Teaching

That was an exciting Bible story we watched! God did some humanly impossible things to rescue His people. Our SuperVerse is found in Exodus 3:7:

“I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.”

What does oppression mean? Cruelty and suffering.

What is a taskmaster? Someone who places a heavy burden or workload on others.

Who is saying these words? God.

God was telling His people that He saw their terrible suffering, He heard their cries because of their cruel taskmasters, and He understood their sorrows.

That is why our SuperTruth says, “God sees, hears and understands me!” God created the whole universe, yet He loves each of us and cares about our needs.

Note: For Grades 1–3, you may omit reading the Bible verses below and simply discuss the concepts.

Point to your eyes and say:

God saw the Israelites in Egypt. He also saw Moses in the wilderness watching his flock of sheep. He knew where he was and appeared in the burning bush. God sees us, too!

Read Hebrews 4:13a:

Nothing in all creation is hidden from God.

Have children look up Psalm 139:1–3. Choose three children to each read one verse aloud:

¹OLord, You have examined my heart and know everything about me. ² You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I’m far away. ³ You see me when I travel and when I rest at home. You know everything I do.

Keep your Bibles open because we’ll read the next verse in a minute.

Point to your eyes again as you say:

God sees us no matter where we are or what we do! Point to your ears and say: God not only sees us but He hears us, too. God heard the Israelites’ cry for help. Have you ever had trouble hearing someone talk to you when there was a lot of noise? It’s hard isn’t it—sometimes impossible! Think of all the voices and sounds on Earth, yet God hears every word and prayer we speak.

Read Psalm 34:15:

The eyes of the Lord watch over those who do right; His ears are open to their cries for help.

Yes, God sees us and hears us!

Now let’s look at the next verse in Psalm 139. Have a child read verse 4 aloud:

You know what I am going to say even before I say it, Lord.

Wow, God not only hears our words, but our thoughts, too! Point to your eyes, then ears, then heart as you say:

God sees us, hears us—and He also understands us. Think about it—God created this gigantic universe, and we are just tiny little people on this big planet. Yet God loves us so much that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to live on Earth and experience everything we do in life and to be our Savior.

Read Hebrews 2:18:

Since He Himself has gone through suffering and testing, He is able to help us when we are being tested.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Now it’s time for our challenge activity. God set the Israelites free so they could serve Him freely! The Bible tells us in Galatians 3:22 that we are prisoners of sin. Prisoners sometimes wear chains, don’t they? The good news is that Jesus came to set us free from sin! Today, we will each make a paper chain to remind us that Jesus set us free from sin so we can freely serve God!


Pass out the Chain Link Challenge Patterns, scissors, and tape or stapler. Have children cut out the strips and write their names on the first link as shown. Display the sample chain you made and help them assemble the links in the correct order to make their own chains.

Link 8 says, “So if the Son sets you free, you are truly free.” Jesus died on the cross for our sins. When we ask Him to forgive us, He washes away everything we have ever done wrong, setting us free from guilt and fear and shame! We are then free to live for God and serve Him with all our hearts!

Take this chain home, and before we meet next time, do Challenge #1 and tear off that link. What does Challenge #1 say? Ask God to show you people you can help by doing a task or chore to relieve their burdens.

Next time, I’ll ask who remembered to do it—and what happened when you did!