Title: The Last Plague
Scripture: Exodus 11-13
Target Age Group: 3rd-5th grade
Main Point: God’s people are saved by the blood of the Lamb
Supplies: Marker board and markers
Lesson Opening: Our God is Just
Ask: Does anyone know what the word justice means? (To treat someone or something fairly).
Ask: Can anyone think of an example of someone receiving justice? (Being punished when we do something wrong, a criminal being put in jail, etc.)
Say: God is a just God. That means that when we do something wrong (sin) He will never sweep it under the rug. God doesn’t turn a blind eye to sin and evil in the world, just like He didn’t turn a blind eye to the sins of the Egyptians. God takes sin seriously, but He also provides a way for His people to be saved!
Say: In today’s lesson we will hear about God’s justice towards Egypt and the Israelites, and how He provided a way of salvation for His people.
Tell the Story
Say: God had sent 9 plagues upon Egypt to demonstrate His mighty power so that His name would be made great. But Pharaoh refused to free the Israelites from slavery. His heart was hard towards God! Moses had warned Pharaoh that there was one final plague coming, and it would be worse than the first nine. Let’s read from God’s Word to find out what this plague would be.
Read Exodus 11:4-6: “So Moses said, ‘This is what the LORD says; ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again.”’
Ask: Who can tell me what the final plague is? (Allow time for kids to respond.)
Say: That’s right. The firstborn son in every Egyptian family would die.
Ask: Why do you think God would do this to the Egyptians? (Allow time for kids to respond.)
Say: Our God is a just God. That means that He takes sin very seriously and punishes those who harden their hearts against Him. God had every right to punish the Egyptians for refusing to obey Him. By sending the first nine plagues God had put His power on display for Egypt to see, yet they still remained disobedient. Now God would show His justice.
Say: God had a special task for the Israelites in order to spare them from this final plague. Each Israelite family was to take a one-year old, unblemished lamb and slaughter it. They were to eat the meat along with a special meal of bitter herbs and bread without yeast. Then God gave them some other interesting instructions. Let’s read God’s Word and as we do, listen to see if you can hear what God’s instructions were to His people.
Read Exodus 12: 7, 12-13: “Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn—both men and animals—and I will bring judgment on all of gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.”
Ask: What did God tell them to do with the lamb’s blood? (Allow time for kids to answer.)
Say: That’s right. He instructed them to put the blood on their doorframes. When God moved through Egypt, He would see the blood and the firstborn sons within those homes would not be killed. God was showing His great mercy on His people!
Say: Did you know that even today God’s people are saved by the blood of a lamb? Jesus is just like the unblemished lambs that the Israelites were to use on Passover night. But we don’t put Jesus’ blood on our doorframes do we? Instead, when we trust in Jesus to save us from our sins, we are in a sense covered by His blood and are saved! Now, when God brings judgment, rather than face punishment, God passes over us and forgives our sins.
Say: That night God moved through Egypt and just as He had said, all the firstborn sons died, including Pharaoh’s own son.
Read Exodus 12:31: “During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Up! Leave my people you and the Israelites! God, worship the Lords as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said and God. And also bless me.’”
Say: Finally Pharaoh relented and allowed the Israelites to leave Egypt. It might seem like this is the end of the story, but it’s really just the beginning of the story of God leading His people to their own land. We’ll hear more about it in the coming weeks
Review Questions
- What did God require the Israelites to do to be saved? (Put lamb’s blood on their doorframes.)
- What did the Israelites put on their doorframes? (Blood from a slaughtered lamb.)
- What happened in the homes that didn’t have blood on the door? (The firstborn child died.)
- How is the blood on the doorframes like Jesus’ blood shed on the cross?
Learning Activity 1: Chain Story
Supplies: None
- Have kids sit in a circle. Choose one person to start telling the story using only one sentence. The next kid will continue the story using one more sentence. Go around the circle until the whole story has been re-told.
Learning Activity 2: Covered by the Blood
Supplies: Marker board and marker
- Draw a large doorframe on the board and ask what it was that God told the Israelites to spread across their doorframes.
- Say: Sometimes we think that we can be saved by the things we do or the way we act. We wrongly believe that if we’re just good enough we can earn our salvation from God. [Write “Be Good” on the doorframe.]
- Say: We might even think that if we read our Bible enough that God will be happy with us and forgive our sin. [Write: “Read Bible” on the doorframe.]
- Ask: What are ways that you can think of that we try to earn God’s favor and salvation? [Write their answers on or around the frame.]
- Ask: Who remembers the main point from today’s lesson? (God’s people are saved by the blood of the Lamb.) Explain that the only way we can be truly forgiven of our sins and avoid God’s judgment is if we put our trust in Jesus. It doesn’t matter how hard we try, if we aren’t covered with the blood of Jesus, there is no way that we can stand before God. [Erase the other things the kids thought of and write “Blood of the Lamb.”]
- Pray that the kids would trust Jesus to forgive their sins.