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JOURNEY LAND Curriculum Guide GOD’S PLAN: the LAW KINGS OF ISRAEL… SAUL © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ JOURNEY LAND “GOD’S PLAN: the LAW Kings of Israel…Saul” Curriculum Guide Table of Contents Overview………………………………………...1 Theater Workshop……………………………...6 Storytelling Workshop…………………..……...8 Games Workshop……………………………...15 Art/Creativity/Science Workshop……….…...22 Music & Memory Workshop………………....28 Geography/Culture Workshop……………….38 Patterns/Index/Resources……………………..49 ! I © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ JOURNEY LAND GOD’S PLAN: the LAW – Kings of Israel…Saul Copyright 2009 by Memorial Road Church of Christ Oklahoma City, OK All rights reserved. Permission is granted to reproduce Journey Land curriculum for use by your church only. No part of this publication may be otherwise reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. Permission is not granted for making copies of the Curriculum Guide or music downloads to distribute to any other sources. For questions regarding copyright permissions, call the MRCC Education Ministry at 1-405-478-0166. Editorial Staff: Editor: Judi Lashley Contributing Editors: Sharon Ackerman Judy Branch Alissa Crawford Sheree Franks Scott Franks Kathy Loomis Michelle Lynn Beverly North JoAnne North Delise Williams Music Director: Bob Lashley Designer: Aubrie Ross Illustrator: Lucas Ross Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, Life Application Study Bible: New International Version. Copyright Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Used by permission, all rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America II © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! GOD’S PLAN: the LAW ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Kings of Israel…Saul ! ! THEME/APPLICATION: ! If we love God, we will obey Him. If we obey God, we show our love for Him. ! MEMORY VERSES: ! Mark 12:29-31, “The most important one,” ! answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God ! with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with ! your neighbor as all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love yourself.’ There is no commandment greater ! than these.” I Samuel 15:22b, “To obey is better than! sacrifice…” I John 5:3a, “This is love for God: to obey! His commands.” ! GOD’S PLAN: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! God’s Plan set Israel apart from all other nations – holding His people up as a unique, guiding light. STORY SEGMENTS: 1. Saul becomes king of Israel (I Samuel 8-11) – GAMES; MUSIC/MEMORY 2. Saul the warrior (I Samuel 11-15; 17; 28; 31) – GEOGRAPHY 3. Saul is disobedient (I Samuel 13:1-15; 15) – ART; GAMES 4. 5. 6. 7. Saul’s jealousy and downfall (I Samuel 18-24; 26) – THEATER Memory objectives – MUSIC/MEMORY Application –STORYTELLING ! ! Story! (I Samuel ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Entire 8-31) –! STORYTELLING ! ! !! ! ! ! ! 1 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! GOD’S PLAN: the LAW ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Kings of Israel…Saul OBJECTIVES: Objectives are written with the following principles in mind: the student will gain KNOWLEDGE of the FACTS, PRINCIPLES and CONCEPTS of the stories and themes, the student will be able to APPLY those principles to his life, and the student will understand GOD’S PLAN of salvation for mankind throughout the Bible 1. The student will recall and locate the two divisions of the Bible (Old and New Testaments), books of the O.T., and know that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. (Knowledge, Comprehension) 2. The student will recall the 12 Tribes of Israel. (Knowledge) 3. The student will be able to recall selected memory verses and explain each one’s meaning and application to his life. (Knowledge, Analysis, Comprehension, Application) 4. The student will be able to locate key sites on a map, identify the time period of the kings of Israel, be able to give examples of geographic and cultural features of the ancient civilization and lifestyle of ancient Canaan, and explain and locate the division of Canaan among the 12 Tribes. (Knowledge, Comprehension) 5. The student will be able to describe with understanding the concept that God’s Plan set Israel apart from all other nations – holding His people up as a unique, guiding light. (Comprehension, Analysis, Elaboration) *GOD’S PLAN OF SALVATION 6. The student will be able to demonstrate his understanding that if we love God, we will obey Him. If we obey God, we show our love for Him. (Comprehension, Application, Analysis) *APPLICATION TO LIFE 7. The student will create, design, implement, and participate in various projects/products to show concrete application of the principles of the curriculum. (Synthesis, Application, Originality, Creativity, Evaluation) 8. The student will be given the opportunity and encouragement to connect with God’s Word by developing the habit of daily Bible reading. (Application, Synthesis) ! !2 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ GOD’S PLAN: the LAW ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Kings of Israel…Saul "#$%&!