Exodus - Lesson 1
The Bible is a history book, not a storybook. Therefore, it doesn’t give us all the details that a story would. Any details it does include are important. It is easy to forget that these were real events that happened to real people just like us. All of the stories in the Bible are true. They really happened!
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To help us understand God’s Word better, it is important to think about what we are reading and to ask good questions. For instance, in the book of Exodus in the Bible, what was it like for the Israelite people who lived as slaves in Egypt? What kind of thoughts did they have? How did they feel? What would it have been like to be one of them? Let’s find out.
Words to Know:
Israelites = Hebrew
Eema = mother
Abba = father
Please read Exodus 1. The Bible says that there were many Israelites. They had big families. Another name for the Israelites was Hebrews. When a new king in Egypt took over the country, he didn’t know how Joseph, an Israelite, had saved Egypt during the years of famine. He only saw Israelites everywhere, and he was very afraid. If the Israelites ever turned against the Egyptians and left Egypt, it could destroy the country!
So, the king came up with a plan to keep that from happening. He would make them slaves! If he worked them hard, they wouldn’t have the energy to fight Egypt, and the hard work would kill many of them and keep the Israelite families from growing even larger. However, his plan didn’t work. The Israelite families grew faster than ever!
When the first plan didn’t work, Pharaoh came up with another plan. He told the Israelite midwives, the women who helped pregnant women give birth, to kill all the baby boys when they were born. The midwives knew that killing babies was wrong, and they knew doing that would make God angry. So, the midwives did not do what Pharaoh said, and the Israelite families continued to multiply.
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When the first two plans did not work, Pharaoh came up with one more. He told the Egyptian soldiers that they were to throw every Hebrew boy that was born into the Nile River!
Now that we know what the Bible says, let’s ask some questions. What would it have been like to grow up as an Israelite in Egypt during those years? What fears did the children have? What did they think about most? If the parents worked hard as slaves all day, how would they act at home? Would children have to work too? Would they get to play? Did any baby boys survive? If so, how did they survive?
Now, let’s use what the Bible tells us and also our imaginations to try to answer those questions…
Shamira woke up when she heard her mother building up the fire to prepare their early meal. She left the sleeping mat she shared with her younger siblings, being careful not to wake them. Shamira quickly put on her sandals and grabbed the water jar. She quietly opened the door and slipped outside into the dim light of the early morning to run to the well. Now that she was eight years old, it was her job to fill the water jar each morning and evening. As she hurried to the well, her friend Miriam caught up to her, asking anxiously, “Has your mother’s baby come yet?”
Shamira shook her head. “No, but it could come at any time. I’m so scared Miriam. What if the baby is another boy?” Shamira still remembered the day her baby brother Amos had died. He had been the first one to die, but he wasn’t the last. That was the day that the Israelites had learned of Pharaoh’s new plan. It had been two years ago, but when Shamira shut her eyes at night, she still had nightmares about that day.
Miriam hugged her friend. “I know. I’m worried about our baby too. My Eema let me feel it moving, but she says the baby won’t come for a few more weeks. Sometimes, at night, I hear her crying. She and Abba never smile or laugh anymore. It is always sad at our house now. I hope the baby is a girl. Maybe, then, they will learn to smile again.”
Shamira nodded. “My Eema cries too. I can tell she and Abba are worried. When I see how worried they are, it makes me even more frightened than before.” Miriam only nodded in agreement as the two girls parted company.
Shamira’s father was still in bed when Shamira returned with the water. Her mother was bending over him, rubbing healing ointment into the wounds in his back. Her father was a brickmaker, like so many other Israelite men. If the Egyptians decided he wasn’t working hard enough, they would whip him. Her father worked hard, but he had been sick for days, and he was weak and tired easily. His back was filled with whip wounds that had no time to heal.
When her father got up to eat breakfast, Shamira could see that he looked worse than the day before. She wished that there was something she could do for her father. After he left for the brick kilns, her little brother, Eliezer, asked her, “Why is Abba going to work if he is sick?” Shamira sighed, “Because we are Israelites, and we are slaves of the Egyptians.” Eliezer looked puzzled. “What is a slave?”
Shamira thought for a minute, and then answered, “Slaves are people who have to do what other people tell them, including working even if they are sick or tired. If they don’t do what they are told, they will be punished.” Eliezer stamped his foot, “I don’t want to be a slave.” Shamira smiled sadly, “No one wants to be a slave, but that is what we are. Many years ago, God promised that He would deliver us one day. Maybe we will be alive when that happens. If so, one day you will get your wish, and you won’t be a slave anymore.”
Since Shamira’s mother was tired with the baby she was carrying, Shamira took care of her younger siblings. After all, that was her job. She was the oldest, and her parents had told her over and over, “Shamira means protector. You must be the protector of your younger siblings, especially your younger brother.” Eliezer was five now, but Shamira never stopped worrying that if the soldiers saw him, they would take him as they had taken her baby brother Amos.
