Lesson 22 - Elementary

Memory Verse

“I have chosen you”  (John 15:16).

Notes

Joseph’s Father Was Called Home to Heaven
After about 17 years of happiness in being near his son Joseph and the other sons, Joseph’s father was called to be with God. The brothers were still afraid Joseph would punish them for selling him. They seemed to think that Joseph was waiting until their father died to take revenge on them. But Joseph told them he had no thought of doing such a wrong thing. They had been unkind to him, but he was kind to them. Joseph was too good a man to want to be as unkind to them as they had been to him.

A New King Came
The king to whom Joseph had been brought, and who loved him and gave him a high position, died. A new king came who did not know Joseph and did not care for Joseph’s people. The king heard that there were very many of them and he said that he was afraid they might turn against him if there should be a war. He told his men to make them work too hard and it would make them weak, sick, and perhaps cause them to die. He also told them to kill the baby boys, because they might become soldiers and fight against him.

Joseph’s People Called on God to Help Them
The people suffered very much because cruel men made them work too hard, and their only hope was that God would somehow help them. God heard their call for help, as He always hears that call. He did not take them out of that place right away, but He was working out a plan that would be a great help to them later.

A Baby Was Placed in a Basket on the River
The cruel king wanted all the boy babies killed, but one mother planned to protect her baby. She prepared a basket that would keep the water out and that would float upon the water. She put it near the edge in the bushes so that it would not go too far out on the river. The baby’s sister stood near to see what would happen.

The king’s daughter and her friends came to the river to bathe, and they saw the basket on the water. She told someone to bring the basket to her. When she opened it, she saw a beautiful baby and heard the baby cry. That must have touched her heart; and although she saw he was one of the children her father told his men to kill, she did not want this baby killed.

The baby’s sister who was watching came near and asked if she should bring a nurse for the baby. The king’s daughter said she should get a nurse. The sister went and brought the baby’s own mother, but the king’s daughter did not know her.

After a few years, the boy was brought to the king’s palace to live. The king’s daughter, no doubt, loved him very much and called him “Moses,” which means, “drawn from the water.”

Moses Was Taught the Love of God
We are certain that Moses’ mother taught him when he was with her to love God and not to worship the idols the Egyptian people worshipped. God had a great work for Moses to do when he grew older. God knows just what every boy and girl will grow up to be, and He wants them all to work for Him. It is a good thing to begin while young and have many years to work for God.

Questions

1. How old was Moses when he was placed in the ark? [Exodus:2:2].
2. Who was watching baby Moses from afar? [Exodus:2:4].
3. Who was called to take the baby and care for him? [Exodus:2:8].
4. Do you thing God saw the baby in the basket? [Luke:12:6]; [Psalms:34:15].
5. Why were Moses’ parents not afraid to disobey King Pharaoh’s orders? [Hebrews:11:23].