Lesson Overview for ADULTS
Exodus 20:1-17 teaches about the Ten Commandments that God gave to Moses and the Israelites at Mount Sinai. After God had rescued His people from slavery in Egypt and brought them into the wilderness, they needed guidance on how to live together as His chosen people. God knew that rules were necessary to help them live in harmony with Him and with each other. The Ten Commandments served as divine instructions that would protect the community and establish proper relationships between people and their Creator.
These commandments were not given to restrict the Israelites’ freedom but rather to provide a framework for true freedom and flourishing. The first four commandments focus on their relationship with God (worshipping Him alone, avoiding idols, honoring His name, and keeping the Sabbath holy). The remaining six commandments address how they should treat one another (honoring parents, protecting life, maintaining faithfulness in marriage, respecting others’ property, telling the truth, and being content with what they have). Through these commandments, God was teaching His people that love for Him naturally flows into love for others, creating a society built on trust, respect, and mutual care.
Opening Activity: Stone Tablet Writing Practice 10:15-10:30 a.m.
Items Needed
- Coloring Page
- Crayons
- Gray construction paper cut into tablet shapes, chunky crayons, tracing sheets with simple numbers 1-10.
Activity: Children practice writing numbers 1-10 on their “stone tablets” while counting the commandments and developing fine motor skills.
Bible Verse Game: Follow the Leader (10:30-10:40 a.m.)
Materials Needed:
Play follow the leader. Start by going over the rules. Start with easy movements like “hop like a bunny” or “walk like a duck.” When someone doesn’t follow the rules, stop and talk about how rules help us know the right way to go. If time allows, let all children to have a turn being the leader.
Song and Movement (10:40-10:50 a.m.)
Before playing the song the first time, teach the kids the words “Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe” and then “Doing exactly what the Lord commands, doing it happily.”
Then play the song 2-3 times to practice the words together. After the song, gather the kids in the story circle and share that our story today is about being obedient to God.
Bible Lesson (10:50-11:00 a.m.)
Items Needed
Question 1: Where is this found in the Bible? (Exodus)
Question 2: Is this in the Old Testament or New Testament? (Old Testament)
A long, long time ago, God’s special people had been living in Egypt where they were treated very badly. But God loved them so much that He rescued them! He brought them out of Egypt to live in a new place. As they were traveling, they came to a big mountain called Mount Sinai.
God wanted to teach His people how to live happily together and how to show love to Him and to each other. So God gave Moses ten very important rules called the Ten Commandments. These weren’t mean rules to make people sad – they were loving rules to help people live the best life possible!
[Hold up ten fingers] God said these ten rules would help His people know how to love Him and love each other. The first rules were about loving God – like praying to only the real God, not worshipping fake gods, using God’s name nicely, and taking time to rest and worship Him. The other rules were about being kind to people – like obeying mommy and daddy, not hurting others, telling the truth, not taking things that don’t belong to us, and being happy with what we have.
[Object Lesson: Show a stop sign] Just like this stop sign helps cars know when to stop so everyone stays safe, God’s rules help us know how to make good choices so everyone can be happy and safe.
Moses came down from the mountain and taught all the people God’s ten special rules. The people were happy to know exactly how God wanted them to live!
Use the 10 Commandments (for kids) printouts. Go through each of the 10 Commandments with the Kids and what they mean. (Consider having each kid taking a turn being Moses and reading from their 10 Commandment or discussing what it means to them). Once each commandment is read, have the child put it on the wall.
Theological Questions:
- Who gave Moses the Ten Commandments? (God did!)
- How many commandments did God give? (Ten!)
Life Application Questions:
- What are some rules we have at home that help our family? (Answers will vary)
- How do rules help us be safe and happy? (They show us good choices)
Prayer: “Dear God, thank You for giving us rules that help us know how to love You and love others. Help us make good choices every day. Amen.”
Craft: Mount Sinai Craft (11:00-11:15 a.m.)
Materials Needed:
- Printable Elements (PDF printed on Cardstock)
- Red solo cups (or cover cups with green paint, tape, or tissue paper)
- Paper plates
- Cotton balls
- Scissors
- Glue
To create this Mount Sinai craft, begin by preparing your mountain base using a red cup and paper plate. Take your cup and carefully cut a small slit in the bottom, then turn it upside down and secure it to an upside-down paper plate using glue. This inverted cup will serve as your mountain. Next, cut out the stone tablets from your printable materials and insert the bottom tab through the slit you created in the cup so that the tablets stand upright on top of your mountain, representing where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.
Once your mountain and tablets are in place, cut out the Moses figure from your printable sheet and attach him to the paper plate near the base of the mountain by gluing down his tab. Then cut out each group of Israelite people and position them around the mountain base by gluing their tabs to the paper plate, showing how the people waited below while Moses went up the mountain. To create the dramatic scene of God’s presence, glue cotton balls around the mountain and Moses to represent the clouds that covered Mount Sinai. Finally, cut out the lightning bolt shapes and attach them around your mountain scene to show God’s powerful presence when He gave the commandments. This hands-on craft helps children visualize the important biblical story while creating a memorable three-dimensional scene they can keep and use to retell the story.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Exodus 20:1-17 (KJV) “And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.”