青少年教程 (出埃及记2*第4课) | 旷野生活

​编者按
这是一套在美国很受欢迎的教材，按年龄共分三部分：0-6岁学龄前儿童教程，6-12岁学龄儿童教程，和12岁以上青少年教程。我们将陆续翻译成中文，分享给大家。
这套教材里的每一篇，无论是教程还是各种活动，都独立成篇，没有先后顺序，大家可以按需要和负担选择使用。
*更多内容：thedoorofsheep.com/青少年 

课程目的

1. 告知学生出埃及记的整体概览

2. 探索神在以色列人旷野漂流期间是如何供应他们的

3. 反思我们自己生命中的旷野经历，以及神在这些时候是如何同在的

主题

安慰、群体、知足、怀疑、感恩、抱怨、障碍、忍耐、供应、自私

背诵经文

腓立比书 4:11-13

开始祷告(5-10分钟)

团队建造(10分钟)

玩一个 盲人障碍赛 游戏。

在你的小组指定区域摆放椅子或其他物品，形成一个迷宫，供被蒙眼的人通过。一个学生要引导另一个蒙眼的学生穿过椅子和物品组成的迷宫。当学生们到达时，把他们分成两人一组，一个作带领者，另一个蒙上眼睛。

带领者必须通过口头指令，在不触碰任何障碍物的情况下，引导蒙眼的队友穿越迷宫。用时最短的队伍获胜！

课程导入(5分钟)

在盲人障碍赛中，那些被蒙眼的人必须信任他们的带领者。带领者必须给出正确的指令和适当的引导。有时候，当我们不掌控局面、看不见前方的道路时，要遵循指令和引导是很难的。

一般讨论：

• 对你来说，不知道自己要去哪里时，最困难的部分是什么？

• 相信带领你的人难不难？为什么？

• 你多久会向父母要吃的，饿了多久抱怨？

• 当你向父母要食物时，他们多快满足你？你能得到多少食物？

在这个游戏中，我们看到，当我们完全不知道要去哪里时，要让别人带领我们需要很大的信任。带领者必须确保他们给出的指令正确，他们肩上有很大的责任。在这个练习里，被蒙眼的人代表以色列人，而带领者代表神。

当然，我们的练习只是一个小范围的、有趣的活动，但如果是在更大的范围里——每一把椅子或物体都代表着一种风险或危险——对你或你家人的生命威胁，那就一点也不好玩了，对吗？现在我们可以看见神肩负了多大的责任，以及信靠祂会让人多么害怕。但正如我们将要发现的，信靠祂是唯一能走出人生障碍赛的方法。

我们要来看出埃及记中的一个故事。在那里，以色列人刚刚信靠神带领他们过了红海，却因为缺乏供应而抱怨、发怨言。在今天的讨论中，请想一想，当我们自以为的需要没有得到满足时，我们有多少次抱怨。

深入学习(30分钟)

读 出埃及记 15:22-27

讨论问题：

1. 以色列人离开红海后，走了多少天没找到水？（三天。）

2. 为什么他们不能喝玛拉的水？（水是苦的。这个地方叫玛拉，因为“玛拉”意思就是“苦”。）

3. 当他们发现没有可喝的水时，百姓首先有何反应？（他们发怨言。）

百姓很快就抱怨，并向摩西求助。摩西立刻转向神求帮助。然后神赐给摩西一块木头，把水变甜，解决了百姓的需要。

我们看到，从百姓抱怨，到摩西祷告，再到神供应，几乎没有间隔。神不仅解决了问题，还给出超过他们需要的供应。但祂的帮助并没有让以色列人长久安静，他们又开始抱怨。

读 出埃及记 16:1-4

讨论问题：

1. 我们再次发现百姓在做什么？（发怨言，抱怨。）

2. 百姓说他们宁愿回到埃及，为什么？（他们声称，即使要死，也要“坐在肉锅旁，吃饱了饼”。）

3. 他们指责摩西什么？（指责他把他们带到这里，是要让他们饿死。）

以色列人再次抱怨。他们说，他们宁可回到埃及做奴隶、每天面对死亡，也不愿在旷野里自由却面对饥饿。我们有多少次也是因为饥饿而失去理智？我们会不会像以色列人一样，因为缺乏食物，就宁愿被捆绑，而不愿意自由？

