Praise Jesus!

The Angel of Death Passes Over the Israelites’ Homes • Lesson 4 Bible Point

God helps those who trust in him.

Bible Verse “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength” (Isaiah 40:31).

Growing Closer to Jesus Children will n play a “Passover” Tag game to learn about helping, n trust that strange instructions will turn out OK, and n share situations in which they’ll trust God.

Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis

n The angel of death passes over the Israelites’ homes. It’s interesting to note that the last plague—God’s passing over the homes of the Israelites while killing the firstborn child in each Egyptian home—is the only one in which God required his people to respond in a particular way to be safe from the plague. We don’t know if the Israelites suffered from other plagues. We do know that the plague that killed many of the Egyptians’ animals didn’t kill the Israelites’ livestock (Exodus 9:1-6). We also know that the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived, was not hit by the plague of hail or the plague of darkness (Exodus 9:26; 10:23). However, up to this point, the protection God provided for the Israelites hadn’t required any faith or action on their part. But now it was time for them to exhibit some faith! The act of faith required by the Israelites was the sacrifice of an innocent lamb, whose blood was to be displayed on the doorposts. The lamb died in place of the firstborn child. This sacrifice became a symbol that the Israelites understood: An innocent life had to be taken to spare them from death. Although they didn’t understand it at the time, that sacrifice looked forward to the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, who shed his blood and died so that all who believe in him might be saved from spiritual death and eternity apart from God.

Exodus 11:1–12:30

Prayer • Read Proverbs 3:5-6. • What are some tangible ways you show others that you trust God? • Pray: God, I love you and trust you. Help me demonstrate this faith to my students so that I can encourage them likewise to trust in you as...

Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 43

Lesson 4

Before the Lesson n Collect items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed in the chart. n Make photocopies of the “Growing Together” handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your children. n Pray for your students and for God’s direction in teaching the lesson.

This Lesson at a Glance What Children Will Do

Classroom Supplies

Welcome

Welcome!—Receive a warm

“Pyramid Name Tags” (p. 21), scissors, markers or crayons, tape or safety pins

Attention Grabber

Passover Tag—Play Tag in

Bible Exploration & Application

welcome from the teacher, and make name tags.

which they’re freed by helpers.

Hear and Obey—Obey unusual

Bible

Over and Under—Hear the

Bible; CD player; pita bread, crackers, or flour tortillas

Trusting Hearts—Cover the

Bible, markers, construction paper, scissors, tape, CD player

Watching Eyes—Hear Psalm 145:20, hunt for hidden eyes, and talk about trusting God.

Bible

instructions to learn from Exodus that it’s important to follow God’s instructions.

Passover story from Exodus, take shelter under a table for a Passover meal, and hear Isaiah 40:31.

door frame with trusting hearts, listen to Isaiah 40:31, and sing God’s praises.

Closing

44 Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2

Learning Lab Supplies

The Angel of Death Passes Over the Israelites’ Homes

Welcome SUPPLIES: “Pyramid Name Tags” (p. 21), scissors, markers or crayons, tape or safety pins • Greet each child individually with an enthusiastic smile. • Thank each child for coming to class today. • As children arrive, ask them about last week’s “Growing Together” discussion. Use questions such as “How did God’s power help you last week?” and “What signs of God’s power did you and your family see last week?” • Say: Today we’re going to learn that God helps those who trust in him. • Hand out the name tags the children made during Lesson 1, and help kids attach the name tags to their clothing. If some of the name tags were damaged, or if children weren’t in class that week, have them make new name tags using the photocopiable handout. • Tell the children that you’ll raise your hand to get their attention. They should respond by raising their hands and focusing their attention on you. Rehearse this signal with the children, telling them to respond quickly so you have plenty of time for all the fun activities planned for this lesson. It’s important to say the Bible Point just as it’s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over will help children remember it and apply it to their lives.

