8AxAVqrS45k€¦ · God did not give up on Moses. He said, "I am sending your brother Aaron to help...

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OT5.3 Moses and the Burning Bush ©Beverly Wilson 2017

Unit 5: Life of Moses OT5.3 Moses and the Burning Bush Lesson

Scripture: Exodus 3-4

Lesson Goal: The Israelites were suffering as slaves in the land of Egypt. For forty years Moses had grown up as a prince in Egypt. His next 40 years he lived out in the wilderness in Midian as a shepherd tending sheep. But God had chosen him for a much bigger job. In this lesson we will see how God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Introduction: This is the third lesson in Unit 5: Life of Moses. The Israelites were suffering as slaves in the land of Egypt. In this lesson we will see how God called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. 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: “Excuses” What's an excuse you have heard for not doing a chore? Have you said, "Mom, I'm too tired to take out the trash!" Or maybe you have said, "Mom, I can't make my bed. I don't know how to do it as well as you do!" In this lesson we will hear about a man who tried to get out of an important job by giving an excuse to God. His name was Moses. His story is found in the book of Exodus. Moses was a great hero of the Hebrew people. Have students share excuses they have given for not doing something they were supposed to do. Do you ever make excuses? Moses tried to make excuses to God. God kept giving Moses an answer for every excuse he had. Do you try to make excuses to God? We do not have to be afraid of what God is asking us to do. He promises to help us and take care of us no matter what happens.

Opening Prayer: “Dear Father in heaven, Help us to trust You to give us the power to do what You ask us to do. We don’t want to be like Moses who tried to get out of doing what You had asked him to do. Thank You for giving us the help we need to do what we may feel is the impossible. We love You and want to please You in everything we do. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Isaiah 41:10 "I am your God. I will strengthen and help you."

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/8AxAVqrS45k

Moses grew up in the palace of the Pharaoh of Egypt. He was the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter. He lived like a prince but he was also an Israelite. He had been taught about God by his real mother. The Israelites or Hebrews as they were also called had been slaves of the Egyptians for hundreds of years. Moses felt great compassion for his people and wanted to help them.

He knew that God had miraculously saved him from death when the Egyptians were killing the Hebrew baby boys by throwing them into the Nile River. By faith his mother had placed him in the river where he had been found by the princess.

https://youtu.be/8AxAVqrS45k

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The princess raised Moses as her very own child. She hoped that he would become the Prince of Egypt. Moses was taught by the best teachers in the land in science, math, and military in order to become the next pharaoh.

But Moses knew that he was a Hebrew by birth and he began to feel sorry for his people. He saw how badly they were treated. One day he saw an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite slave! The Israelite did not deserve to be treated so cruelly. Moses became so angry that he killed the Egyptian and hid the body in the sand. But someone had been watching Moses. One of the Hebrews accused Moses of killing the man. Soon the Pharaoh found out! He was very angry and ordered that Moses be killed. Moses had to run away from Egypt before he was put to death as a murderer.

Moses ran into the desert to a place called Midian and worked as a shepherd for forty years. He lived with the family of Jethro and married one of his daughters Zipporah. They had two boys. The life of a shepherd was very different from all the excitement of living in the palace.

One day, Moses was tending his flock on the backside of the desert near Mt. Sinai. Suddenly he noticed a strange sight—a bush on the mountain was on fire, yet it didn't burn up! He couldn't explain it, and he said to himself, "I'll go over to investigate."

There was a flame of fire coming from the bush but the leaves were not turning into ashes! Then a voice from the burning bush called his name: "Moses, Moses." He looked around, but he could see nobody. "Here I am." Moses answered.

"Don't come any closer," God told him. "Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground." Now Moses knew that it must be God who had come to speak to him. Quickly Moses removed his shoes and bowed his head.

God's voice rumbled from the burning bush. "Moses, I know how mean Pharaoh is to the Israelite people. I have heard their prayers and cries for help and I love them. I want you to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let My people go." God was calling Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Moses was afraid when he heard the Lord's instructions. "I can't do that!" he said. Why would anyone follow me?"

