Samson's Riddle and Revenge

Central Truth: Samson’s actions are destructive, but God’s will is ultimately done.

Scriptures: Judges 14-15

One day the angel of the Lord appeared to a certain woman and her husband Manoah of the tribe of Dan. The couple had no children, and the angel told them they would have a son. He said the child was to be consecrated to God as a Nazarite from the womb. An Israelite taking the Nazarite vow was prohibited from cutting the hair, eating or drinking the fruit of the vine, and eating or touching anything unclean. Men and women might take the vow for a specified time, but this child was to have the vow for life, and even his mother must observe the vow while the child is in her womb.

When Samson was born, he was extremely strong physically. Throughout his life, he encountered the Philistines but never led an army. He killed them single-handedly using his strength. Samson found a woman of the Philistines he wanted to marry, which made his parents unhappy because they wanted him to marry a woman from their tribe. On his way to Timnah, he came across a young lion. The Spirit of the Lord came over him and he killed the lion without using any weapons. On his return from Timnah, he found honey in the mouth of the lion and took it and ate it. 

At the wedding feast, he told a riddle. If any of the guests could declare the answer to the riddle within the seven days of the wedding feast, he would give them thirty linen garments and thirty changes of clothes. If they could not solve the riddle during that time, they would have to give Samson thirty garments and thirty changes of clothes. The riddle:

Out of the eater came forth meat

And out of the strong came forth sweetness 

(Judges 14:14).

On the seventh day, the guests still had not answered the riddle, so they threatened Samson’s bride. She went to Samson complaining that he did not love her because he has not told her the answer. Samson tells her the answer and she tells her people:

What is sweeter than honey?

What is stronger than a lion?

(Judges 14:18).

Samson was angry. The Spirit of the Lord came upon Samson, and he went to Ashkelon and killed thirty men, taking their clothes and gave them to the guests who had guessed correctly. Samson was so angry at his bride that he gave her to his companion. When Samson went to visit his wife, he discovered that her father had given her to his companion. Samson then took 300 foxes, tied their tails together and put a torch to each tail. He then turned them loose in the wheat fields, destroying the crop. As revenge, the Philistines then burnt the woman and her family. Samson then took revenge and slaughtered the Philistines.

Bible Scrapbook

Each week the children will be adding to their scrapbooks what they have learned during Sunday School. We continued our character sketches with the lesser-known judges Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon mentioned in Judges 12:8-15 (Inspired by the Judges Lapbook found on Bible Fun for Kids website):

Ibzan, Elon, and Abdon - Judges of Israel

We also included Samson in our character sketches:

Samson

I also brought My Creative Bible to demonstrate how to apply bible scrapbooking to a bible journal. I first practiced drawing in our notebook:

Directions to draw this lion can be found on Activity Village website.

And then I added my notes and drawings in my bible along with a honeycomb design (using a stencil of a hexagon and colored pencils):

A close-up of the lion (created using a sharpie pen and colored pencils). 

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:

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.

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.

Spies Sent Into Canaan

Central Truth: We will believe the report of the Lord!

"For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth." Psalms 33:4

Scriptures: Numbers 13:1

God commanded Moses to send 12 spies into Canaan (one man from each of the tribes of Israel) to report back what the strength of the Canaanites as well as how fruitful the land is. Of the twelve spies who returned, only two, Caleb and Joshua, recommended that they try to take the land from the Canaanites. God told Moses to take back the land of Canaan because it was the land God promised to Abraham and to his seed.

In this lesson the children learned to not depend upon the evil report of the world but to lesson to the report of the Lord. Moses obeyed God and reclaimed the inheritance and promises of God.

Map from Wiki-commons.