Attention Grabber n Passover Tag SUPPLIES: none Say: We’re going to play a special game of Tag today. One person will be “It,” and two people will be “Helpers.” If “It” tags you, you’re frozen until you call, “Helper, Helper, please pass over.” When the Helpers hear you, they’ll pass over you with the rain poncho. Then you’ll be free until “It” catches you again. Choose one person to be “It” and two people to be Helpers. Give the Helpers the rain poncho. Show them how to “pass over” by setting the poncho in front of the frozen player’s feet and then lifting it over his or her head, as shown in the margin illustration. Play the game several times, allowing different children to be “It” and the Helpers each time. After the game, return the rain poncho to the Learning Lab. Raise your hand to get children’s attention. Wait for children to raise their hands and stop talking, and then ask: • What was it like to get passed over by the Helpers? (Fun; it was good to be unfrozen.) • Was it easy or hard to get the Helpers to pass over you? Explain. (Easy, because I just called and they came; hard, because everyone was yelling at the same time; hard, because they couldn’t help everyone at once.) • How was asking the Helpers to pass over you in this game like asking God to help you in real life? (We have to ask God to help us just as we had to call for the Helpers; God keeps us safe, and the Helpers freed us from being frozen.)

If possible, play this game outdoors or in a large open area such as a gymnasium or fellowship hall.

Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 45

Lesson 4

Say: In our Tag game, when you called for the Helpers, they came to set you free. If we trust in God, he’ll help us when we have troubles in real life. God helps those who trust in him. Today we’re going to find out how God helped set his people free from Egypt.

Bible Exploration & Application n Hear and Obey

First- and second-graders understand God’s love and God’s world through personal experience. They don’t comprehend the spiritual nature of God, but rather, they think of God as a giant, a magician, or an invisible man. They don’t comprehend the Bible’s chronology except that the Old Testament came before Jesus and the New Testament talks about Jesus. They have a literal and concrete understanding of Bible stories and biblical truths. They don’t comprehend abstract ideas such as the Trinity.

Bible Insight The celebration of the Passover changed over the 1,400 years from the Exodus until Jesus’ time. By the time Jesus was born, each family’s Passover lamb was expected to be slain in Jerusalem, and all who could travel were expected to be in Jerusalem for Passover. That’s why Jesus’ family made the trip every year to celebrate Passover as told in Luke 2:41.

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SUPPLIES: Bible Set a large table in the back of the room. Clear away any chairs or other obstacles around it. Say: I’m going to give you some instructions. They may sound silly, but you must follow them exactly. Trust me. I’ll explain later. Get ready to listen. Here we go. • Kneel down on the floor. Pause. • Walk around on your knees, and shake hands with three other people. Pause. • Crawl on your hands and knees, and put your heads together in a circle. Pause. • Crawl backward out of the circle. Pause. • Sit down and clap your hands five times. Pause. • Crawl under the table. Pause. • This is your last instruction: Sit down and wait. Pause. Join the children under the table. You may need to raise your hand to regain their attention. Wait for them to respond, and then ask: • What did you think of those instructions? (They were silly; they didn’t make any sense; I didn’t understand them.) • Why did you follow the instructions if you thought they were silly? (Because you told us to; because you said we had to trust you.) Say: Even though you didn’t understand the reason behind the instructions, you followed them because I asked you to. The Bible tells us in Exodus that when God’s people were in Egypt, God gave them instructions for a special celebration called Passover. Open your Bible to Exodus 11, and show children the chapter. We can learn about the Passover story here in the book of Exodus. The people were supposed to prepare a special meal, but they had to eat it in a hurry. They could eat only bread that was flat and made quickly, and the only work they were allowed to do for a whole week was cooking. God’s people probably didn’t understand why God asked them to do those things, but they did them anyway because they trusted God. God helps those who trust in him. God rewarded his people’s trust by helping them escape from Egypt. I’m going to reward your trust now with a special Passover snack that you can eat while we hear how God’s people escaped.

Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2

The Angel of Death Passes Over the Israelites’ Homes

n Over and Under SUPPLIES: Bible; CD player; pita bread, crackers, or flour tortillas Distribute pita bread, crackers, or flour tortillas to the children. You track 5 may want to stay under the table for this activity if your children seem to enjoy it. As they’re eating, tell them the Passover story. Open your Bible to Exodus 11:1–12:30, and show children the passage. Say: When God was ready to help his people escape from Egypt, he gave them instructions for a special celebration. The bread you’re eating is kind of like the bread God’s people ate at that special celebration. Their bread was flat because they had to leave Egypt quickly, and they didn’t have time to add any yeast to make the bread rise. And they ate their bread in their houses at night, kind of like we’re eating our bread under our “table house” in the dark. Last week, we learned about all the plagues that came to Egypt because the wicked Pharaoh wouldn’t let God’s people go. Can you tell me about some of the plagues God sent? Pause for children to respond. It must have been a scary time for the Egyptian people, don’t you think? Well, God had one more plague for Pharaoh, and it was the worst one of all. God told Moses to warn Pharaoh that if he didn’t let God’s people go, every firstborn son in the land of Egypt would die in the night. Do you think Pharaoh believed Moses—yes or no? Pause for children to respond. You are right, Pharaoh didn’t believe Moses, and guess what happened. All the firstborn Egyptian sons died, just as God said they would. But none of the Israelites’ sons died in the night. The Israelites trusted God, and God helps those who trust in him. God had given the Israelites a special signal to show they trusted in him. Everyone who trusted God was to kill a lamb, cook it, and eat it. But before they cooked it, they were to brush some of the lamb’s blood around their front doors. Every time God saw a house with lamb’s blood around the front door, he made the plague of death pass over that house, kind of like a bird that would fly over it but not land on the roof. Ask: • How do you think the people felt that night? (Scared; worried they didn’t put enough blood on the door; happy that God was taking care of them; tired.) • The people were probably scared about the plague of death that night. What are some things that scare you at night? (Noises; bad dreams; the dark.) Say: At night, things sometimes seem scary, even things that wouldn’t scare us during the daytime. But God helps those who trust in him, and if we trust God, he’ll protect us through every day and every night. Let’s listen and see what it might have sounded like the night God protected his people from the plague of death. Turn off the lights, and play track 5, “Passover Sounds” on the CD. When the segment ends, turn off the CD player, and say: God’s people did exactly what God asked, and God helped them leave Egypt that very night. Everything they did that night showed that they trusted God, and God helps those who trust in him. Our Bible verse for today comes from Isaiah 40:31. Listen to what it says about people who trust in God: “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.” Now let’s leave our table house and get ready for our next activity.

You might want to dim the overhead lights and use a flashlight for this activity to make it seem like nighttime.

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Lesson 4

n Trusting Hearts As your first- and second-graders begin to build friendships and relationships, they’ll learn about trust. Watch for teachable moments in which children make the connection that they can trust God because his power works in conjunction with his perfect goodness.

SUPPLIES: Bible, markers, construction paper, scissors, tape, CD player Cue the CD to track 6, “Wait on the Lord” (Isaiah 40:31). Say: track 6 The Israelites put lamb’s blood around their doors to show they trusted God. Let’s make hearts to put around our door to show that we trust God, too. Distribute markers, scissors, and construction paper. Have the children each cut out a heart. You may want to use the pattern on this page as a prototype. Help children write their names on their hearts, and encourage them to decorate their hearts. Give children tape to stick to the back of their hearts. When children have finished decorating their hearts, form a semicircle around the doorway to your classroom. Say: God helps those who trust in him. As we put our hearts around the door, let’s tell God how much we love and trust him. Each time someone puts a heart on the door frame, let’s all say, “God, we trust you.” Help children attach their hearts evenly around the doorway. Each time a child attaches a heart, lead the class in repeating, “God, we trust you.” Be sure to have chairs handy for children to stand on to reach parts of the door frame that are beyond their reach. When all the hearts are on the door frame say: We can find new strength when we trust God. Listen again to this Bible verse that we learned recently. See if you can say it with me. Read today’s Bible verse, Isaiah 40:31, aloud and have the children say it with you if they can: “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.” Lead the children in singing the song “Wait on the Lord” (Isaiah 40:31) with the CD. You can find the words in the Song Lyrics section at the back of this teacher guide. Say: When we put our trust in God, we feel new strength to face even the things that scare us the most. When God sent his Son, Jesus, to earth to die on the cross, Jesus must have felt afraid. But Jesus trusted in God, and God gave him strength to do what he had to do. So even though Jesus had to die for our sins, he came back to life, and now Jesus lives in heaven. And if we believe in Jesus, we can live in heaven with him one day. How great it is to trust God! Let’s review why we can trust God.

HANDS-ON BIBLE This activity will work nicely at home as well as at church, and it requires no special supplies. Say: Do you ever wish you could fly? Shall we try an experiment and see? Let’s open our Hands-On Bibles to Isaiah 42 and look up the activity called “Strength to Fly.” Isaiah is found in the Old Testament.

