VERSES: Exodus 11:1-12 MEMORY VERSE: Exodus 12:14 "And this day shall be unto you for a memorial..." BOOK TO REMEMBER: Review all Old Testament books from Genesis to Habakkuk. PRAYER: Thank God for watching over us and keeping us safe. May we also show Him how much we love Him by obeying Him. SPECIAL SONG: Read, Read Every Day (see February - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #1 on this blog.) VISUAL AID: Whiteboard or chalkboard drawing or large poster. Draw a duplicate of the Activity (see below), adding blood and words as you tell the story. EXTRA VISUAL AID: Finish the "Plagues" chart by filling in all the plagues on the chart and review. LESSON POINTS: God told Moses that He was going to bring one more plague upon Egypt and then Pharaoh would thrust or push all of God's people out of Egypt all at once. Gold told Moses to tell all of the Israelites to borrow jewelry of silver and gold from their Egyptian neighbors. God gave the Israelites favor in the sight of the Egyptians which meant that the Egyptians gladly gave God's people their gold and silver jewelry. Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of all the people. Think of all the plagues that they had seen with their very own eyes! Moses and Aaron talked to Pharaoh and told him in advance what God was going to do if he didn't let God's people go--just like he had nine times before! Moses told Pharaoh that at midnight all of the firstborn of every family in all the land of Egypt would die. This would happen from the firstborn of Pharaoh to the firstborn of his servants to the firstborn of all the animals. Moses said that there was going to be a cry throughout all the land of Egypt like there had never been before or since. But Moses said there would not be any of the children of Israel's firstborn die. God was going to put a difference between the Egyptians and the Israelites. He said that Pharaoh's servants would come to Moses and bow down to him and tell him and all of God's people to get out of the land of Egypt and Moses said that he and the people would leave. After Moses said that, he left Pharaoh in a great anger. The LORD told Moses that Pharaoh would not listen to him, so that God's wonders would be multiplied in the land of Egypt. Moses and Aaron did all those wonders before Pharaoh, but Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not listen just like God had told Moses he would not. Then, God gave some commands to His own people. He told them that they were to take a lamb for every house, and if their family was too small to share with their neighbor. The lamb was to be unblemished, meaning that it would have no marks on it and the they would keep it for four days. Then on the fourteenth night of the month, all of the Israelites would kill their lambs in the evening. They were to take the blood of the lamb and mark each side of the door posts and the post over the door with a bunch of hyssop that was dipped in the blood of the lamb. They were to roast the lamb and eat it inside their house with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Do you know what unleavened bread is? It is bread that has no leavening--no baking soda or eggs or anything to make it rise when it bakes. It looks flat, more like a cracker. They were to eat that kind of bread. They had to eat it all the lamb and leave nothing leftover. Anything that was leftover had to burned in the fire. Also, they had to eat the lamb with their shoes on and their rods in their hands and had to eat it in a hurry. It was called the LORD'S PASSOVER. It was called that because God said that He would pass over the land of Egypt that night and kill all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both of man and of animal. God wanted all the Egyptians to know that He was the LORD God of all the earth. But God said that when He passed over the land, if He saw the blood that they had put on the three posts of the house's door, that He would pass over and the family's firstborn would be spared and not die in that house. God said that this day would a very special day for His people, a day to remember. Later, when the Israelite's children asked why this happened, they were to say that it was the LORD's passover, who passed over all of the houses of the Egyptians, yet saved God's people's families. When Moses told the people all of these things, they bowed their heads and worshiped God, then they went away and did as they were told. At midnight that night, the LORD did as He had said and passed over the land of Egypt. All of the firstborn of the Egyptians from Pharaoh down to the servants to the cattle died. Pharaoh rose up in the middle of the night with his servants and all of the Egyptians and there was a great cry in Egypt because there was not one Egyptian house where someone had not died. Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in the middle of the night and said to get up and take all of his people with him. He told them to take all of their flocks and their herds and go serve the LORD and go away. Even the Egyptians hurried the people of Israel and wanted them to go away quickly. They were afraid that they would all die. God's people took their bread dough before it rose up and bound their bread up in their clothes and upon their shoulders. The Egyptians gave God's people whatever that they asked even their jewelry of gold and silver and clothing. Let's see how many of God's people left Egypt that night. Let's turn to Exodus 12:37 and see what the Bible says. (Read verse.) Let's put our bookmarks right here. WOW! That's a lot of people! 600,000 men, not counting the children. The people brought their bread with them even though it had not risen up because they were thrust or pushed out of Egypt and they had no food to take with them. God's people had been in Egypt for 430 years! That is a very, very long time. Now it was time that they went to a land that God had prepared for them. A land that flowed with milk and honey. Next time we will talk about how they were led out of the land of Egypt.. "Older Student" Tips: Very exciting news! After 430 years, God's people were leaving Egypt, leaving slavery and their hard life. They had been slaves long enough and God had remembered them! How do you think they felt? ACTIVITY: Blood on the Door Posts Materials needed: 7" x 10" light brown construction paper, 4" x 8" dark brown construction paper, 3.5" x 7" white paper, three strips of 1" x 5" red construction paper, black crayon, glue, scissors, pencil. Hand out pieces of light brown construction paper. This is the door posts. Glue white paper in the middle of the light brown paper towards the bottom of the papers. This is the area for the students to write. Fold one edge of dark brown paper. This is the door. Glue EDGE ONLY of 'door,' so the door opens. Draw lines on the light brown paper to look like wood. (See picture.) Cut three long 'splotches' of 'blood' out of the red strips. Glue red 'blood' on each side of the door and above the door. Open door. Write "Death of the Firstborn - Plague #10" and "Exodus 11 and 12" in the middle of the white paper. Also write "Pharaoh Lets God's people Go!!" somewhere on the white paper or on the back of the light brown construction paper, wherever there is room