March 14, 2021 – Exodus 2

Lesson Date: March 14, 2021

Focal Scripture Passage: Exodus 2:1-25

AIM: To lead students to discover ways God miraculously preserved Moses’ life so He could later establish a relationship with him and use him as His servant, and to thank God for preserving their life so that He could establish a saving relationship with them.

Before class: Read the notes on Exodus 2 found in the Sunday School Teacher Book. Write the lesson title, “Miraculous Preservation” on the marker board or chalkboard.

INTRODUCTION (Create Learning Readiness): Read the following to the class:

George Washington was the hero of our Revolutionary War and our nation’s first President.  Years earlier during the French and Indian War, however, he was serving with British General Braddock as they attempted to defeat the French at Fort Duquesne, in modern day Pittsburgh.  The Indians, who were fighting for the French, ambushed Braddock’s force.

“The slaughter was terrific, and the officers, towering on horseback above the melee, were for the Indians the best targets.  One after another they went down.  Washington’s horse was shot from under him.  He leaped on another.  Bullets tore his coat.  Braddock toppled over, Washington’s second horse crumbled.  His hat was shot off.  However, as he wrote later, ‘The miraculous care of Providence … protected me beyond all human expectations.’  He survived unscratched to lead the remnant of Braddock’s army away from the pile of bloody bodies and into comparative safety.”[1]

Tell the class that God miraculously preserved George Washington’s life because He had important work for Him to do: winning our freedom and establishing our government.

Tell the students the title of today’s lesson is Miraculous Preservation.  In Exodus 2 we will discover that God miraculously preserved Moses’ life so He could later establish a relationship with him and use him as His servant.

HEART OF THE LESSON (Bible Study):

1. Review.
   • Tell the students we have just started a study of the second book of the Bible, Exodus.
   • Ask: “What was last week’s lesson about?” (Israel’s desperate situation in Egypt).
   • Ask if any volunteer would recite last week’s memory verse (Isa. 53:6).
2. Moses Was Born.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Exodus 2:1-2.
   • Ask: “What happened?” (a Jewish man from the tribe of Levi married a woman from the tribe of Levi; they had a baby boy, whom they hid for three months).
   • Ask: “Why did they hide their baby boy?” (Pharaoh had ordered all Hebrew parents to throw their newborn baby boys in the Nile River to die).
   • Ask the students to imagine how hard it would be to hide the existence of a baby for three months. Not only would the Egyptians want to kill the baby, but other Hebrew women who had already killed their babies might be resentful and want to report them.
   • Ask: “How did God miraculously preserve Moses’ life for those first three months?” (by giving him a mother who cared more about her baby than she did about her own safety or convenience).
   • Summarize: When Moses was born his parents hid him for three months to save him from death in the Nile River.
3. Moses Was Rescued.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Exodus 2:3-6.
   • Ask: “What did Moses’ mother do to preserve his life when she could not hide him any longer?” (put him in a watertight basket in the edge of the river).
   • Ask the class to imagine the fear and anxiety in that mother’s heart as she prepared the basket, put her beloved son in it, and then left him alone in the river.
   • Direct the class’ attention to the picture on the front cover of the Sunday School Member Quarterly of the basket in the river.
   • Tell the class Moses’ mother couldn’t bear to watch what happened.
   • Ask: “Who did she leave to watch what became of her baby?” (his older sister).
   • Ask: “Who discovered the basket?” (Pharaoh’s daughter).
   • Ask: “What did Pharaoh’s daughter realize when she saw the baby in the basket?” (that it was a Hebrew child).
   • Explain the following:
     • Pharaoh’s daughter undoubtedly realized that the Hebrew baby was placed in the basket in an attempt to save its life – in direct violation of her father’s decree.
     • Pharaoh’s daughter could have told her maidens to sink the basket and drown the baby on the spot.
     • She could have sent for her father’s soldiers to come and drown the baby.
     • She could have notified her father about this violation of his orders, in which case the baby would have been killed and Pharaoh might have carried out brutal reprisals against the Jews.
   • Ask: “Why didn’t she do any of those things?” (she had compassion on the baby).
   • Ask: “How did God miraculously preserve Moses’ life at the river?” (by putting compassion in the heart of Pharaoh’s daughter so she disobeyed her father’s decree and spared the baby). This was truly miraculous.
   • Summarize: Pharaoh’s daughter discovered baby Moses in the basket, had compassion on him, and rescued him.
4. Moses Was Adopted.
   • Read Exodus 2:7-10.
   • Tell the class the baby’s sister rushed up to Pharaoh’s daughter.
   • Ask: “According to verse 7, what did she offer to do?” (bring a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby for Pharaoh’s daughter).
   • Ask: “Who does verse 8 say she brought?” (her mother – the baby’s own mother).
   • Ask: “According to verse 9, what did Pharaoh’s daughter do?” (hired Moses’ own mother to nurse and care for him).
   • Explain the following:
     • As an employee of Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses’ mother did not have to fear any penalty from the Egyptians for not killing her baby or any repercussions from the other Hebrew women.
     • She was under the protection of Pharaoh’s daughter, even while she did something that violated Pharaoh’s laws.
   • Ask: “What did Moses’ mother do after he was weaned?” (took him to Pharaoh’s daughter who named him and adopted him as her son).
   • Ask: “Why did she name him Moses?” (because she drew him out of the water: Moses means “drawing out”).
   • Explain the following:
     • Pharaoh’s daughter suddenly had a son – a baby Hebrew boy.
     • In spite of the fact Pharaoh had ordered the death of all Hebrew baby boys, his own daughter adopted one as her son.
     • Pharaoh took on the responsibility of providing housing, food, clothing, and education for a Hebrew boy – while other Hebrew baby boys were being thrown to their deaths in the Nile River!
   • Ask: “How did God miraculously preserve Moses’ life?” (by causing Pharaoh’s daughter to hire Moses’ own mother to nurse and care for him when he was very young, by putting a desire to adopt the Hebrew baby into the heart of Pharaoh’s daughter, and by causing Pharaoh to allow her to raise the Hebrew child as her son).
   • Summarize: Pharaoh’s daughter adopted the baby as her own son and named him Moses.
5. Moses Was Protected.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Exodus 2:11-14.
   • Explain the following:
     • Moses knew he was an Israelite by birth, even though he was raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter (Acts 7:23; Heb. 11:24-25).
     • Moses went out to see the burdens that the Israelites were forced to bear.
     • One day Moses saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite.
     • Moses looked to see if anyone was watching, after which he killed the Egyptian and buried his body in the sand.
     • The next day Moses went out to the Israelites again. He saw two Hebrew men fighting and tried to break up the fight.
   • Ask: “According to verse 14, what did the Hebrew man ask Moses?” (“Are you going to kill me like you killed the Egyptian yesterday?”).
   • Tell the students that Moses knew his secret was out and he was afraid!
   • Read Exodus 2:15.
   • Ask: “What did Pharaoh want to do?” (arrest and execute Moses).
   • Ask: “What did Moses do?” (fled to Midian for safety – locate Midian on the Map).
   • Ask: “How did God preserve Moses’ life in this situation?” (by allowing him to flee to the safety of Midian; evidently Pharaoh did not pursue him there).
   • Summarize: When Moses was grown he killed an Egyptian. Pharaoh wanted to execute him, so Moses fled to the land of Midian.
6. God Gave Moses a Family in Midian.
   • Read Exodus 2:16-22.
   • Tell the class that Moses settled in Midian, married, and had two sons. Moses spent forty years in Egypt, followed by forty years in Midian.
   • Read Exodus 2:23-25.
   • Ask: “According to verse 23, who died?” (Pharaoh).
   • Ask: “Who did the enslaved Israelites cry out to?” (God, who heard their cries).
   • Summarize: Moses settled in Midian and had a family. The Israelites cried out to God because of their bondage; God heard their cries.

