God Rescues His People

God rescues his people

Characters: a Hebrew Mum, Dad and Son and Daughter, Reuben and Narrator.

Narrator: About 1500 years before Jesus was born, Abraham’s descendants had become so many that they were a nation called “the people of Israel”. They were still in Egypt where Joseph had settled, but now they were slaves. The Egyptians were very cruel to them, but they were God’s people and God had promised he would rescue them. He had sent a special leader called Moses. Now Moses had asked the King of Egypt -- he was called the Pharaoh -- really nicely if the People of Israel could leave but Pharaoh said NO! Each time this happened God sent a nasty plague on Egypt to try and get him to change his mind. There had been nine plagues already but the Pharaoh was still being stubborn. The Israelites were very frightened and hid in their houses at night. Here is one family -- (each one bows to show who they are) -- Mum, Dad, Son and Daughter

(Mum, Dad, Son and Daughter are all huddled together scared)

Son: What do you think God will do next, Dad?

Dad: I don’t know. I hope it isn’t too bad for us.

Mum: What if the Egyptians decide to kill us instead?

Daughter: It’s all right Mum, Dad has locked the door so they can’t get in.

Son: Well what could be worse than having all the water turn to blood, YUK!! Or all those locusts eating anything? Or the frogs?

Daughter: I don’t know -- I liked Herman.

Son: Trust you to make a pet of one!!

(There is a knock on the door -- they all huddle together frightened. Then another knock)

Reuben: It’s me --- Reuben -- Let me in. Dad opening the door: What are you doing out there? You could get killed.

Reuben: I have an important message from Moses. He says that God is going to send an angel of death to kill all the first-born sons.

Son: Help --Help -- I don’t want to die!!

Reuben: It’s all right. God has told Moses that we will be saved but only if we kill a lamb and put its blood on the outside of the doorway.

Son: I’ll get the lamb.

Reuben: Moses also says you are to cook the rest of the lamb really quickly and make some bread and drink some wine because when this happens the Pharoah will let us go but we will have to go really, really quickly.

Mum: Now isn’t that just like a man. Doesn’t Moses know that it takes hours for yeast to make bread rise? You can’t do that quickly.

Reuben: Then you will just have to have bread without yeast -- you know the unleavened stuff that’s flat like a pancake. Because if you don’t move quick you will be left behind.

Narrator: (with the family acting it out): So the Israelites did exactly as they were told. They killed a lamb and put its blood on the outside of the doorway. They made flat bread -- called unleavened bread -- and ate it quickly with some wine. Because the blood was on the doorway the angel of God passed over their houses and they were safe. This was called the the Passover -- because the angel passed over – and it did not harm them. Every year the Israelites celebrated the Passover and remembered that God had rescued them.