God gave Moses a very good reason. "I will be with you," He said "Tell them that I AM THAT I AM has sent you. God was telling Moses that He was the great all powerful God that had lived forever and He was going to be with him and Moses was not to be afraid.

Still Moses was worried. So he said, "I'm not good at talking. Please find someone else to talk to Pharaoh." But God had big plans for Moses.

"I will be with you." God promised. "I will tell you what to say. And you can take your brother Aaron with you. He can help you talk to Pharaoh.

God then gave Moses the ability to do some amazing things that would help convince the Israelites and Pharaoh. God said to Moses, ""What do you have in your hand?""A rod," said Moses. "Throw your shepherd's staff to the ground." When he did, the staff became a snake! Moses must have jumped back! God then said, "Moses, pick up the snake by his tail." When Moses picked up the snake, it became a staff again! "Do that, and they all will believe you!" the Lord told Moses

Then God had another sign for Moses. He said, "Put your hand inside your coat." So Moses put his hand inside his coat. When he took it out it was leprous! Leprosy was a serious skin disease. "Now put it back into your coat," God said. So Moses put his hand back into his coat. And when it took it out, his hand was healed! "If they don't believe the first miracle, they will believe the second," the Lord said. Moses was impressed, but still not willing to go! He said, "Lord, please send somebody else!" Finally the Lord gave Moses one last thing to do if the people did not believe him. He was to take some water from the Nile River and pour it on the dry ground. The water then became blood!

Moses was still worried. He asked, "Lord send someone else to do this--someone who can speak better than I can." By this time the Lord was angry. Moses just wouldn't believe that God's help was enough.

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God did not give up on Moses. He said, "I am sending your brother Aaron to help you. I will be with you and teach both of you what to do and say.

As Moses listened to God, he thought, "Aaron’s coming to find me! How good it will be to see him again after forty years."

After this Moses returned home and talked things over with Jethro, his father-in-law. "Go with my blessing," Jethro replied. So Moses made preparation for his journey back to Egypt. He took his wife Zipporah and their two sons and headed back toward Egypt. At last Moses was ready to do what the Lord told him to do.

As he was making the long trip back to Egypt, he met his brother Aaron. God had sent him to come help Moses just as He had promised. What a joyous reunion it was! Moses had not seen his brother Aaron for over 40 years. He must have asked lots of questions about his sister Miriam and his mother and father Amram and Jochebed. Together these two brothers would be the leaders of the Hebrew people and explained the Lord's instructions, showing them the miraculous signs. What a big job God had for these men to do! But He had promised to be with them and help them.

God is still hearing excuses from His people when He wants them to do a job for Him. Suppose God calls someone to be a preacher or a missionary and they argue with the Lord. They might say, "I can't go because I'm afraid. I can't speak or know what to say, and besides no one would believe me! Can't you send someone more capable than me?"

But God does not want to send someone else. He wants to send us! God is patient with us like He was with Moses. And God promises that He will be with us and give us the words and strength to do what He wants done!

Our memory verse is Isaiah 41:10 "I am your God. I will strengthen and help you." God promises to help us do what is right. God might want us to do hard things but he will give us the power to do them. We can depend on God's help. Let's say our verse again. Isaiah 41:10 "I am your God. I will strengthen and help you." God promises to help us do what is right.

All through the Bible God teaches that each of us have to make choices. We can choose to follow God, His way, His will, and His plan for our lives! God tells us that there may be hardships, trouble, or sorrow but He promises to be with us and strengthen us. And remember at the end of God's road is heaven and everlasting life! What choice will you make today? Will you choose to go Jesus' way and serve him and obey Him like Moses did?

Let’s pray. “Dear Father in heaven, Help us to trust You to give us the power to do what You ask us to do. We don’t want to be like Moses who tried to get out of doing what You had asked him to do. Thank You for giving us the help we need to do what we may feel is the impossible. We love You and want to please You in everything we do. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Remember God promises to give us the strength to obey Him!

