Lesson

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Main Point: There is nothing to fear when we trust and obey God.

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Key Verse:

Here is what I am commanding you to do. Be strong and brave. Do not be terrified. Do not lose hope. I am the Lord your God. I will be with you everywhere you go. - Joshua 1:9

Props: 2 towels or cloths. 1 staff or stick, 12 large stones (small enough for students to carry)

Background

Teacher: Before you begin to teach, choose two volunteers to add interest to the story of the “changing of the guard” of the leadership of Israel. Choose an older child or adult to be Moses. Chose a smaller child to be Joshua. Put a towel or cloth on each of their heads, and give Moses a staff or stick. Start with your Moses up in front of the group.

Say: We have studied all about Moses, the leader of the Israelites. Now we will learn that it was time for God to bring in a NEW leader for His people. God used Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt. God had promised to lead His people through the wilderness into a wonderful land. God said the land was good and spacious, and it would be flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8). Teacher: SHOW MAP. The Israelites were now east of the Jordan River. God was going to give the Israelites the land that was west of the Jordan. Teacher: REFER to MAP. The land was not a land without people, though. The land was already home to the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jesusites. Teacher: Point to cities on map. These people had homes, cities, and armies.

Ask: Do you think all of these people would just give up their home land when the Israelites came? No.

Say: We will see that the Israelites will have to participate in many battles to conquer this land. God told the Israelites that they would conquer all of these people, and they must destroy* them totally (Deuteronomy 7:1).

Note to Teacher: The Israelite’s disobedience on this point * will be a very important point when we study the book of Judges.

The “Changing Of The Guard” (Numbers 27:12-23)

Teacher: Call up your Moses.

Say: Moses had led God’s people for many years. Because the Israelites did not obey God while they were in the wilderness, God did not lead them straight into the land He had promised them. The trip from Egypt to their new home should have taken the Israelites only DAYS, but instead, they wandered in the desert for 40 YEARS. All of that time, God PROVIDED everything the Israelites needed (Deuteronomy 29:5-6). The very people who had been delivered out of Egypt by mighty miracles soon mumbled and grumbled about God and His provision for them! God said none of those grumblers would enter the Promised Land. Only Joshua and his good friend Caleb would enter (Numbers 14:21-24, 30), because Joshua and Caleb followed God whole-heartedly (Numbers 32:12). After forty years of wandering, the entire generation of Israelites who were delivered from slavery had died, except Joshua and Caleb. It was the children who had been born during the wilderness years who were left now. By this time, Moses was over 100 years old.

Call up your Joshua to act this out with your Moses:

Joshua had been Moses’ helper since Joshua was a young boy (Numbers 11:28). God told Moses that Moses would die soon. Moses was not allowed to enter the Promised Land because on one occasion he had disobeyed God in front of all the Israelites (Numbers 20:8-12). Moses asked God to appoint another man to lead the Israelites (Numbers 27:15-17). Have kids act out: God told Moses to lay his hands on Joshua, and Joshua received the spirit of wisdom (Numbers 27:18; Deuteronomy 34:9). God told Joshua that he would be the one to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 31:23). God warned that after the Israelites were in the Promised Land and their lives were going very well, they would turn from God and begin to worship other gods. God said He would burn with anger and many disasters would come upon the people (Deuteronomy 31:16-18).

Use a chair for Moses to step up on. (Be careful!) Then God instructed Moses to climb a mountain. There he could see the land of Canaan, the Promised Land. Point into the distance for the “Promised Land.” On top of the Mountain, Moses died at the age of 120 (Deuteronomy 34:1-4, 7). Dismiss your volunteers.

Ask: Do you remember what God told Moses, way back when Moses was afraid to go talk to Pharaoh in Egypt?

God said, “I will be with you.” - Exodus 3:12a

Say: God always keeps His promises! He was always with Moses. Now Joshua was in charge of all the Israelites. Listen to what God told him:

“I will be with you, just as I was with Moses. I will never leave you. I will never desert you.

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“Be strong and brave. You will lead these people, and they will take the land as their very own. It is the land I promised with an oath to give their people long ago.

“Be strong and very brave. Make sure you obey the whole law my servant Moses gave you. Do not turn away from it to the right or the left. Then you will have success everywhere you go. Never stop reading this Scroll of the Law. Day and night you must think about what it says. Make sure you do everything that is written in it. Then things will go well with you. And you will have great success.

“Here is what I am commanding you to do. Be strong and brave. Do not be terrified. Do not lose hope. I am the Lord your God. I will be with you everywhere you go.” - Joshua 1:5b-9

Say: Notice how many times God told Joshua to be strong and brave.

Ask: Why do you think God repeated phrase this so many times? It was important, God wanted Joshua to remember it. Hard times were coming. They would have to fight many battles.

Ask: Do you have to be strong and brave when everything is easy? No.

The Israelites would have to cross a big river, called the Jordan River. Joshua told the people to get ready. They would cross the Jordan River in three days.

Rahab & The Spies (Joshua 2)

Ask: What is a spy? Someone who goes in secret to find out information.

Ask: What would a military spy do? Go to the enemy’s side to find out how strong the enemy is, and find out the enemy’s plans.

Say: Joshua sent two spies to check out the new land, especially the city of Jericho. The two men crossed the Jordan River to get to the Promised Land. They went to the home of a woman named Rahab. The king of Jericho heard there were Israelite spies in his city. The king sent an urgent message to Rahab. He demanded that she turn the men in to him.

Rahab hid the men under large bundles of flax plants on her roof. She told the king’s men that the spies had already left the city. Rahab went up to talk to the men. She told them that she and her neighbors had heard terrifying stories about the Israelites. She knew that God was going to give the land to them. Rahab had heard about the mighty works God had done for the Israelites. They had all heard about God parting the Red Sea, and the times God made the Israelites able to conquer other people.

When we heard about it, our hearts melted away in fear. Because of you, we aren't brave anymore. The Lord your God is the God who rules over heaven above and earth below. - Joshua 2:11

Say: Rahab begged Joshua’s spies to spare her life when the Israelites came to take the land, because she had protected them from the king. The spies promised never to harm her or anyone in her house as long as she did not tell anyone what they were doing.

Ask: Do you think the spies will keep their promise? We will find out next week!

Rahab’s house was built into the wall that went around the city, so she let the men down out of her window with a rope. The men ran into the hills and waited until it was safe to return to Joshua. God protected the spies by sending them to the home of Rahab - a woman who feared and respected God’s power. When the men crossed back over the river to report back, they told Joshua everything that had happened.

They said, “We're sure the Lord has given the whole land over to us. All of the people there are weak with fear because of us.” - Joshua 2:24

Note to teacher: The question may come up - “Didn’t Rahab lie?” Indeed, she did. God hates a lying tongue (Proverbs 6:16-17). But in this case, Rahab lied to spare the lives of two of God’s chosen people. Rahab feared God (and His people) more than she feared men (the king and his men). This is a principle found in Luke 12:4-5. She took a great risk, lying for these men. Hebrews 11:31 tells us Rahab’s life was spared because of her faith. James 2:25 says she was considered righteous for hiding the spies and sending their pursuers in a different direction. Her actions gave proof of her faith and fear of God. Notice, James specifically names Rahab as a prostitute. Clearly, prostitution is wrong, just as lying is wrong. We are all sinners. We are only considered righteous by our faith.

