Moses is bornEXODUS 1:1–2:10

prepare

Session 9

Spring 2020

Multiage

PRAYER

God, it is so easy to be scared and unsure when we are asked to do something that we know is wrong. What is safe and what is right is not always the same thing. Give me the courage of the midwives to stand up for the vulnerable. Help me to show these children how they can be courageous like the midwives in their own lives. Amen.

PURPOSE STATEMENT

To see the courage of the midwives

STORY SUMMARY

Th e Israelites were slaves in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh feared the Israelites would grow so numerous that they would take over Egypt. He ordered midwives to kill all Israelite boys as they were born. Th e midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, defi ed Pharaoh’s orders. In order to save her baby boy, Moses’ mother hid him in a basket and set it in the river. Pharaoh’s daughter found the basket and adopted Moses.

teaching tips for multiageToday’s story has several women who showed courage. Puah and Shiphrah were midwives who went against Pharaoh’s orders. Pharaoh’s daughter also disobeyed her father by taking care of Moses. Moses’ mother and sister showed trust in God through their actions. Children encounter many oppor-tunities to be brave, although they may not realize it. Peace notes will help the children think about situations where they could be brave.

The midwives in today’s story are courageous and honorable—and they break the law. It can feel uncomfortable to talk about breaking laws or rules with children. After all, we want them to follow our directions! But older children are ready to consider whether a rule is truly good for the community or if it is unjust. Depending on the age of most of your children, discern if it’s helpful to explore the differ-ence between breaking a rule to get your own way and breaking a rule out of love, mercy, and justice.

Decide which Explore options to offer. If you have an older group, look up paper basket weaving examples on YouTube to do a more complex Create option. Check Supplies and To do throughout this session to see what needs to be prepared.

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dig deeper by Dan Epp-Tiessen

God’s purposes move forward

Th e theme of promise dominates Genesis 12–50 and continues into the book of Exodus. Th e Israelites in Egypt are on a long detour from the fulfi llment of God’s promise of land, but the promise of descendants is being realized. Th e ques-tion of whether Israel will be a blessing to the nations hangs in the balance, just as Genesis 12:3 says it will. When Egypt values Joseph’s ability to administer a food distribution system, then Egypt and the nations are blessed, but when a later pharaoh forgets Joseph and treats the Israelites as a threat, Israel’s presence unleashes destruction.

In Genesis 1:28 and 9:1, humanity is blessed and empowered to be fruitful and multiply, illustrating God’s intention for the human community to thrive and prosper. Exodus 1:7 uses the same Hebrew words to emphasize that the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied. God’s plan is to use Israel to bless the entire human community that has been so deeply ravaged by sin in Genesis 3–11.1

Pharaoh’s purposes are foiled

Pharaoh regards the Israelites as a threat to the power of his empire. Pharaoh’s name is never disclosed, because the text is less interested in historical detail than in tell-ing the story of an oppressive despot intent on opposing God’s good purposes.

Th e story portrays Pharaoh in ironic and humorous ways. He acts as if he is all-powerful, but each of his three successive strategies to control the Israelite population fail. Th e fi rst strategy is to force the Israelites to work on his building projects. Pharaoh’s taskmasters force the Israelites to make bricks and build supply cities, but the more they are oppressed, the more they multiply and spread (Exodus 1:12).

Aft er the fi rst strategy fails, Pharaoh orders the Hebrew midwives to murder all the male babies they deliver. Th e midwives fear (respect, obey) God, and so they concoct a satirical story about Hebrew women being

so much more vigorous than the pam-pered Egyptian women that their babies pop out before the midwives arrive. To understand the courage of Shiphrah [SHIF-ruh] and Puah [PYOO-uh] and the risks they take, imagine two Jewish midwives refusing to obey Adolf Hitler’s order to kill Jewish boys.

Pharaoh’s third strategy is to com-mand his own people to throw all male Hebrew babies into the Nile. He cannot even force his own daughter to obey this decree; she pulls a male baby out of the Nile instead. Out of compassion for the baby, Pharaoh’s daughter pays Moses’ mother to nurse him (something she has been doing for free), adopts him, and

raises him at Pharaoh’s expense.

Courageous living

Th e Bible was written in a patriarchal context, so most of its stories focus on the activities of men. But here a company of women pave the way for the liberation of the Israelites. Courageous midwives thwart Pharaoh’s geno-cidal plans, Moses’ mother builds an ark2 to save him, Moses’ sister courageously accosts an Egyptian princess with an ingenious plan for his care, and Pharaoh’s daugh-ter is motivated by compassion and decency rather than her father’s evil decree.

