Moses Tells Jethro What the Lord Has Done for the Israelites
Jethro comes to Moses bringing Moses’ wife and sons and offers sacrifices to the Lord—Moses sits in the judgment seat and hears all cases—Jethro counsels Moses to teach the law, to appoint lesser judges, and to delegate power to them.
Sharing My Testimony Can Bless Others.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 18–20” Jethro rejoiced when Moses shared what the Lord had done for the children of Israel. This story can inspire the children you teach to share with others what they know is true.
- Read to the children the following words from Exodus 18:8: “And Moses told his father in law all that the Lord had done.” Ask the children if they remember what the Lord did to help the children of Israel escape from Egypt. (To help them remember, show pictures or activity pages from previous lessons). What things has the Lord done to help us? Help the children know that like Moses, we can tell other people about the great things the Lord has done for us.
What effect did Moses’s testimony of God’s deliverance have on Jethro? What great things has the Lord done for our family? Who can we share our experiences with? How can we preserve those experiences for future generations? Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 18-20”
- Primary class can be a great place for children to practice sharing a simple testimony. Share your testimony with them, and help them share with each other gospel truths that they believe.
Friend February 2016 “Testimony Treasure” Sabrina learns that a testimony is a treasure you want to share with others, so she shared her testimony with her friend that going to church and learning about Jesus makes her feel happy. Her friend then went to church and told Sabrina that it did make her feel happy.
Friend August 2015 – Elder Cook’s brother shares his testimony with him. After that he wanted his own witness from the Holy Ghost.
Jethro Counsels Moses to Delegate
I Can Help “Bear the Burden” of Doing the Lord’s Work.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 18–20”Moses learned that trying to lead the children of Israel all by himself was “not good” (Exodus 18:17). Loving and serving one another can help ease the burdens of our leaders.
- Invite the children to draw many circles on the board to represent members of the ward. Draw a circle labeled bishop. Why would it be a problem if the bishop were the only one helping everyone else? Read together Exodus 18:13–26 to find out what advice Jethro gave when Moses was trying to do everything himself. Ask the children to label other circles to represent other ward leaders and members who help the bishop serve others. How do these other leaders and members make the bishop’s burden lighter? How can we do the same for our ward leaders? for our parents at home?
Friend December 2019 “Notes for Sister Puckett” Tyler was excited to become a deacon so he could serve and minister like his parents do. (His father takes notes in sacrament for Sister Puckett who is sick, and his mom made taco soup for her.)
- Help the children make a list of leaders in your ward. As a class, select one and discuss what this person does to accomplish the Lord’s work and what the children can do to help. (Suggestions: Primary leaders, Primary teachers, chorister, librarians)
Friend December 2018 Match each sentence with a picture. In the blank spot, draw yourself helping at church.
- I can put away a hymnbook.
- I can pick up trash I see.
- I can help hold up a picture.
- I can sit so reverently!
Giving Talks, Singing, Playing Instruments
Friend June 2018 “A Baptism Song” Elizabeth and her sister sang at a baptism which helped those attending to feel the Spirit.
- “Prayer Power” (March 2019 Liahona and Friend)
Lucy and her family pray for their church leaders.
Friend April 2022 “Come, Follow Me Activities: Bear One Another’s Burdens“
Story: It was hard for Moses to lead his people by himself. His wife’s father, Jethro, told Moses to let other people help “bear the burden” (Exodus 18:21–22).
Song: “I’m Trying to Be like Jesus” (Children’s Songbook, 78–79)
Activity: Have one person stand and hold their arms out. Put a book in each of their hands. Add more books until they are too heavy to hold up. Then have two people hold the person’s arms up. Is it easier to carry a burden when you have help? How can you help others? How can you ask for help?
Friend May 2020 “I Will Be Valiant” Song and Sing-along Video.
The Lord needs valiant servants,
To do His work in the latter day,
Who follow the teachings of Jesus
And serve His people in a loving way.
I will be His servant
And keep my cov’nants valiantly.
I’ll stand for truth. I’ll stand for right.
The Lord can depend on me.