Crossing The Jordan (Joshua 3)

Teacher: Before you begin, place 12 large stones on the floor (in your “river bed”).

Say: Joshua and the Israelites camped next to the Jordan River for three days. The officers told the people that the priests would come by carrying the Ark of the Covenant. This was the golden box that was placed inside the Holy of Holies (or Most Holy Place), in the heart of the Tabernacle (Exodus 26:34). When the priests passed by with the ark, the people were to follow them.

The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to honor you in the eyes of all of the people of Israel. Then they will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. Speak to the priests who carry the ark of the covenant. Tell them, ‘When you reach the edge of the Jordan River, go into the water and stand there.’ ” - Joshua 3:7

The Bible tells us that the river was at flooding stage. The water was extra high. But as soon as the priests who were carrying the ark touched their feet into the water, the water from upstream stopped flowing! The priests stood in the middle of the river bed, on dry ground!

The water piled up in a big heap and the Israelites crossed to the other side.

Ask: What does this remind you of? The time God parted the Red Sea (Exodus 14:21; Joshua 4:23).

Say: God instructed Joshua to have one man from each of the 12 tribes to take a stone from the middle of the Jordan River bed. The men were to put them together to make a memorial. A memorial is something that helps us remember something important. For example, there are memorials that are statues to remember important people, such as a president or king. This memorial of stones was made to remind the people of what God did for them that day. Teacher: Call on twelve students to each move one stone and make one big pile out of the “river bed.” All the people who witnessed the water parting were to tell their children and their grandchildren about the amazing thing God did that day. After everyone had crossed over, God told Joshua to call the priests who were carrying the ark to come out of the river bed. The minute they stepped out of the Jordan, the great waters began to flow again!

Remember, God began that day by telling Joshua that God would honor him. God ALWAYS keeps His promises!

That day the Lord honored Joshua in the eyes of all of the people of Israel. They had respect for Joshua as long as he lived. They respected him just as much as they had respected Moses. - Joshua 4:14

Joshua told the Israelites why God had parted the waters for them:

He did it so that all of the nations on earth would know that He is powerful. He did it so that you would always have respect for the Lord your God." - Joshua 4:24

God told Joshua many times to be brave and not to fear. It took bravery to lead millions of people to cross a river that was at flood stage. And, in the weeks ahead, we will see many more times when Joshua will need to be brave. He will face many battles in order to follow God’s instructions. God didn’t tell Joshua to be brave because he was so young and strong. God told Joshua to be brave because GOD WAS WITH HIM!

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Application: When you are following God and obeying His word, be brave. Remember that you have nothing to fear. God will always be with you! God instructed Joshua’s men to build a memorial to remember what He had done. This would help Joshua and the others to be brave, because we draw strength from remembering God’s power and the times God has worked on our behalf.

Ask: What can you do to remember the times you have seen God at work? Keep a journal where I write or draw pictures of what God has done, Keep a scrapbook or treasure box with reminders, Tell others about what God has done.

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: There is nothing to fear when we trust and obey God.

© 2007 BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. 

Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)

Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.

Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.

Lesson

PPT TITLE

Main Point: We must not trust our own judgment, but follow God in everything.

PPT VERSE

Key Verse:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. - Proverbs 3:5-6

Props: Coins; Tattered, dirty jacket or cloak to put on, a small amount of loose dirt or brown make-up, bread with spots of blue or green food coloring so it looks moldy;

Background/Review

Say: Last week we learned about Achan and the city of Ai. Achan was an Israelite who chose to disobey God’s very clear instructions. He kept valuable things from Jericho even though he was told not to go near these things. Teacher: Hold up a handful of coins. Because of Achan’s sin, the Israelites lost a big battle with the city of Ai. We learned that when we choose to disobey God, we remove ourselves from God’s protection and His blessings. In the end, Achan’s sin caused his death and the destruction of his family. When Joshua chose to OBEY God, God was no longer angry with His people, and once again, God blessed them. The next time the Israelites fought the men of Ai, God was with the Israelites, and they won the battle. The city of Ai was completely destroyed.

The Gibeonites (Joshua 9)

Say: The Bible tells us that when the kings of the other cities in Canaan heard how the Israelites destroyed Ai and Jericho, they came together to make war against Joshua and the Israelites. However, there was one city that did not want to go to war with them. It was the city of Gibeon. It was not far from Ai. Teacher: point to Gibeon, Jericho, and Ai on the map. Gibeon was a large city - larger than Ai, and the men of Gibeon were great fighters (Joshua 10:2). Still, the Gibeonites were afraid of the Israelites, because they had heard that God had instructed His people to destroy all the people in the land (Joshua 9:24).

Listen to the instructions God had given to His people about going to war.

As far as all the cities INSIDE the land of Canaan, God said:

Kill everything in those cities that breathes. Completely destroy them. Wipe out the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. That’s what the Lord your God commanded you to do. If you don’t destroy them, they’ll teach you to follow all of the things the Lord hates. He hates the way they worship their gods. If you do those things, you will sin against the Lord your God. - Deuteronomy 20:16b-18

As for the cities OUTSIDE the land of Canaan, God said:

Suppose you march up to attack a city. Before you attack it, offer peace to its people. Suppose they accept your offer and open their gates. Then force all of the people in the city to be your slaves. They will have to work for you...That’s how you must

treat all of the cities that are far away from you. Those cities don’t belong to the nations that are nearby. - Deuteronomy 20:11, 12, 15

Ask: So, what was God’s rule for war for all the cities inside the land of Canaan? Destroy all of the people in the land. Why? Because they worship false gods, and they would teach the Israelites to follow false gods.

Note to teacher: This will be a MAJOR point in the following weeks. We will see that the Israelites did follow false gods because of the influence of the Canaanites who remained in the land, bringing about spiritual decline and judgment, found in the book of Judges.

Ask: What was God’s rule for war for cities that were far away? Offer them peace. If they accepted, they would be slaves.

Ask: Why would any city accept this offer and choose to be slaves? Because if they didn’t, they would be killed like Jericho and Ai (Deuteronomy 20:12).

Teacher: Point to Gibeon on the map again.

Ask: Is the city of Gibeon INSIDE the land of Canaan? Yes!

Say: The Gibeonites had heard these rules. They knew that if the Israelites obeyed God, they were doomed. They believed God was powerful enough to do what He said He would do! So they came up with a plan to trick Joshua and the Israelites. They sent a group of men to Joshua. But, first, they put on worn out clothes. Teacher: Put on your tattered jacket or cloak. They wore worn out sandals. They put worn-out sacks on their donkeys. They even brought dried-out, moldy bread with them! Show “moldy” bread. Get the picture, here. Teacher: Mess up your hair and smear some “dirt” on your face. Slump over and try to look weary. The Gibeonites made it look like they had been traveling for a REALLY long time, from a VERY far away place. Actually, the trip was only two or three days, downhill.

Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, “We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us.” - Joshua 9:6

The Israelites were at Gilgal, right above Jericho. The Gibeonites had only traveled this distance. Teacher: Point to Gilgal, right above Jericho. Show the distance from Gibeon to Gilgal. The men of Israel weren’t sure if they should believe the men. Again, Joshua asked them where they were from. The Gibeonites said they had come from “a very distant city.” They said they came because they had heard reports of the mighty hand of God. They heard what He did for the Israelites in Egypt and in the land of Canaan. Then they really poured on the deception. They showed the moldy bread and said it was still warm when they left for their trip! They said their clothes and sandals were all worn out because their trip was so long.

Let’s think about this. Joshua couldn’t call the FBI to see if these people were whom they said they were. He couldn’t sit down at his computer and do a “Google” search on distant lands, or how long it takes fresh bread to turn moldy.

Ask: So, what should Joshua have done? Ask God!

Say: Read this important verse with me:

PPT VERSE

The men of Israel looked over the supplies those men had brought. But they didn’t ask the Lord what they should do. - Joshua 9:14

Say: Uh oh, we can see it coming! Joshua made a peace treaty with the men. He made an oath that they could live. All of the Israelite leaders agreed and made an oath, in the name of the Lord, that all of their people could live. Three days later, the Israelites found out that the Gibeonites lived near them. The Israelites were very angry with their own leaders for making the peace treaty with them. They did not want to make God angry by going back on their oath, so they did not go to war with the Gibeonites. Instead, they made the Gibeonites to be their slaves. This may seem like a good solution, but it was not what God had commanded. God told the Israelites to destroy all of the people in the land of Canaan, because if they lived, the Israelites would eventually follow their false gods and sin against God. We will see in later lessons that this is exactly what happened (Judges 2:11-13).

Application: Today, we live in what is called the “Information Age.” We can find information on any subject in the whole world in just a matter of minutes. There are literally millions of books on the market. There are thousands of different magazines, on every subject from knitting to space travel. Then there is television and the computer. It is very easy to think we have all the answers. Or at least, we think there are other really smart people who have all the answers. But the Bible warns us about thinking we have all the answers.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. - Proverbs 3:5-6

When we do what we think is right without seeking God FIRST, it is called “being wise in our own eyes.” The Bible says:

Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a foolish person than for him. - Proverbs 26:12

Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. - Proverbs 3:7

It is like a small child trying to do something without their parent’s help. Say a two year old wants to walk through her neighborhood to play with her friend. The child has a very limited amount of knowledge and limited amount of experience.

Ask: What dangers could there be for this child? She could get lost, she might run out in front of a car, a big dog might come after her.

Say: The parent, however, has lived 20 or 30 years longer than that child has. The parent knows the safest way to get there. And the parent can see all of the consequences that lie ahead for the toddler. That little child may be sure she knows how to get to her friend’s house, but she really does not. There are dangers she cannot see. The parent knows MUCH more than the child, and only wants what is best for the child.

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Likewise, God is INFINITELY smarter than we are (Isaiah 55:9). He has always been (Genesis 1:1) and He can see everything in our lives (Psalm 33:13-14). And God only wants what is BEST for us (Jeremiah 29:11). Isn’t it wise to let Him instruct us and guide us? The Bible says God will reward those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

The Sun Stands Still (Joshua 10)

Teacher: Before teaching, choose two students. One will hold the moon; one will hold the sun.

Today, when we hear the name “Jerusalem,” we automatically think of an important city for the Israelites in Jesus’ day, and even for the Jewish people today. However, way back when the Israelites entered the Promised Land, there were other people living in Jerusalem. The king of Jerusalem had heard about how Joshua and the Israelites had destroyed Jericho and Ai. This king also heard about the Gibeonites making a treaty with the Israelites. The king and his people were very alarmed because Gibeon was a great city with a great army.

Ask: Why would the Gibeonite treaty make the king nervous? The Israelites already had a very big army and God was on their side; now the Gibeonites would help Israel; the Gibeonites would not help the people in Jerusalem.

The king of Jerusalem asked five other kings to join him and attack Gibeon. So the armies of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon all joined together and attacked Gibeon.

The men of Gibeon quickly sent messengers to Joshua at his camp in Gilgal. “Don’t abandon your servants now!” they pleaded. “Come at once! Save us! Help us! For all the Amorite kings who live in the hill country have joined forces to attack us.”

So Joshua and his entire army, including his best warriors, left Gilgal and set out for Gibeon. “Do not be afraid of them,” the Lord said to Joshua, “for I have given you victory over them. Not a single one of them will be able to stand up to you.” - Joshua 10:6-8

Teacher: Have a student hold up moon picture and walk across stage area while you talk about marching at night. Joshua and his army marched uphill all night long. It was a 25-mile march in the cover of night. Have the moon go down, and have a student hold up sun picture up high, and walk slowly across the stage area (child should not stop moving until the sun stops in the story). They arrived early in the morning and took the kings by surprise. God gave the Israelites great victory in fighting by confusing the enemy armies. Then, as the armies tried to run, God hurled large hailstones down at them. This killed even more of the enemy soldiers than those who died while battling.

Then Joshua asked for something VERY unusual. He asked for the sun to stand still in the sky!

The sun stopped in the middle of the sky. [Sun stop!] It didn’t go down for about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since. It was a day when the Lord listened to a mere man. You can be sure that the Lord was fighting for Israel! - Joshua 10:13b-14

Therefore, darkness did not fall until Joshua and the Israelites destroyed all of their enemies. God had promised victory. God ALWAYS keeps His promises!

Application: God confused the armies, sent hail, and even stopped the sun in the sky to keep His promise to deliver the enemy into Joshua’s hand! Surely, God will go to amazing lengths to keep His promises and glorify His name (John 12:28). The Bible is FULL of God’s promises.

Ask: If God would stop the sun in its tracks to keep His promise, is there anything that could stop Him from keeping His promises to you? No!

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: We must not trust our own judgment, but follow God in everything.

© 2007 BibleLessons4Kidz.com All rights reserved worldwide. May be reproduced for personal, nonprofit, and non-commercial uses only. 

Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)

Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by International Bible Society / Used by permission of IBS-STL. All rights reserved worldwide.

Special thanks to John R. Cross, The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, GoodSeed International.

Lesson

PPT TITLE

Main Point: God uses our weaknesses to show His glory when we realize we must depend on Him.

PPT VERSE

Key Verse:

But He said to me, “My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” - 2 Corinthians 12:9

Props: Two pieces of fleece (or faux fur cut into animal skin shape) and spray bottle containing water - just prior to teaching, spray one of the fleeces with water; Two identical glass jars, three large rocks that together fill one jar, three very small rocks, two identical clear pitchers filled with the exact same amount of water (enough water in each pitcher to fill one of the jars)

Background/Review

PPT CUE

Say: Last week we saw the beginning of a tragic cycle for the Israelites. God had kept every promise He ever made to the Israelites. He fought for them and blessed them more than any people had ever been blessed (Deuteronomy 7:14). All that God asked of them was for them to obey Him and worship Him alone. God made an IF, THEN promise to His people. God said IF they followed Him, THEN He would bless them and fight for them (Exodus 34:10-11). However, God also said that IF the Israelites did not follow Him, THEN He would not bless them, and He would not fight their enemies for them (Joshua 23:12-13). God ALWAYS keeps His promises!

