It's time for the Robot Shuffle! As you see the choices, if you like "A" better, go touch the RIGHT wall of the room. If you like "B" better, go touch the LEFT wall. If you like them the SAME lay on the floor. For the last choice, choose the one you think is BETTER!

(Answer at bottom of page.)

The Lord told Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh in the morning when he was walking next to the Nile River. Moses said to him, “Because you refuse to free our people, the waters of Egypt will turn to blood. The fish will die, and the water will be undrinkable.” Aaron then struck the water with his staff, and it immediately turned into blood as Pharaoh watched. The court magicians, with their evil magic, also turned some water into blood.

Therefore, Pharaoh ignored Moses and Aaron. Soon the water throughout the land turned to
blood and was undrinkable. The people had to dig wells to find fresh water.

After seven days, Moses told Pharaoh, “Because of your stubbornness, frogs will infest your land.” So Aaron stretched out his staff, and frogs started coming up out of the rivers and lakes. The magicians also made some frogs appear. Soon there were frogs everywhere. They went to every city street. They got into people’s houses and into their food – and even into their beds! Pharaoh said to Moses, “I’ve changed my mind. Your people can go into the wilderness and worship their God. Ask Him to get rid of the frogs.”

When Moses asked, “When do you want the frogs to leave?” Pharaoh said, “Tomorrow.”

The next day the frogs died, and people gathered them up into big piles. Soon they started to stink! Pharaoh then changed his mind and refused to let the people go. Next,

Aaron struck the ground with his staff and the dust turned into lice. Soon, all the people and animals throughout Egypt were infested with lice. Pharaoh’s magicians were unable to do this. They said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God!”

Still, he wouldn’t let the people go. Next, God sent swarms of flies to cover the land.

But there were no flies in the part of Egypt where the Hebrews lived. Pharaoh agreed to let the people go. Moses said the flies would be gone the next day, but he added, “Take care. Don’t change your mind again!” However, that is exactly what he did. Once the flies were gone, Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let the people go.

God sent a plague upon the livestock, but again it didn’t affect the livestock of Israel. Pharaoh became more stubborn and refused to let the Hebrews go. Moses took a handful of ashes and tossed it into the air. It became a fine dust that spread through all of Egypt causing boils on all the people and animals. The magicians couldn’t stand before Pharaoh because of their boils! Pharaoh was angry and refused to listen to Moses. God had told Moses that Pharaoh would act like this. Moses went to Pharaoh with a special message from God. He said, “Up to this point I’ve restrained My hand against you. Now, My plagues will be directed toward you and your people. When I’m done, all the nations on earth will know I am the Lord!”

“Tomorrow I’ll send a hailstorm like you’ve never seen before! All people and animals are to stay under shelters, or they’ll die!”
The next day, fierce hail mixed with fire came down and ruined the crops that were in the fields. Yet, the hail didn’t fall in the land where the Israelites lived. Some of the Egyptians did as Moses told them. They put their animals and slaves under shelters. But others didn’t, and their livestock and slaves died in the storm. Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron. “I know I’ve sinned. I’m wrong and God is right. Please pray and ask Him to stop this storm. I’ll let your people go.”

Moses said, “This storm will stop as soon as I leave here.” He started to leave, then turned to Pharaoh. “I know you don’t fear God.”

And it was true. As soon as Pharaoh saw the storm and the hail stop, he stubbornly turned against God and the people of Israel.

Moses went to Pharaoh and said, “If you don’t let the Israelites go, God will send locusts like you have never seen. They’ll cover the land and eat anything that wasn’t destroyed by the hail.” Pharaoh’s officials begged him, “Please let them go. Egypt is already destroyed!” So Pharaoh said to Moses, “The men may go and worship.”

Moses said, “When we leave, we’ll take everyone with us – men and women, young and old. We’ll also take our animals with us.”

Pharaoh became angry, “Absolutely not!” He then had them thrown out of his court. The next day Moses stretched out his staff, and the locusts came. Never had such a swarm of locusts invaded Egypt. They ate every green thing on the land. They were everywhere and even invaded the houses. Pharaoh quickly called for Moses. He said, “I’m sorry for my sin. Please ask God to take the locusts away.” Moses prayed to God, and a wind carried the locusts into the Red Sea. Not one remained. When they were gone, Pharaoh again turned against God and the Israelites.

God then told Moses to stretch his hand toward the sky. When he did, darkness covered the land of Egypt. It was so thick, the people could feel it, and they couldn’t see anything. It lasted for three days. Still, the Israelites had light in their homes. Pharaoh called Moses to him and said, “I’ll allow your people to go worship in the desert but leave your flocks and herds.”

Moses shook his head. “No! We’ll take everyone and everything, including the animals.”
Pharaoh once again became angry. “I’m not letting the people go. Now get out of here and don’t ever come back! Mark my word. If I ever see your face again, you’ll die!”

The Lord told Moses, “I’ll bring one more plague upon the Egyptians, and then Pharaoh will let the people go. He’ll insist that you leave!”
“Give my people these instructions. Each family is to select a one-year-old male lamb with no defects. They are to kill it and smear its blood above the door and on the doorposts. The people are to stay inside their houses. They won’t be safe outside of their houses.”

“Roast the meat of the lamb and eat it with your coats and sandals on, as if in a hurry. If it’s too much for one family to eat it all, they’re to invite another family to join them.”

“At midnight I’ll go throughout the land of Egypt and kill the firstborn of every family – from Pharaoh’s house down to the lowest slave. But when I see the blood on your houses, I’ll pass over you and won’t kill your firstborn.”

The Israelites did exactly as God instructed. That night, the Lord moved across the land of Egypt and killed the firstborn of every household. He even killed the firstborn of their livestock. There was loud crying and screaming in the night because no household escaped this judgment of God. Yet, the Lord passed over the houses of the Israelites when he saw the blood on their doorposts. Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and yelled at them, “Go! Go! Take your people, take your flocks, and go.”

All the Egyptians wanted the people to go because they were afraid that they might all die! They gave them things made of gold and silver. So the people left while it was still night. From that day on, the Israelites were to observe the Lord’s Passover every year. It was to be a reminder of what God did for them that night.

To be continued next week...

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