Exodus 10:1-11
Tell Your Children What I Have Done
Read the passage
1Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials, that I may perform these miraculous signs of Mine among them,
2and that you may tell your children and grandchildren how severely I dealt with the Egyptians when I performed miraculous signs among them, so that all of you may know that I am the LORD.”
3So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before Me? Let My people go, so that they may worship Me.
4But if you refuse to let My people go, I will bring locusts into your territory tomorrow.
5They will cover the face of the land so that no one can see it. They will devour whatever is left after the hail and eat every tree that grows in your fields.
6They will fill your houses and the houses of all your officials and every Egyptian—something neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen since the day they came into this land.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh’s presence.
7Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”
8So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the LORD your God,” he said. “But who exactly will be going?”
9“We will go with our young and old,” Moses replied. “We will go with our sons and daughters, and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”
10Then Pharaoh told them, “May the LORD be with you if I ever let you go with your little ones. Clearly you are bent on evil.
11No, only the men may go and worship the LORD, since that is what you have been requesting.” And Moses and Aaron were driven from Pharaoh’s presence.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The LORD tells Moses to go to Pharaoh because he has hardened Pharaoh's heart and the hearts of his servants. God says the signs are to be told to children and grandchildren so that Israel may know that he is the LORD.
Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh and ask how long he will refuse to humble himself and let the people go. If he refuses, locusts will cover the land and eat what the hail left. They will fill the houses and be unlike anything their ancestors have seen.
Pharaoh's servants ask how long this man will be a snare. They urge Pharaoh to let the people go to worship the LORD and ask whether he realizes Egypt lies in ruins. Pharaoh calls Moses and Aaron back and asks who will go. Moses answers that they will go with young and old, sons and daughters, flocks and herds, because they must hold a feast to the LORD.
Pharaoh refuses and says that only the men may go, because that is what they are asking. He drives Moses and Aaron out. His offer is another attempt to control who may worship and what freedom will mean.
The command to tell children turns memory into a responsibility. Children and grandchildren are to hear what the LORD did so that they too will know Him. This history will teach them whose power broke Egypt's hold on their people.
Questions
1 Who is to hear the story of God's signs in Egypt?
AnswerIsrael's children and grandchildren. God says the story is to be told so that they will know He is the LORD.
2 What do Pharaoh's officials urge him to recognize?
AnswerEgypt lies in ruins. They urge him to release the people to worship rather than continue the destructive confrontation.
3 Who does Moses say must go?
AnswerYoung and old, sons and daughters, together with their flocks and herds. They are going to hold a feast to the LORD.
4 What restriction does Pharaoh impose?
AnswerHe allows only the men to go and refuses to release the children with them. Moses and Aaron are then driven from his presence.
What This Means for Us
God intends children to know more than the exciting parts of the plagues. They are to learn who the LORD is: the God who judges oppression and delivers His people. Tell the story with attention to His words and actions, giving clear, age-appropriate answers when a child asks about the difficult parts.
Moses also insists that the children belong with the worshiping people. Make room for them in your family's reading and prayer. Explain an unfamiliar word, invite a question, and let them hear why you trust God. They do not have to understand everything before they are included.
Prayer
LORD, help us remember your works and tell the truth to the next generation. Expose partial freedoms that preserve control, and make our household a place where every person can worship and serve with dignity. Amen.
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