It did not take long for the Israelites to forget about God’s goodness, and worship the false gods of the Canaanites. Just as God had warned them, He stopped fighting for them, and they were conquered by other nations. After the people had been enslaved for several years, they cried out to God. In His mercy and goodness, He sent them a deliverer, also called a judge. The judge rescued them from their enemies, and the people followed God. But, sadly, as soon as the judge died, they fell into the temptation of worshipping false Gods again. Teacher: Point to the cycle chart and review how this happened over and over. Again, they were given over to their enemies, they suffered, they called out to God, He sent a deliverer, they were rescued, and they followed God - but only until that judge died. Then they chose to sin and the cycle started all over again.

Last week we looked at one of God’s judges, Deborah the prophetess. Through Deborah, God commanded Barak to lead the Israelites into war and freedom. Barak did not follow God’s command immediately. Instead, he put a condition on God’s command to fight the enemy.

Ask: Does anyone remember what Barak’s condition was? (You may need to give students a clue: He said he would only go to war if someone went with him. Who was that person?) He demanded that Deborah go with him.

Deborah agreed to go, but because Barak put this condition on God’s orders, Deborah told him that the victory would go to a woman. The victory went to a woman when the enemy commander, Sisera, was killed by a woman named Jael instead of by Barak. We learned that complete obedience to God will bring the greatest victory and blessing.

Say: After God used Deborah, Barak, and Jael to free them, the Israelites followed

God and lived in peace for forty years (Judges 5:31). Look at our cycle chart. Ask: What do you think will happen next? (If needed, point to top of chart to help students.) The Israelites will sin.

Gideon (Judges 6)

Once again the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. So for seven years he handed them over to the people of Midian. - Judges 6:1

The Midianites were very powerful and they treated the Israelites very badly. The Israelites even tried to hide from the Midianites in caves and clefts in the mountains. The Bible tells us that every year the Israelites planted their crops and then the Midianites and other tribes came and devoured the crops. There were so many Midianites that no one could even count them. The Bible describes the people like a swarm of locusts because they ravaged everything in their path. They killed the Israelites’ animals. They destroyed nearly everything. It was difficult for the Israelites to even survive. There was barely any food left to eat, and very few animals to work the land. (Point to “the Israelites become slaves” on the cycle chart.) So, we are right about here on our chart. Ask: Who can tell me what the Israelites will do next? The Israelites will cry out to the Lord.

Say: The Israelites cried out to God for help. God always hears the prayers of His people! (Exodus 3:7, 2 Chronicles 30:27) God sent a prophet to remind the Israelites about the amazing things He had done for them by bringing them out of Egypt and conquering their enemies in Canaan. The prophet also reminded them that they did not listen to God’s warning about worshipping false gods.

Then God sent an angel to a man named Gideon. The Bible tells us that Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress. Threshing wheat is what farmers do to separate the good wheat from the parts of the plant that you can’t eat, called chaff. Normally, the separating was done outside. The farmer would actually toss the wheat and chaff into the air, and the wind would blow the chaff away. But because the Midianites devoured everything the Israelites had, Gideon was trying to hide his wheat from them.

The angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon. He said, “Mighty warrior, the Lord is with you.” - Judges 6:12

This seems like a strange thing to call Gideon. There is Gideon, hiding out in a wine cellar to protect a little bit of grain. He didn’t look like a mighty warrior at this point! And we will see in a moment that Gideon didn’t think he was a mighty warrior either. What we will find out is that this name is prophetic. That means it is going to happen. It was God’s plan that Gideon would become a mighty warrior. Because it was God’s plan, it was as good as done already (Isaiah 25:1).

Teacher note: This is similar to Christ naming Simon “Peter” which means “rock” when at that time, Peter was anything but a solid foundation. His doubt had caused him to sink into the sea (Matthew 14:30-31) and in his doubt, he would soon try to take matters into his own hands by using force to stop the arrest of Jesus (Matthew 26:51-54). And, perhaps the most infamous scene of all, Peter would soon deny that he even knew Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75). Yet, Christ said, “On this rock I will build my church.” (Matthew 16:18) By the grace of God, Peter was restored (John 21:15-19) and filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4). By the power of God, Peter became an unshakable rock. He refused to stop preaching the Gospel, no matter what the threat (Acts 4:20). And as we see throughout Acts, it truly was on the rock of Peter that the church - the same church we are part of today - was built.

“But sir,” Gideon replied, “you say the Lord is with us. Then why has all of this happened to us? Where are all of the wonderful things he has done? Our parents told us about them. They said, ‘Didn’t the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has deserted us. He has handed us over to Midian.” - Judges 6:13

Ask: Who would like to answer Gideon? Who can tell us why this had happened to them? The Israelites did evil and worshipped false gods!

Say: God could not have been more clear on this! God did not leave the Israelites. The Israelites turned their backs on God.

The Lord turned to Gideon. He said to him, “You are strong. Go and save Israel from the power of Midian. I am sending you.”

“But Lord,” Gideon asked, “how can I possibly save Israel? My family group is the weakest in the tribe of Manasseh. And I’m the least important member of my family.”

The Lord answered, “I will be with you. So you will strike down the men of Midian all at one time.” - Judges 6:14-16

PPT CUE

Gideon was quite surprised at these orders. He explained that he was the weakest person in the weakest family in the whole tribe. It is as if he was saying, “Lord, you must have the wrong person.” But God said, “I will be with you.” We have heard these words before. God said these same words to Moses (Exodus 3:12) and to Joshua (Joshua 1:5). Now He was saying them to Gideon. Gideon was still a bit unsure about this. He might have thought he was dreaming. So he asked God for a sign to be sure it was really the Lord talking to him. Gideon went to prepare an offering to give to God. He cooked a goat and made some soup with it. He also made a large loaf of bread that had no yeast in it. The angel told him to put the bread and the meat on a rock, and pour the soup out. Gideon did it. The angel touched the meat and bread with his staff. Instantly fire came from the rock and burned up the meat and bread. Then the angel disappeared. So, Gideon knew it was the Lord who had spoken to him. Gideon built an altar to God on that spot.

Say: Remember, the Israelites had been sinning against God. They had been worshipping a false god named Baal and a false goddess named Asherah.

That same night the Lord spoke to Gideon. He said, “Get the second bull from your father’s herd. Get the one that is seven years old. Tear down the altar your father built in honor of Baal. Cut down the pole that is beside it. The pole is used to worship the goddess Asherah.

“Then build the right kind of altar. Build it in honor of the Lord your God. Build it on top of this hill. Then use the wood from the Asherah pole you cut down. Sacrifice the second bull as a burnt offering.” - Judges 6:25-26

Gideon got ten of his servants and did just what God had instructed him to do. However, he was afraid of his family and the men in the town, so he did it at night when it was dark outside. In the morning, the men saw that the altar to Baal was torn down. They were furious. When they found out Gideon had done it, they demanded that Gideon’s father bring him outside. The men wanted to kill him! But wisely, Gideon’s father said that if Baal was really a god, he could stand up for himself. So the men left him alone.

It is amazing that these men were willing to kill one of their own people to defend a false god who had never done anything for them. They were ready to kill Gideon for building an altar to the one true God. These Israelite men had it backwards! The men should have been willing to fight for the one true God, and against those who worshipped false gods. It was worshipping Baal that had gotten them into the mess they were in with the Midianites.

