Gideon as Judge

Luke 2:13-14 from the Time Warp Wife.

Central Truth: Gideon was choosen as a leader because God called him and Gideon obeyed.

Scriptures: Judges 11

Again, the Israelites turned against God and worshipped foreign idols of Canaan, including Baal and Ashtoreth. This time when the Israelites cried out to God, he told them to cry to their false gods, but the Lord had compassion on them and sent Jephthah to save them. Jephthah was the son of Gilead and lived in a territory called Gilead, which is east of the Jordan River. The Ammonites claimed that Gilead belonged to them and attacked the Israelites. Jephthah was cast out of his family by his half-brothers and fled to the land of Tob. While there, Jephthah led a band of men who raided and pillaged.

When the Ammonites attacked Gilead, the elders asked Jephthah to lead the Israelites against the Ammonites. Jephthah made the elders agree to make him their chief if the Lord delivered the Ammonites not his hand. The Lord delivered the Ammonites into Jephthah’s hand, and he destroyed twenty of their cities.

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School.  Since it was Christmas, I found a coloring page for the children to color. We also added a torch:

Gideon's torch

I found the template for the torch for free on Crafting the Word of God.

An Angel Visits Gideon

Central Truth: God chooses those who are the least.

Scriptures: Judges 6

The Israelites again did evil in the sight of the Lord who delivered them into the hands of the Midianites. They invaded Israel like a swarm of locusts, destroying crops and livestock. The Israelites were forced to hide in caves and dens in surrounding mountains. The Midianites oppressed the Israelites for seven years and the Israelites called out to God.

First, the Lord sent a prophet to teach and reprove the people. Then he sent an angel to appoint Gideon from the tribe of Manasseh to judge the people. The angel told Gideon that he was to save Israel from the Midianites and assured him that God will be with him. The first thing Gideon had to do was to tear down the altar of Baal built by his father. After Gideon destroyed Baal’s altar, the people were angry and demanded his death, but Gideon’s father told them that Baal should be the one to cast him down if he is god.

And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, 

"The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor."

Judges 6:12

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School. This time, we drew angels and wrote Judges 6:12 using different color pens.

We also included a short summary of the story of Gideon, including facts like his father's name, that Gideon pulled down the altar of Baal, and he defeated the Midianites:

The cute little picture of Gideon came from the Bible Fun For Kids website.

Deborah and Barak

Deborah and Barak

Central Truth: God calls whomever he wishes to serve him.

Scriptures: Judges 4

Again the Israelites did evil. Jabin, a king of Canaan, oppressed them for twenty years. The judge at this time was Deborah, a prophetess and the only female judge. She lived in the hill country of Ephraim. While sitting under a palm tree, the children of Israel came to her for judgment. 

Deborah called for Barak out of Naphtali and said that God commanded to take 10,000 men of Israel from Naphtali and Zebulun to Mount Tabor. God would draw the Canaanite army to Barak and delivered the Canaanites into his hands, but Barak would not be the one to destroy the captain of the Canaanite army, Sisera. Instead, Deborah is chosen for that task.

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School.  The first addition to our scrapbooks was inspired by the Judges Lapbook found on the Bible Fun for Kids website. We added a page about Shamgar, the Judge who defeated the Philistines. Then we added a page for Deborah:

And then we had some fun! I found a wonderful coloring page at the Christian Resources Today website. On a blank page in our scrapbooks, we used glue sticks to glue miniature palm tree leaves on the page.

After we colored our coloring pages, we trimmed them down and glued them on top of the leaves.

Deborah and Barak coloring page on the left. On the following pages, I wrote out the Song of Deborah and Barak found in Judges 5:2-31.

Ehud's Dagger

The Book of the Judges

Central Truth: God can use any person and situation to accomplish his will.