#'!(!'()*&+!*'!,&+$-.! FOCUS: Obedience implies choice. God has given us free will to choose to obey – or not. Obedience to rules, instructions, laws can be prompted by fear, duty, respect, obligation, love. God wants our obedience to Him to be prompted by devotion. Obedience implies faith. The magnitude of God’s wisdom is often beyond our limited understanding. We have faith that all God’s commands of us – even when we do not understand His reasons – are because of His boundless love for us. This faith that God always acts in our very best interests gives us peace and confidence. Faith is imperative. Obedience implies submission. Godly submission is, by its very nature, an act of humble, trusting yielding to the control of another. Arrogant confidence in our own judgment can lead us to into foolish mistakes. Humble submission to God leads to wisdom. Saul was a mixture of humility and arrogance. Despite being chosen by God Himself to unite His people into a kingdom, Saul felt doubtful and unworthy. He even hid in the baggage when he was announced as the king! Unlike Moses, however, who also felt unworthy as God’s choice to lead His people, Saul didn’t turn his insecurity and weaknesses over to be used by God. His efforts to “prove” himself led him to depend on his own judgment instead of God. Moses gave credit to God for his successes – Saul built a monument in honor of himself! Gradually, Saul’s insecurity caused him to impulsively make foolish decisions. Even when the life of his son Jonathan was at stake, Saul’s foolish arrogance made him more concerned about being right than being wise. Saul never developed an humble, submissive, loving relationship with the Lord. Saul’s spiral into petty jealousy and animosity could have been avoided by his reliance on His loving Father. When outwardly “obeying” God by offering sacrifices after battle, his true motivation was gaining the esteem of others instead of devotion to God. ! ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 3 GOD’S PLAN: the LAW ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Kings of Israel…Saul "#$%&!#'!(!'()*&+!*'!,&+$-.! FOCUS: For God, “to obey is better than sacrifice”. An outward “sacrifice” (or “act” of worship) can be done without an inward commitment. God’s creation of His children was an expression of His love for us – and He requests that we love Him in return. God asks that our work, worship, and lives be motivated by genuine commitment to Him. True obedience – a wholehearted giving of our very selves to the Lord – is the ultimate expression of submissive devotion. Saul began his reign with such promise: courageous, humble, and strong. But his insecurity and arrogance led to the disobedience that God could not – would not – tolerate. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 4 GOD’S PLAN: the LAW ! ! ! ! ! ! Kings of Israel…Saul ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! HISTORICAL OVERVIEW: Because the Israelites failed to follow through on God’s directive to completely rid Canaan of its idolatrous inhabitants, they continually tormented God’s people. The Israelites lost their spiritual commitment and motivation, compromising their convictions and gradually adopting the customs of their idolatrous neighbors. Time after time, God’s children repeated their cycle of selfish disobedience. Because they neglected to trust only in Him, God repeatedly allowed the Israelites to be overrun and taken captive by the very peoples whom they had refused to run out of Canaan. Each time, after repenting and desperately begging for His deliverance, a loving, merciful God raised up a courageous judge to guide and deliver His people. For a time, there would be prosperity and peace as His people were led back to God. Then complacency and sin would gradually creep back in, and the cycle would begin again. Fourteen judges provided heroic leadership to a fractious, divided people. In Saul’s day, 300 years after the Israelites had received their allocated inheritances of land, the pagan peoples of Canaan kept the Israelite tribes in subjection through constant raids to carry off their families and property. The Israelites could do little to defend themselves. One of the major tribes, the Philistines, had a monopoly on the iron trade that restricted the Israelites from owning weapons! In fact, if an Israelite simply wanted to sharpen his farming tools, he had to pay a Philistine blacksmith. Pockets of Canaanites were scattered throughout the Promised Land. Each fortified, walled city and the surrounding countryside was ruled by its own king. Each king constantly defended his territory, or tried to add to it by attacking the surrounding tribes and cities. The loosely organized tribes of Israel felt that a king, in place of their judges, would provide unity, structure, and military protection. However, “what they needed was a uniform faith, not a uniform rule.” (Life Application Study Bible) ! Since God had told Moses (Deuteronomy 17:14-20), that a future king was likely, why did God later tell Samuel that His people were rejecting Him in their desire for a king? The Israelites were not satisfied with God as their leader – they did not want a king who was subordinate to God. God’s plan was to set Israel apart from other nations – to hold His people up as a unique, guiding light. Israel’s motive in asking for a king was to be like the nations around them. Their motive in asking – not their desire – for a king was displeasing to God. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 5 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: The Law... ...Kings of Israel…Saul THEATER ! WORKSHOP Bible Background: I Samuel 18-24; 26 Saul’s jealousy and downfall Focus/! Through participation in an interactive reenactment, students will demonstrate concrete application of the lesson concepts. Memory Verses/! Learning Aids " Life Application Study Bible " Student Bibles " “Dragnet for David” reenactment script " “The Fugitive” reenactment script " Biblical-era costumes " Various props (SEE scripts) Mark 12:29-31, “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: I Samuel 15:22b, “To obey is better than ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There sacrifice…” is no commandment greater than I John 5:3a, “This is love for God: to obey these.” His commands.” ! ! ! ! Objective/! ! ! The student will participate in an interactive reenactment to show concrete application of the principles of the curriculum. ! The student will be able to describe with understanding the concept that God’s Plan set Israel apart from all other nations – holding His people up as a unique, guiding light. !!!!!!!!!!! 6 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul T TH HE EA AT TE ER RW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P LESSON PLANS ________________________________________________________________________________________ 1. WARM-UP… with Journeymen in song, sharing time, prayer requests, and DAILY BIBLE READERS (10-15 minutes). 2. FOCUS … (NOTE: this Rotation’s reenactment is separated into two segments; while the two parts of the script will be performed together, each segment should be introduced and explained separately.) As an introduction to Part 1 of the reenactment of Saul’s jealousy and downfall, have students READ I Samuel 18:1-9. Reinforce the concept that Saul’s insecurity and arrogance aroused his crippling, consuming jealousy and hatred of David. (SEE FOCUS in Curriculum Guide.) 3. REENACTMENT SCRIPT ... “DRAGNET FOR DAVID” ! PASS OUT scripts to students; to demonstrate proper voice inflection, emotion, and movements, the teacher(s) may read through the script for the students as they follow along. ! As a “practice” have all students READ through the script once, and WALK through directions. ! ASSIGN parts. 4. FOCUS… to introduce Reenactment Part 2 of Saul’s jealousy towards David, have students READ I Samuel 22:6-8. Reinforce the concept that Saul’s jealousy caused him to make foolish, childish decisions. 5. REENACTMENT SCRIPT ... “THE FUGITIVE” You Will Need… DAILY BIBLE READER BOOKMARK Sample found on p. 49 STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student. REENACTMENT SCRIPTS - “ Dragnet for David” and “The Fugitive”, The Big Book of Bible Skits, Gospel Light, ISBN 0-8307-1916-4 - Biblical-era costumes - Various props (SEE script) ! PASS OUT scripts to students; to demonstrate proper voice inflection, emotion, and movements, the teacher(s) may read through the script for the students as they follow along. ! As a “practice” have all students READ through the script once, and WALK through directions. ! ASSIGN parts. ! PRACTICE both of the scripts, preparing to perform for guests. 6. PRAYER…APPLYING the lesson concepts to the students’ lives makes learning relevant and lasting. PRAY, asking God to help us rely and trust in Him to always take care of us. #ENRICHMENT# Perform the reenactment for an!audience!of parents, friends, and other students. ! ! !!7 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law… ...Kings of Israel…Saul! STORYTELLING! WORKSHOP Bible Background: Samuel 8-31 Entire Story Application Learning Aids ! Focus/! " " $ $ $ Telling the entire story of the first king of Israel, Saul. Memory Verses/! Mark 12:29-31, “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O $ Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. $ $ $ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Life Application Study Bible Student Bibles Book with a wrong cover Telephone Vocabulary cards: patriarch, commandment, prophet, anoint, reign Betty Luken’s “Saul” flannel graph set Application magnets Henry and Sam book Variety of books (torn, soiled, jokes, dictionary, Bible) ! ! your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” I Samuel 15:22b, “To obey is better than sacrifice…” I John 5:3a, “This is love for God: to obey His commands.” ! ! Objectives/! ! ! The student will be able to describe with understanding the concept that God’s Plan set Israel apart from all other nations – holding His people up as a unique, guiding light. ! The student will be able to