The Midianite army joined with the Amalekite army. Many other eastern people joined with them. Together, they crossed the Jordan River and camped in the Jezreel Valley. All together, over 135,000 enemy soldiers were in the middle of the Israelites’ territory (Judges 8:10). God’s Spirit filled Gideon and Gideon blew a trumpet to call his army together. Many Israelite tribes joined Gideon’s army. So Gideon’s army had formed. The Bible tells us there were about 32,000 men ready to follow Gideon into battle to take their land back from the Midianites (Judges 7:3). Remember we learned that Gideon was the weakest person in the weakest family of his tribe? As Gideon saw the huge army forming, he must have felt very small and weak. He needed reassurance from the Lord, so he asked God to give him a sign.

Gideon said to God, “You promised you would use me to save Israel. Please do something for me. I’ll put a piece of wool on the threshing floor. Suppose dew is only on the wool tomorrow morning. And suppose the ground all around it is dry. Then I will know that you will use me to save Israel. I’ll know that your promise will come true.” - Judges 6:36-37

Say: The piece of lamb’s wool was called a fleece. Teacher: hold up your wet “fleece.” Do not let the kids know it is wet. Gideon laid it outside his tent at night. Lay your fleece out on the ground. Early the next day, Gideon got up and checked the fleece. The ground around it was dry, but the fleece was wet. He squeezed the fleece and the water from it filled up a bowl. Pick up your fleece and let the kids feel that it is wet.

Gideon was still not quite convinced. A trace of doubt was lingering in his mind. We have all felt similar doubts at times. Our minds have a funny way of taking something miraculous and explaining it away. Gideon’s thoughts might have gone something like this: “Maybe there was dew on everything, but it just dried up. Maybe dirt dries faster than wool. Maybe the wet fleece really wasn’t a sign from God at all.” So he asked for another sign.

Then Gideon said to God, “Don’t let your anger burn against me. Let me ask you for just one more thing. Let me use the wool for one more test. This time make the wool dry. And cover the ground with dew.” - Judges 6:39

So Gideon laid the fleece outside his tent again. Teacher: lay out your dry “fleece.” This time when Gideon woke up and checked, all the ground was wet with dew, but the fleece was completely dry. Pick up your fleece and let the kids feel that it is dry. This time Gideon must have finally realized that this was indeed a sign from God.

Application: Even today, the word “fleece” is used as a term meaning that someone is looking for a sign of confirmation from God. God was very kind and gracious to Gideon to give him the signs he asked for. God did not tell Gideon he was wrong to ask for a sign, but we must always be careful not to make demands on God, or challenge God (Psalm 78:17-21). Gideon was earnestly seeking to do the will of God, and he was in a unique situation because he was about to lead over 30,000 men into a battle against an army four times their size. When we sense that God is leading us to do something, there are several key things we must do. First, it is necessary to pray about the action. Also, go to the Bible to make sure the action is in line with God’s word. God will never ask you to do something that is contrary the Bible! Also, talk to your parents and other people who love the Lord and who follow His word. The Bible says it is wise to seek the advice of godly people (Proverbs 15:22).

Preparing For Battle (Judges 7:1-8)

Say: Gideon’s army was camped just south of the Midianite army. The Israelites numbered about 32,000 soldiers, while the enemy numbered 135,000. Let’s take a look at how these numbers compare to each other. Refer to power point chart. If not using power point, prepare a similar chart on paper or white board. Each dot on this chart represents 100 soldiers. Ask: Does this look like a fair fight to you? No.

Say: God didn’t think these numbers were right, either. Listen to what He told Gideon:

The Lord spoke to Gideon. He said, “I want to hand Midian over to you. But you have too many men for me to do that. I do not want Israel to brag that their own strength has saved them. 3 So here is what I want you to announce to your men. Tell them, ‘Those who tremble with fear can turn back. They can leave Mount Gilead.’ “So 22,000 men left. But 10,000 remained. - Judges 7:2-3

Wow. Well, that is not the direction we were expecting. Now there were fewer Israelites than before. Let’s take a look at how the armies matched up now. Refer to new power point chart. Notice why God sent some men away. God did not want the Israelites bragging that they won the battle because they were so strong. God wanted the praise for winning the battle to go to Him! Ask: How would you feel if you were a soldier in Gideon’s army now? Nervous, scared.

Say: God had another message for Gideon.

The Lord spoke to Gideon again. He said, “There are still too many men. So take them down to the water. I will sort them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one will go with you,’ he will go. But if I say, ‘That one will not go with you,’ he will not go.”

So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord spoke to him. He said, “Some men will drink the way dogs do. They will lap up the water with their tongues. Separate them from those who get down on their knees to drink.”

Three hundred men lapped up the water. They brought it up to their mouths with their hands. All of the rest got down on their knees to drink.

The Lord spoke to Gideon. He said, “With the help of the 300 men who lapped up the water I will save you. I will hand the Midianites over to you. Let all of the other men go home.” - Judges 7:4-7

WOW! Now, all but 300 men were sent away! Let’s see how this looks. Refer to new power point chart. 300 men against 135,000 men. Do you think these 300 men were praying now? Before, when the whole Israelite army was together, some of them might have thought, “I’m not too worried. That Gideon is a good leader, and we have our best fighters on the front lines. I think we’ll do okay.” But with only 300 men taking on 132,000 men, they had to depend on God! Ask: How many of us would volunteer to fight on Gideon’s side in a battle with numbers like this?

Say: Let’s not forget the most important part of the Israelite army. Refer to new chart with GOD in the equation. Now, this really turns things around! Now the Midianite army is the underdog by far! Because God was fighting for Gideon’s army, the Midianites wouldn’t stand a chance. Gideon sent the rest of the men back to their tents, and the 300 men took their supplies.

God Gives Midian To Gideon (Judges 7:9-25)

Say: The Midianite army was camped in a valley below the Israelite army. In order to give Gideon the courage to lead the battle, God sent Gideon and one of his servants to the edge of the enemy camp during the night. There were so many soldiers and camels that it seemed like counting them would be like counting the grains of sand on the seashore. There, Gideon overheard two Midianite soldiers talking. One man told the other about a dream he had. In the dream, a round loaf of barley bread rolled into their camp and destroyed a tent. The man’s friend explained that the bread was a symbol for Gideon. He believed that God would fight for Gideon and the Midianites would be destroyed.

Gideon rushed back to his own camp. He called out for his men to get up because God had handed the Midianites over to them. He separated his men into three groups of 100 each. He gave each man a trumpet and a clay jar with a torch in it. Then Gideon’s men positioned themselves all around the camp. At the same time, all the men blew their trumpets and smashed their jars to reveal their torches. Then they shouted the battle cry, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.”

When the 300 trumpets were blown, the Lord caused all of the men in the enemy camp to start fighting each other. They attacked each other with their swords. The army ran away to Beth Shittah toward Zererah. They ran all the way to the border of Abel Meholah near Tabbath. - Judges 7:22

The Midianite army was frightened and startled at the sudden sound and light piercing the night sky. In their confusion, they began fighting each other. Those who were left ran away from the valley. Gideon called for the other Israelite tribes to chase after the soldiers who had fled. All of the Midianite soldiers and their leaders were tracked down and killed (Judges 7:24-25; 8:10-13, 21). The Midianite people never tried to attack the Israelites again (Judges 8:28).

