During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset.
Exodus 17:11–12
God chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. Many times he had raised his staff and watched God do miraculous things. But this time it was too much. His arms were tired. He needed help.
Are your arms tired? Are you facing a task that feels too big or tiring to complete on your own? Who in your life can you ask to help you? Maybe someone has already offered to help but it is hard for you to accept it. If you are struggling to persevere in a difficult situation or task, ask someone for help this week. If you do not know who could help, ask God to show you. He wants to help you persevere.
Let families know that their children will be learning that others can help us persevere. Encourage them to talk about this question: how can friends help us persevere?
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Form groups of 5 children. Give each group 6 rags or pieces of paper. (If you do not have more than 6 rags available, have the groups take turns.) Tell them to imagine that there is a very wide river full of crocodiles running through the centre of the class area. The only safe way to cross this river of crocodiles is by using “boats,” the 6 rags or pieces of paper you gave them. Their task is to get their entire team from one side of the area to the other without falling into the river or being eaten by the crocodiles. Working as a team, they must figure out a way to transport all team members to safety. Make sure the “river” is wide enough for this to require that the children work together. Each group will try to come up with a different way to do the activity. Allow several minutes for the teams to work together to solve the problem.
If any teams cannot think of an idea, here are some ways the children might work together to get across:
When everyone is across the river, have the children sit with their teams to talk about the game.
All of you needed help from your teammates in order to get safely across. Today you will hear a Bible story about a well-known leader who needed help from his friends to persevere.
The Amalekites were enemies of God’s people, the Israelites. One day the Amalekites came to where the Israelites were living in the desert and attacked them. Moses was the leader of the Israelites, and Joshua was his second-in-command. Moses told Joshua to choose some men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Moses told Joshua, “Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
Optional: If possible, share the Action Bible image
Moses went to the top of the hill with his brother Aaron and his friend Hur while Joshua and his men fought the Amalekites. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning the battle. But when Moses put his hands down, the Amalekites were winning.
Have the children stand and hold their arms up over their heads. They can imagine they are holding a heavy wooden staff. Encourage them to keep their arms raised until they begin to hurt. You can continue the lesson while they keep their arms up. See who can hold her arms up the longest.
Tired, sore, shaky.
Let’s read directly from the Bible to find out how Moses persevered when his arms were tired.
Read Exodus 17:12–13 from your Bible. It is also printed here:
When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Exodus 17:12–13
With the help of Aaron and Hur, who held up his hands.
Moses was the leader of a large nation. The Israelites expected him to be strong. Yet even Moses needed help from others in order to persevere! Like Moses, we all need help sometimes to persevere. Asking someone for help is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of strength. It shows that you are wise. It shows you understand that you can do better with help.
Turn to a partner and tell him about a time when you needed someone else’s help to accomplish something. For example, you may have needed a teacher’s help to learn to read or a friend’s help when you fell and were injured.
Give the children 2–3 minutes to share with a partner. Then tell them about a time when you needed someone’s help.
It is important to accept help from others in order to persevere in difficult things. But it is also important to accept help from God. As I read Hebrews 13:5–6, listen for the name it uses to describe the Lord.
God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?”
Hebrews 13:5–6
God is powerful, wise, strong, and good. God does not want you to take on difficult situations on your own. He does not expect you to persevere by yourself. He promises to always be with you, and He wants to help you!
Listen as I read some situations where you might want to persevere but it is too difficult for you to handle alone. Who could you go to for help?
Pause after each situation for the children to think of who to ask for help. Allow 2 children to share after each one.
Now think about a difficult situation or task in your life. It may be similar to something we just talked about or something completely different.
Optional: If you are using Student Pages, the children can respond on those.
Pause for a minute for children to think quietly.
God is always with you. The Bible says He is our helper. If you want to ask for God’s help, spend a few minutes quietly telling Him about what you need help to persevere in. You might ask Him to help you have creative ideas so you know what to do. You might ask Him to help you have the courage to ask someone else for help. If you do not want to ask for God’s help, think about how asking for help from someone might help you persevere.
After the quiet time, ask the children to form a large circle. They will take turns naming difficult situations or tasks they want to persevere in. They may say something such as “I want to persevere in carrying my family’s water every day without complaining.” Assure your children that it is okay if they do not share.
Each time a child names a difficult situation or task, the class will respond by shouting together:
With God’s help and the help of others, you can do it!
Model this activity by sharing something you want to persevere in and leading the class in the response.
After everyone has had the opportunity to share, close class by praying this blessing based on Hebrews 13:5–6 over the children:
Blessing: May God, who is your good and powerful Helper, give you the humility, wisdom, and courage to accept help from others. May He provide people in your life who can help you persevere in difficult situations.
Lead the children in singing this quarter’s song, if possible.
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
