Lesson 045

Moses Talks With God Exodus 33:7-34:35

MEMORY VERSE EXOD US 33:13 “N ow therefore, I pray, if I hav e found grac e in Your sight, show m e now Your w ay, that I m ay know You and that I m ay find grac e in Your sight.”

WHAT YOU WILL NEED: A long strip of white or yellow butcher type paper, a flashlight and a marker. Three tongue depressors for each child in your class, rubber bands and markers. A mixer, a bowl, whipping cream, sugar and spoon, and enough plastic spoons each child in your class.

ATTENTION GRABBER! God's Way Have a long strip of yellow or white paper for the floor. Draw a path with footsteps. Write the steps to salvation: 1. Realize you have sinned; 2. Ask for forgiveness; 3. Believe that Jesus died and rose again to take away your sins; 4. Ask Him to come into your heart and commit your whole life to Him. Turn off the lights (tell the kids ahead of time) and compare the darkness to our dark world. Then explain that God always makes sure we know the way to get to Him (shine flashlight on path and steps of salvation). There are other ways God shows us the way to get to Him (shine light on a Bible and on a child). God works in us to bring glory to Himself.

Explain to the children that there are various ways that God uses to teach us about Himself. He wants us to know Him and to have a close relationship with Him.

LESSON TIME! In today’s lesson we find Moses and the Israelites traveling through the wilderness, seeking the land God had promised them. God was faithful to speak to His people through Moses, but most of the time the people wouldn’t listen and would do whatever they wanted to do. Like so many of us today, God’s people were disobedient and stubborn in Moses’ day as well. EXOD U S 33:7-11 M oses t ook his t ent and p it c hed it ou t sid e t he c am p , f ar f r om t h e c am p , an d c al l ed i t t h e t aber n ac l e of m e e t i n g . An d i t c a m e t o p a s s t h a t e v e r y o n e w h o s o u gh t t h e LOR D w en t o u t t o t h e t aber n ac l e o f m eet ing w hic h w as ou t sid e t he c am p . So it w as, w henev er Moses went out to the t aber n ac l e, t h at al l t h e p eop l e r os e, an d eac h m an st ood at his t ent d oor and w at c hed M oses u nt il he h ad go n e i n t o t h e t aber n ac l e. An d i t c a m e t o p a s s , w h e n M o s e s e n t e r e d t h e t aber n ac l e, t h at t h e p i l l ar of c l ou d d es c en d ed an d s t ood at t h e d oor of t h e t aber n ac l e, an d t h e LOR D t alk ed w it h M oses. Al l t h e p e o p l e s a w t h e p i l l a r o f c l o u d s t a n d i n g a t t h e t aber n ac l e d oor , an d al l t h e p eop l e r os e an d w orship ed , eac h m an in his t ent d oor. S o t he LOR D sp ok e t o M oses f ac e t o f ac e, as a m an s p e a k s t o h i s f r i e n d . An d h e w o u l d r e t u r n t o t h e

c am p , bu t h i s s er v an t J os h u a t h e s on of N u n , a you n g m an , d i d n ot d ep ar t f r om t h e t aber n ac l e. Moses had a close relationship with the Lord. He was the leader of the Israelites, so God would speak to him often to instruct him. God would meet Moses in his tent where God would give him instruction in leading His people. When God spoke with Moses a pillar of cloud stood outside the tent door signifying God's presence. God spoke to Moses directly, just like you and I talk to a friend. Today God still wants to talk to each of us as a friend. He may not speak to us out loud in a voice we hear with our ears, but He speaks to us in other ways. Some of those ways are when we read the Bible, when we pray, through other people, and through our conscience. God wants to be our friend. If we respect and obey God, we can be in close fellowship with Him and experience all of His blessings. God desires to have a personal relationship with us. How do we begin that relationship? The Bible says that we have all sinned and are separated from God. The result of our sin is death and eternal separation from God. But God still loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. So He sent His son Jesus to die on the cross for us so we could enter back into relationship with God. So when we believe that Jesus died and rose again for our sins then we will have eternal life and we will begin a wonderful relationship with the Lord. EXOD U S 33:12-17 Then M oses said t o t he LOR D , "S ee, You say t o m e, 'Bring u p t his p eop le.' Bu t You hav e not let m e k now w hom You w ill send w it h m e. Yet You hav e said , 'I k n o w y o u by n am e, an d y o u h av e al s o f o u n d gr ac e i n M y s i gh t .'