随着我们继续读埃及记16章，我们看到神确实供应了食物——吗哪和偶尔的鹌鹑——但祂也加上了规定。

读 出埃及记 16:4-30

讨论问题：

1. 为什么神要限定百姓收取吗哪的分量？（祂在试验他们是否遵行祂的律法，并且是否愿意日复一日地信靠祂。）

2. 神早晚供应吗哪和鹌鹑，这向以色列人证明了什么？（这是祂是神并守约的记号。）

3. 当百姓意识到神真的早晨赐下吗哪时，他们不得不遵守具体的规定。第六日的特别指令是什么？（要收双份，以确保安息日够用，因为安息日神不会降下食物。）

百姓被要求严格遵循收取吗哪的数量和时间。那些收多了的人，第二天早晨发现食物已经臭了。还有一些人试着在安息日收取，结果发现神守约，安息日没有降下食物。

神听见百姓的抱怨，就通过祂的供应来解决，但祂确保只给他们真正需要的。祂这样做，是一种恩典——提醒祂的百姓：虽然他们抱怨祂，但祂一直与他们同在。把他们带出埃及，使苦水变甜，到供应吗哪和鹌鹑维持他们的那一位，始终都是神。

读 出埃及记 17:1-7

讨论问题：

1. 百姓再次抱怨需要可喝的水。他们指责摩西什么？（指责他把他们带出埃及，是要让他们、他们的儿女和牲畜都渴死。）

2. 摩西用什么器物顺服神的命令、为百姓出水？（他的杖，就是当初击打尼罗河的杖。）

3. 摩西给这个地方起了什么名字？为什么？（玛撒和米利巴，因为百姓在那里争闹并试探耶和华。）

这个地名很有意义，因为“玛撒和米利巴”意思就是“试探和争闹”，正是百姓一路上所做的。这个名字成为后世的提醒，记念神不仅在那里赐下水，也赐下吗哪，陪伴他们的旅程。

神的忍耐被试探，但祂仍然容忍他们的怨言，因为祂知道，这一代百姓的信心还在“婴儿期”。

神的性情显明出来：祂在旷野里以供应和引导，向以色列人彰显祂的爱。这不仅是旧约中一个关于神对抱怨者的故事，更是今天给我们的提醒。

应用(20分钟)

很容易因以色列人持续缺乏信心、不信靠神而责备他们，毕竟神已经清楚地表明祂疼爱祂的百姓。但关键是要明白：在旷野的旅程中，他们缺少的不是信心，而是他们陷入了我们都要面对的东西：以自我为中心。在他们的抱怨里，唯一的焦点就是满足他们的肚腹。

一般讨论：

• 要我们跳出自我的角度看待处境，有多难？（非常难，因为我们天性以自我为中心。）

• 我们的需要和欲望与周围的人相似吗？（基本相似。）

我们很容易随着周围人过日子，让“肚腹”支配我们的生活、欲望和渴求。但当我们回想经文时，靠着神的同在，过知足的生活，又有多容易呢？

读 腓立比书 4:11-13

讨论问题：

1. 作者保罗说他并不是缺乏。他学会了什么？（知足。）

2. 他有没有经历过缺乏和丰富？（都经历过。）

3. 你有没有经历过这两种？（大部分学生没有严重缺乏过，但在某种意义上，他们也会说两者都经历过。）

4. 保罗知足的“秘诀”是什么？（知道主加给他力量。）

5. 这与以色列人或我们自己的态度有什么不同？（他们忘记了神。我们也会吗？）

好消息是：神在我们旷野的时候并没有放手。祂记念我们，尽管我们自私，祂仍然供应。以色列人真心相信他们会饿死，尽管神才刚刚拯救他们。虽然我们知道神的性情、祂如何爱祂的儿女，但生活在一个高举自我的世界里，我们常常忘记这一点。