The Israelites were so happy with Gideon that they wanted him to become their king, but Gideon refused.

The people of Israel spoke to Gideon. They said, “Rule over us. We want you, your son and your grandson to be our rulers. You have saved us from the power of Midian.”

But Gideon told them, “I will not rule over you. My son won’t rule over you either. The Lord will rule over you.” - Judges 8:22-23

This was a wise response from Gideon. It was not Gideon who defeated the enemy. Ask: Who defeated the enemy? God did.

Say: Now that is a great ending to a story. But, sadly, that is not the end of the story. I hate to mention it, but remember our cycle chart? Gideon asked the people to give him some of the jewelry that they had taken from the enemy. They gave him a large amount. He took the jewelry and made an object out of it. It looked like the apron that the high priest of Israel wore. Gideon may not have intended to do wrong, but it ended up becoming like an idol to the people. He placed it in his home town and the Israelites began to worship it.

Gideon lived for 40 more years after the Midianite battle. The Bible says there was peace during those 40 years. Who can guess what happened as soon as Gideon died? The Israelites sinned and followed false gods.

Say: The Israelites went back to following the false gods like Baal. Next week we will learn about the next cycle of the Israelites.

Application: Many times in the Bible, we see that God uses those who are weak or those who are in an impossible situation to show His power and might. As we saw with Gideon, God specifically chose the weakest person in the weakest tribe to lead His people into battle. Then we saw that God decreased the size of the army, and then decreased it again, until there were just a handful of men up against a sea of warriors. At the time, anyone watching all of this would have shaken their head and said, “There is NO way Gideon’s side even stands a chance.” But God showed that nothing is too difficult for Him. It was all about God’s power, not Gideon’s.

Teacher note: We saw the same principle when God chose an old, barren couple, Abraham and Sarah, to parent a nation (Genesis 21:1-7). And, when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt, God instructed Moses to lead them right up to the edge of the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army chasing right behind. They were trapped. It looked like an impossible situation. This set the stage for God to do what only God can do. He parted the sea, and the Israelites crossed on dry ground (Exodus 14:10-22).

The Bible puts it this way: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the things of this world that are common and looked down on. He chose what is not considered to be important to do away with what is considered to be important. So no one can brag to God. - 1 Corinthians 1:27-28

In the New Testament, God told the apostle Paul, “My power is strongest when you are weak.” (2 Corinthians 12:9) So Paul said he was happy in the hard times, when things were difficult. Paul even said he was thrilled to tell people about his weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). Paul said, “I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.” (2 Corinthians 12:10, The Message)

PPT VERSE

Teacher: Demonstrate with two glass jars the exact same size. Say: Let’s say these jars represent two boys’ lives. Hold up one jar and say: This boy seems to have everything going for him. Let’s name him Bobby. Write “Bobby” on the jar with a permanent marker. But our second boy (hold up the other jar) has many hardships, or weaknesses. We’ll call him Sam. Write “Sam” on the jar. Bobby has a strong family life. He has great parents who get along and take great care of him. Hold up a large rock. Let’s say this large rock represents Bobby’s family life, because it is very solid and strong. Place it in the “Bobby” jar. On the other hand, Sam’s family is in kind of a mess. His parents don’t get along and there is a lot of stress in their home. Hold up a very small rock. We’ll say this small rock represents his family life because it not strong. Place it in the “Sam” jar. Schoolwork comes easily for Bobby. Hold up another large rock. This rock stands for Bobby’s good grades. Place it in Bobby’s jar. Unfortunately, Sam struggles in school and his parents can’t seem to find time to help him. We’ll say this small rock represents Sam’s academic ability. Place it in Sam’s jar. Lastly, Bobby has lots of friends. He often has friends come over to play. Hold up another large rock. We’ll say this rock represents Bobby’s strength in friendships. Place it in Bobby’s jar. Sam, however, is actually a little afraid to get close to other kids. He would not feel comfortable inviting anyone to his house to play. This small rock will represent Sam’s friendships. Place a small rock in Sam’s jar. Hold up both jars. Say: All of the areas we discussed - family life, schoolwork, and friendships - are strengths in Bobby’s life. But in Sam’s life, through no fault of his own, these areas are weaknesses.

Now, let’s see how God can turn things around. Let’s imagine that God wants each boy to accomplish something. Let’s say, for instance, God wanted one of the boys to start a club at school so he could share God’s truth with lots of other kids. We’ll say that filling this jar is the same as accomplishing this goal of starting the club and having many kids attend. Hold up both jars. Look at the jars. Ask: Whose jar is closer to being full? Bobby’s.

Say: Bobby has many things going for him, many strengths. Bobby may rely on his own strengths to accomplish starting the club and having lots of kids attend. But in order for Sam to accomplish the same thing, he would really need to rely on God’s power. We will use water to represent God’s power. Hold up one pitcher of water. This is God’s power pouring into the life of each boy. Pour water from one pitcher to fill Bobby’s jar, and water from the other pitcher to fill Sam’s jar. Hold up the pitchers to show that Sam’s pitcher now has less water. Ask: Whose life needed more of God’s power? Sam’s. Say: It is Sam’s life that had so many weaknesses that he could not accomplish starting the club without God’s power. You never know how God’s power might look in this situation. God might even change the weather to rain out the championship soccer game so that all his classmates ended up going to Sam’s after school club!

With all of his strengths, no one would be surprised if Bobby started a club that was very successful. After all, he is smart and popular. But if Sam started a successful club, with all of his weaknesses, people might wonder how it all came together. When God does something that only God can do, He will get the praise. The Bible tells us we should want people to look at us less, and look at God more (John 3:30).

Say: Now, there is nothing wrong with having strengths. God equips each person some strengths and allows each person to have some weaknesses. At different times, we will feel we have more strengths or more weaknesses than at other times. Don’t be discouraged by your weaknesses or difficult times. Instead, rejoice at the opportunity for God’s power to fill your life! Remember, no matter what you are going through - family illness, death of a loved one, parents fighting, being made fun of at school, hard time with grades, hard time with friends - when we are weak, God is strong. When we can’t, God can. When we are unable, God is more than able! And then, as it should be, God will receive the glory He deserves.

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: God uses our weaknesses to show His glory when we realize we must depend on Him.

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Unless otherwise noted the Scriptures taken from: Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version, (NIrV®)

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Lesson

PPT TITLE

Main Point: God is full of mercy, rescuing those who do not deserve it.

PPT VERSE

Key Verse:

Have mercy on me, O God, because of Your unfailing love. Because of Your great compassion, blot out the stain of my sins. - Psalm 51:1 NLT

Props: Strips of leather, new rope, loosely woven cloth, scissors

Background/Review

Say: Last week we started to learn about a very unique man named Samson.