God’s purposes move forward in surprising ways, despite opposition. Th is story encourages people of faith not to be hypnotized by the raw power of rulers. We can have confi dence that ultimately God’s purposes will prevail. We—like the midwives, like Moses’ parents and sister, like Pharaoh’s daughter, and like the ordinary Israelites who went on with their lives despite Pharaoh’s oppression—are invited and empowered to live coura-geously in keeping with those purposes.

1. See Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 26:4; 28:14.2. Not the lame term “basket” found in most translations. Th e Hebrew word is “ark,” which appears only here and in the fl ood story. Th e term is used to signal that this is another story of God’s great deliverance, and that the deliverance of Moses is signifi cant for the welfare of humanity.

GENESIS 12–13EXODUS 1:1–2:10

www.ShineCurriculum.com Exodus 1:1–2:10 / 55

BUILD COMMUNITY

Highlight the Circles poster and refresh everyone’s memory by reviewing the process. Begin with the Opening and Guidelines, then hand around the talk-ing piece as you engage the following questions:

• Who is someone you know who is brave and why?

• Talk about a time you were brave.

WORSHIP TOGETHER

Transition from your circle into worship by perhaps lighting a candle, ringing a chime, or saying a short prayer. Sing “Everybody’s Welcome” (track 1, page 3) and “God’s Here Now” (track 4, page 6).

SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

In Psalms, we can read poems and songs from God’s people. Many psalms were written by people who were afraid or who needed to do diffi cult things. Even now, long aft er they were written, people pray using the Psalms when they are afraid or need courage. Read Psalm 121, oft en called the travelers psalm. Many think it was written by someone about to start a diffi cult journey. Read it a second time and invite the children to close their eyes and imagine that they are praying this Psalm as they begin something diffi cult.

gather

media connections• The Bravest Fish by

Matt Buckingham• Internet image search

for “art of the Exodus midwives”

• “The Hebrew Midwives” by Ted and Company (YouTube)

• “Brave” by Sarah Bareilles (YouTube)

• Paper basket weaving ideas (YouTube)

Bible memoryDivide children into two groups. Group 1 will begin and read the part of the king. Group 2 will read the part of the righ-teous. The leader can read the narrator portions. The whole group can read the reference together. Read through the passage twice so the children can become familiar with their parts and then have the groups switch parts.

The Bible memory passage can be found on page 93 of this guide, or you may want to reuse the copies made for the previous session. The parts for each group are divided by a forward slash.

teaching tipCircles were introduced in session 4. If you have not yet had a chance to lead a circle with your group, read more about the process on page 86 of this guide.

supplies• Bibles• Circle instructions

and questions (from Additional resources)

• Matthew 25 Bible memory passage (from Additional resources)

• Shine Songbook and CD (or digital versions)

• Annual Shine Songbooks

• CD or MP3 player• Talking piece (rock,

stick, cross)• Candle and matches

(or battery-operated candle), or chime (optional)

resource pack • Circles poster• Bible memory poster

(Matthew 25)

to do • Make copies of the

Matthew 25 Bible memory passage from page 93 of this guide, or reuse the copies made for the previous session.

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experienceSHARE THE STORY

Today’s story begins with a man named Joseph. Children may recall the story of Joseph and his colorful coat. Joseph was sold into slavery in Egypt by his brothers but was eventu-ally made a favored leader by Pharaoh. Aft er many years, Joseph and his brothers were reunited, and Joseph’s whole family came to live in Egypt. Th ey had many children there.

In order to have all those children they needed the help of midwives. Midwives are women who help mothers when they are giving birth to babies. Ask a volunteer to read the section on “Women” on “Th e least in the Bible” poster. Even though midwives were very important, they were still treated as being less valuable than men, since they were women. Ask the children to keep this in mind as they listen to today’s story.

Read the story from page 40 in Shine On. Every time a brave woman is mentioned, place a story fi gure in front of you. Brave women include Shiphrah, Puah, Moses’ mother, Pharaoh’s daughter, and Moses’ sister.

WONDER AND REFLECT

Ask children the following wondering questions, allowing children to refl ect silently or aloud.• I wonder why Pharaoh worried that the Israelites would fi ght against him.• I wonder how Shiphrah and Puah felt when they met Pharaoh.• Imagine facing Pharaoh and having to explain why the baby boys were still alive.• I wonder how Moses’ mother hid him for three months.• If you had been Pharaoh’s daughter, I wonder if you would have helped baby Moses.

PEACE NOTES

Sometimes peace looks like standing up for what is right even if it makes us feel scared or uncomfortable.

Pair stronger readers with early readers so the younger children can read the scenarios together on page 3 of the Primary leafl et. Read each scenario and discuss how they might approach the situation.