Review Questions: “Buzzer Box” (Grades K-5) Preparation: Buzzer Box with four different buzzers that will ring a bell; (if you do not have a buzzer box you can use a table call bell for each team). Procedure: The children are already divided into four teams, named for the four colors on the buzzer box Red, Orange, Green, Purple. Have either four (one from each team) or eight players (two from each team) gather around a table with the buzzer box in the middle (One of the round tables from the main room is good for this). Each player holds a buzzer (the buzzer wires are color-coded; players on the same team hold the same color wire). Explain that you will call out a question and players who think they know the answer should press their buzzer. The first to buzz gets to give the answer. Announce that anybody who answers three questions will be retired as permanent champion (give them a big round of applause when this happens). Otherwise, there’s a high risk that one knowledgeable or fast-fingered child will dominate the game. Don’t let non-playing team members help the players; this in effect lets the fastest kid

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answer by proxy. After several questions, switch to the next group of players. Make sure everybody gets to play. Scoring: Ask a shepherd to keep score on the white board. Award 5 points for a correct answer. No points for a wrong answer; let anyone who knows the correct answer tell it. (You can use a different scoring system if you prefer, but keep it simple.)

Correct answers to questions are underlined. 1. The king of Egypt was called:

a. Your highness b. Pharaoh c. The Prince of Darkness

2. The Israelites were also called: a. Christians b. Egyptians c. Hebrews

3. The pharaoh was afraid of the Hebrews because: a. There were so many of them. b. They had magical powers. c. The women were strong, the men were good-looking, and all the children were above

average. 4. To control the Hebrews, the pharaoh:

a. Put them all in jail. b. Made them work as slaves. c. Made them pay high taxes.

5. Baby Moses was saved from death when his mother a. Put him in a basket and placed him in the Nile River b. Became a slave to the princess c. Got Moses sister Miriam to take care of Moses in their home

6. Moses was a Hebrew who: a. Grew up as a slave. b. Grew up hiding in the land of Midian. c. Grew up in the pharaoh’s palace.

7. Moses ran away to Midian because: a. He had killed an Egyptian. b. He had killed a Hebrew slave. c. He found out he was a Hebrew.

8. In Midian, Moses worked as a. A farmer b. A carpenter c. A shepherd

9. What was the name of the mountain where Moses saw the burning bush? a. Mount Sinai b. Mount Ararat c. Mount Olive

10. When Moses saw the burning bush, what was odd about it? a. The flames of the fire were purple. b. The bush was on fire, but it was not burning up. c. The bush was on fire, but there was no smoke.

11. As Moses got near the bush, God told him: a. “Come closer, you won’t get burned.” b. “Come closer, I want to talk to you.” c. “Don’t come any closer.”

12. God told Moses to take off his sandals because: a. He was standing on holy ground. b. They would get scorched by the fire. c. They were dirty.

13. Moses was afraid to look at God, so he:

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a. Closed his eyes. b. Hid his face. c. Turned around backwards.

14. God promised to lead the Israelites to a land with plenty of: a. Fresh water b. Bread and wine c. Milk and honey

15. What did Moses learn was God’s name? a. I am. b. Holy One c. Lord Almighty

16. What was Moses holding in his hand? a. A jug of water b. A walking stick c. A piece of rope

17. What happened when Moses threw down his walking stick? a. It turned into a river. b. It caught on fire. c. It turned into a snake.

18. What happened when Moses put his hand inside his shirt? a. It turned white as if he had leprosy. b. It turned red as if burned by the fire. c. It turned black as if covered with soot.

19. What did God say would happen if Moses poured water from the Nile on the ground? a. It would turn to seawater. b. It would turn to blood. c. It would kill the grass.

20. Whom did God finally send with Moses? a. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob b. The pharaoh’s daughter c. His brother Aaron

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Footprint Sandals” (Grades K-5) Say: “The memory verse is Isaiah 41:10 "I am your God. I will strengthen and help you." Help students find the memory verse in scripture and read it aloud several times. Say: “God promises to help us do what is right. God might want us to do hard things but he will give us the power to do them. We can depend on God's help.” Preparation: Make 11 foot print sandals from poster board for each word and the scripture location in the verse. Write the words on each of the footprint sandals. Use permanent markers to draw the toe strap. Procedure: Mix up the footprints and hang them in various places around the room. Have students work together as a group to find the footprints and arrange them in the correct order. Repeat the verse together several times. Ask for volunteers to say the verse independently without looking at the footprint words.