"N o w t h er ef o r e, I p r ay , i f I h av e f o u n d gr ac e i n Yo u r s i gh t , s h o w m e n o w Yo u r w ay , t h at I m ay k n o w Yo u a n d t h a t I m a y f i n d g r a c e i n Y o u r s i g h t . An d c o n s i d e r t hat t his nat ion is You r p eop le." An d H e s a i d , " M y P r e s e n c e w i l l g o w i t h y o u , a n d I w i l l gi v e y o u r es t .” T h e n h e s ai d t o Hi m , " I f Y o u r Pr e s e n c e d o e s n o t go w i t h u s , d o n ot br i n g u s u p f r om h er e. "For h ow t h en w i l l i t be k n ow n t h at You r p eop l e an d I h av e f o u n d gr ac e i n Yo u r s i gh t , exc ep t Yo u go w i t h u s ? S o w e s h al l be s ep ar at e, You r p eop l e an d I, f r om all t he p eop le w ho are u p on t he f ac e of t he eart h." S o t he LOR D said t o M oses, "I w ill also d o t his t hing t h at y o u h av e s p o k en ; f o r y o u h av e f o u n d gr ac e i n M y s i gh t , an d I k n o w y o u by n am e." Moses knew the importance of having God’s instruction and presence with Him. Moses did not want to move without God. We should have the same attitude. We should always pray to know God's will so we can be sure He is with us and will bless our actions and protect us from harm. Moses also knew that it was important that other people see a difference in the Israelites because they were God's people. If the Israelites obeyed God, He would bless them and give them His promises and other nations would see God's miracles. If we do not allow God to work in us, we cannot bring others to God because they will see no difference in us. EXOD U S 33:18-23 An d h e s a i d , " P l e a s e , s h o w m e Y o u r g l o r y . "

T h en He s ai d , "I w i l l m ak e al l M y go o d n es s p as s bef or e you , an d I w i l l p r oc l ai m t h e n am e of t h e LOR D bef o r e y o u . I w i l l be gr ac i o u s t o w h o m I w i l l be gr ac i o u s , an d I w i l l h av e c o m p as s i o n o n w h o m I w i l l hav e c om p assion." Bu t He said , "You c annot see M y f ac e; f or no m an shall see M e, and liv e." An d t h e L O R D s a i d , " H e r e i s a p l a c e b y M e , a n d y o u shall st and on t he roc k . "S o i t s h al l be, w h i l e M y gl o r y p as s es by , t h at I w i l l p u t you in t he c lef t of t he roc k , and w ill c ov er you w i t h M y h an d w h i l e I p as s by. "Then I w ill t ak e aw ay M y hand , and you shall see M y bac k ; bu t M y f ac e s h al l n ot be s een ." Moses wanted to see God in all of His glory. Man cannot see God's face because God is Holy and man is sinful, but God would put Moses behind a rock and allow him to see His glory after He passed by him. God desires to have a personal relationship with us. The rock is a picture of Jesus. In our sinful state we cannot behold the glory of God, but if our life is hidden in Jesus then we can be in God’s presence. Jesus has given us a way to have a relationship with God. Jesus never sinned and because He can freely enter into God’s presence we can too when we go to Him through Jesus. God doesn’t want us to be afraid of Him. We can approach Him anytime as long as we do it the right way, through His Son Jesus. EXOD U S 34:1-4 An d t h e L O R D s a i d t o M o s e s , " C u t t w o t a b l e t s o f st one lik e t he f irst ones, and I w ill w rit e on t hese

t abl et s t h e w or d s t h at w er e on t h e f i r s t t abl et s w h i c h you br ok e. "S o be r ead y i n t h e m o r n i n g, an d c o m e u p i n t h e m orning t o M ou nt S inai, and p resent you rself t o M e t here on t he t op of t he m ou nt ain. " An d n o m a n s h a l l c o m e u p w i t h y o u , a n d l e t n o m a n be s een t h r o u gh o u t al l t h e m o u n t ai n ; l et n ei t h er f l oc k s n or h er d s f eed bef or e t h at m ou n t ai n ." S o h e c u t t w o t abl et s of s t on e l i k e t h e f i r s t on es . Then M oses rose early in t he m orning and w ent u p M ou nt S inai, as t he LOR D had c om m and ed him ; and h e t ook i n h i s h an d t h e t w o t abl et s of s t on e. God had written the Ten Commandments on stone before but Moses broke them when He saw the Israelites sinning. So Moses went up Mt. Sinai again by himself and took the two tablets to bring to the people. These tablets of stone eventually went inside of the Ark of the Covenant. EXOD U S 34:5-9 Then t he LOR D d esc end ed in t he c lou d and st ood w it h him t here, and p roc laim ed t he nam e of t he LOR D . An d t h e L O R D p a s s e d b e f o r e h i m a n d p r o c l a i m e d , "T h e LOR D , t h e LOR D G o d , m er c i f u l an d gr ac i o u s , l o n gs u f f er i n g, an d abo u n d i n g i n go o d n es s an d t r u t h , "k eep i n g m er c y f o r t h o u s an d s , f o r gi v i n g i n i qu i t y t r an s gr es s i o n an d s i n , by n o m ean s c l ear i n g gu i l t y , v i s i t i n g t h e i n i qu i t y o f t h e f at h er s u p o n c hild ren and t he c hild ren's c hild ren t o t he t hird t h e f o u r t h gen er at i o n ."