Scriptures: Judges 3:12-30

The story of the Judges of Israel is a period of time between the death of Joshua and the establishment of the United Kingdom under Saul, David, and Solomon. During this time, the government of Israel was a loose confederation of tribes gathered around the Tabernacle. There was no national leader like Moses and Joshua. The judges were merely tribal leaders who usually led their own tribes and perhaps surrounding ones.

When Israel was conquered by the king of Mesopotamia, they had turned away from God and was worshipping idols. They served the king of Mesopotamia for eight years until they repented and God sent Othniel, Caleb’s younger brother, to deliver them. The next enemy was Eglon, king of Moab, who conquered Jericho with his allies. When the Israelites cried out to God, he sent Ehud from the tribe of Benjamin to deliver them.

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School. We now begin our study of the Book of Judges. As an introduction to Judges, I found some fun charts and maps to add to our scrapbooks:

I was also inspired by the Judges Lapbook found on the Bible Fun For Kids website. We are using parts of the lapbook to include in our scrapbooks:

Othniel the Judge before Ehud.

Othniel means "Lion of God."

The Land Promise Fulfilled

The allocation of the land to the 12 Tribes of Israel (from freebibleimages.org).

Central Truth: God always fulfills his promises.

Scriptures: Joshua 21:43-45; 24

Joshua had been chosen by God to succeed Moses and became the military captain and master of strategy for Israel. For Joshua to conquer Canaan, it was necessary to conquer the strategically located city of Jericho and then conquering the cities of Ai and Bethel in the heart of the central hill country, dividing the land in two. Joshua could easily campaign against both the south and the north. First, he conquered the southern region of Canaan, and then he conquered the northern region. When the land finally rested from war, Joshua, Eleazar, and the heads of the tribes of Israel cast lots among the twelve tribes. Each of the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim, received a portion of land along with the other sons of Jacob. The Levites did not receive any land except for forty-eight cities for them to dwell. Since the Levites’ responsibility was to serve the religious needs of the people, they were scattered throughout the entire land.

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School.  This time we added a fun coloring page with the scripture:

"And the people said to Joshua we will serve the Lord our God and obey Him."

Joshua 24:24

After we colored our pages, we cut them to fit into our notebooks and glued them down. Then we added embellishment with blue glittery washi tape.

The Sun and the Moon Stand Still

The Sun by Destinee.

Central Truth: God will fight fo us!

Scriptures: Joshua 10:1-27

When the king of Jerusalem heard what the Israelites had done to Jericho and Ai, he sent messages to the king of Hebron, Warmth, Lachish, and Eglon to join him in an alliance against Israel. The armies gathered and besieged Gibeon who sent messages to Joshua reminding him of their treaty to protect them from their enemies. When Joshua prayed, God told him not to worry because the five kings will be delivered into his hands. Joshua and  his army marched to Gibeon and defeated the five kings. Joshua’s men pursed the remainder of the five kings’ army, and God sent hailstones that killed many of the enemy. Joshua asked God to keep the sun and moon still so that the Israelites could finish off the enemy, and God answered his request. 

"Sun, stand thou stilton Gibeon; and thou,

Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.

And the sun stood still,

and the moon stayed until the people had avenged

themselves upon their enemies."

Joshua 10:12-13

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School. This week we a couple of pages. On the first we pasted a margin strip with Joshua 1:9 (“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go”) and printed the above verse (Joshua 10:12-13) along with it. On the opposite page we drew a picture of the sun with short summaries of the story of the Amorite Battle. 

The Defeat at Ai

The Land of Canaan

Central Truth:Faith is obedience in action!

Scriptures: Joshua 8

After capturing Jericho, the Israelites next set their site on the city of Ai. The first attack on Ai, the Israelites were defeated. When Joshua prayed to God and asked why they were defeated, God told him that there was sin in the camp. Someone had stolen valuables from the city of Jericho contrary to God’s command that all the spoil was to be devoted to God. After a search of the camp, Achan confessed to taking the goods from Jericho.