recall selected memory verses and explain each one’s meaning and application to his life. ! The student will be able to demonstrate his understanding that if we love God, we will obey Him. If we obey God, we show our love for Him. 8 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul ! ! S ST TO OR RY YT TE ELLLLIIN NG GW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P LESSON PLANS 1. WARM-UP… with Journeymen in song, vocabulary games, sharing time, prayer requests and DAILY BIBLE READERS. (10-15 minutes) 2. PRAY to begin class time. 3. INTRODUCTION (5 minutes)… ! ASK: Have you ever heard the saying, “You can’t always tell a book by its cover?” What do you think this means? ! SHOW book with wrong cover. EXPLAIN: By looking at the cover of this book, we expect it to be about ________. But look (REMOVE cover), it’s really about __________. ! SAY: Today we are going to talk about a man who had the appearance of a mighty leader, but inside, in his heart, he was not a good leader at all. We are talking about the first king of the united kingdom of Israel: King Saul. 4. REVIEW…HOW DOES GOD TALK TO US? (15 minutes)… ! SHOW telephone. EXPLAIN: It is very obvious that this is a telephone. If you were going to explain the purpose of a telephone to a small child, what would you say? (Allow students to RESPOND.) Of course, we know that a telephone is for communicating with, or talking to, people. ASK: Do we use a telephone to talk to God? Of course not! How do we talk to God? (prayer) How does God talk to us? (Bible) ! SHOW vocabulary card: patriarchs. ASK: How did God speak to Adam, Noah and Abraham? He spoke directly to the patriarchs, or fathers. ! SHOW vocabulary card: commandment. ASK: How did God speak to His people in the time of Moses? He spoke to them through His laws, or commandments. ! SHOW vocabulary card: prophet. ASK: What is a prophet? Prophets were specially chosen and trained to teach and talk to the people for God. God spoke to His people through His prophets during the time of the judges and kings. Samuel was the main prophet who was chosen to talk to Saul when he became king. Samuel also gave King David messages from God. Samuel was very special. He loved God and listened to what God told him. Do you remember where Samuel grew up? He grew up in the tabernacle serving the priest Eli and learning about God. Because Samuel loved God and listened to what He said, the people listened to Samuel’s messages from God. The Bible tells us that people thought Samuel was a wise judge and leader. READ I Samuel 3:19, “As You Will Need… DAILY BIBLE READER BOOKMARK Sample found on p. 49 STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student. INTRODUCTION - Book with wrong cover REVIEW - Telephone - Vocabulary cards Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said was wise and helpful.” 9 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul ! ! S ST TO OR RY YT TE ELLLLIIN NG GW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P LESSON PLANS continued… ! SHOW vocabulary card: anoint. SAY: Although God did not want Israel to have a king, He allowed Samuel to anoint Saul as king (poured oil on his head). ASK: Why do you think God was reluctant to give Israel a king? (Allow student responses.) GUIDE students to the understanding that the Israelites wanted to be like all of the other kingdoms around them. All of the other kingdoms had kings to rule them, so the Israelites wanted a king too. God wanted His people to follow Him instead of a man. ! SHOW vocabulary card: reign. SAY: Samuel also tried to give Saul advice, instructions, and guidance during Saul’s reign (time of rule). 5. LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF SAUL (20-30 minutes)… ! SAY: God wants us to learn from the stories that He’s put in the Bible. There are many lessons from the life of Saul that can help us be better people and better Christians. Do you remember the book that I showed you that was different on the inside than what was said on its cover? Well, Saul was tall, handsome, and looked like a leader. ! READ I Samuel 9:2, “He had a son named Saul, an impressive young man without equal among the Israelites – a head taller than any of the You Will Need… STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student. REVIEW - Vocabulary cards LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF SAUL - Betty Luken’s “Saul” flannel graph set others..!!SAY: Saul was a brave warrior and a good soldier. He was chosen to be king when he was only 30 years old. On the outside, he seemed perfect for the job. Saul ruled Israel for 42 years. Although he had some very good characteristics, he made some big mistakes that caused him and Israel a lot of problems. ! ASK: Why does God want us to obey Him? (Allow student responses.) GUIDE students to the understanding that if we love God, we will obey Him. If we obey God, we show our love for Him. Saul’s biggest mistake was in failing to obey God. It is very hard to understand how Saul could have failed to obey God. Why? Because Saul was a mighty soldier who had fought in many battles, and good soldiers are trained to obey! ! Using the Betty Lukens’ flannel graph set on Saul, TELL the story of Saul’s failure to obey God’s command to totally destroy the Amelekites. (I Samuel 15) ! APPLY: What can we learn from the life of Saul? % We learn that God wants total obedience from us. God sent Samuel to give the message to Saul that he was to totally destroy the Amelekites. What did God mean by totally? He meant everything: camels, sheep, donkeys, and people. But Saul disobeyed God in a big way by saving the best animals and the king. What did Samuel remind Saul of after he tried to make excuses to God? READ I Samuel 15:22, “But Samuel replied, ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams01!. © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ 10 God’s Plan: the Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul ! ! S ST TO OR RY YT TE ELLLLIIN NG GW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P LESSON PLANS continued… % We learn that although God tells us to share our blessings with others, He’s not happy if we give a million dollars to church but don’t obey Him. Because Saul disobeyed Him, God told Samuel to tell Saul that he was no longer the king. % We learn that God wants us to stand firm in obedience. What does “stand firm” mean? It means that we are unmovable in our love for, and obedience to, God. “Standing firm” means that we must not only look like Christians or say we are Christians, but we must have the hearts and actions of Christians. We must be Christians on the inside as well as on the outside. It is not always easy to stand firm, is it? Sometimes our friends or other people try to get us to disobey. DISCUSS ways that help us to stand firm. ! RECITE and DISCUSS memory verses: Mark 12:29-31, “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, You Will Need… STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student. LESSONS… - Application Magnets, pg. 14 the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” I Samuel 15:22b, “To obey is better than sacrifice…” I John 5:3a, “This is love for God: to obey His commands.” ! Send home Application Magnets; FOCUS on the BIG PICTURE: % The crown is a reminder that God wants us to ACT like Christians – not just LOOK like Christians! (Remember: King Saul just looked like a king – he didn’t act like one!) % The ram is to remind us that to obey God shows our love for Him. 11 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul ! ! S ST TO OR RY YT TE ELLLLIIN NG GW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P ENRICHMENT 1. READING YOUR LIFE (20-30 minutes; ADAPT for Primaries)… ! ASK: Did you know that people “read” our lives? They can tell what kind of people we are by our actions. % Someone who paints a picture is an _________. (artist) % Someone who builds a house is a ________. (carpenter/builder) % A person in uniform with a gun and badge is a ___ (policeman) This is the same way people watch our lives. If we say we are Christians, that means we are trying to be Christ-like. When others look at us, they should see Christ. You are the only Bible many people will ever “read”. Let’s look at these books and see if you are like any of them: ! SHOW TORN BOOK: This book reminds us of people who are careless and sloppy. They don’t bother to say thank you or please. They are rude. They don’t obey their parents or teachers. Is this attitude Christ-like? ! SHOW SOILED BOOK: This book is stained and spotted with dirt and food, just like a person who is not clean. Do we mean dirty hands and face? No, dirty on the inside. This person may use bad language or tell and laugh at dirty jokes. The Bible tells us to keep our minds clean and pure. If someone is “reading” this person’s life, they will not see what a Christian should be like. READ Philippians 4:8. ! SHOW JOKE BOOK: People should be able to “read” the happiness of our Christian lives. Laughter and joking are fun! We certainly want to laugh and share happy times with each other. Don’t we all like boys and girls who are friendly, willing to help at home and school, polite, happy, and a good example? Christians should be loving and kind every day. People should look at us and “read” the joy that is in our lives as Christians. But there are times when we must be serious about God. Our purpose in life is to glorify God and to show this part of our lives to others. We should never make fun of God or use His name in a disrespectful way. ! SHOW BOOK WITH WRONG COVER: What is this title? But look inside – the inside of the book doesn’t agree with the cover. Some boys and girls claim to be living for Christ. They attend church, Bible class, sing, pray and even listen. Then, they go home or to school and forget about Jesus. Maybe they lie to their parents, cheat on their schoolwork, are bad sports, or say ugly things about their friends. Just like the book with a wrong cover, we can fool people for a while but God knows what we’re like inside, doesn’t He? ! SHOW DICTIONARY: If we need to know the meaning of something or how to spell a word, we can go to the dictionary. It is dependable, because it will always give