Hello boys and girls, this is Aunt Frenita and we're studying Lesson One
"Stronger Than Egypt's Idols"
The message is: God is working to reach my heart.
The memory verse is from Psalm 86, verse 10. It says...
“You are great and do marvelous deeds; you alone are God”
Tara was glad to be on break from school and looked forward to sleeping, playing and watching TV as much as she wanted.
However, shortly after breakfast, Mom called her to clean the bird’s cage.
Tara didn’t want to but she decided to obey.
Throughout the day, Mom gave her various tasks which gave her many chances to obey or disobey.
Our story today is about a man who got many chances to obey God but who kept disobeying.
The cool, early morning breeze ruffled Moses’ beard
as he and his brother Aaron stood quietly by the great river Nile.
“Here he comes,” Moses said softly.
“What do you two want now?” Pharaoh growled as he arrived at the riverside.
Moses stepped forward.
“The Lord, the God of all and also of the Hebrews, has sent me to say, ‘Let My people go.’
"The Lord says, ‘You are going to find out that I am the Lord.’"
“I will hit the water of the Nile with this staff, and the river will turn to blood."
"The fish in it will die, and the river will stink."
"The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.”
It happened just as God had said.
Everywhere in Egypt, water turned to blood.
Even water that was stored in pots in people’s houses.
But Pharaoh would not let God’s people go.
He did not want to give up his slaves.
After all, they had been slaves in Egypt for almost 400 years.
“Go to Pharaoh again,” the Lord said.
“Tell him I will send millions of frogs to Egypt."
"Frogs will be everywhere!"
"They will even be in people’s bedrooms."
"They will be even in their beds!”
Moses told Pharaoh the words of the Lord.
It happened just as Moses said.
The frogs were everywhere, and they made the Egyptians crazy!
“Get rid of these frogs, and I will let your people go!” Pharaoh shouted at Moses.
So the Lord ended the plague, and all the frogs died.
But Pharaoh did not let the people go.
The Lord spoke to Moses again.
“Tell Aaron to hit the dust with his staff."
"The dust will turn into gnats.”
Aaron did.
And suddenly the land of Egypt was filled with a fog of tiny, irritating gnats.
The little gnats covered the Egyptians and all their animals.
The gnats drove the Egyptians crazy!
Pharaoh still would not let God’s people go.
The Lord spoke to Moses again.
“Tell Pharaoh if he refuses to let My people go, I will send swarms of flies to Egypt."
"The houses will be filled with them. The ground will be covered with them."
"But there will be no flies in Goshen where My people live."
"I am the Lord, and I have power even in the heart of his land!”
Moses told Pharaoh the words of the Lord. And it happened just as God had said.
“Get rid of these horrible flies!” Pharaoh shrieked.
“I will let your people go!”
So the Lord made the flies disappear.
But Pharaoh would not let God’s people go.
The Lord tried to reach Pharaoh’s heart five more times.
He tried to show Pharaoh that He was the true God.
The Egyptians worshipped many gods,
and the Lord used each plague to show Pharaoh that there was only one true God.
All the Egyptians’ horses, donkeys, camels, cows, and sheep died.
The Egyptians worshipped a bull god and a cow god.
The animals of the Israelites did not die.
Next, horrible, painful sores appeared on the Egyptians.
They worshipped a lion-headed god that was supposed to have power over disease.
Then the Lord sent a huge hailstorm.
It destroyed all the crops and every tree.
The Egyptians worshiped a sky god and a god of storms.
The hail did not fall where the Israelites lived.
Then the Lord covered all of Egypt with locusts.
The locusts ate every green thing left in the land!
They even filled the houses.
The Egyptians’ god of crops could not save them.
Finally, a deep, terrible darkness covered Egypt for three days.
Their sun god could not help the Egyptians.
But there was light where the Israelites lived.
The Lord had now given Pharaoh nine opportunities.
Count them. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine.
Nine opportunities to see that He was the only one true God.
He had tried over and over to speak to Pharaoh in a way he could understand.
He would try one more time.