Youth Lesson Plan: Exodus 7–13

THE OPENER (2–3 minutes)
Bring a sponge and a small rock. Hold them up and ask: “If I pour water on both of these, which one actually takes it in?” Pour a little water on each (or just mime it if you’re in a carpeted classroom and value your life). Then ask: “Okay, real question: when God is trying to teach you something—through a parent, a leader, a scripture, a consequence—are you more ‘sponge’ or more ‘rock’ lately?” Let a few students answer. Keep it light: “No shame—some weeks I’m basically granite.”

Transition: Exodus 7–13 is a story of a king whose heart becomes so “hard” that even repeated miracles don’t change him. At the same time, it’s also one of the clearest, most symbol-rich witnesses of how Jesus Christ saves.

SCRIPTURE DEEP DIVE (12–15 minutes)
Invite students to open to the references listed in the Come, Follow Me bundle and do this as discovery, not lecture.

First, put this question on the board: “What do you notice about Pharaoh’s pattern?”
Have students pair up and skim one of these blocks (assign different pairs different blocks): (Exodus 7:14–25), (Exodus 8:5–32), (Exodus 9:1–26), (Exodus 10:12–29), (Exodus 12:29–33). After 2 minutes, ask: “What repeated moves does Pharaoh make?” Let them report patterns they see (promises, bargaining, delay, refusing, etc.). Then read this purpose statement together: the Lord gives opportunities to accept “that I am the Lord” (Exodus 7:5) and that “there is none like me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14). Ask: “If the goal is for people to know God, why do you think God keeps giving Pharaoh chances instead of just ending it immediately?”

Next, shift from Pharaoh to us. Read the invitation from Come, Follow Me: “Hopefully, your will is never opposed to God’s will as Pharaoh’s was. Still, we all have times when our hearts aren’t as soft as they should be.” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 6–12. ‘Remember This Day, in Which Ye Came Out from Egypt’: Exodus 7–13”). Ask: “What are modern versions of ‘hardening’—not big villain stuff, but teen-life stuff?”

Now go to the Passover. Tell them: “Watch how the story turns from power over Egypt to salvation for Israel.” Read (or have students skim) (Exodus 12:1–13) and ask: “What details feel oddly specific?” Then use the bundle’s symbolism prompts and let students connect dots. The bundle teaches: “The Passover teaches us through symbols that just as the Lord delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt, He can also deliver us from the bondage of sin.” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 6–12…,” section “Jesus Christ can save me because of His Atonement.”)

Finally, underline the bundle’s core conclusion and read it aloud slowly: “This seems fitting because in every case of spiritual captivity, there truly is only one way to escape. It is only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Firstborn—the blood of the Lamb without blemish—that will save us.” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 6–12…,” introduction). Ask: “Why do you think the Lord teaches salvation with symbols instead of just giving a paragraph explanation?”

THE BIG IDEA (8–10 minutes)
Principle 1: God gives real chances to soften our hearts.
The repeated plagues aren’t just punishment; they’re repeated invitations to recognize God: “that I am the Lord” (Exodus 7:5) and “there is none like me in all the earth” (Exodus 9:14). Ask: “What does it look like when God is trying to get someone’s attention today?” Follow-up: “What makes it hard to soften your heart when you feel corrected—pride, embarrassment, wanting control, fear?”

Principle 2: Jesus Christ is the way out of captivity—always.
Use the bundle’s language directly: “He can also deliver us from the bondage of sin.” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 6–12…,” section “Jesus Christ can save me because of His Atonement.”) Ask: “If Israel couldn’t ‘nice-guy’ their way out of Egypt, what does that teach us about trying to fix sin with just willpower?”

Principle 3: Remembering is a spiritual skill, not a personality trait.
The Lord commands Israel to repeat Passover so they won’t forget deliverance: see (Exodus 12:14–17, 24–27; 13:1–16). Ask: “Why do you think God builds ‘remembering’ into worship?” Then connect to the sacrament: “What can you do to ‘always remember’ Jesus Christ?” (Moroni 4:3; 5:2). If helpful, read the sacrament question straight from the bundle prompt and let them answer in their own words.

MIX IT UP – ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITY (5–8 minutes)
Do a quick whole-class “symbol hunt” using the chart idea from the bundle (no small groups needed). On the board, write three symbols from (Exodus 12:1–42): the lamb, blood on the doorposts, unleavened bread. Ask students to choose one and answer two questions aloud:

1. “What might this teach about Jesus?” (Use the bundle’s direction to look for meaning; don’t force a single ‘right’ answer.)
2. “What’s the ‘God’s message to me’ part—what would change in your week if you actually lived like that symbol mattered?”

Then read this line to frame why symbols matter: “Once we understand how these objects relate to the Savior, they can teach us of His power and attributes” (Teaching in the Savior’s Way, 7), as quoted in the bundle (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 6–12…,” section “Come unto Christ by identifying symbols that testify of Him.”). Also include: “‘All things,’ the Lord declared, ‘are created and made to bear record of me’” (Moses 6:63), as quoted there.

THE LANDING (3–4 minutes)
Circle back to the sponge and the rock. Say something like: “Pharaoh’s tragedy isn’t that he lacked evidence. It’s that he kept practicing resistance until resistance became his default.” Then testify gently, using the bundle’s central witness: “It is only the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Firstborn—the blood of the Lamb without blemish—that will save us.” (Come, Follow Me—For Home and Church: Old Testament 2026, “April 6–12…,” introduction).

Invitation for the week: the next time you take the sacrament, pick one thing you want to remember—one way the Lord has delivered you, strengthened you, forgiven you, or steadied you. Come to the table of the Lord like someone “dressed to leave” (see Exodus 12:11 in the bundle’s symbol list)—ready to walk away from whatever enslaves you. That kind of remembering softens hearts. And I trust these youth enough to believe they can actually do it.