Sing to the LORD! Miriam's Song by the Sea
Exodus 15:1-21; Exodus 14:29-31; Exodus 1:22-2:4 Old Testament PrincipleThankfulness
When God led Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground and the water closed over Pharaoh's army, His people were safe at last. They saw God's great power, and they believed. Then Moses and all Israel sang a song of thanks to the LORD, and Miriam the prophetess took a tambourine and led all the women in singing and dancing. Their song tells who God is and what He did. God rescues His people, and the right answer to His rescue is a thankful song of praise.
Thankfulness is answering what God has done with praise. We thank God because He rescues us, and every good thing we have comes from Him.
- CreationGod made it
- FallWe broke it
- RedemptionJesus fixes it (this lesson)
- RestorationJesus makes it new
Memory verse
“The LORD is my strength and my song, and He has become my salvation.”
Exodus 15:2 BSB
Christ Connection · Picture
God rescued Israel from slavery, and they sang. Jesus rescues us from something worse than Pharaoh: sin and death. In Revelation, the people Jesus saved stand by "a sea of glass" and sing "the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb." Miriam's song is a small picture of the song God's people will sing forever.
Revelation 15:2-4; 1 Corinthians 10:1-4; Colossians 1:13-14
The Big Story · Redemption
God rescued His people from slavery in Egypt by bringing them through the water. It is a picture of the greater rescue God brings through Jesus, and the redeemed in heaven sing "the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb."
Teacher Guide
This version includes:
- Background and context for the passage
- Hidden in Plain Sight: the detail most people miss
- The Christ Connection: how this story points to Jesus
- A 45-minute class plan and prep checklist
- A map of where it happened
- Object lesson: What's the first line?
- Ellie’s Lab (science experiment): Feel the sound
- A skit to act out the story
- Review game: Sing it back
- Pronunciation help, tips for every age, song ideas and a note for parents
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Preschool (ages 3–5)
God saved us! Thank You, God!
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 4-minute Bible story written for this age
- 3 discussion questions
- 2 activities: Thank-you shakers, Color Miriam's drum
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, at church
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
Free preview · Kindergarten – 2nd grade
God led His people through the Red Sea on dry ground, and the water came back over Pharaoh's army. God's people were safe! Moses and all the people sang a thank-you song to God. Then Miriam took her drum and led all the women in singing and dancing. "Sing to the LORD!" she sang. When God rescues us, we thank Him and praise Him.
Memory verse
“The LORD is my strength and my song.”
Adapted from Exodus 15:2
Start here
Ask, "What's the best present you ever got? What did you say?" Let a few kids share. Say, "When someone does something great for us, we say thank you! Today God's people said thank you to God in a big, loud way."
Bible story 6 min
Long ago, God's people were slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh was a mean king. He even told his men to throw the baby boys into the river.
But one baby boy was hidden in a basket by the river. His big sister stood close by and watched. That sister was probably Miriam. The baby was Moses!
Many years later, God sent Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. Pharaoh chased them with his army. God's people were stuck at the sea!
The rest of the story, discussion questions, songs, Live It and prayer are for members.
Dasch Digs Up: Did You Know?
Miriam is the first woman the Bible calls a prophetess, someone who speaks God's words.
Exodus 15:20
Try an activity
Thank-you shakers 10 min
You’ll need: Paper plates, Dry beans, Stapler, Ribbon or crepe paper streamers, Markers
- Kids decorate two paper plates. On one, they draw something they're thankful for.
- Add beans, and an adult staples the plates together. Add streamers.
- March and shake like Miriam's women, singing, "Sing to the LORD!"
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
3rd – 4th grade
God brought Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground, and the sea covered Pharaoh's army. When the people saw God's power, they believed. Moses and Israel sang a song of praise, and Miriam the prophetess took a tambourine and led all the women in singing and dancing. Their song was all about God, who He is and what He had done. Real thankfulness tells what God has done.
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 8-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 5 discussion questions
- 2 activities: What the song says about God, Sing it back
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: at home, at church, with friends
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
5th – 6th grade
Israel's first song as a free people was a song of thanks. After God brought them through the sea and the water covered Pharaoh's army, Moses and Israel sang about who God is and what He had done, and Miriam the prophetess led the women with tambourines and dancing. The song looks back at the rescue and forward to God's promises, and it ends, "The LORD will reign forever and ever!" Biblical thankfulness answers God's saving work with praise, and one day Jesus' people will sing "the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb."
This version includes:
- An opening hook and a 10-minute Bible story written for this age, with a Hidden in Plain Sight moment
- 6 discussion questions
- 2 activities: The anatomy of a thank-you song, My own song of the sea
- 5 “Dasch Digs Up” facts
- Real-life connections: online and on screens, at home, at church
- Song ideas, Live It, a prayer, and a printable student handout (preview below)
Every lesson, every age, from $25 a month. · Log in
More lessons on Thankfulness
The same principle in other Bible stories.
The Ten LepersLuke 17:11-19; Leviticus 13:45-46Ten men with leprosy begged Jesus for mercy, and He healed all ten. Only one came back to thank Him, a Samaritan outsider. Jesus is good to us every day, so we come back to Him with thankful hearts.New TestamentThankfulness
Seeing God's WorldMade in God’s ImageGenesis 1:26-31; Psalm 139:1-18; James 3:9-10God made people in His own image, male and female, different from everything else He made. David praised God because he was "fearfully and wonderfully made." Every person's worth comes from God, so we thank Him for how He made us and treat every person with respect.Old TestamentThankfulness
Do This in Remembrance of Me: The Last SupperLuke 22:7-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26On the day of the Passover, Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the meal in a large upper room. That night, Jesus ate the Passover with His disciples. He took the bread, gave thanks, broke it and said, "This is My body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of Me." Then He took the cup and said, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you." The very next day, Jesus died on the cross for us. Christians still remember Him this way, with thankful hearts.New TestamentThankfulness
Heard Far Away: Nehemiah’s Thank-You ChoirsNehemiah 12:27-43; Ezra 3:10-13; Nehemiah 4:3When Jerusalem's wall was finished, Nehemiah gathered singers and musicians from all over Judah for a great celebration of thanks to God. He sent two huge choirs up on top of the wall. One marched one way around the city and one marched the other way, singing and playing, until they met at God's house. That day the people offered sacrifices and rejoiced, because God had given them great joy, and the sound of their rejoicing was heard far away. When God keeps His promises, His people answer with loud, glad thanks.Old TestamentThankfulness