Pharoah's Hard Heart- The Exodus Series
Today in Calvary Kids, the kids learned the concept of hard hearts versus soft hearts in the simplest terms. Pharaoh represents someone who says no to God and is mean. The main point is that we should say yes to God, not no like Pharaoh did. God is stronger than mean people and Jesus helps us have good hearts.
Read Exodus 4:21-23; 5:1-23; 7:1-5
After receiving instructions from God, and signs to prove that he was sent from God, God told Moses that Pharaoh would refuse! It might seem odd that God would call Moses to speak to Pharaoh to free the people only to fail. But it was part of a bigger plan that God had. The more Pharoah would refuse, the more God could show His power which was the plan all along. God was going to use Pharaoh's hard heart to show everyone His amazing power. God lets people choose if they want to reject Him, and Pharaoh did and God knew that. God warned Pharaoh about the final plague from the very beginning - the death of the firstborn.
"Have you ever known someone whose heart got harder and harder against doing right? Maybe they lied once, then it got easier to lie again, then they couldn't stop lying? That's what happened to Pharaoh and his heart got harder each time he said no to God."
Moses and Aaron bravely walked right to Pharaoh! They delivered God's message exactly as God told them. We will read that Pharaoh will say no but it's just like how we are supposed to be faithful to share the gospel with other people (God's message) even though people might say 'no'. Pharaoh's response shows his heart was already against God: "Who is the LORD?" He didn't say "I don't know about the LORD" - he said "I don't know the LORD so I won't obey Him!" This is the difference between not knowing and refusing to know. Pharaoh was about to find out exactly who the LORD is! "It's like if you say 'You're not the boss of me!" to your parents. That attitude makes your heart harder and harder until you can't even hear what's right anymore."
Instead of things getting better after Moses came, they got WORSE! The Israelite slaves had to work even harder than before. Imagine Moses' confusion - "God, I obeyed You and now Your people are suffering more!" Sometimes when we do the right thing, it seems like everything goes wrong at first. But God had a bigger plan that Moses couldn't see yet. Have you ever done the right thing and it made things worse at first? Like when you tell the truth about something and get in trouble? Or when you stand up to a bully and they get meaner? God sees the whole picture even when we can't. But with God on our side we know that He works all things together for good, for those who love God (Romans 8:28)."
Moses was confused and upset and this wasn't what he expected! He basically asked God "Why are You making things worse?" It's okay to tell God when we're confused or upset - He understands and can send His Spirit to help you have peace. Moses had to learn that God's timing and methods are different from ours. We want things right away, but we have to be patient for God's timing. What looked like failure was actually the setup for God's greatest miracles in the Old Testament.
God had a purpose for Pharaoh's hard heart, to show His power to everyone! If Pharaoh had let them go immediately, people might have forgotten what God did for them. But through the plagues, the whole world would know the God of Israel is the true God Notice: "The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD" - even Israel's enemies would know! God would answer Pharaoh's question "Who is the LORD?" in a powerful way.
Remember from last week those signs that God gave to Moses to show that he was from God? Moses and Aaron get to show Pharaoh just a little bit of God's power but it wouldn't be enough to change Pharaoh's heart. Pharaoh's men were also able to make a snake appear (because the enemy does have power), but even in this small instance God showed that He was greater by having Aaron's snake eat the other snakes. Imagine that scene! "Sometimes God doesn't fix things right away and allows bad things to happen so more people can see His power and be saved. Like when someone is mean to you but you're kind back - everyone sees God's love through you. Or if someone is sick and God doesn't heal them right away because God is going to use that for a greater good. Pharaoh's hard heart led to millions of people learning about the true God!"
Think about Pharaoh's heart getting harder and harder. It started when he chose to be cruel to God's people. Then when God sent Moses, instead of listening, Pharaoh made it worse. Each time he said no to God, his heart got a little harder, until finally God said "Okay, if you want a hard heart, I'll let you have it completely." This is a warning to us - don't let your heart get hard! When you disobey your parents once, it's easier to disobey them again. When you lie once, it's easier to lie again. Each time you say no to what's right, your heart gets a little harder. But here's the good news - every time you say yes to God, your heart gets softer! And Jesus can heal or redeem any situation, so even though you might be in a bad habit of lying, or whatever it is, Jesus is there to restore and bring us back!
Christ Connection:
"Pharaoh's heart was too hard to let God's people go, but Jesus has the power to soften the hardest hearts and set people free from sin!"
1. Moses was sent by God to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 4:28) → Jesus was sent by God to deliver us from slavery to sin (Luke 4:18; John 8:36).
