• Plague: a widespread disaster

• Egypt's pharaohs claimed to become gods and were worshipped. God proves through the plagues that He is the only god, and the pharaoh was powerless to protect his people.
• For older students: Josh McDowell in "Evidence that Demands a Verdict" gives many evidences for the miraculousness of the plagues, their timing and their scope.
• What does it mean when it says the God hardened pharaoh's heart? Does this contradict free will? There are many verses that indicate that man can harden his own heart. How does that happen? It is like the searing of the conscience (1 Tim 4:2). Man who constantly and willfully rejects truth as it is presented to him builds a wall in his heart that grows thicker and thicker with each rejection. He is the hardened soil of the parable of the sower. Eventually nothing can get through. In contrast, the man who responds to the truth with obedience and repentance has a tender heart. He allows the truth to change him. This is the good soil. The difference between the two men is not the truth that God presents to them, but their response - which is their choice. There is little evidence that pharaoh ever had any tenderness of heart toward the truth or toward God. It is not hard to believe that he would reject the miracles before him - so did the Hebrew rulers in Jesus' day, when God's son himself was raising the dead. In fact, the Israelites themselves soon forget God's power and reject him in the next few months. Did God need to harden pharaoh's heart directly? Or was the simply contest for control over Egypt enough for pharaoh to build a wall in his heart against God?
Craft: Fold up a strip of paper accordion-style and sketch a basic frog shape on the top sheet, letting the legs extend to the fold of the paper. Have the kids cut out the frog shape - making sure that the legs connect at the folds. Then have the kids unfold their chain of frogs. Discuss how suddenly there were frogs everywhere!

Activity: Play a game of hopscotch with ten squares. Mark each square as a plague. Have the students repeat each plague as they hop through it.
 
True or False

Exodus7:5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

Review Questions for gameboard

 linguistic questions

1. What is a plague? a disaster that affects many people. In this case, devised by god
2. What is a miracle? when God makes something happen that man can't do
3. Spell Moses.

1. Act out the people when darkness covered the land.
2. Draw a frog.
3. Go through the hopscotch game once.

1. What feelings probably prompted pharaoh to continually reject the call to let the Israelites go? (he was too proud to listen to slaves, he thought he ruled the land and answered to no one, he did not believe in Jehovah)
2. How did the Egyptians feel when the plagues struck? (they were thirsty, hungry, sick, miserable)
3. How did the Israelites feel to be spared the plagues? (thankful, glad)

1. Is there any part of our life that we have complete authority over? no
2. Is the natural world under god's control? yes
3. Can God protect us when disaster strikes our area? yes

1. How many plagues were there? ten
2. Who suffered from the plagues? all Egyptians and their animals and crops.
3. Name as many plagues as you can.
   1. water to blood
   2. frogs
   3. lice
   4. flies
   5. disease
   6. boils
   7. hail
   8. locusts
   9. darkness
   10. firstborn son died

1. Why did God send the plagues? to convince the Egyptians that He was God
2. Why did God spare the Israelites? to prove that they were special to God, and that he protects those who worship Him
3. Why did Pharaoh ask Moses and Aaron to pray for relief if he did not believe in God? 1) it worked, 2) in the pressure of difficulty many people who never thought of god before turn to Him for help. They don't always continue when things get better