March 21, 2021 – Exodus 3

Lesson Date: March 21, 2021

Focal Scripture Passage: Exodus 3:1-22

AIM: To lead students to discover how God called Moses into a personal relationship with Him and revealed Himself to Moses, and to tell how God called them to Himself and ways He has revealed Himself to them.

Before class: Read the notes on Exodus 3 found in the Sunday School Teacher Book.  Bring your cell phone to class.  Prearrange with a class member to call your phone after you ask, “How do you know when to answer the phone?”  Write the lesson title, “God’s Call” on the marker board or chalkboard.

INTRODUCTION (Create Learning Readiness): Tell the class today’s lesson from Exodus 3 is titled “God’s Call.”  Direct the students’ attention to your telephone and tell them most of us receive several calls each day.  Tell them a telephone is a very handy device that allows us to make and receive calls from people.  Ask: “How do you know when to answer your phone?” (when it rings, beeps, or vibrates).  Your phone should ring now.  Tell the class a phone without a ringer is useless – you would never know when someone was calling.  Ask: “Are you required to answer the phone when it rings?” (no, you can ignore the call).

Tell the class the phone’s ring tells you someone is calling, but not who is calling or what they are calling about.  Ask: “How do you find out who is calling?” (either with caller ID or by answering the phone).  Typically, when you answer the phone, the person calling identifies himself or herself.  Ask: “After the person calling has identified himself, do you know why he is calling?  Do you know the subject of the call?” (not usually; the person calling must tell you the reason he or she is calling).

Tell the students when the phone rings we know someone is calling, when the caller identifies himself we know who is calling, and when he tells us the reason for the call we know why he is calling.  Some calls can change our lives.  Tell the class in today’s lesson they will learn that Moses received a very important call that changed the course of his life.

HEART OF THE LESSON (Bible Study):

1. Review.
   • Remind the class that we are studying the book of Exodus.
   • Review the first two lessons from Exodus using the following outline:
     • In chapter 1 we learned about Israel’s Desperate Situation.
     • Ask: “What was so bad and desperate about Israel’s situation?” (they were slaves in Egypt and their baby boys were sentenced to death).
     • In chapter 2 we learned about God’s Miraculous Preservation of Moses’ life.
     • Ask the students how God preserved Moses life (his parents put him in a basket in the river; Pharaoh’s daughter recovered the basket and adopted Moses).
     • Remind the class that as an adult Moses killed an Egyptian.
     • When his crime became known, Moses fled to Midian (locate Midian on the Map) where he married and raised a family.
     • Moses remained in Midian for 40 years.
   • Ask if any volunteer would recite last week’s memory verse (Heb. 1:14).
2. God Called Moses.
   • Read Exodus 3:1.
   • Tell the students that Moses was tending his father-in-law’s flock.
   • He led the flock to Mount Horeb (another name for Mount Sinai; locate on the Map).
   • Ask a volunteer to read Exodus 3:2-4.
   • Ask: “What unusual sight did Moses see?” (a bush that was burning but not being consumed by the fire).
   • Explain the following:
     • Moses was a shepherd, which means he spent a lot of time outdoors.
     • He had undoubtedly seen burning bushes before, but this bush was not being burned up.
     • Tell the class if you struck a match they would see it quickly burn up.
     • That would not be surprising, but if you struck a match and it burned brightly for an hour without being burned up, that would get our attention.
     • This was God’s “ringer” to get Moses’ attention.
   • Ask: “What did Moses do?” (he turned aside to investigate).
   • Moses went to “pick up the phone.”
   • Ask: “What did God do?” (verbally called to Moses from the bush).
   • Ask: “Did Moses answer God’s call?” (yes; he said, “Here am I”).
   • Summarize: God got Moses’ attention through a burning bush that was not being consumed by the fire. God called audibly to Moses from the burning bush.
3. God Identified Himself.
   • Read Exodus 3:5-6.
   • Ask: “When Moses answered God’s call, how did the Lord identify Himself?” (“I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob”).
   • Ask: “Did Moses really believe he was speaking to God?” (yes).
   • Ask: “How do you know?” (he hid his face because he was afraid to look upon God).
   • Tell the class that God called to Moses and identified Himself, but Moses still did not know why God called him.
   • Summarize: When Moses answered God’s call, the Lord identified Himself as the God of his ancestors
4. God Told Moses Why He was Calling.
   • Read Exodus 3:7-9.
   • Ask: “According to verses 7 and 9, what had God seen and heard?” (He saw the affliction of the Israelites in Egypt and He heard their cries for deliverance).
   • Ask: “According to verse 8, what was God going to do for the Israelites?” (bring them out of Egypt and settle them in a very good land).
   • Point out Egypt and Canaan on the Map.
   • Tell the class at this point Moses knew who was calling and he knew God was concerned about the Israelites in Egypt, but he didn’t know what God wanted him to do.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Exodus 3:10-12.
   • Ask: “What did God want to do with Moses?” (use him to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt).
   • Ask: “Have you ever tried to get out of a task someone told you to do?” (probably).
   • Tell the class that is exactly what Moses did: he said he wasn’t worthy or equipped for such a monumental task.
   • Ask: “How did God reassure Moses?” (He promised to be with Moses; He also promised Moses would successfully lead the Israelites back to Mount Sinai to worship Him).
   • Summarize: God told Moses He was sending him back to Egypt to lead the children of Israel out of bondage.
5. God Revealed His Personal Name to Moses.
   • Read Exodus 3:13-15.
   • Tell the students that Moses had questions (if someone called you on the phone and gave you a big job to do, you would have questions, too).
   • Ask: “What did Moses ask in verse 13?” (What is your name; when I go to the Israelites, who will I say sent me?).
   • Ask: “How did God answer? What did He reveal about Himself?” (He said, “I AM THAT I AM”).
   • Explain the following:
     • The Hebrew word translated “I AM” literally means, “to exist.”
     • It is the root word from which God’s personal, covenant name Yahweh (or Jehovah) is derived.
     • It speaks of God’s eternality, unchanging nature, and personal presence.
   • Tell the class that God is; in other words, He exists. Belief in this fact is essential for a relationship with Him (Heb. 11:6).
   • Summarize: God revealed His personal name to Moses, revealing Himself as the eternal, all-powerful, self-existing God.
6. God Gave Moses Specific Instructions and Told Him What to Expect.
   • Read Exodus 3:16-22.
   • Lecture on those verses using the following outline:
     • In verses 16-17, God told Moses exactly what he was to say to the elders of Israel.
     • In verse 18, God told Moses the elders would believe his report. He also said Moses and the elders were to go directly to Pharaoh, king of Egypt.  He told Moses what to say to Pharaoh.
     • In verses 19-20, God told Moses what to expect when they took their demand for freedom to Pharaoh. He said Pharaoh would not let them go until God brought terrible plagues upon the Egyptians.
     • In verses 21-22, God told Moses when the Israelites finally did leave Egypt the Egyptians would give them gold, silver, and valuable clothing. God was going to cause the slave nation of Israel to leave Egypt with great wealth and riches.
   • Summarize: God told Moses what to say to the elders of Israel and what to expect from Pharaoh. He also promised that they would leave with great wealth.

