Children’s Bible Program- Level 1: Lessons 38-41 Packet: Judges
Includes the lessons:
- Lesson 38 “The Time of the Judges”
- Lesson 39 “Deborah”
- Lesson 40 “Deborah Judges Israel”
- Lesson 41 “Deborah and Barak Go to War”
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Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 42 “Samuel – God Heard”
Featured Passage: 1 Samuel 1-2
As 1 Samuel begins, we are introduced to a woman from the strange-sounding city called Ramathaimzophim! Her name was much easier to pronounce than her city! She was called Hannah.
Hannah was a faithful woman, and loved God. But God had not blessed her with the one thing that she desired most – a child. In time, Hannah and her husband travelled to Shiloh to offer sacrifices to God. As she prayed quietly, she began to weep, begging God to give her a child. If only He would bless her with a son, she prayed, she would dedicate the boy to serve God all his life. God heard the prayer of faithful Hannah, and fulfilled her request. Her son Samuel followed Hannah’s example of faithfulness and dedication to God, giving his life in service for decades to come.
Discuss:
- Hannah dedicated her son to God. What does it mean to be dedicated to God?
- Hannah named her son Samuel which means “God heard”. Why do you think Hannah chose that name for him?
- Samuel lived and served in the tabernacle from the time he was very young. What do you think it would be like to grow up working in the Tabernacle of God?
- Just as Samuel’s story shows, you’re never too young to serve and obey God. How can you be like Samuel today?
Memory Challenge:
1 Samuel 2:26
And the child Samuel grew in stature, and in favor both with the Lord and men.
Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 43 “Samuel Judges Israel”
Featured Passage: 1 Samuel 3-4, 7
Samuel served in the temple from childhood. Under the guidance of Eli, Samuel began to learn about all the things of God. God was preparing Samuel for big responsibilities. One night, when he was still a young boy, Samuel heard someone call his name. Thinking it was Eli, he jumped out of bed and said to Eli “Here I am!” Eli hadn’t called him, but Samuel was about to find out Who wanted his attention. And that was only the beginning of the story of how Samuel came to be a prophet and a judge over Israel.
Discuss:
- Samuel had a special calling to be a prophet to Israel at a very young age. What was Samuel’s reaction when God spoke to him the first time?
- Samuel’s first prophetic message was about Eli and his family. Why were Eli and his sons punished?
- What are the duties of a prophet? Why does God have prophets?
- What are the duties of a judge?
Memory Challenge:
1 Samuel 3:10
Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel answered, “Speak, for Your servant hears.”
Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 44 “Israel Wants a King”
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.”
Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 45 “Samuel and Saul”
Featured Passage: 1 Samuel 9-12
The people wanted a king, so God had a particular man in mind for the job. This young man’s name was Saul, and he was from the tribe of Benjamin. Saul was the tallest and most handsome man in all the land! God told Samuel that he wanted Saul to be king. Little did Saul know about what was in store for him!
One day, Saul’s father told him to take a servant with him to look for his two missing donkeys. Saul and his servant searched and searched but they could not find them. They were about to give up when they remembered Samuel and decided that the man of God would be able to help them. He was, of course, able to help them, but not in the way that Saul expected. How could Saul know that the two missing donkeys were part of God’s plan to anoint a king over Israel?
Discuss:
- Saul was tall and handsome. Do you think this was part of the reason God chose him to be the first king?
- When Samuel first told Saul about God’s plan to make him king, how did Saul react? How do we react when someone tells us something surprising?
- Why do you think Saul kept it a secret that he had been anointed by Samuel to be the king?
- When Samuel went to proclaim to the people who would be king, where was Saul? Why do you think he was hiding?
- Later, God said that Saul was “small in his own eyes” at this time. This is another way of saying that he was “humble”. What exactly does it mean to be “humble” or “small in your own eyes?”
Memory Challenge:
1 Samuel 10:24
And Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen, that there is no one like him among all the people?” So all the people shouted and said, “Long live the king!”
Children’s Bible Program- Level 1: Lessons 42-45 Packet: Samuel
Includes the lessons:
- Lesson 42 “Samuel- God Heard”
- Lesson 43 “Samuel Judges Israel”
- Lesson 44 “Israel Wants a King”
- Lesson 45 “Samuel and Saul
Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 46 “Saul and Jonathan”
Featured Passage: 1 Samuel 13 – 15
When Saul first became king, he was humble, and God was with him. But as the years went by, he began to make bad decisions because he wasn’t trusting God. Saul had a son named Jonathan who, unlike his father, was faithful to God. At the time, Israel was at war with the Philistines. Compared to the Israelites, the Philistines had a much stronger army and had better weapons for fighting. This made King Saul and his army very nervous – so nervous that Saul didn’t follow God’s directions, which got him into trouble. On the other hand, his son Jonathan decided to boldly put his trust in God and courageously take action against the enemies of Israel, knowing that in the end, it is God who does the fighting.
Discuss:
- King Saul was supposed to wait for Samuel to come to give the special offering to God at Gilgal. Why didn’t he wait for Samuel? Why was Samuel angry with Saul? What should have King Saul done?
- Why do you think Jonathan didn’t tell his father that he was going to the Philistine garrison? Why do you think he only took his armorbearer with him? What was the job of an armorbearer?
- How did Jonathan know God was with him when he went to attack the Philistines? What were the results of Jonathan’s faith? What are some things that can happen when we trust in God?
- Even after Israel’s victory due to Jonathan’s trust in God, Saul made some more bad decisions. What were some of those decisions?
- Due to King Saul’s poor choices, God decided it was time for Him to choose a new king. Why did God want a new king for Israel?
Memory Challenge:
1 Samuel 13:14
“But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 47 “God Chooses a New King”
Featured Passage: 1 Samuel 16
King Saul made some very poor decisions and disobeyed God’s directions. God no longer wanted Saul to be king and Samuel told Saul what God had decided. Though Saul did not know it, God already had a new king in mind. God told Samuel to go to Bethlehem, a small town where a man named Jesse lived. Jesse had eight sons, and God had picked one of them to be anointed as king of Israel. Samuel looked at Jesse’s tall and handsome sons and thought he could guess who God picked. But God sees characteristics we do not see, and he had a perfect choice in mind that no one ever expected.
Discuss:
- When Samuel saw him, he was sure that Eliab was the one God had chosen. What was it about Eliab that made Samuel feel this way? How did God respond?
- Why was Samuel having a feast? Was David invited?
- David was a young lad when he was chosen to be the next king of Israel. What do you think it would be like for him to be told he would be the next king at such an early age?
- David was the youngest of his brothers, and he tended his father’s sheep. What lessons do you think David learned from being a shepherd? Do you have any responsibilities at home? What is it like to have that responsibility?
- What instrument did David play while he was caring for the sheep? Why was David given the job of playing music for Saul? God often uses us for the skills that we develop. What skills are you working on or would you like to master as you grow up? In what ways do you think God could use those skills?
Memory Challenge:
1 Samuel 16:7
But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 48 “David and Goliath”
Featured Passage: 1 Samuel 17
David had been anointed king of Israel, but he was still just a young shepherd. Though King Saul invited David to his court to be his armorbearer and to play the harp, to his family, he was still just the youngest brother who cared for the sheep. Now, around this time, the Philistines came to fight against the Israelites in a battle. The Philistines brought out their champion warrior and wanted to make a deal. When the Israelites saw that the Philistine warrior was a giant, they were very scared and ran to hide! Even King Saul hid in his tent. When David saw the situation, he knew someone had to do something about it – and that something could only be done with God’s help.
Discuss:
- What was the deal the Philistines wanted to make with the Israelites in the battle? Why did no one want to take up the challenge?
- How tall was Goliath?
- Why didn’t David take Saul’s armor? What things had David done to protect his sheep that let him know God would be with him?
- What was Goliath doing every day? Why do you think David was so upset by the things he heard Goliath saying?
- What do you think David was thinking about when he went out to fight Goliath? Do you think he was afraid? What should we do when we are feeling afraid?
- What did David take with him to defeat Goliath? After Goliath was dead, what did the armies of Israel do?
Memory Challenge:
1 Samuel 17:47
“Then all this assembly shall know that the Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, and He will give you into our hands.”
Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 49 “David and King Saul”
Featured Passage:1 Samuel 18-20
Saul knew that God had rejected him from being king and that David was eventually going to be king instead of him. After God helped David defeat Goliath, King Saul was grateful and proud of David and brought him to live with him and his family. David soon became the best of friends with Jonathan, Saul’s son, and the people treated him as a hero. However, Saul began to get extremely jealous of David because of all the attention the people were giving him. Even though David was becoming like part of his family, King Saul began to plot in his heart to destroy David.
Discuss:
- David had developed a relationship with God at a very young age (Psalms 71:5) What does it mean to have a relationship with God? How can someone your age begin to seek a relationship with God?
- What does the scripture mean when it says, “the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David”? Do you have any close friends? Why is it important to have good friends?
- What was the message of the song that the people were singing about David and Saul? How did Saul respond when he heard it?
- Saul sent David on dangerous missions. When God gave David victories the people loved David even more. What was Saul’s reaction to David’s successes?
- Whom did Saul allow David to marry? Do you think Saul was happy about this marriage?
- Saul made it clear to Jonathan that he intended to kill David. What did Jonathan do about it?
Memory Challenge:
1 Samuel 18:14
And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.