想一想，你在什么时候像以色列人一样？在那种处境里，神有没有供应你？展望未来，请专注于腓立比书里所说的“知足”，不要忘记神会在你的旷野漂流中与你同在，就像当年与祂的百姓同在一样。

结束祷告(2分钟)

祷告，愿学生们不要像以色列人那样，而是拥有保罗的态度。

**** 英文版 *******

Exodus: After the Red Sea Is Parted

Lesson 4: Life in the Wilderness

LESSON OBJECTIVES

Goals

1. To inform students of the overview of the book of Exodus

2. To explore the ways God provided for the Israelites during their time wandering the wilderness

3. To reflect on wilderness experenices in our own lives and how God is present during these times

Topics

Comfort, Community, Contentment, Doubt, Gratitude, Grumbling, Obstacles, Patience, Provision, Selfishness

Scripture Memorization

Philippians 4:11-13

OPENING PRAYER (5 to 10 minutes)

GROUP BUILDING (10 minutes)

Play a game of Blind Obstacle Course.

Set up the chairs or objects in your designated small group area to form a type of maze to a blindfolded person. One student will guide one blindfolded student through the maze of chairs and objects in the classroom space. Once students arrive, split them into pairs, with one being the leader and the other blindfolded.

The leaders must guide their blindfolded teammates through the maze of objects, without touching any of the obstacles, by simply giving voice directions. The team with the fastest time wins!

GETTING STARTED (5 minutes)

During the Blind Obstacle Course game, those who were blindfolded had to trust their leaders. The leaders had to give good directions and proper guidance. Sometimes, directions and guidance are hard to follow when we are not in control and cannot see the path ahead of us.

General Discussion:

• What was the hardest part about not knowing where you were going?

• Was it hard to trust the person leading you? Why or why not?

• How often do you ask your parents for food and complain when you are hungry?

• How quickly do your parents provide you with food when you ask? How much food do you receive?

In this game, we saw that it took a lot of trust to let a person lead us when we had no idea where we were going. Those leading had to be sure that they gave the correct directions. They had a lot of responsibility. In this exercise, the blindfolded person represented the Israelites and the leader represented God. Of course, our exercise was on a much smaller scale and a fun task, but imagine if this were on a much larger scale with every chair or object representing a risk or danger—a threat to your or your family’s lives. Not so fun anymore, is it? Now we can see how much responsibility God possesses and how scary it can be to trust Him. But as we will discover, trusting Him is the only way out of the obstacle course that is life.

We are going to look at a story in Exodus where the people of Israel, after having just trusted God to lead them through the Red Sea, are grumbling and complaining about the lack of provisions. As we talk today, think of how often we complain when our perceived needs are not meet.

DIGGING IN (30 minutes)

Read Exodus 15:22-27

Discussion Questions:

1. How many days passed since the Israelites left the Red Sea and traveled without water? (Three days.)

2. Why can’t they drink the water in Marah? (The water is bitter. This area is called Marah because Marah means bitterness.)

3. How do the people first react to the absence of drinkable water? (They grumble.)

The people are quick to complain and ask Moses for help when they are without water. Moses immediately turns to God for help. God then helps Moses and the Israelites by providing a log that sweetens the water.    

We see that there is very little time between the people complaining, Moses talking to God, and God making the situation better and providing beyond their needs. But His help didn’t calm the Israelites for long as they begin to complain once more.

Read Exodus 16:1-4

Discussion Questions:

1. What do we find the people doing once again? (Grumbling and complaining.)

2. The people say that they would have much rather been back in Egypt, why? (They claim that even if they would have died, they would have sat by “meat pots and ate bread” until they were full.)

3. What did they accuse Moses of trying to do? (They accuse him of bringing them all this way and then killing them due to hunger.)

Once again, the Israelites complain. They say that they would rather be back in Egypt enslaved by the Egyptians and facing death daily rather than living free lives in the wilderness but threatened by starvation. How often do we let hunger get the best of us? Do we ever complain to be trapped rather than free because of a lack of food as the Israelites did?

As we continue in Exodus 16, we see that God does provide food, manna, and the occasional quail, but there are stipulations.

