8. Keeping your Promises
Related Media(For instructions on how to use this study, see Welcome to The Ten Commandments)
Commandment: "You shall not commit adultery." (Exodus 20:14 NET)
Bible Story: Water from the Rock - Numbers 20:1-13
Goals-
Cognitive: The children will learn of the circumstances surrounding Moses' actions that displeased God and kept him from entering the Promised Land.
Affective: The children will understand when representing God needs to be done with the honor and respect due Him.
Books to know this week:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude Revelation
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel
Key passage(s) to know this week:
· The 10 Commandments - Exodus 20
· The Model Prayer - Matthew 6:9-13
· A Messianic Psalm - Psalm 22
· Imitating Christ's Humility - Philippians 2:1-11
· A Priestly Blessing - Numbers 6:24-26
· Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7
· The Creation Account - Genesis 1
Praise and Worship Time (15 minutes)
1. Opening prayer
2. Sing songs of choice
Review Bible Books and Key Passages (5 minutes)
Have the children find the following books/passages in the Bible:
· Lamentations
· 1 Peter
· Acts
· Numbers
· The Creation Account (Genesis 1)
· Imitating Christ's Humility (Philippians 2:1-11)
Tell the Bible Story (15 minutes)
1. Prepare to teach
Review last week's Bible study notes
Skim Numbers 15-19
Read Numbers 20
Read all the Bible story notes prior to teaching
2. Teach
Assign the following passages/verses to be read by the children:
· Numbers 20:1-5
· Numbers 20:6-11
· Numbers 20:12-13
Review where we left off last week
· The Israelites refused to take the Promised Land.
· God determined because of this, they would wander the desert for 40 years.
· The Israelites realized they were wrong not to trust God and decided to fight the Amalekites anyway.
· Moses warned them not to but they did not listen. They fought and lost terribly.
So what happened after the loss to the Amalekites (Numbers 14) until this point?
· God gave instructions to the young people of the group; they were to present offerings when they arrived at the Promised Land (Numbers 15).
· Later, Korah and other leaders along with 250 men rose up against Moses (Numbers 16).
· God judged the men for their rebellion.
· The land opened up and swallowed Korah, his family and their belongings.
· Fire from heaven killed the other 250 men.
· God appointed Aaron as Priest (Numbers 17).
· God provided instructions on the priest's wardrobe and duties (Genesis 19).
· The Israelites wandered the desert for 37 years just as God said they would.
Select one child to act as Narrator for the impromptu dramas and divide the remaining children/teams into 2 groups. Assign Numbers 20:1-5 to one group and Numbers 20:6-11 to the other. The groups are to read the assigned passages and develop a short skit that they will share with the entire group. Allow them about 5-7 minutes to prepare.
After allotted time, bring the children back together and begin the performances. Provide the Narrator with the following script:
Narrator -
"Welcome to our desert drama! In the first month, the entire Israelite community arrived at the desert of Zin and stayed at Kadesh. This was the first month of their 40th year in the desert.
Now, there was no water for the community to drink so the people, YES, AGAIN, gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron.
Watch as our first group dramatizes what happened".
Allow the first group to present their skit.
Narrator -
"Tsk, tsk...will they ever learn not to complain?
Moses and Aaron left the people and went to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. There, they fell face down and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.
Watch as our second group continues our desert drama"
Allow the second group to present their skit.
Narrator -
"Once again, God was faithful in spite of all the complaining of the people. God gave the people the water they needed.
Alas, our story does not end here...
Listen closely as we see how God handled Moses and Aaron."
Thank all the performers and allow them to all take their seats. Ask the children the following questions:
What were God's instructions to Moses? He was to speak to the rock (Numbers 20:8)
What were Moses' actions? He struck the rock (Numbers 20:11)
Read Numbers 20:12
· God told Moses because he did not trust in Him enough to honor Him as holy in the sight of the people, Moses would not be allowed to enter the Promised Land.
Ask the children the following question:
What did Moses do that was so bad? Consider his past... he had done other things that displeased God but those things did not keep him out of the Promised Land. What made this different? (allow for answers)
Explain the following to the children:
· If we recall the very first complaint from the Israelites was also about water in Exodus 17:6.
· Now, close to the end, we see another complaint about water. The two almost act as bookends to the desert saga.
· The first time (Exodus 17), Moses did exactly as God told him to do
· This time, he did not. Moses struck the rock rather than speaking to it as God instructed.
So why is this something that will keep Moses and Aaron out of the Promised Land?
· God was not angry at the people. God wanted to show them His compassion and His provision for their needs.
· Moses was angry. He tired of all the people had put him through.
· When he responded to the people in anger, he made it appear as if God was angry.
· Moses misrepresented God.
· God was not pleased.
Explain: Remember, Moses was always concerned with God's reputation. Moses wanted to be sure the Egyptians and the Canaanites did not think God was something that He was not; weak nor powerless. Yet it was Moses, who did not honor God and who misrepresented Him to the people. Moses violated all he stood for over the last 40 years.
This did not change Moses' love for God nor did it change God's love for Moses. This action of Moses and Aaron, however, would result in discipline from God.
God takes this very seriously. When we, as Christians, represent God, we need to make sure we are honoring Him and giving Him the respect He deserves. We need to be sure we are representing God well.
