In this lesson, children learn that God is stronger than anyone who tries to stop His plans, even a powerful king. Exodus 7 is a good fit for children ages 5 to 11, and you can teach it in 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God keeps His promises, and nobody can stop Him from doing what He says. Even when people refuse to listen, God is still in charge.
Memory Verse
Exodus 7:5
The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand on Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”
(WEB)
Have the children hold both hands up high, then slowly open their fingers wide like a big stretch. Say the verse together while they make the stretching motion each time you say “stretch out my hand.”
The Story: Exodus 7 for Kids
God spoke to Moses and said, “I have made you like God to Pharaoh. Your brother Aaron will be your helper and will speak for you.” Moses was already eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three. They were not young, but God was ready to use them anyway. God wanted Pharaoh to let His people, the Israelites, go free.
Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. God told Aaron to throw his stick on the ground in front of the king. The stick became a snake! Then Pharaoh called his wise men and sorcerers, and they threw down their sticks too. Their sticks became snakes as well. But Aaron’s snake swallowed up all of their snakes. Even so, Pharaoh’s heart was stubborn, and he would not listen.
God told Moses to go to the river early in the morning, where Pharaoh went to the water. God said, “In this you shall know that I am the LORD.” Moses lifted up his stick and struck the water of the river. Right away, the water turned into blood. The fish in the river died, and the river began to smell bad.
The Egyptians could not drink the river water, so they dug holes around the river to find water to drink. The blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh still did not listen. He went back into his house and did not even think about what had happened.
The seven days after God struck the river passed. The people of Egypt had a very hard week, but the lesson for us is clear: God’s plans always move forward.
Read It Together
Exodus 7:1-2
1 The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I have made you as God to Pharaoh; and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you; and Aaron your brother shall speak to Pharaoh, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
(WEB)
Point out that God chose Moses and Aaron and told them exactly what to say. Ask the children how it might feel to be given a job by God, even when you feel small.
Exodus 7:14-16
14 The LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is stubborn. He refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning. Behold, he goes out to the water; and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand. 16 You shall tell him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness:” and behold, until now you haven’t listened.
(WEB)
Show how God told Moses ahead of time what Pharaoh would do and what Moses should say. Help the children notice that God was never surprised by Pharaoh’s choices.
Exodus 7:20-21
20 Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood. 21 The fish that were in the river died; and the river became foul, and the Egyptians couldn’t drink water from the river; and the blood was throughout all the land of Egypt.
(WEB)
Point to the big change that God made happen when Moses obeyed. Ask the children to notice that God’s power was seen by everyone watching, including the servants of Pharaoh.
Talk About It
- What did God tell Moses that he should say to Pharaoh?
- Why do you think Pharaoh would not listen, even when he saw the amazing things God did?
- How did Aaron’s stick show that God is stronger than the wise men and sorcerers?
- What is one thing that might feel hard for you to do, and how could you trust God while you do it?
- Why do you think God wanted the people in Egypt to know that He is the LORD?
Activity Ideas
Snake Stick Craft
Give each child a paper towel tube, green or brown paper, tape, and markers. Let them wrap the tube in paper, draw a snake face on one end, and tape a paper tongue to the other. As they make it, talk about how Aaron’s stick became a snake because God made it happen. Encourage them to take the stick home as a reminder that God is powerful.
Stop the Pharaoh Game
Set up a simple line of chairs to be the “Pharaoh’s palace.” One child plays Pharaoh and sits at one end, while the others try to walk across the room to reach the far wall, which is “freedom.” Pharaoh can say “No!” and wave a pretend hand to block them, but each time the group finds another way across. End by reminding the children that no one can keep God’s people from being free when God is with them.
Stretch Out Your Hand Card
Give each child an index card and a crayon. Have them trace their own hand on the card and write the memory verse across the bottom. Ask them to take it home and show it to a family member at dinner, then say the verse together. This helps the lesson continue beyond class time.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God’s word is always fulfilled, even when human leaders resist it. Pharaoh’s hardened heart is a sober reminder that repeated refusal to listen can make a person less and less willing to change. The signs God gave were meant to show His power and to make clear that He is the LORD.
Avoid overstating to children that God makes people do bad things. The text describes Pharaoh’s stubbornness as his own refusal, and the story is best taught as God’s faithfulness and power, not as a puzzle about who controls whose heart.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You that You are stronger than anything. Help us to trust You when things feel hard, and help us to listen when You speak to us. Thank You that Your plans always come true. Amen.