Ask: Who can tell me something about Samson? He was very strong, He killed a lion

Say: Let’s do a quick review. Before Samson was born, an angel of the Lord came to tell Samson’s parents that they would have a son. This boy was to be set apart for the Lord. He would be raised as a Nazirite. This meant he could never eat or drink anything from the grapevine, he had to stay away from graves, and he could never cut his hair. This will be an important thing to remember this week. As Samson grew up, the Spirit of God came upon him. Samson was very strong. God planned to use Samson to deliver the Israelites from the power of the Philistines.

Last week we learned about his marriage that did not go very well. Samson was determined to marry a certain Philistine woman. A foolish bet with her people turned into several battles in which Samson killed many Philistines. Samson’s life was full of pride, anger, and violence.

Delilah (Judges 16:4-21)

Say: Samson was a leader of the Israelites, even though the Philistines still ruled over them. Samson had a reputation as an extremely strong and fierce enemy of the Philistines. The Philistines continually looked for a way to trap him (Judges 16:2).

Samson fell in love with another Philistine woman. Her name was Delilah.

The rulers of the Philistines went to her. They said, “See if you can get him to tell you the secret of why he’s so strong. Find out how we can overpower him. Then we can tie him up. We can bring him under our control. Each of us will give you 28 pounds of silver.” - Judges 16:5

So Delilah asked Samson to tell her the secret of his great strength. This would seem like a great opportunity to give God the praise for the strength that God had given to Samson. But instead, Samson lied to Delilah. He told her that if someone tied him up with seven leather straps that were not completely dry, then he would become as weak as any other man. So, the Philistine rulers gave Delilah the seven leather straps. Hold up your leather strips. Then the men hid in the room while Delilah tied up Samson. We are not told if Samson was asleep, or if he allowed Delilah to tie him up, the way a father might allow his young child to tie him up, knowing he could easily escape. After Samson was tied up, Delilah shouted to him.

She said, “Samson! The Philistines are attacking you!” But he snapped the leather straps easily. (Drop your leather strips.) They were like pieces of string that had come too close to a flame. So the secret of why he was so strong wasn’t discovered. - Judges 16:9b

Delilah told Samson that he made her look foolish by lying to her. Again, she pleaded for Samson to tell her how he could be tied up. Samson must have thought it was all a joke. This time he told her that if he were tied up with ropes that had never been used, he would become as weak as any other man. Hold up your ropes. So Delilah got some new ropes and tied Samson up with them. Just as before, men were hiding in the room. Again Delilah shouted that the Philistines were attacking. Samson snapped through the ropes as if they were threads. Drop your ropes.

Once again, Delilah told Samson he was making her look foolish. Again, she begged for an answer to her question of how to tie him up. Remember that Samson’s hair had never been cut. He wore his hair in seven braids. This time, Samson told her that if she were to weave the braids of his hair into the cloth that was on her weaving loom, he would become weak. Hold up your cloth. Delilah waited until Samson was asleep, then she took the seven braids of his hair and wove them into the cloth on her loom. Once more, Delilah shouted that the Philistines were attacking. Samson woke up and broke free with no problem. Drop your cloth.

Then she said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you’? You won’t even share your secret with me. This is the third time you have made me look foolish. And you still haven’t told me the secret of why you are so strong.” She continued to pester him day after day. She nagged him until he was sick and tired of it. - Judges 16:15-16

Finally, Delilah wore Samson down with her nagging. Nagging is complaining over and over and over and over. Samson was so annoyed by her repeated words, he couldn’t take it anymore.

So he told her everything. “I’ve never used a razor on my head,” he said. “I’ve never cut my hair. That’s because I’ve been a Nazirite since the day I was born. A Nazirite is set apart to God. If you shave my head, I won’t be strong anymore. I’ll become as weak as any other man.” - Judges 16:17

Delilah sent word to the Philistine rulers to come back one more time. They came, and brought the silver with them. Delilah lulled Samson to sleep. She called for a man to come and cut off the braids of his hair. Hold up your scissors and make the cutting motion. His strength left him. Then, one final time, Delilah shouted to Samson that the Philistines were attacking. As Samson woke up, he thought he would break free as he always had before. Listen to what the Bible says next: “But he didn’t know that the Lord had left him.” (Judges 16:20) The Philistines grabbed him and poked his eyes out. They took him to Gaza, put chains on him, and put him in prison. Then Samson, once the strongest warrior in the land, spent his days grinding grain in prison.

Application: We see that Samson did not inquire of God which woman he should pursue. We should always go to God first, and ask for His wisdom (Psalm 73:24, James 1:5). Samson did not take his parent’s advice on this matter, either. The Bible tells us to ask the advice of godly people when we make decisions (Proverbs 15:22). We can read God’s plan for choosing a wife in His word. The Bible has wonderful guidelines for what type of woman makes a good wife. For instance, it tells us that the most important thing is not her beauty, which will fade away, but that she loves the Lord (Proverbs 31:30). God’s word also says not to marry a woman who nags or argues (Proverbs 19:13). Other qualities to look for are a woman who works hard and helps those in need (Proverbs 31:17, 20). None of these qualities fit the women that Samson chose. Samson would have done well to seek godly wisdom about whom he spent his time with. We should also seek God’s wisdom about the people we spend time with. We should choose our close friends using the Bible as our guide. For example, the Bible says not to spend time with people who get angry easily or those who gossip (Proverbs 22:24, Proverbs 16:28). Use God’s wisdom to choose your close friends, because they are who you spend the most time with, and who will influence you. Also, listen to your parent’s advice about who to have for a close friend. The Bible promises that things will go well for you if you honor parents (Ephesians 6:1-3). Your parents can help you choose the type of person you should or should not have for a close friend. Now, we are not supposed to just ignore the other people in the world. They need to see our example. They need the Lord (Acts 1:8). Spend some time with them, but keep in mind that they are people that you are trying to help. Look for ways to tell them about God and His word. Do not allow them to influence you.

Also, notice Delilah’s final plea to Samson. She said, “If you love me, you will tell me your secret.” This is never a good sign! This is manipulation. That means, she was tricking him with her words. This situation had nothing to do with love! Delilah wanted the information so she would get paid with 28 pounds of silver. She wanted to make Samson feel bad so that she could get what she wanted. Be very cautious of anyone who has similar words to you. If someone says, “If you are my friend, you will do this,” or, “I won’t be your friend unless you do this,” watch out! (Proverbs 12:26) They are not trying to do what is best for you. They simply want something from you and they are trying to trick you. There should be no “conditions” on friendship (Matthew 22:39).

Samson’s Death (Judges 16:22-31)

Say: While Samson was in prison, his hair began to grow again. One day the rulers of the Philistines held a big celebration. They were going to offer a sacrifice to their false god. They believed their god had delivered Samson into their hands. Of course, this was not true. The Philistines were only able to capture Samson because the one true God left Samson when he treated the gifts God gave him so carelessly. During their celebration, the crowd called for Samson to be brought out. They thought it was funny to see Samson blind and weak. They wanted him to put on a show for them.

Samson asked the servant who was holding his hand to take him near the great pillars that held up the temple so he could lean on them. The Bible tells us that the temple was packed full of people. There were 3000 Philistine men and women on the roof of the temple in addition to all the Philistine leaders.

Then (Samson) prayed to the Lord. He said, “Lord and King, show me that you still have concern for me. God, please make me strong just one more time. Let me pay the Philistines back for what they did to my two eyes. Let me do it with only one blow.”