and the the and

S o M os es m ad e h as t e an d bow ed h i s h ead t ow ar d t h e eart h, and w orship ed . T h en h e s ai d , "If n o w I h av e f o u n d gr ac e i n Yo u r s i gh t , O Lo r d , l et m y Lo r d , I p r ay , go am o n g u s , ev en t h o u gh w e ar e a s t i f f -n ec k ed p eo p l e; an d p ar d o n o u r i n i qu i t y and our sin, and t ak e us as Your inherit anc e." God proclaimed His name to Moses and through this told Moses His nature (what He is like). Sometimes we think that God is different in the Old Testament then He is in the New Testament, but God is the same throughout the entire Bible. Here we see Him declare to Moses some of His traits that later are fully demonstrated in the Life of Jesus (who is God come in the flesh). We learn here that God is completely merciful and gracious, patient, full of goodness and truth. God forgives sin but does not let the guilty go unpunished. If you have ever wondered what God is like, here you have a description. Moses then asked for God's forgiveness for Israel's disobedience. The Bible says that God never changes; He is always the same. Here we see what God is like. Sometimes we might think of God as mad at us or upset because we have done something wrong. Here we see just the opposite. He is kind, loving and willing to put up with us for a long time. He is always willing to forgive us when we ask Him. We desire to serve Him because of the love that He has shown us. God desires to have a personal relationship with us.

EXOD U S 34:10-17 An d H e s a i d : " B e h o l d , I m a k e a c o v e n a n t . B e f o r e a l l you r p eop l e I w i l l d o m ar v el s s u c h as h av e n ot been d one in all t he eart h, nor in any nat ion; and all t he p eop le am ong w hom you are shall see t he w ork of t he LOR D . For it is an aw esom e t hing t hat I w ill d o w it h you. "Obs er v e w h at I c om m an d you t h i s d ay. Beh ol d , I am d r i v i n g o u t f r o m b e f o r e y o u t h e Am o r i t e a n d t h e C an aan i t e an d t h e Hi t t i t e an d t h e Pe r i z z i t e an d t h e Hi v i t e an d t h e J ebu s i t e. "Tak e heed t o you rself , lest you m ak e a c ov enant w i t h t h e i n h abi t an t s o f t h e l an d w h er e y o u ar e go i n g, l es t i t be a s n ar e i n you r m i d s t . "Bu t you s h al l d es t r oy t h ei r al t ar s , br eak t h ei r s ac r ed p i l l ar s , an d c u t d o w n t h ei r w o o d en i m ages "(f o r y o u s h al l w o r s h i p n o o t h er go d , f o r t h e LOR D , w hose nam e is J ealou s, is a j ealou s God ), "l es t you m ak e a c ov en an t w i t h t h e i n h abi t an t s of t h e l an d , an d t h ey p l ay t h e h ar l o t w i t h t h ei r go d s an d m ak e s ac r i f i c e t o t h ei r go d s , an d o n e o f t h em inv it es you and you eat of his sac rif ic e, "an d y o u t ak e o f h i s d au gh t er s f o r y o u r s o n s , an d h i s d au gh t er s p l ay t h e h ar l o t w i t h t h ei r go d s an d m ak e y o u r s o n s p l ay t h e h ar l o t w i t h t h ei r go d s . "Yo u s h al l m ak e n o m o l d ed go d s f o r y o u r s el v es ."

Here God gave His commandments to Israel; they were to stay separate from the other nations. They were not supposed to have as part of their practices, worship, or idolatry. God’s commandments are always for the sake of His people. By worshipping only God and not worshipping idols this would set apart Israel from all of the other nations that did worship idols. As Christians, we should live a life that is noticeably different than non-Christians. And we should worship nothing but God. We should have no idols, such as TV, money, popularity, etc. Is there something in your life that is more important than God? If there is then other people won’t be able to see the true and the living God in your life.