2. Moses obeyed God despite fear and feelings of weakness (Exodus 4:10-12) → Jesus obeyed perfectly, even when it led to the cross (Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 5:8).
3. God told Moses that Aaron would help him speak (Exodus 4:14-16) → Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would help His followers speak and share God's truth (John 14:26; Acts 1:8).
4. Moses performed signs and miracles to prove God's power (Exodus 4:1-9) → Jesus performed miracles to reveal God's power and confirm His identity (John 20:30–-31).
5. God told Moses that Pharaoh would resist (Exodus 7:3-5) → Jesus told His disciples that people would not listen (Matthew 13:13-15).
6. Moses was rejected by Pharaoh, even though he spoke God's truth (Exodus 5:1-2) → Jesus was rejected, even though He was the Truth (John 1:11; John 14:6).
7. Moses carried the staff of God as a symbol of divine authority (Exodus 4:17) → Jesus carried the cross, the ultimate symbol of God's power and victory (1 Corinthians 1:18).
8. Moses represented God's power to bring judgment (Exodus 7:4) → Jesus represents God's mercy to bring salvation (John 3:17).
9. "Israel is My son, My firstborn." (Exodus 4:22) → Jesus is the 'only begotten Son' (John 3:16) and the older shall serve the younger (Genesis 25:23, Romans 9:12)
Application:
1. Check your heart regularly - Is it getting hard about anything? Are you saying no to your parents more? Are you ignoring God's Word? Ask Jesus to keep your heart soft.
2. When things get worse before better, remember God might be setting up something amazing. Trust His timing even when it doesn't make sense.
3. Don't be like Pharaoh who asked "Who is the LORD?" in pride. Instead, humbly learn who God is through His Word and obey what you learn.
4. If you've been disobedient, stop now before your heart gets harder! Each time you disobey, it gets easier to disobey again. Break the cycle!
5. Pray for people with hard hearts - maybe someone in your family or school. Jesus can soften the hardest heart, so keep praying and don't give up!
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think God told Moses ahead of time that Pharaoh wouldn't listen? How would you feel if God told you someone wouldn't listen to you?
2. What made Pharaoh's heart hard? Was it just God, or did Pharaoh's own choices contribute?
3. Have you ever felt like Moses when things got worse after obeying God? What happened? How did it turn out?
4.What are some ways kids your age can get hard hearts? What warning signs should we watch for?
5. How is Jesus different from Pharaoh? How can Jesus help us when our hearts start getting hard?
Memory Verse:
“And I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt." Exodus 7:3
Read Exodus 4:21-23; 5:1-23; 7:1-5
After receiving instructions from God, and signs to prove that he was sent from God, God told Moses that Pharaoh would refuse! It might seem odd that God would call Moses to speak to Pharaoh to free the people only to fail. But it was part of a bigger plan that God had. The more Pharoah would refuse, the more God could show His power which was the plan all along. God was going to use Pharaoh's hard heart to show everyone His amazing power. God lets people choose if they want to reject Him, and Pharaoh did and God knew that. God warned Pharaoh about the final plague from the very beginning - the death of the firstborn.
"Have you ever known someone whose heart got harder and harder against doing right? Maybe they lied once, then it got easier to lie again, then they couldn't stop lying? That's what happened to Pharaoh and his heart got harder each time he said no to God."
Moses and Aaron bravely walked right to Pharaoh! They delivered God's message exactly as God told them. We will read that Pharaoh will say no but it's just like how we are supposed to be faithful to share the gospel with other people (God's message) even though people might say 'no'. Pharaoh's response shows his heart was already against God: "Who is the LORD?" He didn't say "I don't know about the LORD" - he said "I don't know the LORD so I won't obey Him!" This is the difference between not knowing and refusing to know. Pharaoh was about to find out exactly who the LORD is! "It's like if you say 'You're not the boss of me!" to your parents. That attitude makes your heart harder and harder until you can't even hear what's right anymore."
Instead of things getting better after Moses came, they got WORSE! The Israelite slaves had to work even harder than before. Imagine Moses' confusion - "God, I obeyed You and now Your people are suffering more!" Sometimes when we do the right thing, it seems like everything goes wrong at first. But God had a bigger plan that Moses couldn't see yet. Have you ever done the right thing and it made things worse at first? Like when you tell the truth about something and get in trouble? Or when you stand up to a bully and they get meaner? God sees the whole picture even when we can't. But with God on our side we know that He works all things together for good, for those who love God (Romans 8:28)."
Moses was confused and upset and this wasn't what he expected! He basically asked God "Why are You making things worse?" It's okay to tell God when we're confused or upset - He understands and can send His Spirit to help you have peace. Moses had to learn that God's timing and methods are different from ours. We want things right away, but we have to be patient for God's timing. What looked like failure was actually the setup for God's greatest miracles in the Old Testament.
