god helps gideon defeat the midianites judges 6:1-16; 7:1-24their torches and blowing their...

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Lesson 1 Grades 3 & 4 Summer Quarter

Lesson 1

�Bible Point We can trust God with the future.

Key Verse“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Weaving Faith Into Life Children will thank God for their futures.

LESSON WHAT CHILDREN DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP

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Getting Started

That’s Impossible! (about 10 min.)Try to get water into buckets using only spoons and ladles to understand how God can help us when things seem impossible.

3 buckets, teaspoons, ladles, water

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Bible Exploration

Get Ready for Battle! (about 10 min.)Interact with the poster to understand how Gideon and his men felt overwhelmed.

Bibles, poster board, masking tape, index cards, markersTeacher Pack: “Midianite Men” poster

Write “22,000” on index cards for half the kids. Write “9,700” on index cards for the other half of the kids except for three, and write “300” on index cards for the remaining three kids.

Using poster board and tape, create a backing with a brace for the “Midianite Men” poster, and set it up on a table like a picture frame.

God’s Battle Plan(about 5 min.)Roll balls at the poster to simulate the dream Gideon overheard.

Bible, ballsTeacher Pack: “Midianite Men” poster

The Midianites Are Defeated! (about 10 min.)March around the poster, pretending to blow trumpets as the poster is knocked down.

Bible, Bible Truth Sleuth, markers, tape, index cards from the “Get Ready for Battle!” activityTeacher Pack: “Midianite Men” poster

Tear out the Lesson 1 pages from each Bible Truth Sleuth student book.

Bold text within the lesson is spoken text.

T hird- and fourth-graders understand that the future exists, but they’re concerned with the near future rather than something years or even months away. Kids look

forward with great anticipation to vacation holidays and special times with friends and family. They worry about things like friends they won’t see all summer, who’s going to the birthday party next Saturday, what they’ll do for vacation, or who will be their new teacher in the fall. Help kids understand that God cares about the things they worry about. Remind kids they can talk to God about their future plans or worries because God is faithful in helping them.

God Helps Gideon Defeat the Midianites Judges 6:1-16; 7:1-24

Lesson 1 Grades 3 & 4Summer Quarter

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LESSON WHAT CHILDREN DO SUPPLIES EASY PREP

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Weaving Faith

Into Life

So Do Not Fear (about 10 min.)Create movement for a song to help others learn the meaning of the words.

Bibles, CD player, copies of the lyrics (at the end of this lesson)Teacher Pack: CD, “So Do Not Fear” cards

Tear apart the “So Do Not Fear” cards.

A Prayer to Trust (about 10 min.)Create a picture of something they want God to take care of, and then trust God in prayer.

newsprint, markers, tape

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Lasting Impressions

Daily Challenges(about 5 min.)Choose a Daily Challenge to apply God’s Word.

Bible Truth Sleuth

Weaving Faith at Home(about 2 min.) Talk about how to share what they learned with their families.

Bible Truth Sleuth

Tear out the letter to parents from each Bible Truth Sleuth student book.

Bold text within the lesson is spoken text.

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BIBLe BACKGROUND FOR LEADERS

Judges Were Called by God When Crises Erupted

This lesson begins a section looking at the period of the judges. After Joshua died, there was no immediate, clear leader of the people of Israel. Instead, God raised up different leaders at different times for different tasks, and they all received special power from God to do what God wanted them to do. These leaders were called judges, though they didn’t function primarily as arbitrators or administrators of justice. In most cases, they were military leaders, called upon to deliver Israel from foreign enemies.

God Calls the Unlikely Gideon

Gideon’s description of himself might remind us of the great King David, who was yet to come. Both were the youngest in their families. Gideon did not think of himself as a military leader, but God knew what Israel needed. Israel didn’t need a leader who would trust in his military ability; rather, Israel needed a leader who would humbly rely on God for guidance and strength.

God Wins the Battle Against the Midianites

God’s instructions to whittle Gideon’s army to 300 men seem absurd. But God wanted the people of Israel to see that they were saved by God’s power rather than their own military might. We aren’t told why the manner of the soldiers’ drinking—either by stooping to drink the water directly or cupping it to their mouths—was significant. Perhaps it was simply a way to reduce the number of men; perhaps it was a method to choose those who were most alert. The 300 men who kept their heads up may have demonstrated an alertness that was lacking in the men who stooped to drink.