After Achan and his family were punished, God’s anger was gone. God tells Joshua that he has given Ai, its people, and the land to the Israelites. Joshua sent a detachment of soldiers by night west of the city. Joshua and the rest of the army camped on the north side of the city. The following morning, the king of Ai sent his army out to battle Joshua and his men who pretended to flee. When the army of Ai pursued after Joshua, he stretched out his spear in the air to signal to the hiding Israelites to enter the city and set it on fire. Joshua and his men then turned around and attacked their pursuers. The Israelites smote all the people of Ai that day. The Israelites were allowed to keep cattle and spoil from the city of Ai.

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School. This week we talked about how obedience and faith are interconnected, so we added a doodle in our journals to remind us of our faith:

The Battle of Jericho

Central Truth: Faith includes obedience.

Scriptures: Joshua 5:10-15; 6; Hebrews 11:30-31

After crossing the Jordan River, the Israelites kept the Passover, eating the grain and produce of the land of Canaan. The day after eating the produce of the land, the manna ceased. As Joshua scored the city while preparing for the battle, a Man with a drawn sword appeared. The Man told Joshua that he was the captain of the host of the Lord. He gave Joshua instructions on how to capture the city, and Joshua obeyed. 

Joshua organized his army as the Man had instructed. For six days, they marched around Jericho one time without making a noise. On the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times. After the seventh time around, Joshua told them to shout because God has given them the city. The walls fell flat and the Israelites took the city, saving only Rahab and her family.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down,

after they were compassed about seven days.

By faith the harlot Rahab perished not 

with them that believed not,

when she had received the spies with peace.

Hebrews 11:30-31

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School.  It is difficult to study and understand the Book of Joshua without knowing where the places are that were conquered by the Canaanites. In our journals, we added a map that included the possible locations of the biblical cities of Jericho, Ai, Bethel, and Shechem.

Israel Crosses the Jordan River

The Israelites crossing the Jordan River (picture from freebibleimages.org).

Central Truth: We should always remember what God does for us in our lives.

Scriptures: Joshua 3 and 4

The city of Jericho is located at the eastern entrance into the land of Canaan, so it was necessary for the Israelites to capture this city first before conquering the rest of the land. Before they could attack Jericho, they first had to cross the Jordan River. Unfortunately, the Israelites came to the river during a time when the Jordan overflowed its banks. It was going to take a miracle to cross the river. Joshua instructed the priest to carry the Ark of the Covenant to the brink of the river. When the soles of their feet entered the water, the water stopped flowing and the people were able to cross the river on dry ground. Twelve men from each of the tribes were instructed to carry a stone from where the priests stood with the Ark and to the other side of the river and made a heap of stones as a memorial. Joshua also took twelve stones from the river and made a second heap of stones where the priests stood in the river. The memorial marked the location of the crossing. As soon as the priests carried the Ark to the other side of the Jordan River, the water again flowed, overflowing the banks as before. 

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School. This time we had fun recreating the scene of the crossing of the Jordan River with scrapbook paper and construction paper. The scene was inspired by a coloring page I found on the Internet. Here are a couple of pages:

Rahab hides the Spies

Rahab helps the Israelite spies to escape (freebibleimages.org)

Central Truth: Other people see what God does, so let your light shine!

Scriptures: Joshua 2

In preparation for the Israelites to invade the Promised Land, Joshua sent two spies into the city of Jericho. The spies went to the house of Rahab and, when the king of Jericho heard that there were Israelites within Jericho, he sent men to Rahab demanding the spies to be turned over to them. The men could not find the spies, however, because Rahab had hidden them in the roof of her house. 

Rahab told the spies that the people of Jericho had heard what had happened in Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea and how they had destroyed the Amalekites. The people of Jericho were afraid of the Israelites. Rahab asked the men to save her and her family when the Israelites attacked. The spies promised that no harm will come to them and to hang a scarlet thread in the window so that the Israelites would know not to harm anyone in her home.

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School. This week, we each made a scarlet cord of salvation for our scrapbooks. We took three strands of red thread and attached it to our scrapbooks. Then we braided the thread and added some beads at the bottom.  

Joshua Becomes Leader

Picture from freebibleimages.org

Central Truth: Through faith, God prepared a place for the Israelites and is ready to fulfill the land promise to them.

Scriptures: Deuteronomy 34; Joshua 1

After wandering in the wilderness for forty years, all of the Israelites who had been twenty years or older when they left Egypt had died except for Joshua and Caleb. Moses repeated to the Israelites who had grown up during the wandering years all of the laws spoken by God to Moses on Mount Sinai. Since Moses had sinned by striking the rock instead of speaking to it, he was forbidden to enter the land of Canaan. Before Moses had died, he appointed Joshua as the new leader.

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School. Today, we reflected on the life of Moses and created a beautiful page in our scrapbook:

Balaam & Balak

Balaam's talking donkey.

Central Truth: God can speak to humans in many different ways to communicate his message.

Scriptures: Numbers 22:23; 24; Revelations 2:14

After the Israelites defeated the two Amorite kings and their armies, they camped in the lands that they had conquered, which alarmed the Balak, the king of Moab. Bala hired Balaam, a magician from Pethor, a city on the Euphrates River, to come and curse the Israelites. God forbade Balaam to go to Balak, but Balaam disobeyed God and went. Nevertheless, God prevented Balaam from cursing Israel. Instead, Balaam blessed Israel because he could only speak as God directed him. 

The next morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and went with the messengers from Balak. The Lord was angry with him and the angel of the Lord stood in the way with a sword. Three times the angel stood to kill Balaam, and three times the donkey balked when she saw the angel. Balaam struck the donkey three times. The Lord then opened the mouth of the donkey, and the donkey asked Balaam why he had struck her but Balaam threatened to kill the poor donkey. Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes and he saw the angel of the Lord holding his sword. The angel told Balaam that he would have killed him these three times had it not been for the donkey.

Balaam was not an Israelite, but he knew enough about God to obey him. He thought he could influence God by offering sacrifices but failed. Since Balaam was greedy, he did advise Balak how to tempt the Israelites so that God would curse them by sending women to entice the men to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit sins. Later, however, the Israelites warred with the Midianites and Balaam was killed.

Bible Scrapbook

This week we started a new project! Bible journaling and scrapbooking is a very popular thing of studying the word of God while being creative. We drew a mountain to represent the high places used to bless the Israelites. I found a cute free to use donkey picture to include with a speech bubble. Each child chose what the donkey said and we glued them into our scrapbook along with a map of where the story took place in the Holy Land. Next week we will finish with some bullet notes about the area.

Scrapbooks!

 

The Brazen Serpent

Central Truth: Even though we complain and sin, God is merciful if we repent.

Scriptures: Numbers 21:4-9

After the death of Aaron, the Israelites continued their journey towards Canaan. Since they could not travel along the King’s Highway in Edom, they were forced to travel through the Arabah, a hot, barren desert with steep, narrow ravines. The Israelites became very discouraged and again complained about Moses and God who became angry and sent poisonous snakes against them. Many people died.

The Israelites asked Moses to pray to the Lord to remove the snakes. The Lord tells Moses to make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole. Everyone who was bitten and looked upon it would live. 

Moses and the Bronze Snake coloring page from Calvary Kids Pagaes.

Moses Smites the Rock

Moses smites the rock!

Central Truth: Always trust and believe God because he is true to his word.

Scriptures: Numbers 20

After leading the Israelites through the wilderness for forty years, the time to enter the Promised Land was drawing near. They stopped at Kadesh Barnea and the people were thirsty and demanded water. God instructed Moses and Aaron to speak to the rock but Moses struck the rock instead. Although water flowed and a miracle happened, Moses and Aaron were forbidden to enter the land of Canaan because of their disobedience and unbelief. 

To help reinforce today's lesson, the children put together a crafty coloring page I discovered from calvary-kids-pages.com. The craft included a scene with Moses and water that is added to the rock.

Rebellion in the Wilderness

A word search from the lesson.

Central Truth: Be respectful of the ministry in which you are called.

Scriptures: Numbers 16:1-40

Some time after the twelve spies gave their report back to Moses, a rebellion was incited within the camp. Korah, a Levite, and Dathan, Abiram, and On from the tribe of Reuben gathered 250 princes of Israel and accused Moses and Aaron of exalting themselves above the assembly. It was not enough for Korah to be appointed to the service of the Tabernacle, they wanted the power over the congregation. They also accused Moses and Aaron of failing to bring them into the Promised Land.

Moses told the leaders of the rebellion to meet at the tent of the Tabernacle to see who God chooses to be the leader. They met them at the Tabernacle except for Dathan and Abiram and their families who refused to come. Instead, they remained in their own tents. When God appeared to the children of Israel, Moses warned them to remove themselves from the rebels. The earth opened and swallowed Korah, Dathan, and Abiram along with their households and their goods. Then fire came down and devoted the 250 princes who had offered incense to God. The sons of Korah did not die. All of the censors that belonged to the 250 princes were hammered into plates and used as a covering for the altar and was a reminder that no one but the descendants of Aaron can offer incense to the Lord. 

The Twelve Spies

12 Spies Bookmark.

Central Truth: Always trust in God. His promises are always true.

Scriptures: Numbers 13-14

God commanded Moses to send twelve men, one from each tribe, to Canaan to spy out the land. Moses obeyed God and sent the men into the land of Canaan. For forty days, the men explored the land and returned with fruit - pomegranates, clusters of grapes, and figs. Ten of the spies reported to Moses that the land was rich and plentiful but the cities were fortified and the people were strong as giants. Two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, insisted that they should immediately invade and possess the land. 

The Israelites believed the negative report of the ten spies and were afraid. They began to turn on Moses and Aaron and planned to return to Egypt. Joshua and Caleb urged the people not to rebel against God because God will help them to take the land. God heard the Israelites complain and murmur and was so angry with the people that he wanted to destroy them, but Moses prayed for God to forgive their lack of faith. As punishment, God condemned the congregation to wander for forty years - one year for each day the spies were in Canaan. All of those who were twenty years old and older, except for Joshua and Caleb, would never enter the Promised Land. Only their descendants would obtain the promise God gave to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Joshua 1:9 coloring page.

Miriam Becomes Leprous

Central Truth: Be careful with your words because once spoken, they can never be taken back.

Scriptures: Numbers 12

Aaron and Miriam rebelled against Moses, accusing him of too much authority. They further spoke against Moses marrying an Ethiopian woman, which was just an excuse because the real motive was that they were jealous of Moses and his authority and relationship with God. Aaron and Miriam each held authoritative positions, but they wanted to exalt themselves above Moses. When God had heard Miriam and Aaron gossiping and murmuring against Moses, he called the three of them to the Tabernacle. God told Aaron and Miriam that he speaks to his prophets in dreams and visions but this is not so with Moses because they have a special relationship: God speaks to Moses “mouth to mouth” (Numbers 12:8). When God departed, Miriam was struck with leprosy. Aaron humbled himself and asked Moses to help Miriam. Moses prayed to God who tells him to shut Miriam out of the camp for seven days and then she will be healed. While Miriam was exiled from the camp, the Israelites did not journey until she was well again.

As Miriam and Aaron learned, words can either do good or they can do harm. Once words are spoken, there is no way to take them back. In a way, words are like a tube of toothpaste. When used correctly, toothpaste cleans our teeth and mouth. When used incorrectly, there is a mess and the toothpaste cannot be returned to its tube.  

Words are like toothpaste.

Nadab & Abihu

Central Truth: We must honor God by obeying his commands.

Scriptures: Leviticus 10:1-11

When God gave Moses the laws and the pattern for the Tabernacle, he also gave him instructions for establishing the priesthood. Aaron was appointed as High Priest and his sons and their descendants were given the responsibility for the priesthood. All other Levites were in charge of the Tabernacle and its furnishings. The priests were anointed by God.

Nadab and Abihu were the sons of Aaron. They put fire and incense in their censor and offered before the God, but it was strange fire which God did not command. As a result, God devoured Nadab and Abihu with fire and they died. God told Moses that those who came before him must be holy or they cannot come near.

Interactive Display

To help the story to come alive for the children, I put together an interactive display for the story of Moses. Each week, something new is either revealed or added or taken away. This time, I took away two of Aaron's sons from the Tabernacle complex and discussed the Priestly garments.

We also had a little fun playing jeopardy:

The Tabernacle

The Tabernacle

Central Truth: God wants to dwell among his people.

Scriptures: Exodus 25-30

When Moses was on Mount Sinai, God gave him many laws in addition to the Ten Commandments and instructions for building a Tabernacle (a place for worship). The Tabernacle was to be a temporary place for the Israelites to worship during their wanderings through the wilderness and the early years of their time in the Promised Land. The Tabernacle included a courtyard constructed with boards that could easily be taken apart for transportation. The boards were covered with animal skins and curtains. The furniture for the Tabernacle was also portable. Eventually, the Tabernacle was replaced by the magnificent Temple built by King Solomon many centuries later.

The Outer Court
The Outer Court was the area within the fenced courtyard and can only be accessed from one gate located at the eastern end. Anyone could enter the courtyard. It contained a bronze altar for sacrifices and a bronze laver where the priests washed their hands and feet before entering the tent of Tabernacle.

The Outer Court with the Bronze Altar at the entrance followed by the Bronze Laver.

The Holy Place

The tent of Tabernacle had two sections. The first section was the Holy Place where only the priests were allowed to enter. Inside the Holy Place was the Menorah, the Table of Shewbread, and the Altar of Incense. 

The Menorah was lit from dusk to dawn with fire from the Brazen Altar and provided light for the priests in the Holy Place. It symbolized how the Holy Spirit illuminates our understanding of the things of God.

The High Priest before the Menorah in the Holy Place within the Tabernacle.

The Table of Shewbread was a golden plated table with twelve loaves of bread, representing the twelve tribes of Israel. The bread was left on the table for seven days and sprinkled with incense before eaten by the priest's family. The shewbread represented Jesus as the Bread of Life.

The Altar of Incense was located directly in front of the veil that divided the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. At morning and at twilight the priests burned incense with fire from the Brazen Altar. The priests would pray for the people before the altar.

The Holy Place with the Table of Shewbread and the High Priest before the Altar of Incense.

Holy of Holies

The second of the tent of Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies and was the most sacred part of the Tabernacle. Within this room was only one piece of furniture, the Ark of the Covenant.  Inside the Ark of the Covenant were the tablets with the Ten Commandments, a golden pot filled with manna, and Aaron's Rod that budded - all items of rebellion and symbolizes God's delivering power. 

Inside the Ark of the Covenant

Interactive Display

To help the story to come alive for the children, I put together an interactive display for the story of Moses. Each week, something new is either revealed or added or taken away. Today the children got a thorough look at the Tabernacle and its furniture and how they all point to Jesus. When God gave Moses the plans for creating the Tabernacle with its sacred objects, the Israelites were still camped at Mount Sinai. A year to the day that they left Egypt, the Tabernacle was completed and the cloud of God rested in the Holy of Holies. When God wanted the Israelites to move their camp, the cloud withdrew and was a flaming fire that led them to their next destination. With the number 10, the children marked the location where the Tabernacle was created at Mount Sinai:

Interactive map of the Wandering of the Israelites in the Wilderness.