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Tell the class God called Moses and instigated a personal relationship with him.  Write the word “Relationship” on the board below “God’s Call.”  Ask: “Has God ever called you into a personal relationship with Him?”  Tell the students God is still calling people to Himself.  The Bible says, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord” (1 Cor. 1:9), and “Moreover whom He did predestinate, them He also called: and whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified” (Rom. 8:30).  Jesus said it this way: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).

Tell the class not only did God establish a personal relationship with Moses, He also revealed some things about Himself, His nature, and His character to Moses.  Write the word “Revelation” on the board below the word “Relationship.”  Ask: “Has God ever revealed anything about Himself to you?”  God is still revealing Himself to people today, primarily through His Word.  When we read and study God’s Word we learn more about God.  He wants us to know Him; He has chosen to reveal Himself to us.

Tell the class not only did God begin a relationship with Moses and reveal Himself to Moses, He also gave Moses a job to do – He gave Moses a responsibility to fulfill. Write the word “Responsibility” on the board below the word “Revelation.”  God gave Moses responsibility, and God is still giving His children responsibility today.  Ask: “Has God ever given you a job to do for Him?”  Along with the responsibility God gave Moses wonderful assurances of success.

Ask if any volunteers will tell the class when and how God called them to Himself.  After allowing time for responses, ask if any volunteers will tell ways He reveals Himself to them.

Ask: “Has God given you a job to do?  Are you doing what He told you?”

Lead a closing prayer in which you thank God for calling sinners to salvation and revealing Himself to us.  Thank Him for giving us work to do for Him, and ask Him to go with us and enable us to faithfully do whatever task He has given us.

CONCLUSION: Ask the students to memorize Exodus 3:14.  Tell them to listen for God’s call every day this week.  He may call through the words of scripture, the words of the preacher, or even through the words of a friend.  When they sense God’s call, do like Moses and answer.