The Ten Commandments
The Lord covenants to make Israel a peculiar treasure, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation—The people sanctify themselves—The Lord appears on Sinai amid fire, smoke, and earthquakes.
The Lord reveals the Ten Commandments—Israel is to bear witness that the Lord has spoken from heaven—The children of Israel are forbidden to make gods of silver or gold—They are to make altars of unhewn stones and sacrifice to the Lord thereon.
God Gives Commandments Because He Wants Me to Be Happy.
Lesson 21: The Ten Commandments,” Primary 6: Old Testament (1996), 90–94 Explain that rules are necessary aspects of our lives. Ask the children to name some rules we should follow to be safe, to have good health, to have good relationships with others, or to have eternal life. Point out that rules bring order into our lives and are necessary for us to know how to live happily. Tell the children that in this lesson they will learn about Moses and the children of Israel receiving the Ten Commandments, which are laws given by God to help us know what to do and how to live so we can be happy.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 18–20” Commandments are Heavenly Father’s instructions for finding peace in this life and joy in eternity. How can you encourage the children to obey God’s commandments?
- Show pictures from “Moses on Mount Sinai” (in Old Testament Stories), and invite the children to share what they know about the story. Help them understand any parts of the story they aren’t familiar with.
- As you read several of the commandments from Exodus 20:3–17 to the children (or paraphrase them in words they can understand), invite them to give you a thumbs up if the commandment is about something we should do and a thumbs down if it is about something we should not do. Share your testimony about the happiness that comes from obeying God’s commandments (see Mosiah 2:41). (Topics article “Ten Commandments” (topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).)
Lesson 21: The Ten Commandments,” Primary 6: Old Testament (1996), 90–94
To teach the children that keeping the Ten Commandments helps us be happy.
Display the chart of the Ten Commandments with a few of the words covered, and let the children take turns filling in the blanks. (Or you could make copies of this chart, with some of the words missing, for each child and let the children fill in the blanks on their own copies.) They could then take their copies home to remind them to obey the Ten Commandments.
Notice that all of the Ten Commandments fit under the two great commandments that Jesus Christ gave in Matthew 22:37–40: to love God and to love our neighbors. Write Love God and Love Neighbors on the chalkboard. Let the children take turns reading each commandment from Exodus 20:3–17 or from the chart. Have them write on the chalkboard a few key words from each commandment under the appropriate heading. Discuss specific ways to live these commandments, and challenge the children to choose one specific way to show love for God and to show love for their neighbors this week.
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 18-20” Think of a meaningful way to discuss the Ten Commandments as a family. For instance, you might write the commandments in Exodus 20:3–17 on ten strips of paper. Family members could then sort them into two categories: (1) honoring God and (2) loving others (see also Matthew 22:36–40). Consider choosing a commandment or two each day this week and discussing it together in more detail. For example, how does obeying this commandment strengthen our family? How did the Savior obey it?
Liahona April 2022 “Jesus Christ Is Our Savior”
Applying the Ten Commandments to Our Lives
Read the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–17). God gave these laws to the Israelites to help them grow spiritually and live better lives. The commandments are also found in the Book of Mormon (see Mosiah 13:11–24) and in the Doctrine and Covenants (see 42:18–29; 59). How can the commandments help us today?
- List each of the Ten Commandments on separate pieces of paper.
- Have the family sit in a circle and place the commandments in the center.
- Have each person read a commandment and say how it fits in one of the following groups:
- Commandments 1–4 teach us about loving God.
- Commandments 5–10 teach us about our relationships and interactions with others.
- Many of the commandments tell us what not to do. Have each family member think of a positive action for each commandment.
Discussion: Think of ways the Ten Commandments have influenced your life and the culture you live in. What can we do to remember the commandments and follow them?
- Sing with the children a song about how Heavenly Father blesses us when we obey the commandments, such as “Keep the Commandments” (Children’s Songbook, 146–47). Invite the children to listen to the words to find out what blessings we can receive when we obey.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 18–20” The children will be more likely to keep the commandments if they see them as expressions of God’s love and as opportunities to express their love for Him.
