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.

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.