It’s astonishing that the Israelites didn’t strike anyone with a sword at the beginning of the battle. After raising their torches and blowing their trumpets, Gideon and his soldiers held their positions while the Midianites turned upon one another with their swords (Judges 7:21-22)—God won the battle for them. The Jesus Connection

When we have a relationship with Jesus, no matter what happens to us, we can be sure he’ll be there. Think back on Gideon’s feelings of inadequacy. When have you felt that way? How did God help you through it? How did that experience help grow your faith? Pray that in your inadequacies, God will help you lean on your faith and move forward in confident trust. You can write your prayer here.

God Helps Gideon Defeat the MidianitesJudges 6:1-16; 7:1-24


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GETTING STARTED

That’s Impossible!

What You’ll Do Welcome kids warmly as they arrive, and ask them how their week went. Have kids form two teams, and have them stand opposite each other, approximately 20 feet apart. Place a large empty bucket in the middle of the game area. If this game is being played on a smooth floor (concrete, wood, or tile), use caution as the floor will become slippery when it is wet. Have children walk rather than run, or take the game outside where it would be less slippery.

Give one team a bucket of water and one teaspoon per person. Give the other team a bucket of water and one ladle per person. If you don’t have access to ladles, use small drinking cups.

Say: Your goal is to empty your bucket of water, using the tools you have right now, and fill up the bucket in the middle.

Have kids begin to fill the bucket in the middle. Stop the game after several kids have run to put water in the middle bucket.

Talk With Kids Lead kids in this discussion.

Ask: n How did you feel trying to get water from one bucket to the other with only

the tools you were given? n Which was easier to use, the ladle or the teaspoon? Why? n What would’ve made it easier to get the water from one bucket to the

other? n Do you sometimes feel as if you don’t have what you need when you have

to do something difficult? Explain. n What do you do when you have to do something hard but you’re not sure

whether you’ll be able to do it?

Say: Today we’re going to talk about two armies that fought a battle. One army was strong and mighty, and the other army was small and kind of weak. The smaller army’s members weren’t sure how they would win, but we’ll learn how God helped them when they trusted him with the future. WE CAN TRUST GOD WITH THE FUTURE.

That’s Impossible!Supplies

3 bucketsteaspoonsladleswater

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2 BIBLE EXPLORATION

Get Ready for Battle!

What You’ll Do Hand each child an index card you prepared before class. Point to the “Midianite Men” poster on the table.

Say: We’re going to use this poster and the index cards I gave you to help tell today’s Bible story. We can find our story in Judges 6:1-16 and Judges 7:1-24. Let’s take a look at what God told Gideon.

Have kids turn in their Bibles to Judges 6:1-16, and ask for volunteers to read the passage aloud.

Ask: n Why didn’t Gideon think his men could defeat the Midianites? n Have you ever felt as if you had a battle that was too big for you to face?

Explain. n How do you think God could help Gideon in this situation?

Say: Let’s find out just how God helped Gideon. You are going to be Gideon’s soldiers. Stand up and get ready for battle, troops!

Open your Bible to Judges 7:1-3, and read the verses aloud.

Say: I want you to look at all of the Midianites on the poster. If we were really going to be fighting these men, we would be pretty scared. Twenty-two thousand of Gideon’s men were very scared, so they were permitted to leave. If you have a card with “22,000” on it, sit down. That means only 10,000 were left to fight the Midianites!

Read Judges 7:4-8 aloud.

Say: Now God sent the soldiers home who did not drink water with their hands but drank directly from the stream. That was 9,700 more soldiers! If you have a card with “9,700” on it, sit down. Wow! Not many soldiers are left to fight the Midianites!


Ask: n How would you feel about fighting in a small army against a large, powerful

army? n Do you think you would turn to God during that time? Why or why? n How can we trust God with the future?

Get Ready for Battle!Supplies

Biblesposter boardmasking tapeindex cardsmarkersTeacher Pack“Midianite Men” poster

Get Ready for Battle!Easy Prep

Write “22,000” on index cards for half the kids. Write “9,700” on index cards for the other half of the kids except for three, and write “300” on index cards for the remaining three kids.

Using poster board and tape, create a backing with a brace for the “Midianite Men” poster, and set it up on a table like a picture frame.


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Say: Let’s take a look at what God did for Gideon and his men.

