The 10 Commandments

1/21/2025

The Israelites are now on their journey to the promised land. They are camping near Mt. Sinai. In this story, God promises Moses and the children of Israel that if they will obey the Lord, they will be His treasured people. The Israelites promise they will.

God knew the Israelites would need to know HOW to obey the Lord. God gave them a very clear set of instructions known as the Ten Commandments. If the people followed these instructions perfectly, they would be blameless before the Lord.

Memory Verse

Mark 12:29-31 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Songs

Books of the Old Testament
The B.I.B.L.E.
He’s Got The Whole World in His Hands
Sons of Jacob Song
Baby Moses
My God is So Big
Pharoah, Pharoah, Let My People Go
Go Down Moses
10 Commandments Song
Humble Yourself in the Sight of the Lord
Make Me an Instrument of Your Peace
Jesus, Lamb of God

Story

Begin Class with Songs, Games, Table Activity, or Sharing Time

Open Class in Prayer

Introducing the Story Ideas
1. What Pleases the Lord?
Ephesians 5:10 says to: find out what pleases the Lord. Brainstorm things that please the Lord and things that displease the Lord. For younger children you may say, things that make God happy and things that make God sad. Ask the children how they know what makes God happy or sad? Imagine if you wanted to please God but you didn't really know how. Our story today was how God taught the Israelites how to please him.

2. Red Light, Green Light
Play a few rounds of a red light, green light. You can read the rules here. After the game, connect it to the story. SAY: In the Bible, there were things God said STOP to and things he said Go to. Introduce the idea of rules or boundaries. Lead a discussion about why we have rules or boundaries. Do they protect us? Do they teach us right and wrong? You can use the example of stop and go lights. What if no one paid attention and went whenever they wanted to? What could happen? Would it be safe to drive on the roads?

Story: In this story, we learn about how God began to teach the Israelites how to be his people. If they were going to be his people, he wanted them to know what pleased him and what displeased him. Even more than that, God made a list of commandments (or rules) to protect His children from the consequences of sin.

SHOW the power point Moses at Mt. Sinai or read Exodus 19-24.
EMPHASIZE that: