Archive for category: LivingEd – Youth

Featured Passage: Numbers 20

The Israelites rebelled against God when they were supposed to go into the land God promised them, so as a punishment God made them wander in the desert for forty years. They were now getting close to the end of that time, but it seemed the people had not changed very much – they still complained and complained. One day, the congregation was made to camp in a place where there was no water. Instead of asking God for help, they were angry and complained to Moses and Aaron. God told Moses to gather the people together to witness a special miracle that God was going to perform to bring water from a rock. God had done this miracle before, only this time He wanted Moses to speak to the rock instead of hitting it with his staff as he had before. Moses was so angry with the people for all their complaining that he made a hasty mistake – a mistake which would change the course of his life. 

Discuss: 

1. Why do you think the people were the people complaining about not having water? What would it be like to be in the desert without water? 
2. Why do you suppose the people didn’t ask God for help when they were in trouble? Why is it important that we ask God to help us when we are in trouble?
3. What were God’s instructions to Moses and Aaron? What did Moses and Aaron actually do? 
4. Why was God so angry with Moses? Have a look at Numbers 20:10. Was Moses giving God the credit for causing the miracle? What should have Moses said?
5. What was Moses’ punishment for his mistake? What lessons can we learn from this story? 

Memory Challenge: 

Numbers 20:12

Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe Me, to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.”

Featured Passage: Numbers 13-14

A man named Hosea,  who Moses called Joshua, was from the tribe of Ephraim. Joshua was already used by God in the wilderness as an assistant to Moses at Mount Sinai and as a leader of troops in a victorious battle against the Amalekites! Now the Israelites were coming close to the entrance to the land God promised them and it was time for Joshua to help out again – this time as a spy! Joshua and eleven other spies were sent into the land to see what the land was like and what kind of people lived there. When they returned, the group brought with them delicious fruit, exciting news of the land, and a disagreement that would impact the lives of every person in Israel.  

Discuss:

• The Amalekites attacked Israel near the beginning of their journey to the Promised Land (Exodus 17:8-16). What job did Moses give Joshua in Israel’s first battle?
• How did Joshua assist Moses at Mount Sinai? (Exodus 24; 32)
• Why was Joshua chosen as one of the spies? 
• When the spies came back what did they say about the land and the people they saw? What did the spies recommend? What did Joshua and Caleb recommend? How difficult do you think it was for them to stand up against the crowd? 
• What was Israel’s punishment for refusing to go into the promised land?

Memory Challenge: 

Numbers 14:8-9

“If the Lord delights in us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us, ‘a land which flows with milk and honey.’ Only do not rebel against the Lord, nor fear the people of the land, for they are our bread; their protection has departed from them, and the Lord is with us. Do not fear them.”

Featured Passage: Jonah 1 – 4

After the death of Elisha, God raised up other prophets whom He used to speak His words to the people. One of those prophets was a man from a town called Gath Hepher whose name was Jonah (2 Kings 14:25). Jonah usually delivered messages from God to the people of Israel, but one day God told him to deliver a message to an entirely different group of people in a city called Nineveh. The people of Nineveh were not Israelites, but Assyrians and enemies of Israel, and Jonah wanted nothing to do with them. So, instead of following God’s directions to deliver a warning to the people of Nineveh, Jonah decided to run away from God. But God wasn’t finished with Jonah. He was forming a plan that would get the attention of both Jonah and the people of Nineveh. 

Discuss: 

• Why do you think Jonah tried to run away from God? Is it ever possible to hide from God?
• Why do you think Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh to deliver God’s message? 
• Jonah knew that he was the reason God sent the storm, so he told the men to throw him into the sea. How did God save Jonah’s life? 
• What do you think it was like for Jonah to be in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights? 
• What did the people of Nineveh do when they heard God’s message from Jonah? What lessons can we learn from their response? 
• Do you think Jonah learned the lessons God was trying to teach? What can we learn from his story?
• What can we learn about God’s love, His mercy, and His compassion from the story of Jonah? 

Memory Challenge: 

Jonah 2:7 

“When my soul fainted within me, I remembered the Lord; and my prayer went up to You, into Your holy temple.”

Featured Passage: 1 Samuel 7 – 8

Samuel had been judging Israel for many years. He traveled between the cities of Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah to judge the people, though he lived in Ramah with his family. Samuel’s sons became judges, but they did not follow his example. They were evil in how they judged Israel, and the people were upset with how things were going. They decided they wanted to have a king to rule over them instead of a judge. Samuel tried to warn them of what would happen if they had a king, but the people would not listen, and God was preparing to let them have their way.

Discuss:

• Before Israel had a king, God gave Israel His laws and His judges made sure they were kept. What would change with a king? 
• Israel was to be an example to the other nations (Deuteronomy 4:6–8). What does it mean to be an example? What is the difference between a good example and a bad example? 
• What did God say would happen if Israel had a human king?
• Israel rejected God as their king because they wanted a human king. They did not appreciate what God had done for them. How can we appreciate what God does for us? 

Memory Challenge:

1 Samuel 8:7 

And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not rule over them.”

Featured Passage: Exodus 20

God wanted to enter into a special relationship with Israel, but they had to agree. He planned to speak the terms of the agreement to Israel directly. The most magnificent fireworks display could not compare to what the people saw, and the loudest thunder storm would diminish in comparison to what they heard that day. Could the people, sinful as they were, stand before the Creator and live? What was so important that God wanted to say it Himself? 

Discuss:

• The sights and sounds were truly amazing that day. What did the people hear? What did they see? What things do you think they felt?
• The people heard God’s voice, but they did not actually see God. Whose was the voice which they heard? 
• Why are each of the commandments important? How do you think the world would be different if everyone kept these ten laws? 
• The people were very afraid while God was speaking, even Moses was shaking in his sandals (Hebrews 12:18–21). How do you think we would feel if we were there?
• In the end, the people did not want God to speak with them anymore. 

Memory Challenge: 

Exodus 20:20

And Moses said to the people, “Do not fear; for God has come to test you, and that His fear may be before you, so that you may not sin.”