Day 9: Passover and Exodus

"And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'" Then the people bowed down and worshped.  -Exodus 12:26-27

"The Lord is my strength and my defense, he has become my salvation.  He is my God, and I will praise Him, my father's God, and I will exalt Him."  -Exodus 15:2

Main Character:  Israelites
Scripture:  Exodus 12:1-15:21
Symbol:  Lamb

Our family has watched a lot of sporting events over the years.  Everyone seems to take the most joy out of the big games.  You know, those Super Bowls where your favorite team is playing their rival.  The Red Sox - Yankees in the playoffs.  Federer and Nadal facing off on the tennis court for Wimbledon glory.  The last round when Tiger and Phil Mickelson were separated by a shot.

I always find it interesting to see how these elite athletes respond to a high stakes challenge.  Even more interesting is their response when they win.  This lesson features Moses, one of the most well known men in the Old Testament, about to face one of the biggest challenges of his life.  To give you a little background, he has just finished confronting Pharaoh with the plagues.  Pharaoh is still unwilling to release the Israelites from slavery.

Moses is now about to have the biggest confrontation to date with Pharaoh.  The Holy Spirit had just passed through the land taking the lives of the first born of all people and livestock who had not participated in the Passover sacrifice.  Moses and God's people flee the country only to be hunted down by Pharaoh's army.  God truly provides by parting the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to escape and then closing it back together over the pursuing army.

The champion within Moses did appear during this encounter.  He trusted God and followed directions.  His teammates - the Israelites - grumbled and complained about whether or not God would come to their aid.  Moses reassured them and led them through this extremely frightening ordeal.

Now with this "win" under his belt, how would Moses respond.  Would he take all the glory?  Would he announce to the world that he was going to Disney?  Would he recite all the hours of work he had put in to make this moment possible?  This is where Moses' true character is displayed.  Chapter 15 shows us Moses and Miriam's response to God's incredible act.  They immediately start singing praise to God.  Not only were songs used to express thanks, it was also a way to pass down important oral traditions.  This is definitely a moment in time that they would like all future generations to remember.

Ponder Points:

• Talk about a victory you have enjoyed witnessing.  What made this moment so important?  How did the team or person respond to their victory?
• How do you respond when something good happens in your life?  Do you immediately thank God?
• Brainstorm some different ways that you can thank God.  Choose one to implement daily as a family.
• Notice how the Israelites immediately began to doubt God once they faced a difficult situation.  How do you respond when facing difficulty?  What can you learn from this lesson about doubting?