- Prepare strips of paper with the commandments in Exodus 20:3–17 on them. Write the numbers one through ten on the board, and invite the children to put the strips in the correct order on the board. Talk about how we can follow these commandments. For ideas, they could look at the Gospel Topics article “Ten Commandments” (topics.ChurchofJesusChrist.org).
Ensign August 2016 “We Believe in Keeping the Ten Commandments”
- Invite the children to draw pictures of key words from the commandments to help them remember them.
Old Testament Coloring Book “The Ten Commandments”
- Tell the story about Chloe from Sister Carole M. Stephens’s message “If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments” (Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2015, 118–20). How does the story help us understand why the Lord gives us commandments? How does being obedient show our love for God?
Friend June 2018 “Moses Obeyed God” Story, video, and goal card.
Latter Day Kids “Commandments Are a Blessing” Lesson ideas
Come Follow Me With Living Scriptures “Keep the Commandments” Lesson ideas
See also Commandments
Thou Shalt Have No Other Gods Before Me
It Is Important to Put the Lord First in My Life.
Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 18–20” The first two of the Ten Commandments the Lord gave the children of Israel were “Thou shalt have no other gods before me,” and “Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” (Ex. 20:3–4.)
- Read together Exodus 20:1–7, and explain that anything we put before God in our lives can be like the “others gods” and “graven image[s]” mentioned in verses 3–4. Ask the children why Heavenly Father wants us to put Him first. (One possible answer might be: Because he loves us and wants us to be happy. He knows we will be happiest if we live the kind of life he wants us to live and return and live with him again.)
Ask the children if they can name some things that we might be tempted to put before God in our lives. (Answers may even be good things such as recreational activities. If something is taking a lot of our focus and time and is getting in the way of putting the Lord first, it might be considered idolatry. (The worship of idols is an excessive attachment or devotion to anything.)
- Ask the children how we can show Heavenly Father that He is more important than anything else in our lives.
For the Strength of Youth April 2022 “The Best Day”
- Think of a task that has an important first step, such as washing our hands before we eat or putting on socks before putting on shoes. What could happen if we didn’t do the important things first? How is this like putting Heavenly Father first in our lives? Share your testimony of how putting God first has blessed you, and invite the children to share their testimonies, too.
- New Era July 2020 “Making Good Use of Your Time” Object Lesson: Pour all the sand into the jar first, then add the larger rocks on top. When you add the sand first, there isn’t enough space for all the larger rocks—just like how when we prioritize other activities over the things Heavenly Father has commanded us to do, we may run out of time for the things that are most important.
- Sing a song about Heavenly Father, such as “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (Children’s Songbook, 228–29). What do we learn from the song about why it is important to put Heavenly Father first in our lives?
I Can Honor My Parents.
Honoring parents involves more than just obeying them. Help the children understand other ways they can honor their parents.
Friend March 2019 “A Lesson From My Parents” Color the pictures and circle the things a parent has taught you. What else can you think of?
- Help the children learn the phrase “Honour thy father and thy mother” (Exodus 20:12). If needed, explain that to “honor” someone can mean to show respect for them or to bring them happiness.
Friend November 2021 “Jesus Honored His Parents” As He grew up, Jesus obeyed His earthly parents. He loved and cared for them. Even when He was dying on the cross, He asked one of His disciples to take care of His mother. He also honored His Heavenly Father by keeping the commandments.
- Help the children think of things they can do to honor their parents, and invite them to act out their ideas.
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: Old Testament 2022 “Exodus 18-20” To better understand Exodus 20:12, it might help if your family looked up definitions of the word “honor.” Then family members could make a list of things we can do that would honor our parents. You might sing a song about honoring parents, like “Quickly I’ll Obey” (Children’s Songbook, 197), and then use some of the ideas in your list to write new verses to the song.
What did Jesus do to honor His Heavenly Father? How did He honor His mother? (see Luke 2:48–51; John 19:26–27).
New Era March 2017 “20 Wats to Honor Mom and Dad”
- Invite the children to make a thank-you card for their parents. They could write or draw inside the card something they will do to honor their parents.
Friend September 2020 “Loving Our Families” Cut out the strips of paper and put them in a bowl. After you do one of the activities, add a link to your chain of hearts.