Group Learning Activity: “Retell the Story with Motions/Sounds” (Grades K-2) Preparation: Assemble the following: Bibles, eight paper plates, marker, beanbag. Print the following words on separate paper plates: “Israelite slaves,” “Pharaoh,” “Moses,” “sheep,” “burning bush,” “snake”, “leprosy”, “water into blood”.

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Procedure: Read aloud the words on the plates. Invite the children to make up motions and or sounds for words on each plate. (Israelite slave (stand, bend under heavy load and groan); Pharaoh—shake head no and point outward for Moses to leave); sheep—(say baa, baa); Moses—(bow and take off shoes); burning bush—(say shhh to be quiet for God to speak); snake—(make hissing sound); leprosy (put white glove on hand for disease); water into blood—pour water colored with red food coloring out of water bottle.) Lead children in practicing sounds and motions several times. Say: “Let’s use these words, sounds, and motions to help us remember what happened in our Bible lesson. Children line up several feet away from the paper plates. First child tosses beanbag onto a plate. Real aloud the words on the plate that the bean bag lands on or is nearest. Child uses the words in a sentence telling something about the Bible story or leads other children in doing the action chosen for the words. Repeat with other children. After several minutes conclude the activity with the following questions: Say: “What did God want Moses to do in our Bible story? Why do you think Moses was afraid? What did God to help Moses know that He was with him? What are some things God wants kids your age to do. (Read Isaiah 41:10) What does our memory verse say God will do for us? I am glad that we can ask God to help us do what is right. Group Learning Activity: “Reenact the Burning Bush Story” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Assemble the following props: map or globe; Bible; Bible costumes; burning bush (artificial bush plant with red and yellow crepe paper or thin cloth strips tied to branches); White glove, walking stick, toy snake; Container of water/”blood”; Sheep costumes if desired; Print the copies of the script (below) for each student. Procedure: Have the students use their bibles to locate the scripture (Exodus 3:1-4:17). Make sure that all children are able to locate Exodus. Assist the kids having trouble finding the passage. Read it together as a group. Discuss the passage. Explain that the Israelites (people from Israel) were forced to be slaves in Egypt. You may want to show these areas on a map or globe. The Egyptians were cruel to the Israelites and at one point even killed all newborn Israelite baby boys. Exodus 2:23-25 is a good description of the Israelite’s unhappiness. Also explain that leprosy is a skin disease which was common and feared. Select actors (Moses and God have a lot of dialogue, if desired you can have these roles shared, one child does Moses the first half, the second child does Moses the second half, etc.) Actors: Moses, Moses’ father-in-law, Gershom (Moses’ son), God, Sheep, Aaron. One prop handler would be useful to turn on the bush, etc. For the younger children you may want to pre-record the lines and have them add the actions or a workshop leader could play God (who has the most lines) and assist the children with words when necessary. Set- Scene setup: have actors put on costumes. Set up “burning bush”. Give Moses a cane to use and make sure the prop handler knows how to turn on the bush and has the snake, white glove, and blood/water props ready. God can be behind a sheet curtain or another special place. A microphone to give God’s voice a booming quality would be nice if available. Action: Start action at one end of great hall and progress through the play to the stage (mountain). Have scripts copied for each actor with lines highlighted. Remind children that italicized words in

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parentheses are stage directions not words to be read out loud. Encourage the children not to worry too much about the words and to take time to add emotion and action into the play.

