Elementary Level, Block 4—Moses
Week 40
Moses—Retelling the Law
Point to Emphasize: We can be careful to speak exactly and remember every fine detail of God’s word.
Reference Reading: Deuteronomy (footnotes 11, 12)
Memory Verse: I will take delight in Your statutes [law]; / I will not forget Your word.
(Psalm 119:16)
Story Sample
For the last weeks we have heard many stories about Moses, haven’t we? What a great man he was. He is such a good pattern for all of us to follow. As a young one, like you, he learned his lessons well in Pharaoh’s palace and became a smart and good person. Then 40 years later he ended up in the wilderness, shepherding the flocks. Here he learned to be humble, patient and responsible. Then after another 40 years of shepherding sheep, God called him to go back to Egypt and lead God’s people out to the good land of Canaan. Now, after another 40 years have passed, and after wandering in the wilderness all this time and having received the law, time came for the children of Israel to enter into the good land. Moses faithfully led God’s people all this time. I know you might not be able to add big numbers, but let me help you: 40 years in Pharaoh’s palace plus 40 years of shepherding plus 40 years in the wilderness, that all adds up to 120 years! Moses is very old! Do you think he can possibly be of any use to God now, when he is so old?
The answer is YES! God had one more thing that Moses needed to do for Him, and it involved his memory. It had been 40 years since the law had been given to the people. Now that they were about to enter into the good land of Canaan, they needed to be reminded about their history as well as the law of God. Many of them were born after the giving of the law on the mountain. In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses respeaks the history of the children of Israel from the time they received the law until his final days. How detailed was his memory, and how deep was his love for the people! He spoke to them as if he were a loving father to them, showing his care and concern. In this book, Moses was very careful to speak exactly and remember every fine detail of the law.
Wow! I don’t know if I could do that—to remember everything exactly like that. But I think Moses must have learned to memorize from the time he was a very small child. This is such a good thing to do. This is why your parents are so happy with you when you can memorize your verses. If you memorize them now, then when you grow up it will be so easy for you to recall God’s word.
When I was young, I loved to memorize my verses. But I wasn’t very good at memorizing the “address,” or verse reference. That means where to find it in the Bible. So now as an adult, very often I can repeat a verse in the Bible to someone, but I can’t always remember where that verse is in the Bible. Oh, how I wish I had memorized it when I was young! [Storyteller, give an example of when you recalled a verse you had memorized as a child and how it helped you.]
Today, let’s spend some time to try to learn our verse—and the “address!” If we do this now, then when we grow old, like Moses, we will be able to speak God’s word to others.