12.15.2024 | Moses Confronted Pharaoh
Exodus 5:1–6:13,28–12:42
Water turned into blood. Frogs, gnats, and flies covered the ground. Sores appeared all over the Egyptian peoples’ bodies. Natural disasters and locusts destroyed all the plants. Darkness covered the whole land.
The plagues were full of destruction and death. Someone might read that and wonder what the point was. Why did all of that terrifying stuff happen? As God was delivering the plagues to Egypt, He said to Pharaoh, “For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:15-16)
God used the plagues to make Israel trust Him and believe in Him as their God. God makes all things work together so people would see His power and believe in Him. This is God’s purpose in everything He does. This doesn’t mean that God causes bad things to happen. Remember, God is good and He’s not capable of being evil. Evil things happen because there is sin in the world, but God has power even over sin. While some kings may use their power to be harsh and terrorize their people, God has used His power to love us and send Jesus to save us!
Because of Pharaoh’s hard heart, Egypt suffered but God’s people were saved. Because of Jesus’ loving heart, He willingly suffered on the cross so we could be saved from sin. His blood saves us from our sin just as the Passover lamb’s blood saved the firstborn of the Israelites.
Memory Verse & Question
Family Prayer Time
Mornings
Ask God to give you a heart that is softened by His grace. Ask God to remind you how much He has loved you—even when you didn’t deserve it. How does remembering God’s love help us love Him and others as we should?
Evenings
Thank God for all the events of your day—the good and the bad. Thank Him for being powerful enough to use all things for His glory. Ask Him to give you faith to trust in His control when things aren’t as great as we expected and strength to praise Him when things are going better than we deserve.
Family Activities
For Fun
Play a game of “Plague Charades.” Write a few of the plagues or draw scenes that relate to the plagues (swatting flies, realizing you have sores on your arms, being caught in a thunderstorm). Tell a family member to draw a slip of paper and act out the scene while the rest of the family guesses. Review the plagues with your kids and talk about how God used these events to show His power and authority over creation and Pharaoh.
To Serve
Research the foods eaten at a traditional Passover Seder meal and prepare some of those dishes for your family. Invite another family to join you in partaking in the Passover meal. As you eat, talk about the symbolism of the foods and how the Passover meal points to Jesus.