Group Learning Activity: “Make Life-Size Burning Bush” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You’ll need a leafless, airy bush such as a tumbleweed, a 4x3x3 inch piece of floral foam, red metallic tinsel from a craft or gift-wrap store, a tilting air circulating fan, a small lamp with a red light bulb (remove the shade), a towel and duct tape. Procedure: Push the bush stem into the center of the floral foam. Tilt the front of the fan so it’s facing toward the ceiling. Using duct tape, secure the floral foam with the bush to the center of the fan. Tie single strands and clumps of strands of red tinsel onto the bush branches. Place the lamp underneath the fan so the red light bulb is completely exposed. Drape a towel around the front edge of the fan to cover the base and hide the lamp. Avoid anything touching the lamp. Leave the back open to allow air to circulate. Turn on the lamp and turn off all the other lights. Turn the fan on high. The metallic strands will blow creating the illusion of sparks and flames. Use this burning bush as a setting for students to retell the Bible story of God speaking to Moses. Bring special attention to the fact that God identifies the land as holy, and gives Moses specific instructions for how to proceed. “Don’t come any closer, take off your sandals”. Explain to the children that anywhere we meet God is a holy place. Bushes don’t need to be burning, nor do we have to be tending sheep in a Middle Eastern desert. Ask the children to identify ways that we meet or speak with God today. The intent is to focus the children on their personal relationship with God. Write down their answers on a whiteboard. Answers to focus on are reading scripture, listening to preaching, worship through prayer and singing hymns or songs of worship, going to retreats or VBS or camp. Now ask the children to make a list of holy places. The children may include Biblical places such as Mt. Sinai, the Garden of Eden, etc., and personal places such as church or anywhere they speak to God in prayer. Group Learning Activity: “Lava Lamp” Object Lesson (Grades 3-5) Purpose: Say: “What are some things that are very hot? What reminds you of fire? Today we are going to learn a story about how God spoke to Moses through a bush that was on fire but not burning up.” Preparation: Items needed: Water, Clear plastic bottle, Vegetable oil, Food color, Alka Seltzer®, and plastic funnel Procedure: Fill the plastic bottle ¼ full with water using the plastic funnel. Fill the bottle almost to the top with oil. Allow the oil and water to separate. Add quite a bit of food color (use orange or red). Break the Alka Seltzer tablets into smaller pieces. Drop one or two into the water and watch the results. When the bubbling stops, you can add more tablets. Explain what happened: “Oil and water don’t mix very well. The food color dropped to the bottom of the water, and the Alka Seltzer created carbon dioxide bubbles. Each of the bubbles carried some of the colored water, with them up on their trip. When the bubbles popped, the water dropped back through the oil.” Say: “God Spoke to Moses in Exodus 3:1–4:17. This activity reminds us of a lava lamp. We know that lava is very hot, and that reminds us of fire. God spoke to Moses through a burning bush. The bush was on fire but not burning up, just like this activity looks like lava, but is not really hot. Is the “lava” in the lamp really hot? Why? Was the burning bush really on fire? Why or why not? In life, sometimes

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things can look real even if they aren’t, like this lava. In the Bible, though, we know that it is all real. The Bible tells that the bush was on fire, but it wasn’t burning up. The bush was really on fire. Is this bottle hot? Do you think the burning bush was hot? (Yes!)”

Group Learning Activity: “Shoe Race Relay” (Grades K-5) Say: What did God tell Moses to remove because he was standing on holy ground? (His shoes.) Today we are going to play a game that will remind us what God told Moses to do. Procedure: Divide the children into two teams. All children will take off their shoes/sandals and put in a big pile at the end of the room. When you say “Go” the first kid on each team will run to the shoe pile, find their shoes, put them on, and run back, tagging the next player who will then start running. The first team with all their players with their shoes on (correctly) wins. All children will run to the pile and grab their OWN shoes and put them on and run back to their team lines. See which team can find and put on their own shoes in the quickest time. After playing the game discuss how God told Moses to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. When we worship God we are entering into His presence. We need to treat our time with God with respect. Ways we can worship God are the following: reading scripture, listening to preaching, worship through prayer and singing hymns or songs of worship; sharing our faith with others.

Group Learning Activity: “Holy Ground” Circle (Grades K-3) Preparation: Use a piece of yarn to make a circle on the floor that is big enough for the whole class to stand in, though they may have to squeeze. Procedure: Have the children stand around the outside of the circle. Say to the children, "This circle is for a special person in our class. Let's find out who belongs in the special circle. Everyone who is loved by the Lord take one step forward. Everyone who is like Moses, and wants to listen to the Lord, take a step forward. Everyone who does hard things sometimes, and needs the Lord to help them, just like Moses, take a step forward. If you are sometimes brave, and want to help the Lord do great things in your life, just like Moses, take a step into the circle." By now everyone should be in the circle. Say, "Look at all the special people we have in this class. We are all like Moses. When we are like Moses, and try to help the Lord do good things, it is like we are standing on "Holy Ground. " That is what this circle could be like: holy ground." Craft Learning Activity: “Foot Print Sandals” (Grades K-3) Purpose: To make a craft that will remind students that God is holy and Moses had to take off his shoes to listen to Him. Preparation: Supplies Needed: Construction Paper; Kids Paint; Colored Drinking Straws; White Glue; Scissors; Foam Stickers (if desired);

