Seekers for Jesus: October- December 2022

By R.H. Boyd Publishing Corp.

Seekers for Jesus is a quarterly written especially for young people ages 12-14. In addition to introductory material and biblical exposition, each lesson contains a section to help students apply the lesson to life. Questions are interjected to gauge the student’s understanding of the presentation. It follows the International Uniform Sunday School Lesson Outline from the National Council of Churches.

• Language: English
• Publisher: R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation
• Release date: Aug 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781681679648

Book preview

Lesson

1

10/02/22

A Protective Family

Today's Scripture

Exodus Scripture 2:1–10

Background Background Scripture: Scripture

Exodus 2:1–10, 15–22

NRSV

NOW a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman.

2 The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months.

3 When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him, and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river.

4 His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it.

6 When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. This must be one of the Hebrews’ children, she said.

7 Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?

8 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Yes. So the girl went and called the child’s mother.

9 Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages. So the woman took the child and nursed it.

10 When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and she took him as her son. She named him Moses,because, she said, I drew him out of the water.

Key Verse:

The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. (Exodus 2:2, NRSV)

Today’s Word

In today’s lesson, Moses’ family went to great lengths in order to save him when he was born into an unfair and hostile world. There is a great deal of unrest in the world today just as there was during Moses’ time. While we might not all have been affected by what goes on in the world, we all need to feel the protective barrier that is provided by our families. We understand that our parents would do everything in their power to protect us. They love us and would do anything that they can for us.

It was the same for Moses. His mother loved him and wanted to protect him from the cruel laws that had been set down by the king of Egypt. That is why after Moses was born, she kept him hidden. After she could not hide him any longer, she took a drastic step to keep him safe, and she was successful! What made her attempt to protect Moses was her trust and faith in God. She knew that God would help her protect Moses. She loved her son, and she knew that God loved him also. Moses’ mother was willing to do anything in her power to keep her son safe and protect him from the unfair laws of the land. What would you do if you had faced a comparable situation as Moses’ mother? Would you be able to put your trust in God to help you keep your child safe? What better plan of protection can you find than the Lord!

I. Moses Is Born

Both of Moses’ parents were from the tribe of Levi. That is the tribe that would be chosen by God to be a family of priests for the people of Israel. The text for today tells us that Moses’ father was from the tribe of Levi and he married a woman from the same tribe. This family connection shows that God had plans for Moses and that He cared for him. Moses’ family was appropriate for their future calling to be the prophets and priests for the people of Israel. In other words, Moses’ birth was not an accident, and neither was God’s protection over him.

After he was born, Moses’ mother thought that he was wonderful and a perfect baby. This was not her first child. Moses had an older sister named Miriam. She was the eldest child in the family with Aaron being about three years older than Moses. Moses’ mother hid his birth from the authorities for three months because of the law that would have had Moses be put to death. When she could not hide Moses any longer, she placed him in a basket. The text in verse three considered it an ark made of bulrushes or reeds that grew near the river. His mother covered the basket with tar so that it would be water-tight, so it would float and not become water-logged and sink with Moses. This was another layer of protection for the baby Moses. By referring to the basket as an ark it is compared to the ark that Noah built that saved his family from a watery death (Genesis 7:1). This ark would save Moses from the same fate. Moses’ mother placed him in the prepared basket and placed it among the reeds near the river’s edge. His sister, Miriam, stood watch over the basket so that they would know what happened to the young baby.

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This was the area that the daughter of the Pharaoh frequently bathed at the edge of the river. Although they had other bathing areas, the area at the edge of the Nile River had special meaning. It was a sacred ritual that the Egyptians enjoyed. Pharaoh’s daughter did not come to bathe in the river alone. She brought along a group of her handmaidens. When she saw the ark, she sent one of her maids over to draw it in so she could see what was in the basket. This layer of protection came from the simple act of being curious. She opened the basket and saw the baby Moses who was crying. She also recognized that he belonged to the Hebrews. When they unwrapped the baby, they could see the mark of his circumcision and knew that he was a Hebrew. Circumcision was not strictly a Hebrew custom, other people did it; but they did not circumcise infants.

Although Pharaoh’s daughter claimed the baby because she felt compassion for him, she was not prepared to take care of him. That is when Miriam, who had been keeping watch, approached the woman and asked her if she would like for her to find a Hebrew woman to nurse and care for the baby for her. Since he was obviously a Hebrew child, who would know best how to care for him except a Hebrew woman. When the Pharaoh’s daughter agreed to get a woman to care for the child, Miriam got her own mother to nurse him. What the Pharaoh’s daughter did not know was that it was Moses’ own mother who would be nursing him. This was yet another layer of protection for Moses. His own mother would care for him and be able to see him