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Series 3:
Lesson 45: |
MOSES
THE HEBREW SERVANT |
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Passages to Study: Exodus 21:1-6; Deut. 15:12-18; Psalm 40:6.
To Read with the class: Exodus 21:1-6.
Memorization Text: Younger children - Mark 10:45.
Older children: Mark 10:45.
Note: These laws about slavery apply to customs of past centuries, and were very different
from those of today. Since slavery did exist, God demanded merciful treatment
of slaves and His intention was that eventually they would be set at liberty. The
story of Israel in Egypt is an example that shows His ideal was to bring an end to
slavery. It can be difficult for students today to accept that these conditions
existed in earlier times, when so much emphasis is placed on human rights. We have
chosen to focus this lesson on the slave who was married during his servitude and out of
love to his wife and children chose to renounce his right to freedom, thus “sacrificing”
himself for his own. In this he was like the Lord Jesus.
OBJECTIVES To teach:
1. That the devotion of the slave led him to remain with those he loved rather than go out
free.
2. That willing submission to perpetual servanthood is an example of what the Lord Jesus
did in submitting Himself to the Cross.
3. That “Christ also loved us and gave Himself for us”. Eph. 5:2.
4. That the servant’s body remained forever marked. The Lord Jesus also has scars on
His body.
5. That our eternal happiness depends upon the willingness of the Lord Jesus Christ to go
to the cross and suffer there for us.
SCENE No. 1. VISUAL AIDS. A city street, the front of the home of the creditor and a
young man who is being taken into service as a slave. Use additional figures to show the
work he would do i.e. carrying water and looking after domesticated animals.”
DEVELOPMENT:
Sug. One method of presenting this story is to describe a situation in which a debtor
gives his son as a slave to pay off a debt.
- The time he would serve as a slave was limited to six years.
Cns. This kind provision was so that slavery not be perpetual. God wants every human being
to be free.
- God wanted to teach His people that, having known slavery in Egypt, they were not to be
enslaved again in Canaan.
Cns. When the Lord Jesus became flesh, he did not come as a king or monarch but took on
Himself the “form of a (bond)servant”. Phil. 2:5-8.
SCENE No. 2. VISUAL AIDS: The inside of a house with the slave, his wife and children in
the presence of his master. The period of his service is about to end.
DEVELOPMENT:
- Throughout his six years of service, the slave has come to know the kindness of his
master.
- He now has a family made up of his wife and children.
- Since the day of his freedom is near, his master talks to the slave about his options.
1. He can go out alone. Or,
2. He can “die” to his liberty and remain with his wife and family.
Apl. See Ex. 21:5, “I will not go out free”. In the Garden of Gethsemane,
the Lord Jesus submitted Himself to the will of His Father, which led to His body being
scarred forever at His death on the cross.
- The future happiness of the wife and family depended on the decision of the slave.
Cns. Discuss with the students the feelings that the slave would have and then help them
to think about what it meant for the Lord Jesus to submit to the death of Calvary.
- Stress that this man’s decision was freely made because of his love to his
wife and family.
- The slave had to declare clearly and audibly the love that motivated him to give up his
liberty.
Apl. The Lord declared aloud His love to His own. John 15:9.
- Immediately afterwards the slave had to show the reality of his love by submitting to
something that would cause him suffering.
- His ear had to be pierced with an awl, leaving a mark both on his body and in the wood
of the doorpost, as witness to the decision he had taken.
Apl. Our eternal happiness is due to the willingness of the Lord Jesus Christ to go to the
cross and suffer for us.
Apl. The body of the Lord Jesus carries the marks of His suffering on the cross.
- The slave’s body carried the mark forever. The wood also was marked with the proof
of his love.
Apl. As a result of the work of the Lord Jesus in this world, there was left behind an
empty cross and an empty tomb. Nature itself was shaken as the earth quaked and the
rocks rent at His death.
SCENE No. 3. VISUAL AIDS. An empty cross, a teacher with a class of children or young
people and others of different ages and racial origins as examples of those who were
objects of the love of Christ. The text Rev. 5:9 could be written in large letters.
DEVELOPMENT:
- Because of Christ’s love for the Father, for the Church (His bride) and for
individual believers (the children), the Lord Jesus Christ did not go out free but
submitted willingly to the suffering of the cross. Isa. 53:11.
- People from every nation bless the name of Christ and sing praises to Him because He
voluntarily went to the Cross to save us. Heb. 10:7, 9-10.
NOTE: Today, the task of the Sunday School teacher and the evangelist is to “follow
the steps” of the Lord Jesus. Instead of going “free” and not being
involved in service for the Lord, they willingly submit to the Holy Spirit, and
because of their love for souls, they preach the gospel. 1 Cor. 9:16.
Sug. Ask the students to write what they think might have been the conversation between
the slave and his wife, after showing his love in this way. This will lead
them to think about the importance and significance of the sacrifice of Christ and of how
thankful we ought to be.
Cns. John 17:24-26. |
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