Say: “When Moses saw the burning bush, he came close to it. But God told him, "Don't come any closer. Take off your shoes, for you are standing on holy ground." Moses knew that it must be God who had come to speak to him. Quickly Moses removed his shoes and bowed his head. Today we are going to make some paper flip flops to remind us that God is holy and how Moses removed his shoes in order to talk to God.” Preparation: Cover your students’ feet in paint. Press down onto Construction Paper. Wash and dry students’ feet. Allow construction paper prints time to dry. Cut out footprints in the shape of a flip-flip

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(see picture), Cut drinking straws to fit as the thong part of the flop. You should only need one straw per foot. Glue to footprint. Add foam stickers and embellishments as desired.

Craft Learning Activity: Paper Plate Snake (Grades K-4) Materials: paper plate for each child, scissors, green poster paint for finger painting Procedure: Pour a small amount of poster paint onto a glass plate. Let children dip their fingers in the paint and make green dots all over the white paper plate. Let dry for about 20 minutes. (Alternative: Use green paper plates and let students draw green dots with a colored marking pen onto the plate.) After painting or using the marking pen to decorate the plate, start cutting a spiral shape into the plate. Leave a rounded "head" at the end of the spiral. See pictures. Glue on two googly eyes, any size you want and cut a red ribbon about 1-2 inches long to make the snake's tongue. Say: God used turning Moses’ rod into a snake as one of the special signs that He would be with Moses and give him strength to lead the Hebrew people out of slavery. This craft will help us remember that God promises to be with us and give us strength and help in time of need.”

Craft Learning Activity: Burning Bush Art Picture (Grades K-2) Preparation: red and green construction paper; blue circle of poster board, brown construction paper trunk; marking pens; string; tape Procedure: Have students cut leaf shapes out of green colored paper. (Use hand print if desired.) Then cut flame shapes out of red and orange paper. Have the students apply them to a blue circle of poster board as a background. See drawing at right for assembling the burning bush. Have teacher or students write the phrase, “God spoke to Moses through a burning bush.” Have students act out Moses approaching the bush. Have students take off their shoes. Alternative option: Make a Burning Bush Fan. Use green, yellow, red, orange cardstock paper; scissors, tape; tongue depressors, pencil. Draw a bush shape onto a piece of green cardstock. Cut out the bush. Cut flame shapes out of the yellow, red and orange paper. Tape the flame shapes to the back of the bush all around it. Tape the tongue depressor to the back of the burning bush.

Craft Learning Activity: “I AM WHO I AM” Banner (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Large poster board; colored markers Procedure: Children can work together as a class or in groups to make a banner to hang over the classroom door. A large poster board with holes punched in the top for one side and one group to work on and another large poster board with holes punched in the top for the other group to work on. Each group will decorate their side of the banner with I AM WHO I AM and other words from today's lesson. Hang the poster board by string or thin rope over the top of the classroom door.

I AM

WHO I

AM

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Remind the children that in the Bible Story that Moses asked God what he should tell the Israelites if they asked him what God’s name is. God responded “I AM WHO I AM.” God then told Moses that he was to tell the Israelites “I AM has sent me to you.” One of God’s names is I AM. I AM may seem like an unusual name to us, but it is the most powerful name of all! I AM means that God is the only true God. There were many false gods in Egypt. I AM is the God who has always been and always will be (Revelation 1:8). There is no other god besides I AM. (That’s sort of a funny name, isn’t it? I AM. But if you are God and you were here before anything else, and you created everything that was created, that’s a really good name. In fact, it’s the perfect name! “I AM!” Because, after all, God IS.) Now practice the Bible verse with the children: God told Moses “I AM WHO I AM.” You say “God told Moses…” and the children respond “I AM WHO I AM.”