God’s Battle Plan

What You’ll Do Open your Bible to Judges 7:9-12, and read the passage aloud.

Say: God promised victory to Gideon. God even gave Gideon a chance to check it out by listening to what one of the Midianites said about a dream he’d had. The dream proved God was right. Let’s take a look at that dream.

Read aloud Judges 7:13-15. Have kids roll balls at the “Midianite Men” poster to knock it down. Set up the poster again for the next activity.

Say: Gideon knew God would give him and his men victory, so he was ready to go.


Ask: n How do you think Gideon felt when he heard this dream? n How is that different from when he first knew he’d have to battle the

Midianites with only 300 men? n How did God’s promise for victory help Gideon trust him?

Say: Gideon trusted God with this future battle. WE CAN TRUST GOD WITH THE FUTURE, too. Let’s find out what happened to Gideon and the Midianites.

The Midianites Are Defeated!

What You’ll Do Read aloud Judges 7:16-19. Lead the kids toward the “Midianite Men” poster with pretend torches and trumpets in hand, creeping slowly and quietly toward the camp. Have the kids who had the cards with “300” on them tape the cards in different places on the poster.

Read Judges 7:19-21. Have the kids shout, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon!” and pretend to blow their trumpets.

Read Judges 7:22-24. Knock the poster down again, showing that the Midianites have been defeated. Then lead kids in a victory cheer, shouting, “God is the greatest!”

Say: Gideon trusted God to help him defeat the Midianites, and God did it!

God’s Battle PlanSupplies

BibleballsTeacher Pack“Midianite Men” poster

The Midianites Are Defeated!Supplies

BibleBible Truth Sleuthmarkerstapeindex cards from the “Get Ready for Battle!” activity

Teacher Pack“Midianite Men” poster

The Midianites Are Defeated!Easy Prep

Tear out the Lesson 1 pages from each Bible Truth Sleuth student book.

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Ask: n Why do you think Gideon could trust God with the future? n Do you believe God will help you? Why or why not? n For what things in your future do you want to trust God?

Distribute the Bible Truth Sleuth pages to the kids. Hand out markers for kids to use to decorate their trumpets.

Say: In our story, God instructed Gideon’s men to blow trumpets as one of their weapons. Since we don’t usually think of trumpets as weapons to win a war, this proved to the Israelites that they could trust God with the future. On your trumpet, write or draw something in your future that you can trust God with.

Give kids time to draw and write.

Say: Let’s look at what our Key Verse for today says about why we can trust God with our futures.

3 WEAVING FAITH INTO LIFE

So Do Not Fear

What You’ll Do Say: Our Key Verse today is found in Isaiah 41:10. I’m going to give each of you a card that has part of today’s Key Verse written on it. First, I want you to find other people with the same section of the Key Verse as you have.

Give kids time to form their groups, helping if needed.

Say: Now I want you to talk about what your part of the Key Verse means and come up with motions for your part of the verse. For example, you could lock arms for “I am with you” or lift heavy objects with your right hands for “I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

You’ll have one minute to share and then five minutes to create the actions for your part of the song. Is everyone ready? Okay, go!

Give kids several minutes to do this. Cue your CD to “So Do Not Fear” (Isaiah 41:10) (track 2).

Say: Now I’m going to play our Key Verse song. As the song plays, each of you will form a new group with one person from each of the other groups. That way your group will have all the parts of the verse. When you’re in your new groups, we’ll play the song again and sing along.

So Do Not FearSupplies

BiblesCD playercopies of the lyrics (at the end of this lesson)

Teacher PackCD: “So Do Not Fear” (Isaiah 41:10) (track 2)

“So Do Not Fear” cards

So Do Not FearEasy Prep

Tear apart the “So Do Not Fear” cards.


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Give kids a few minutes to form groups of four while the song plays. When kids have formed the groups, have the groups sit down and sing the remaining portion of the song, paying close attention to the lines in the song with the same words as are on their cards. You may wish to distribute the lyrics pages so kids can follow along and see when their lines come up.

So do not fear,For I am with you.Do not be dismayed,For I am your God.So do not fear,For I am with you.Do not be dismayed,For I am your God.

I will strengthen youAnd help you;I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.I will strengthen youAnd help you;I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

(Repeat from the beginning.)