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Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2

The Angel of Death Passes Over the Israelites’ Homes Help the children locate the activity on page 700, and read Isaiah 40:31 with them. Then have the children line up near a doorway, and ask a volunteer to stand in the doorway and press the back of his or her hands against the door frame, as described in the activity. Watch what happens! Then have the children take turns trying the experiment. Afterward, ask: • What happened when you moved away from the doorway and relaxed your arms? (My arms flew up; my arms felt really light.) • How is getting new strength in your arms like getting new strength from God? (When we stopped pressing so hard, it got easy to lift our hands; when we ask God for help, he gives us new strength, the way we suddenly got new strength in our arms.)

Closing n Watching Eyes SUPPLIES: Bible Before class, hide enough wiggle eyes throughout your classroom for all your students to find one. Say: The Bible tells us that God watches everything that is going on here on earth and protects all those who love him. Read Psalm 145:20 aloud. Even when we aren’t thinking about God, even when we’re sleeping, God is watching over us. I’ve hidden some wiggle eyes around our room. Even though we can’t see them right now, they’re still there. Let’s see if we can find the eyes I’ve hidden. Give children clues as necessary to help them find the wiggle eyes. When all the eyes have been found, say: Find a partner, and tell that person something you’ll trust God to help you with this week. For example, you could trust God to help you when you’re scared or you could trust God to help you say your prayers each day. After your partner tells you what he or she will trust God to do, say to your partner, “God helps those who trust in him.” After children have had time to share with their partners, raise your hand to regain their attention. Wait for them to respond, and then collect the wiggle eyes and return them to the Learning Lab for use in future lessons. Close in prayer, asking God to help the children trust in him this week. Collect name tags for next week’s use.

Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the “Growing Together” handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your children. Encourage children and parents to use the handout to plan meaningful activities on this week’s topic. Follow up the “Growing Together” activities next week by asking children what their families did together.

Hands-On Bible Curriculum—Grades 1 & 2 49

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Bible Vet inrsthee Lord will

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Bible Storpyasses

death The angel of elites’ homes over the Isra 2:30). (Exodus 11:1–1

This week your child learned the importance of trusting God in everything he or she does. The children discovered how God led his people out of Egypt, and they each picked one special way to trust God this week. Use these ideas to reassure your child that God is always ready to help.

Food Fun

God’s Help

Go to the library, and check out a book about Passover. Find out how Jewish people celebrate Passover today. Talk about times your family has trusted God for help. Create your own special meal to honor God for helping you through those times. Plan what food you’ll eat and what it will signify. Include time to pray and time to share what God has done for you. For example, you could plan a breakfast celebration. Serve eggs sunny side up to remind you of God’s eyes watching over you. Bacon can remind you of long roads you’ve traveled with God’s protection. Orange juice can remind you of God’s sweet love and refreshment.

Cut a small hole in the end of a shoe box. Put a balloon inside the box with the end sticking through the hole. Blow up the balloon and pinch the end, but don’t tie it off. Put about 10 pencils or pens under the box on a table to act as wheels. When you release the balloon, the box will move forward. Talk about how God gives us help and power to accomplish things, just as the inflated balloon helped the shoe box move. Explain that our abilities come from God, whose spirit lives within us.

Musical Trust

On a sheet of paper, draw a circle with a face in it and a circle with a building in it. Give your child a penny, a pencil, and the paper. Have your child toss the penny and make a mark under the face if the penny lands heads up or under the building if it lands tails up. After tossing the penny 20 times, count the number of marks under each circle—they should be about equal. Then join two pennies together with a small amount of modeling clay to create a two-headed coin. Have your child toss the new penny 20 times and record the results. Talk about how we can trust God just as we can trust that the two-headed penny will land heads up every time.

Sing “God Helps Those Who Trust in Him” to the tune of “The Mulberry Bush.” Fill in ways you can trust God this week when you get to the last line.

God helps those who trust in him, Trust in him, trust in him. God helps those who trust in him, We trust you, God, to [name a way you’ll trust God].

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Trusting God

Permission to photocopy this page from Group’s Hands-On Bible Curriculum® Grades 1 & 2 granted for local church use. Copyright © Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Ave., Loveland, CO 80538. group.com