Rotation.org Writing Team

Exodus: Through Water and Wilderness

Video Workshop ~ Are We There Yet?

Summary of Activities

Students will view and discuss a portion of the animated movie, "The Ten Commandments" (2007). This kid-friendly movie features the voice of Christian Slater as Moses and closely follows scripture and depicts the events between the Sea and Mt Sinai —which are the focus of this lesson set.

After discussion, students will "audition" to be Moses, reciting his short speech heard in the movie (which is a good summary of the meaning of the story) in front of the class using cue cards.

Scripture for the Lesson

Selections from Exodus 14, 15, 16 and Deuteronomy 32.
See the Bible Background for details. Depicted in the movie: Red Sea, Song of Moses, Complaining, Water from Rock, Manna, Quail. See additional notes at end of lesson.

In this lesson, the scripture is presented in the video. Students then take a quick look in their Bibles at Deuteronomy 32: 9-11 —Moses' description of God as an eagle who found and protected his young in the desert. This "eagle" image is offered by Moses in the movie following the Red Sea crossing. Deuteronomy 32 is often called the "Second Song of Moses" (Exodus 15 being the first). Students find and read this scripture prior to "auditioning" for the role of Moses in the reflection activity. 

Lesson Objectives

See the Bible Background at rotation.org for this set's complete list of objectives. 

This lesson and movie clip focuses in on God's response to our doubts, fears and complaints.

Preparation and Materials

• Read the Bible Background and scripture.
• Preview the movie, The Ten Commandments (2007, Promenade Pictures), and cue it up to Scene 6 (approximately the 45 minute mark). 
• Two large sheets of paper and markers.
• Write Moses' speech, seen below in the lesson, on posterboard ("cue cards")
• Collect a Moses robe, staff, and fake beard. You will give away the beard to the best Moses.
• View/print the attached Exodus route map.
• Videocamera or smartphone with video camera.

Below is a preview posted on Youtube of the section of Ten Commandments DVD recommended by this lesson. Direct link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4bSfKcWfAQ

This is for preview purposes only. You will need to purchase the DVD online to show it in your classroom. It is very inexpensive and contains the entire Exodus story. An OUTLINE of the entire DVD, created by Rotation.org member Luanne Payne, can be found in the "Additional Resources Page" of this Exodus lesson set. A slightly more detailed outline of Scenes 6 and 7 in the video is provided below in this lesson.

Lesson Plan

Open

Play a quick game of "How much of the Exodus story do you know?"
You can do this by splitting into two teams, giving each a large sheet of paper and marker. Give them 3 minutes to write down as many things from the ENTIRE story of the Exodus they can remember.

When time is up, compare the two sheets side by side, then the teacher should create a third sheet that summarizes the student contributions and puts them in chronological order.  Fill in any big missing details. If they didn't include events that occurred after the Red Sea, then list the obvious ones, such as, Golden Calf, Ten Commandments, Promised Land. Then, list the following events that happened between Egypt and Mt Sinai: Red Sea crossing, Marah bitter waters made sweet, Manna, Quail, Water from the Rock. (Note: Marah is not included in the video, but it is included in other lessons in this set.)

Point out that today's movie focuses on this "in-between" part of the story, and note that the common theme of these stories is "complaining." 

Ask & List:  What worries do you think the Israelites will have on this part of the journey?

1. Food & Water: No supermarkets in the Sinai dessert!  
2. Safety: Maybe they thought the Egyptians would still come after them. 
3. Moses' leadership: Did he really know where he was going?
4. The Future: Will they be better off in the Promised Land? or is that just hype?
5. God: Could they trust this God? Or would this God abandon them?
6. What else?

 Say: It's easy to think that the Israelites were just a bunch of complainers, but If you look at our list, they certainly have some real concerns!  Let's see how Moses and God respond to these concerns.

Show Scenes 6 and 7 from the Ten Commandments animated movie

Together, these two scenes are approximately 19 minute long.  Scene 6, "We Will Leave Now," starts at approximately 45 minutes into the movie. It shows Pharaoh telling Moses that the Hebrews can leave. You will stop at the end of Scene 7, "Losing Hope," ...which ends at approximately the 64 minute mark into the movie. 

Prior to starting Scene 6, summarize the "story so far" by referring to the outline created in the Opening of the lesson. Tell your students that the movie clip begins right AFTER the plagues have convinced Pharaoh to let the Hebrews leave Egypt. Ask them "why Pharaoh is upset about letting them leave," and "why he did," then start the movie at Scene 6.

1. Start the movie at Scene 6, where Pharaoh tells Moses the people can leave. (approximately the 45 minute mark into the movie.)
2. Pause after Moses' speech after the Red Sea (approximately the 55 minute mark)
3. Ask: So how do you think the Hebrews are feeling right now? (exhausted, saved, pretty good)
4. Ask: How long do you think their confidence in God and Moses is going to last? (not long!)
5. Say: By the way, after we're done viewing the video, each of you is going to get a chance to AUDITION for the job of Moses by acting out the speech we just heard him give!
6. Continue into Scene 7, "Losing Hope," which starts at about the 56 minute mark.
7. The people complain for water and food. and one of them actually says, Are we there yet?! Moses asks, "If God provides you water, will you stop complaining?" 
8. God promises manna from heaven at about the 58 minute mark.
9. God promises meat/Quail at about the 61 minute mark.
10. God asks, "Is my power doubted?"
11. Moses and Joshua talk about his future around the 62 minute mark.
12. Aaron and Miriam speak with Moses at around the 63 minute mark.
    They too doubt God's word, and then hear God speak. "I chose Moses...because he is the most humble man on earth."
13. Moses speaks what is essentially a summary of the Exodus: "Never forget God's plan."
14. Quail appear at about the 63:30 mark.
15. We see Moses and the people arrive at Mt Sinai, and make camp at about the 64 minute mark.  
16. Moses say, "One day you will all be able to open your hearts to his voice."