God had a purpose for Pharaoh's hard heart, to show His power to everyone! If Pharaoh had let them go immediately, people might have forgotten what God did for them. But through the plagues, the whole world would know the God of Israel is the true God Notice: "The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD" - even Israel's enemies would know! God would answer Pharaoh's question "Who is the LORD?" in a powerful way.
Remember from last week those signs that God gave to Moses to show that he was from God? Moses and Aaron get to show Pharaoh just a little bit of God's power but it wouldn't be enough to change Pharaoh's heart. Pharaoh's men were also able to make a snake appear (because the enemy does have power), but even in this small instance God showed that He was greater by having Aaron's snake eat the other snakes. Imagine that scene! "Sometimes God doesn't fix things right away and allows bad things to happen so more people can see His power and be saved. Like when someone is mean to you but you're kind back - everyone sees God's love through you. Or if someone is sick and God doesn't heal them right away because God is going to use that for a greater good. Pharaoh's hard heart led to millions of people learning about the true God!"
Think about Pharaoh's heart getting harder and harder. It started when he chose to be cruel to God's people. Then when God sent Moses, instead of listening, Pharaoh made it worse. Each time he said no to God, his heart got a little harder, until finally God said "Okay, if you want a hard heart, I'll let you have it completely." This is a warning to us - don't let your heart get hard! When you disobey your parents once, it's easier to disobey them again. When you lie once, it's easier to lie again. Each time you say no to what's right, your heart gets a little harder. But here's the good news - every time you say yes to God, your heart gets softer! And Jesus can heal or redeem any situation, so even though you might be in a bad habit of lying, or whatever it is, Jesus is there to restore and bring us back!
Christ Connection:
"Pharaoh's heart was too hard to let God's people go, but Jesus has the power to soften the hardest hearts and set people free from sin!"
1. Moses was sent by God to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt (Exodus 4:28) → Jesus was sent by God to deliver us from slavery to sin (Luke 4:18; John 8:36).
2. Moses obeyed God despite fear and feelings of weakness (Exodus 4:10-12) → Jesus obeyed perfectly, even when it led to the cross (Philippians 2:8; Hebrews 5:8).
3. God told Moses that Aaron would help him speak (Exodus 4:14-16) → Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would help His followers speak and share God's truth (John 14:26; Acts 1:8).
4. Moses performed signs and miracles to prove God's power (Exodus 4:1-9) → Jesus performed miracles to reveal God's power and confirm His identity (John 20:30–-31).
5. God told Moses that Pharaoh would resist (Exodus 7:3-5) → Jesus told His disciples that people would not listen (Matthew 13:13-15).
6. Moses was rejected by Pharaoh, even though he spoke God's truth (Exodus 5:1-2) → Jesus was rejected, even though He was the Truth (John 1:11; John 14:6).
7. Moses carried the staff of God as a symbol of divine authority (Exodus 4:17) → Jesus carried the cross, the ultimate symbol of God's power and victory (1 Corinthians 1:18).
8. Moses represented God's power to bring judgment (Exodus 7:4) → Jesus represents God's mercy to bring salvation (John 3:17).
9. "Israel is My son, My firstborn." (Exodus 4:22) → Jesus is the 'only begotten Son' (John 3:16) and the older shall serve the younger (Genesis 25:23, Romans 9:12)
Application:
1. Check your heart regularly - Is it getting hard about anything? Are you saying no to your parents more? Are you ignoring God's Word? Ask Jesus to keep your heart soft.
2. When things get worse before better, remember God might be setting up something amazing. Trust His timing even when it doesn't make sense.
3. Don't be like Pharaoh who asked "Who is the LORD?" in pride. Instead, humbly learn who God is through His Word and obey what you learn.
4. If you've been disobedient, stop now before your heart gets harder! Each time you disobey, it gets easier to disobey again. Break the cycle!
5. Pray for people with hard hearts - maybe someone in your family or school. Jesus can soften the hardest heart, so keep praying and don't give up!
Discussion Questions:
1. Why do you think God told Moses ahead of time that Pharaoh wouldn't listen? How would you feel if God told you someone wouldn't listen to you?
2. What made Pharaoh's heart hard? Was it just God, or did Pharaoh's own choices contribute?
3. Have you ever felt like Moses when things got worse after obeying God? What happened? How did it turn out?
4.What are some ways kids your age can get hard hearts? What warning signs should we watch for?
5. How is Jesus different from Pharaoh? How can Jesus help us when our hearts start getting hard?
Memory Verse:
“And I will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt." Exodus 7:3
Posted in Calvary Kids