Then Samson reached toward the two pillars that were in the middle of the temple. They held the temple up. He put his right hand on one of them. He put his left hand on the other. He leaned hard against them.

Samson said, “Let me die together with the Philistines!” Then he pushed with all his might. The temple came down on the rulers. It fell on all of the people who were in it. So Samson killed many more Philistines when he died than he did while he lived. - Judges 16:28-30

Notice that Samson prayed for strength to get revenge for his own eyes. He didn’t ask for strength so he could give God glory, or even to set his fellow Israelites free from the Philistines. Even in his final hour, Samson was thinking only of himself. Samson died in the temple that day. Then Samson’s brothers and relatives got his body and buried him.

Application: Samson’s story is really a tragic one. We cannot hold Samson up as a godly hero that we should try to be like. Many times in the Bible, we see that God can accomplish His plans, even through the sins of men.

Teacher note: In Genesis, Joseph’s jealous brothers sold him into slavery, but God used it to save an entire nation from starvation. With godly vision, Joseph told his brothers, “You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.” (Genesis 50:20 NLT) But by far, the greatest example is that of the crucifixion of our Lord. In Matthew 16:21-23, Jesus explained to His disciples the necessity of the suffering He would do at the hands of the religious leaders. He foretold His death and resurrection on the third day. When Peter protested, Jesus rebuked him emphatically. Jesus said, “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s” (Matthew 16:23b NLT) Other examples of God accomplishing His goals through the evil deeds of men are found in Exodus 10:1-2 and Acts 8:4.

PPT VERSE

Psalm 33:11 says, “The plans of the Lord stand firm forever. What He wants to do will last for all time.” God even used the self-centeredness, pride, and rage of Samson to accomplish His goal of rescuing His people from the Philistines. But because of all of his shortcomings, Samson lived a troubled life and died a violent death. With all the gifts God had given him, we wonder what Samson’s life would have been like if he had lived according to God’s laws.

In the story of Samson, we must focus on the heart of God. Once again, God had heard His people cry out for His help. Even though they had turned away from Him over and over again, God heard them and wanted to help them (Judges 10:16). The story of Samson is the story of God rescuing His unfaithful people from the cruel hand of their enemy. It is a story of God’s mercy. The dictionary says mercy is, “The power of a judge to pardon someone from their punishment.” Mercy is taking away punishment that is deserved. The Israelites deserved to be under the power of the Philistines because they turned their backs on the One who protected them. But, in His abundant mercy, God came to their rescue. That is the God that we serve - a God full of mercy. A God like that deserves our praise!

Samson can be seen as a symbol of the Israelite people. Just like Samson, the Israelites had been chosen by God to be set apart, to be used by Him (Deuteronomy 7:6). Just like Samson, the Israelites did nothing to deserve their blessings from God (Deuteronomy 7:7). And just like Samson, the Israelites squandered, or wasted, the gifts God had given them. They did not use their blessings to glorify God. Instead, both Samson and the Israelites did what was right in their own eyes, not in God’s eyes (Judges 17:6).

Conclusion (Judges 17 - 21)

After the story of Samson, the book of Judges continues to tell of more failures of the Israelites. We learn of more idol worship (Judges 17:3-5). We learn of Levite priests who were not performing the duties that God had given them to do. Instead they chose to sin (Judges 17:7-12, ch. 19). And we even learn of Israelite tribes going to war with other Israelite tribes (Judges 20). The people in the book of Judges had fallen a long way from the book of Joshua when the Israelites worked together and obeyed God.

There is a phrase that is repeated several times in the book of Judges (Judges 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25):

In those days Israel didn’t have a king. The people did anything they thought was right. - Judges 17:6

Let’s look at the phrase, “They did anything they thought was right.” The Israelites did whatever felt right to them. They did not do what God said was right. The Bible calls this, “Being wise in your own eyes.” Proverbs 3:7 says, “Don’t be wise in your own eyes. Have respect for the Lord and avoid evil.” And Proverbs 26:12 says that someone who is wise in his own eyes is worse off than a fool. The Israelites were completely foolish to turn their backs on God and do things their way.

Think of it this way. God knows everything. Did you know that God does not have a birthday? That’s because God was never born. He simply has always existed. That is hard for us to understand, but it is true. Psalm 90:2 says, “From the beginning to the end, You are God.” The Bible also says God is in control of everything (Job 37:15-16, Daniel 5:21b). He knows everything that will ever happen. We, on the other hand, do NOT know everything. We only know what we have seen or what we have been taught. Why wouldn’t those who do NOT know everything listen to the One who DOES know everything?

Imagine a little ant. An ant is tiny to us. Things that are very small to us, like blades of grass, leaves, or rocks, are huge to him. That ant climbing up a blade a grass would be like us climbing up Stone Mountain. The ant can only see what is right around him. But we can stand up above the ant. From our point of view, we can see far more than the ant can. We can see across the whole yard, and beyond. If we really cared about the ant, and we could talk to him, we could help direct him. We could tell him the shortest way to get where he was going. We could tell him where food was, and we could warn him when there was danger ahead. Ask: Would the ant be wise to listen to us? Yes! Now imagine if the ant said, “Those people don’t know anything. I know what is best. I won’t listen to them.” We would say he was “wise in his own eyes.” We would also say he was a fool.

Be certain, God cares about us immensely! Since He knows everything, and He only wants the very best for us, aren’t we foolish not to follow His direction? We should pray to Him and study His word. The more we obey, the better our lives will be.

Now let’s look at the other phrase, “In those days Israel did not have a king.” It seems the only time the Israelites did anything right was when they had a strong leader, like Moses and Joshua. In Judges, the only time the Israelites had peace was when they were under the leadership of one of the judges, or deliverers. As soon as the judge died, they fell back into sin, idol worship, and captivity. Indeed, it seemed that Israel needed a king. Soon the Israelites would cry out for a king. But an earthly king would not be the answer for them. They needed a king who would rule perfectly - a king who would never die. In time, God, who is rich in mercy, who rescues those who do not deserve it, would send His Son to be the perfect King. Jesus was sent first to the Israelites, to be their king (Matthew 1:17, Mark 15:2). He was no ordinary king. He was fully God and fully man. Jesus laid down His life as a sin offering, to take away the sins of the world. On the third day, God raised Him from the dead.

Soon, God made it clear that Jesus died to take away the sins of all men and women, boys and girls (Acts 10:28). Anyone who puts their trust in Him will be forgiven of their sin, and rescued from eternal punishment (John 11:25-26, Acts 16:31). The Bible says that Jesus is the King of kings and the Lord of lords (Revelation 17:14). He will never die. He will return to earth and He will reign forever (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Luke 1:32-33). Each of us is called to take the free gift of eternal life that our merciful God has offered us. We are called to live our lives following the King of kings and Lord of lords, Jesus Christ.

God’s grace has saved you because of your faith in Christ. Your salvation doesn’t come from anything you do. It is God’s gift. It is not based on anything you have done. No one can brag about earning it. God made us. He created us to belong to Christ Jesus. Now we can do good things. - Ephesians 2:8-10a

PPT MAIN POINT

Main Point: God is full of mercy, rescuing those who do not deserve it.

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