Because of Moses' actions, neither he nor Aaron would enter the Promised Land.
Review the commandment:
· You shall not commit adultery. While the children are too young (and not married) to worry about breaking this commandment, they need to understand that we need to be faithful with any promise we make. If we are faithful with the small promises, we will be more successful at being faithful when we are adults.
· God is the best example of One who is faithful and keeps His promises. We should work at following His example and keep our word.
What does Jesus teach about this commandment?
· Jesus taught that it is the condition of the heart that leads to adultery. If we focus on what we do not have then other things will seem more appealing to us. If a husband or wife only notices what their spouse is not doing for them, they will quickly find someone who seems to do what their spouse does not. This will almost certainly lead to adultery.
· Paul wrote in Philippians 4:8 "...whatever is true, whatever is worthy of respect, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if something is excellent or praiseworthy, think about these things." Rather than focusing on what we don't have, we should focus on those things that are good and true and praiseworthy.
3. Pray
· Praise God for always being faithful to us even when sometimes we are not faithful to Him.
· Thank Him for His many, many blessing to us.
· Ask Him to help us keep all the promises we make; the little ones as well as the big ones like marriage.
· Ask Him to help us represent Him well so that others will see Him in us and want to know Him.
4. Explain the Promises of God Family Activity Sheet.
This week we'll be looking at the different promises of God. Fill in the crossword puzzle with the promises mentioned in the passages listed. Some letters have been inserted to help guide you.
Weekly Challenge (20 minutes)
This week we will be repeating the Hole-y Buckets Challenge. We do this for two reasons. First, you've been at this for eight weeks now and some children may begin to lose interest. Children love to get wet and knowing they will do so may draw them in for a few more weeks.
Second, not keeping our promises makes us as useless as buckets with holes in them. This will be discussed further in the "Apply the Challenge" section.
1. Before the Challenge
Collect the necessary supplies
Supplies:
2 large buckets or storage containers per team
1 bucket per team with holes drilled in the bottom and sides of it (suggestion: sand toy type bucket)
Mark a fill line on one of the large buckets/storage containers per team. Place one bucket or storage container for each team at the designated starting point. Place the second large bucket or storage container (the ones marked with a fill line) approximately 15 feet away from the first. Place the hole-y buckets in the starting bucket/storage container.
2. The Challenge
On the leaders mark, the children will fill the hole-y bucket with water and place the bucket above their head as they run towards the second bucket. They are to dump whatever water is left into their second bucket. The team that fills their second bucket to the fill line first wins. If time permits, run the challenge a second or third time until time runs out.
Hand out the books of the Bible cards (NT and Genesis - Daniel). The teams are to put the books of the Bible in the correct order, match the key passage with the correct scripture reference and locate that passage in the bible. When the team has completed the task, they are to raise their flag letting us know they are done.
3. Apply the Challenge
A hole-y bucket is not the most effective way to transport water. Not keeping our promises makes us as useful as a bucket with holes in it. If we promise something to someone and then do not follow through, they learn not to trust us with the things we say and do. Moses spent 40 years in the desert protecting God's name and one error done in anger kept him from entering the Promised Land. When we do not keep our promises, our friends and family will still love us, God will still love us, but it may cost us something. Remember, if we are faithful with little things, we prove ourselves faith with big things.
Closing (10 minutes)
1. Award this week's medals based on the week's challenge.
2. Assign this week's memory work.
Books of the Bible:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1 Peter, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, Jude, Revelation,
Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah
Key Passages:
· The 10 Commandments - Exodus 20
· The Model Prayer - Matthew 6:9-13
· A Messianic Psalm - Psalm 22 (`Messianic' means about Jesus)
· Imitating Christ's Humility - Philippians 2: 1-11
· A Priestly Blessing - Numbers 6:24-26
· Sermon on the Mount - Matthew 5-7
· The Creation Story - Genesis 1
· Hall of Faith - Hebrews 11
3. Explain the Key Passage
Hebrews 11 provides us with a list of great men and women of the Bible who remained faithful to God because of their faith in God. When we struggle to remain faithful, we can go to Hebrews 11 and read about the challenges these men faced and how they overcame them. We can learn how we can persevere through whatever challenges we face in our marriages (when we marry) and in life now so that we can be faithful to our friends, our family and to God.
4. Closing prayer
5. Closing song of choice
Script:
Narrator -
"Welcome to our desert drama! In the first month, the entire Israelite community arrived at the desert of Zin and stayed at Kadesh. This was the first month of their 40th year in the desert.
Now, there was no water for the community to drink so the people, YES, AGAIN, gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron.
Watch as our first group dramatizes what happened".
Allow the first group to present their skit.
Narrator -
"Tsk, tsk...will they ever learn not to complain?
Moses and Aaron left the people and went to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting. There, they fell face down and the glory of the LORD appeared to them.
Watch as our second group continues our desert drama"
Allow the second group to present their skit.
Narrator -
"Once again, God was faithful in spite of all the complaining of the people. God gave the people the water they needed.
Alas, our story does not end here...
Listen closely as we see how God handled Moses and Aaron."
Related Topics: Children's Curriculum