=END HERE= (The next scene is the story of the Golden Calf.)

Discuss the following from the movie

Ask: When the people doubt, are afraid, and ask questions, what is God's response?
God continues to help them! This is an important insight. Our doubts and complaints do not turn God against us.

Ask: What did Moses mean when he told Miriam and Aaron, "One day you will all be able to open your hearts to his voice."

---How can a person's heart be "closed" to God's voice?  

---What things can help "open" your heart to hear God's voice?

Auditioning for Moses' job

Say: In the movie, we learn that God wants us to be like Moses:  humble and trusting.  Moses talks to God about the people's fears and doubts, and even though God is not happy to hear it, God sends Moses back to the people with words of hope and action. Like Moses says in his speech after the Red Sea, "God is like an eagle who takes his young upon his wings." In a moment, you're going to get to "audition" for the job of Moses.

Say: This image of God like an eagle carrying its young comes from a song sung by Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy 32: 9-11.  Moses' songs and speeches in the Book of Deuteronomy are like a "look back" at the story recorded in the Book of Exodus. The writers of the movie obviously used Deuteronomy when writing their script.

Look up and read Deuteronomy 32: 9-11 out loud.

⁹ “For the people of Israel belong to the Lord;
    Jacob is his special possession.
¹⁰ He found them in a desert land,
    in an empty, howling wasteland.
    He surrounded them and watched over them;
    he guarded them as he would guard his own eyes.
¹¹ Like an eagle that rouses her chicks
    and hovers over her young,
    so he spread his wings to take them up
    and carried them safely on his pinions.

Israel's other name is "Jacob." "Pinions" are feathers.
What kind of God does this passage describe? How does this make you feel?

The Audition

One by one, invite students to dress as Moses, step up on a table, and boldly deliver this speech to the assembled class. The bigger the better to be remembered! Let the biggest "ham" in your class to go first and set the tone. Encourage each to out-do the other. Award the fake Beard to the person YOU think was the best Moses.

Say: After crossing the Red Sea, Moses and his sister Miriam sing songs of victory (recorded in Exodus 15). I've put Moses' speech on cue cards, and in a moment, each of you is going to get to stand on our "hill" here and deliver his speech to the people. Best Moses wins the beard as a prize!

Here is Moses' speech from the movie to put on the Cue Card.

"There is no one like you Lord, you spun your winds and tossed your seas upon our enemies. You have saved your chosen people. You have taken us out of slavery, out of Egypt, like an eagle takes his young upon his wings. (People: Praise God!)   On to the Promised Land!  (People: Woohoo!")

Closing

Close with a prayer that encourages each of us to be like Moses!  Trusting God, speaking God's Word, and helping those who have doubts and fears. 

Adaptations

For Younger Students: Instead of the opening activity, summarize the events leading up to the Exodus before showing the movie. (In 2007 Promenade Pictures and Huhu Publishing also created a matching large hardcover illustrated book called "The Ten Commandments Movie Storybook" –ISBN 9780974387642, at the time of writing this it was still available on amazon.  It's too long to read, but you could pre-mark pictures from the movie of major events to show to the children as you review events.)  Skip the Deuteronomy reading. For the audition, instead of cue cards, whisper the lines to your "Moses" through a long paper tube, such as one that comes with wrapping paper. They'll love that.

Movie and Exodus Event Notes

The Ten Commandments animated movie was released in 2007. It stars the voices of Ben Kingsley as Ramses, Christian Slater as Moses, and Elliot Gould as God. Search for it using the terms "Ten Commandments 2007 animated," and you should be able to find it for sale or preview.

The movie does not include the story of Moses turning the bitter waters sweet at Marah —which occurs immediately after they cross the Red Sea (Exodus 15). Instead, the movie uses another more dramatic "water" story in its place, Exodus 17's "Water from the Rock."  This re-ordering is unfortunate, but not a huge deal. Exodus, Numbers and Deuteronomy all contain parts of the "Exodus" story and do not completely agree on the location names or order of events. Scholars tell us that these different memories and recollections of the order of wilderness events are due to the stories being preserved by different groups and only written down some time later. The "historicity" or agreement is beside the point. For our students, the Exodus is a sort of parable that speaks to our own faith journey, our doubts, and God's answer.

ATTACHED to this lesson here at Rotation.org is a very useful Exodus map (in the public domain) which labels the traditional locations and events based on the Book of Exodus, which is the basis for the Rotation Writing Team's chronology. 

Written by the Rotation.org Writing Team
Copyright 2016, Rotation.org Inc.