Pharaoh asked the midwives in Egypt to do something cruel—kill the Israelite baby boys. Shiphrah and Puah found a creative way to disobey Pharaoh and save the babies. Older children can read the letters on page 27 of Glow with the children and respond, off ering creative options for how the writers might do the right thing.

Moses is born

Exodus 1:1–2:10Shine On, p. 40

storytelling props• Five story fi gures

resource pack• “The least in the Bible”

poster

to do• Become familiar with

the story in Shine Onso you know when each brave woman is mentioned.

supplies• Bible(s)• Shine On: A Story Bible• Primary leafl ets• Glow magazines• Pencils

www.ShineCurriculum.com Exodus 1:1–2:10 / 57

CREATE

Weave a colorful basket. Ahead of time, cut colored strips of paper 1 in / 2.5 cm wide out of construc-tion paper. Give each child a piece of construction paper and invite them to fold it in half the short way. Have them cut fi ve or six vertical slits, leav-ing room on each edge. Unfold the paper and have the children thread the strips of construction paper through the slits, alternating going over and under the paper between each slit.

For older groups: Search for paper basket weaving videos on YouTube to try a more complex craft .

supplies• Construction paper (multiple colors)• Scissors

MOVE

Divide children into pairs for a Trust Walk activity. One child will be blind-folded while the other guides them around the room. Aft er a minute, switch roles. If a child does not wish to be blindfolded, invite him or her to be a guide for others.

Refl ect on the activity. What would it have been like to walk around the room without your guide? What was it like to have someone guide you? How did Shiphrah and Puah help each other when they decided to disobey? Who might have been guiding them?

supplies• Strips of cloth for blindfolds

RETELL

Invite the children to retell the story of the brave midwives by reading page 1 of the Primary leafl et or using the skit on pages 28–29 of Glow. Younger children can underline the names or descriptions of all the women in the story.

supplies• Primary leafl ets or Glow magazines• Chair• Baby doll

LEAFLET AND GLOW

On page 2 of the Primary leafl et, younger children will match the sentence with the correct picture. Solution: 1–second picture, 2–bot-tom, 3–top, 4–third. Th en have them complete the basket crossword puzzle on page 4. Solution: Down: 1. baby, 2. Moses, 3. reeds; Across: 3. river, 4. basket, 5. sister

Older children can use pages 30–31 in Glow to discover the many people who made it possible for babies like Moses to be born and stay safe and the people who have helped you to be healthy and safe as well. Solution from top, left to right): Moses’ mother, Shiphrah and Puah, Pharaoh’s daughter, Joseph, Moses’ sister.

supplies• Primary leafl ets• Glow magazines• Pencils

explore

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other ideas• Read stories of people who have disobeyed

laws or rules that were unjust, such as those who worked on the Underground Railroad, protected Jews during the Second World War, or worked to improve the rights of Indigenous peoples. Visit Shine’s Pinterest page and view the Children’s books board for ideas.

• Ask a midwife, doctor, or someone who works with babies to talk to the group about how to take care of young children and babies.

blessPRAY

Gather in a circle for a time of prayer and blessing. Remind the children that Shiphrah and Puah received courage from God to do a very dif-fi cult thing. We can increase our strength and courage by joining together and by calling on God too. Have the children raise their hands and press their palms together with the children on either side, connect-ing each child in the circle. Pray:

God, you blessed the midwives who were brave and protected the Israelite babies who could not keep themselves safe. Bless us today. Give us the courage to work together to do what is right, even if it is hard. Amen.

SEND

Send one another by singing “As We Go” (track 21, page 31).

Bless the children with these words:

Go in peace, fi lled with the cour-age and love of God.

Make sure to send leafl ets home with the younger children.

supplies• Primary leafl ets• Shine Songbook and CD (or digital

versions)• Annual Shine Songbooks• CD or MP3 player

looking aheadThe Build community activity for session 10 calls for marshmallows, tooth-picks, and plastic bags. The Move activity calls for small candies and spoons. If you choose to do these activities, be aware of allergies and food sensitivities.

www.ShineCurriculum.com Exodus 1:1–2:10 / 59

leader’s closing prayerTake a moment to think of a person or group who is vulnerable today—a group of people who have less power than others or a group that is in danger. What are ways that you can stand with the people or protect them from danger? Might those ways start with prayer?God, be with __________ (name of person or group of people) today. Wrap a blanket of protection around them. Open my eyes and ready my heart to serve you by standing with ______ today. Amen.

Children amaze me with their insights after reading the part of a character out loud. The children have entered the world of the story. They see from a new perspective and are provoked to new thinking.— Paul Kreider

Seattle, Washington