Life Application Challenge: “Telephone or Whisper” Game Have the kids either sit in a circle or line up, and play the old telephone game (also known as Chinese Whispers) to show how important it is to listen carefully to the Word of God. You can use the following phrases or make up your own: 1. When God spoke to Moses, He did it in a very strange way, by using a bush. 2. Moses was not prepared to hear what he heard up in the mountain. 3. God has a special plan for all of us, so we need to listen carefully to what the Word of God says.

Say: “God desires to communicate with us all the time. Sometimes however we are just too busy to listen to God. Perhaps we feel God has more important things to do than talk to us. But that cannot be further from the truth. God loves us very much and wants to tell us many things. That's why we need to take time to pray, and hear what God has to say. Let's pray now, and ask God to help us to listen to Him.

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Moses and the Burning Bush

Moses and his son Gershom are taking care of their sheep (feeding, watering, brushing, etc.)

Gershom: Dad, why do the Israelites in Egypt have to work so hard all the time and

why does the king always boss them around?

Moses: Well son, the Israelites in Egypt have been slaves of the king for a long time.

It is a hard life being a slave.

Gershom: I wish they could be free

Moses: Yes, I do too.

Father-in-Law (walks over to Moses) Hi Moses, will you please take our sheep out

to graze, they are running out of grass around here.

Moses: Yes, I think I’ll lead them across the desert to the mountain where it’s green.

Gershom: Bye, Dad.

Father-in-Law: Bye, Moses, Thanks.

Moses: (waves goodbye, gathers sheep and walks toward “mountain”. Approaches

bush.)

Prop handler: (turns bush on.)

Moses: (holds hand up to eyes, looks into distance at the bush ) Hey look over there!

What is that? It looks like a bush is burning. It is! How weird! The bush is flaming but it isn’t all burned up; I wonder why?

God: (booming voice) Moses!

Moses: (startled) Here I am.

God: Stay right there. Don’t come closer. Take off your sandals. The ground where

you are standing is holy.

Moses: (kicks off sandals, hides face, trembles)

God: I have seen how my people are being treated badly as slaves in Egypt. I have

heard them cry. I want to bring my people out of Egypt into a land rich with milk and honey. Now you go to the king and tell him. You will lead the people out of this country.

Moses: Me? I’m not a very good leader.

God: I will be with you.

Moses: What if I go to my people and tell them the God of your fathers has sent me to

you and they ask me, what is his name? What shall I say?

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God: Tell them “the Lord, God of your fathers has sent me to you”. Tell the leaders of

Israel that I promise to lead them to a new and better land: they will believe you. The king of Egypt won’t let you go unless I force him to, so I will have to make some miracles. Then he’ll get mad and send you away.

Moses: What if no one believes me?

God: Throw down your walking stick.

Moses: (throws down stick)

Prop handler: (swaps snake for stick)

Moses: (jumps back, screams)

God: pick it up by the tail

Moses: (picks up snake)

Prop handler: (takes snake, hands Moses the stick)

God: Do that with your stick and they should believe you. Next, put your hand in your

shirt.

Moses: (puts white glove on and brings hand out of shirt, looks at hand and is

amazed.)

God: See, now you have leprosy. Put your hand in your shirt again.

Moses: (puts hand in shirt and removes glove, he is amazed)

God: These miracles will help you convince the king but if they don’t work I have one

more. See that water from the Nile?

Moses: Yes, here it is.

God: Pour it out and see it turn to blood.

Moses: (turns bottle over, water is red, he is amazed) God, I’m not a good speaker, it

makes me nervous to talk to a lot of people.

God: I will give you the ability to speak and I’ll be with you.

Moses: (whines) Please, please, God, let someone else do it.

God: Moses, I’m getting cross with you! Okay, I’ll let your brother Aaron help you. He will speak and

you tell him what to say. Look, here he comes now.

Aaron: (waves) Hey Moses, wait for me!

Moses: Hi Aaron, guess what just happened. We have an important job to do and then we’re going to the land of milk and honey. (Moses and Aaron walk off with sheep.)

8AxAVqrS45k€¦ · God did not give up on Moses. He said, "I am sending your brother Aaron to help...

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