain with Moses, but each time Moses caused a plague to stop, Pharaoh’s heart would harden, and he would say the people could not go.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Exodus 4:20-23 and 4:27-10:29

Outline:

1. God’s Plan to Save His People using Moses and Aaron (Exodus 4:20-31)
2. First request to Pharaoh (Exodus 5:1-21)
3. Second time to make the request of Pharaoh (Exodus 5:22-7:13)
4. The Plagues upon Egypt (Exodus 7:14-10:29)

(The final plague in the next episode)

Tips for teaching children:

• Use reflection questions so that the children can engage the story:
  • What is something you wonder about this story?
  • Which of the 10 plagues would you have most hated experiencing?
  • How do you think the Egyptian people felt about their Pharaoh?
• Discuss the fact that God heard the people’s cries and helped them.  Encourage the children to share their struggles, and then everyone pray together.
• Give each child a chenille wire (pipe cleaner) and show them how to make a staff and then a snake.

Tips for teaching adults:

•  Set up the class to watch two brief videos that will give some background to the story of the Exodus, particularly the story of the 10 plagues. After watching these, discuss the connections you can make between these videos and the story of Pharaoh and the Exodus. Why would Pharaoh continue to harden his heart in the face of these increasingly destructive plagues?  
  Here are the links: 
  • The goddess Ma’at (3 min)
  • Gods & Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (4 min)
• Have the class read the following Scriptures. After reading, discuss ways to keep our hearts from getting stubborn or hard?  Finish this discussion with a prayer.
  • Psalm 1
  • Psalm 40:6-8
  • Deuteronomy 10:12-22

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Let My People Go! 

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org