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Tell the class this lesson is about God’s miraculous preservation of Moses’ life.  Ask: “Why did God preserve Moses’ life?” (so He could use Moses to lead His people out of Egypt).  Explain that in next week’s lesson we will learn that God established a personal relationship with Moses while he was out in the wilderness.  God preserved Moses’ life when he was a baby and when he was 40 so He could save him at age 80.

God had a plan for Moses.  He planned to use him as His servant to lead the Israelites out of Egypt and throughout their forty years of wandering in the wilderness.  God planned a relationship with Moses and He had work for Moses to do.

Ask: “These are interesting facts, but how does this lesson relate to us today?”  Allow time for responses, then explain that just as God preserved Moses’ life so he could later establish a relationship with him and use him as His servant, God still preserves those He plans to save so He can later save them and give them work to do for Him.

Say: “Was there ever a time before you were saved when you could have easily died, perhaps through an accident or illness?  If so, God preserved your life because He planned to save you.”  Read Hebrews 1:14.  The Bible tells us God’s angels minister on behalf of those who will be saved.  They help preserve our lives so God can save us and use us as His instruments.

Ask: “Are you serving God the way He wants you to?”

Ask everyone to bow their head and close their eyes.  Encourage those who are saved to thank God for preserving their life so He could establish a saving relationship with them.  Encourage any who are not working for God to get busy right away.  If any students present are not saved, urge them to place their trust in Jesus Christ right now while there is still time.  Voice a closing prayer of thanks for God’s miraculous preservation in our lives.

CONCLUSION: Ask everyone to memorize Hebrews 1:14.  Tell them to thank God every day for preserving their life so they could be saved and serve Him.  Urge them to follow through on any commitment they made this morning to get busy serving God.

[1] https://www.americanheritage.com/miraculous-care-providence#1