Cord of Three Strands You will need tongue depressors (three per child), rubber bands and markers. Write "Pray" on one, "Read Bible" on one, and "Obey" on one. Decorate with stickers, markers, rubber stamps, or whatever. Bind together with a couple of rubber bands. These can be taken home as a reminder. You may want to demonstrate how one stick is easily broken but three bound together (pass around three bound together so they can try to break them) are strong. These three habits instilled in a life will help to keep you strong and help you not to easily fall prey to the enemy. "The Feast of Unleavened Bread you shall keep. Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, as I commanded you, in the appointed time of the month of Abib; for in the month of Abib you came out from Egypt. "All that open the womb are Mine, and every male firstborn

among your livestock, whether ox or sheep. "But the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb. And if you will not redeem him , then you shall break his neck. All the firstborn of your sons you shall redeem. And none shall appear before Me empty-handed. "Six days you shall work, but on the seventh day you shall rest; in plowing time and in harvest you shall rest. "And you shall observe the Feast of Weeks, of the firstfruits of wheat harvest, and the Feast of Ingathering at the year's end. "Three times in the year all your men shall appear before the Lord, the LORD God of Israel. "For I will cast out the nations before you and enlarge your borders; neither will any man covet your land when you go up to appear before the LORD your God three times in the year. "You shall not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leaven, nor shall the sacrifice of the Feast of the Passover be left until morning. "The first of the firstfruits of your land you shall bring t o the house of the LORD your God. You shall not boil a young goat in its mother's milk." God also told Moses the feasts that they were to celebrate. There was the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Feast of Weeks, the Feast of Gathering, and the Feast of the Passover.

The Israelites were also supposed to dedicate their firstborn to God, to rest on the Sabbath, to give of the first fruits of the harvest and not to boil a goat in its mother's milk. The feasts were kind of like a big Thanksgiving family dinner. Every feast helped the Jews to remember something great that God had done for them. For example, the Feast of Passover would forever remind the people of God’s faithfulness in delivering them out of Egypt. What ways can we remember the great things that God has done in our lives? EXOD U S 34:27-28 T h en t h e LOR D s ai d t o M o s es , "Wr i t e t h es e w o r d s , f o r ac c ord ing t o t he t enor of t hese w ord s I hav e m ad e a c ov enant w it h you and w it h Israel." S o he w as t here w it h t he LOR D f ort y d ays and f ort y n i g h t s ; h e n e i t h e r a t e b r e a d n o r d r a n k w a t e r . An d H e w r ot e on t h e t abl et s t h e w or d s of t h e c ov en an t , t h e Ten Com m and m ent s. So Moses was on the mountain 40 days and 40 nights and God wrote the Ten Commandments again. Why do you suppose it was important for God to write down the Ten Commandments again? EXOD U S 34:29-34 N ow it w as so, w hen M oses c am e d ow n f rom M ou nt S i n ai (an d t h e t w o t abl et s of t h e T es t i m on y w er e i n Moses' hand when he c am e down from the m ou nt ain), t hat M oses d id not k now t hat t he sk in of his f ac e shone w hile he t alk ed w it h Him . S o w h e n Aa r o n a n d a l l t h e c h i l d r e n o f I s r a e l s a w M os es , beh ol d , t h e s k i n of h i s f ac e s h on e, an d t h ey w ere af raid t o c om e near him .

T h e n M o s e s c a l l e d t o t h e m , a n d Aa r o n a n d a l l t h e r u l er s o f t h e c o n gr egat i o n r et u r n ed t o h i m ; an d M oses t alk ed w it h t hem . Af t e r w a r d a l l t h e c h i l d r e n o f I s r a e l c a m e n e a r , a n d h e gav e t h em as c o m m an d m en t s al l t h at t h e LOR D had sp ok en w it h him on M ou nt S inai. An d w h e n M o s e s h a d f i n i s h e d s p e a k i n g w i t h t h e m , h e p u t a v eil on his f ac e. Bu t w h en ev er M os es w en t i n bef or e t h e LOR D t o sp eak w it h Him , he w ou ld t ak e t he v eil of f u nt il he c am e ou t ; and he w ou ld c om e ou t and sp eak t o t he c h i l d r en of Is r ael w h at ev er h e h ad been c om m an d ed . When Moses came down from the mountain, His face still shined from God’s glory. The Israelites saw Moses' face and were afraid. Then Moses gave the people the Law as God had instructed. Moses had to wear a veil so that his face would not shine but he took it off when he spoke to God. Just like Moses, our lives should shine because of God’s presence in our hearts. People should know that there is something different about us because of our relationship with Jesus. We need to remember that God is our friend and we can be close to Him by praying, reading the Bible, and obeying Him. God will speak to us and bless us just as He did Moses. God desires t o have a personal relationship with us. We also need to live a separated life by obedience to God, then God can work in us and bring glory to Himself so that others will believe.

Cream of the Crop Teacher brings mixer, bowl, whipping cream, sugar, and spoon. Have plastic spoons ready. Explain how cream is really just part of milk, but it rises to the top and becomes separate from the rest of the milk. It is then skimmed off the top of the milk and something very wonderful can be done with it. Teacher whips the cream adding the sugar at the last part of the whipping. Place a small portion on a spoon so that each child can have a taste. Explain that God desires His people to be separate, but it is always to bring out something wonderful in our lives.

PRAYER Lead the children in a prayer of thanksgiving that we can have a close relationship to the Lord just like Moses had. If there are any children who have not yet responded to the gospel, give them opportunity to do so.