“So Do Not Fear” (Isaiah 41:10) by John J. DiModica. © 2003, 2007 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

Have kids open their Bibles to Isaiah 41:10, and have a volunteer read the verse aloud: “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).

Say: Now I want you to teach your group the motions you’ve made up in your first groups for your part of the Key Verse. Then after you’ve all learned your motions, we’ll sing the song one more time and do the motions together.

As kids teach one another the motions, have the Key Verse song play quietly in the background. Give kids several minutes to learn the motions, and then have them sing and do the motions together.

Say: God tells us not to be afraid two times in this verse. First he tells us not to be afraid because he is with us, and then he says it again when he tells us not to be dismayed. Dismayed means to suddenly lose your courage or to have a feeling of being alarmed about something—we might call it panicking or being stressed out. God wants us to know he is our God and we don’t have to panic because he will give us strength and will help us.

Tell kids that you’ll play “So Do Not Fear” (Isaiah 41:10) (track 2) once more. This time, have the groups do all the motions as they sing the song.

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Ask: n What things make you feel afraid? n What has God promised to do for us? n Have you ever felt that God helped you or strengthened you? Explain.

Say: Let’s share about times we need to trust God with our futures and pray about those times.

A Prayer to Trust


Ask: n How do you feel when things aren’t going the way you think they should? n How can we trust God with the future? n What are some ways you can show God you trust him with your future?

Say: WE CAN TRUST GOD WITH THE FUTURE no matter how tough it is because God has promised to always be with us.

What You’ll Do Have kids form small groups of about three to five. Give each group a large piece of newsprint, about 3 feet square, and markers to create their prayer posters. At the top of their papers, have kids write, “Dear God, I will trust you when…” Have kids create a picture of a situation they’re worried about and want to trust God with. Kids might draw a picture of how they feel when no one wants to play with them, a picture of vacation plans that might be in process, or a picture of how they feel about saying goodbye to friends and teachers they won’t see all summer.

When kids have finished their posters, have them tape their pictures to a wall. Let kids take turns asking God to take care of their future plans and then telling God that they’ll trust him.

A Prayer to Trust Supplies

newsprintmarkerstape


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4 LASTING IMPRESSIONS

Daily Challenges

What You’ll Do Say: Let’s each choose a Daily Challenge for the week to help us remember that WE CAN TRUST GOD WITH THE FUTURE.

Have kids find this week’s Daily Challenges on the Bible Truth Sleuth pages and choose one to do this week. They can choose one or more of these three options: n Every time God provides something for you, create a thank-you card for

God. Hang the cards in your room to remind you of all the ways God has provided for you in the past and that you can trust him with your future.

n Ask an adult to share about a time he or she knew God was in control of the future.

n Spend some time each day worshipping God because he takes care of you and your family. Thank God for your future.

Make sure you choose a Daily Challenge as well, and tell the kids what you chose. Kids will be more inclined to follow through on their commitments when they see you doing the same.


Ask: n What’s a practical way you’re going to do your Daily Challenge? Include a

time, a place, and other ideas. Say: WE CAN TRUST GOD WITH THE FUTURE. Let’s show we trust him by following through on our Daily Challenges this week.

Weaving Faith at HomeEncourage kids to talk with their parents about the Daily Challenges they chose and what they learned about trusting God. Kids can also do the activities in the “HomeConnect” section of their Bible Truth Sleuth pages with their families.

Talk to your Director about emailing the FREE FamilyConnect to all your church’s families. Available at group.com/digital.

Pray: Dear God, thank you that we can trust you for our futures. Thank you for always taking care of us. Help us trust you more each day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Daily Challenges Supplies

Bible Truth Sleuth

Weaving Faith at HomeSupplies

Bible Truth Sleuth

Weaving Faith at HomeEasy Prep

Tear out the letter to parents from each Bible Truth Sleuth student book.

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! OK TO COPY

Lyrics

So Do Not Fear (Isaiah 41:10)

So do not fear,For I am with you.Do not be dismayed,For I am your God.So do not fear,For I am with you.Do not be dismayed,For I am your God.

I will strengthen youAnd help you;I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.I will strengthen youAnd help you;I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

(Repeat from the beginning.)

“So Do Not Fear” (Isaiah 41:10) by John J. DiModica. © 2003, 2007 Group Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.

god helps gideon defeat the midianites judges 6:1-16; 7:1-24their torches and blowing their...

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