Read Exodus 16:4-30

Discussion Questions:

1. Why does God ration the amount of bread the people were able to collect? (He was testing whether or not they would walk with His law and if they would be willing to trust Him day by day.)

2. What does God prove to the Israelites by providing bread in the morning and meat in the evening? (It is a sign that He is God and keeps His promises.)

3. After the people of Israel realize that God, indeed, was providing their bread in the morning, they have to stick to guidelines and instructions. Name the specific instruction provided to them on the sixth day. (They had to gather a double portion to ensure there were enough provisions for the Sabbath, as God would not provide food on the Sabbath.)

The people were given very specific directions as to how much and how often they were to collect the manna. Those who tried to collect more than instructed found out that it would be rotten by morning. Some even tried to test the idea of whether or not there would be any on the Sabbath, and they found out that God was true to His promise.

God heard the people’s grumbling and He took care of it through His provision, but He made certain that they were given just what they needed. God does this as a gift—a reminder to His people that they complained about Him, but that He is the one who has continued to be there for them. From leading them out of Egypt, to sweetening the bitter water, to providing just enough manna and quail to sustain them, it is always God.

Read Exodus 17:1-7  

 Discussion Questions:

1. Once again, the people grumbled and complained that they needed drinkable water at their new location. Of what do they accuse Moses? (They accuse him of bringing them out of Egypt only to kill them, their families, and their livestock from thirst.)

2. What object does Moses use to obey God’s command and provide water for the people? (His staff, which was also used to strike the Nile.)

3. What does Moses call this place and why? (Massah and Meribah because of the quarreling of the people and their testing of the Lord.)

The naming of this location is significant because the name means “Testing and quarreling,” the exact thing that the people had been doing all along this journey. Because of these names, it served as a reminder for generations to come of the events that took place and the way in which God provided not only the water, but also the manna during this long journey.

God’s patience is tested, but He puts up with their grumbling and complaining because He realizes that this group of people is still in the “infancy” of their faith.

God’s character is evident when He demonstrates His love for the people of Israel in the desert  provision and guidance. This is not only an Old Testament story of God’s character towards those who complain and grumble, but is a reminder for us today as well.

 

MAKING IT REAL (20 minutes)

It would be easy for us to pass judgment on the Israelites for their continuous lack of faith and their lack of trust in God after He had obviously shown that His people were dear to Him. The key thing to realize is that through this desert journey they did not lack faith. They were struck with something that we all battle: being self-centered. In the midst of all their grumbling and complaining, their only focus was to satisfy their stomachs.

General Discussion:

• How hard is it to see our life circumstances beyond how we view them? (It is very difficult, as we are typically self-centered.)

• Are our needs and wants similar to those around us? (Pretty much.)

It is easy for us to follow how many around us live and let our “stomachs” dictate our lives, our desires, and wants. Yet, when we think back to the passage, how easy is it for us to live with being content in God’s presence?

Read Philippians 4:11-13

Discussion Questions:

1. Paul, the author, says he is not in need. What has he learned to do? (Be content.)

2. Has he experienced need and plenty? (He has experienced both.)

3. Have you experienced both? (Most students have not experienced dire needs, but in some sense, they will claim to have experienced both.)

4. What is Paul’s “secret” to contentment? (Knowing that the Lord strengthens him.)

5. How is this unlike the attitude of the Israelites or our own attitudes? (They forgot God. Have we?)

The great news, as we saw in this passage, is that God does not let us go when we are in the wilderness, He has us on His mind, and He provides for us, despite our self-centeredness. The Israelites truly believed that they were going to die from starvation even after God had just saved them. Although we know God’s character and how He feels about His children, it becomes difficult to remember that when we live in a world that promotes the self.

Think about ways in which you have been like the Israelites. Did God provide for you in that situation? As you look ahead to the future, focus on the idea of contentment that we talked about in Philippians and the idea that God is with you in your wilderness wandering, just as He was with the Israelites.

CLOSING PRAYER (2 minutes)

Pray that your students do not have the attitudes of the Israelites, but that they have Paul’s attitude instead.

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