Protection – SS2 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (First Term)

Protection is God’s care and defence of his people, even when all hope seems lost.

• Red Sea: God rescued Israel from the Egyptian army.
• Lions’ den: God saved Daniel from death.
• Psalm 91: God promises to shield all who abide in him.

What are the Bible readings for this topic?

• Set reading: Exodus 16:1-21; 17:1-7.
• Red Sea: Exodus 14.
• Daniel in the lions’ den: Daniel 6:1-28.
• God’s shield over those who trust him: Psalm 91.
• Extra verse: Genesis 15:1.

Behavioural objectives

1. Describe how God protected the Israelites at the Red Sea.
2. Narrate how God protected Daniel in the lions’ den.
3. State why the officials plotted against Daniel.
4. Explain what Psalm 91 teaches about God’s protection of all people.
5. State lessons Christians can learn from these accounts.

What are the key terms in this topic?

Six terms are used in this topic, as shown below.

How did God guide and protect Israel at the Red Sea? (Exodus 14)

God guided and protected Israel at the Red Sea by parting the water so they crossed on dry ground.

• Main lesson: even at the most critical times, when all hope is lost, God guides and protects his people.
• The danger: the Israelites saw the chariots of the Egyptian soldiers approaching and were terrified.
• Their position: they were trapped, with the army behind and the sea ahead.
• Their response: they cried out in fear, yet God had a plan ready.
• Moses’ word to them: he told them not to be afraid and to see the salvation of the Lord.

What were the steps in the rescue?

1. God told Moses to stretch his rod towards the Red Sea.
2. The pillar of cloud moved behind Israel, between them and the Egyptians.
3. Moses stretched out his hand and the sea parted to the right and to the left.
4. The children of Israel walked across on dry ground.
5. The Egyptians pursued them into the sea.
6. Moses stretched out his hand again and the sea returned to its normal flow.
7. All the Egyptians drowned, and Israel was safe.

What are the lessons from the Red Sea?

• God acts at the point of need: help came when Israel had no way out.
• Obedience matters: Moses did exactly what God told him to do.
• God defends his people: Israel was guided and protected from the Egyptians that day.
• Fear gives way to trust: God’s people are told to stand firm and watch him act.

How did God protect Daniel? (Daniel 6:1-28)

God protected Daniel by sending his angel to shut the mouths of the lions.

• Who Daniel was: the most preferred of the three presidents who ruled under King Darius.
• Why he stood out: he had an excellent spirit, and the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom.
• Main lesson: God protects those who honour him.

Why did the officials plot against Daniel?

The officials plotted against Daniel because they were jealous of his high position.

• Envy: they could not accept Daniel’s high position.
• No fault found: the only way to incriminate Daniel was through his religious beliefs.
• The trap: they asked for a decree that nobody should pray to any god or man except the king for thirty days.
• The king’s mistake: he did not know their motive and signed the decree, which could not be changed.

What happened step by step?

1. Daniel heard about the decree and went home.
2. He continued to pray to his God as usual, three times a day, with his windows open towards Jerusalem.
3. His detractors spied on him and reported him to the king.
4. The king felt bad but had no choice, so he ordered Daniel to be thrown into the lions’ den.
5. The king could not eat or sleep and fasted all night.
6. At daybreak the king rushed to the den and asked, in a sorrowful voice, whether Daniel’s God was able to save him.
7. Daniel answered that God had sent his angel to shut the mouths of the lions.
8. Daniel said he was found blameless before God and the king.
9. The king ordered Daniel’s release.
10. The detractors and their families were thrown into the lions’ den.

What are the lessons from Daniel’s story?

• Faithfulness: Daniel kept praying even when it put his life at risk.
• Integrity: he was blameless before God and the king.
• God’s angels protect: God sent his angel to shut the lions’ mouths.
• Envy brings harm: those who plotted evil suffered the fate they planned for Daniel.

How does God protect all people? (Psalm 91)

Psalm 91 teaches that God shields all who abide in him and trust him as their refuge.

• Condition: the promise is for those who abide in God, trusting him as their refuge and fortress.
• Protection from pestilence: God shields his people from deadly disease.
• Protection from the wicked: God guards them from the arrows that fly by day.
• Protection from destruction: God covers them from harm of all kinds.
• Angels: God gives his angels charge over those who trust him.
• Attitude to take: people should see God continually as their shield and exceeding great reward (see Genesis 15:1).

How do the three examples compare?

Each example shows a different danger and the way God answered it.

How should Christians respond to God’s protection?

Christians should respond to God’s protection with trust, obedience and faithful living.

• Trust God: do not give up hope when danger seems certain.
• Obey God: follow his instructions as Moses did.
• Keep praying: stay faithful in prayer as Daniel did.
• Live honestly: a blameless life leaves enemies with nothing to use against you.
• Avoid envy: envy leads people to plot evil and to suffer for it.
• Abide in God: live close to him daily to enjoy the promise of Psalm 91.

Evaluation

1. How did God protect the Israelites from the Egyptians at the Red Sea?
2. Why did the envious officials decide to attack Daniel through a decree about prayer?
3. What did Daniel do when he heard about the decree?
4. What happened to Daniel’s detractors and their families?
5. From Psalm 91, name two things God protects those who abide in him from.

Assignment

In your own words, write a short account of how God protected Daniel in the lions’ den, and state one lesson Christians can learn from it.