After they had eaten breakfast, Shamira set them to work on their chores. Leah was six, and she was a big help with three-year-old Chaya, who was full of life just like her name said. It was hard to keep Chaya calm and quiet, but with a new baby coming, she had to be taught quickly. If the baby was a boy and she said the wrong thing around the wrong people… Shamira couldn’t bear to think about what would happen. Shamira’s worries made it hard to be patient with the little girl who often rebelled against her sister’s commands. Chaya adored calm, quiet Leah, though, and willingly obeyed her.
The little ones didn’t know about the new baby. It was too dangerous. Eema was trying to hide the fact that she was expecting a baby from as many people as possible. It was safer to keep such things secret. Since her belly had grown too big to hide, she rarely left the house. If no one knew she was expecting, they wouldn’t come looking for the baby when it was born.
Shamira was proud to be considered old enough to be sent on errands alone. She was also glad that her parents had said she could tell Miriam about the baby. She needed to share her thoughts and fears with someone. She couldn’t share them with her parents. That would only make them sadder.
When her father arrived home, Shamira had the evening meal ready. Her parents were always tired, but her Eema seemed worse than usual. She didn’t even smile at Chaya’s silly chatter. Shamira watched her carefully. When she saw Eema’s hand move to her stomach, she was sure the baby was coming. Her father noticed too. “Shamira, as soon as it is dark, I want you to take your brother and sisters to Miriam’s house and let her mother know to come right away. Be very careful.”
Shamira answered quickly, “Yes Abba.” As soon as her siblings finished eating, she hurried through the evening work. Then, telling them that they were going on an adventure and must be very quiet, she led her siblings down the dark street to Miriam’s house, holding tightly to Eliezer’s hand and watching sharply for Egyptian soldiers. Despite the darkness, they carried no lantern. They couldn’t risk anyone seeing Eliezer. She knocked quietly. As soon as Miriam’s mother saw her, she asked, “Is it time?” At Shamira’s nod, she quickly left to go help with the birth.
Miriam and Shamira got the little ones settled for the night. It was hard to get Eliezer and Miriam’s younger brother, Aaron, to settle down. They were too excited about having another boy around. The girls told the children a bedtime story and sang a lullaby until the three younger children fell asleep. Leah was still wide awake. She asked, “Is Eema having a baby? Is that why we are here tonight?” Shamira nodded, “Yes, Leah.” Leah began to cry softly, “What if it is a boy?” Shamira wouldn’t let herself cry. She had to be strong for her little sister. She was the protector. “Hush, Leah. Don’t wake the little ones. If it is a boy, we will hide him.” She softly rubbed her sister’s back, humming and whispering in turns until at last Leah fell asleep. She wished there was someone who could soothe her to sleep. Instead, she lay awake worrying for many hours.
In the morning, they met their new brother, Raz. Shamira decided that her parents had chosen the perfect name. Raz was their secret. He was a beautiful baby. They all loved him, but especially Eliezer. He would sit and watch Raz for hours, telling him all the fun things they would do together when Raz was big enough.
The secret lasted for 57 days. Then, the soldiers came in the middle of the night. There wasn’t time to hide Raz. Shamira watched with a heavy heart as her greatest fears came true. Two of the soldiers held her father while another roughly took Raz from his mother’s arms. Shamira wanted to help Raz, but she couldn’t. She had to keep the soldiers from noticing Eliezer, or they might take him too. The moment the door had burst open, she had put herself in front of Eliezer, warning him quietly but firmly, “Don’t move.” She stood in front of her brother, with her arms around her little sisters who were sobbing and shaking in fear, and watched helplessly as the soldiers left with their baby brother. Her parents ran out into the night after them, pleading for the soldiers to stop.
When their parents returned, they carried little Raz, but he was no longer breathing. He had been drowned just like Amos. Her parents hadn’t been able to save him. The sorrow in the room was deep and heavy. When the other children saw him, they clung to Shamira, crying loudly, especially Eliezer. Shamira knew she had to be strong for their sakes. But, as she felt the violent sobs shaking one brother, and stared at the unmoving body of her other brother, she cried out to God silently, “Why did you let him die? When will you keep your promise and set us free? Have you forgotten us? Do you see what is happening? Do you care?”
Have you ever asked God questions like that? Sometimes, it feels like God has forgotten us, but He hasn’t. God sees, and God cares. Most importantly of all, God always keeps His promises.
Would you like to know how God kept His promise to the Israelites? In the lessons to come in this series, we will see the amazing way that God kept His promise to free the Israelites!
Written for Children’s Bible Ministries by Liane Lindauer
Illustrated by Dan Johnson