us the right answer. I am glad that many young Christians show this quality in their lives. Their lives are “read” as trustworthy, dependable and truthful. You Will Need… STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student. READING YOUR LIFE - Torn book - Soiled book - Joke book - Book with wrong cover - Dictionary 12 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul ! ! S ST TO OR RY YT TE ELLLLIIN NG GW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P ENRICHMENT ! SHOW BIBLE: The most important book that has ever been written, which tells us how to be like Jesus, is the Bible. If we read the Bible, will we be perfect? No, we’ll still make many mistakes, but God will always forgive us if we ask Him. People can see that we are trying to live a good life. Let’s be the right kind of “book” so that the world can “read” us and know Christ through us! 2. REINFORCEMENT (10-20 minutes)…READ The Secret of Henry and Sam to reinforce lesson concepts. You Will Need… STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student. READING YOUR LIFE - Bible REINFORCEMENT - The Secret of Henry and Sam, Standard Publishing ISBN: 0872391795 13 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul ! ! A AP PP PLLIIC CA AT TIIO ON NM MA AG GN NE ET T 1 Corinthians 16:13, “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong”. 1 Samuel 15:22, “But Samuel replied: ‘Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. The CROWN is to remind you that God wants you to ACT like a Christian – not just look like one! (Remember King Saul – he only LOOKED like a king.) The RAM is to remind you that to OBEY God is better than to give gifts. 14 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul G A M E S ! !!!!!!!! WORKSHOP Bible Background: I Samuel 8-11 Saul becomes king of Israel I Samuel 13:1-15; 15 Saul is disobedient Focus/! Play various games for review and reinforcement of the life of Saul. Learning Aids " " " " " " Life Application Study Bible Student Bibles “Frozen Statues” game “Listen and Obey” game “Clue” “Straw Verse Relay” game Memory Verses/! Mark 12:29-31, “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: I Samuel 15:22b, “To obey is better ‘Love your neighbor as than sacrifice…” yourself.’ There is no commandment I John 5:3a, “This is love for God: to greater than these.” obey His commands.” ! Objectives/! ! The student will be able to recall key facts about, and events of, Saul’s life. ! The student will be able to recall selected memory verses and explain each one’s meaning and application to his life. ! The student will be able to describe with understanding the concept that God’s Plan set Israel apart from all other nations – holding His people up as a unique, guiding light. ! The student will be able to demonstrate his understanding that if we love God, we will obey Him. If we obey God, we show our love for Him. 15 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ !God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul G GA AM ME ES SW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P LESSON PLANS 1. WARM-UP… with Journeymen in song, active games on memory verses, books of the Bible, sharing time, prayer requests and DAILY BIBLE READERS. (10-15 minutes) 2. PRAY to begin class time. 3. FOCUS… of the Games Workshop is review and reinforcement of the life of Saul and other key Old Testament characters and events through interactive participation in games. 4. FORMAT of Games Workshop… ! Primary (Grades 1, 2)…due to shorter attention spans, younger students enjoy and participate more effectively in a variety of short games. Two or three short games can be formatted either in a “centers” approach, where students rotate in small groups to different games supervised by the teachers and journeymen, or the entire group can participate in a variety of teacher-led games. ! Middlers (Grades 3-5) do not need as wide a variety of games as do the younger students. Generally, a “warm-up” game and then a longer game that covers the current objectives of the curriculum are suggested. 5. “Frozen Statues” (20-30 minutes; directions included; ADAPT as necessary for Primaries)…PLAY the game “Frozen Statues” to explore how Samuel anointed Saul as king. 6. “Listen and Obey” (15-20 minutes; directions included)…PLAY the game “Listen and Obey” to reinforce the story of Saul’s disobedience to God’s commands. 7. ENRICHMENT/REINFORCEMENT Games… ! Clue … ! Straw Verse Relay… ! ! ! You Will Need… ! ! ! DAILY BIBLE ! READER ! BOOKMARK Sample found on p. 49! ! FROZEN STATUES ! - Directions on pg. 17 ! ! LISTEN AND OBEY ! - Directions on pg. 18 ! ! GAMES - “Clue” on pg. 19-20 ! - “Straw Verse Relay” ! ! on pg. 21 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! "! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 16 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul “FROZEN STATUES” GAME (Adapted from Act it Out, Randy L. Ritz, Standard Publishing Company, 1999) MATERIALS: $ Basket/bucket $ “Saul” A Beka Flash-a-Cards Learning Pictures (optional) $ Characters/Situations note cards: 1. elder(s) of Israel/begging for a king (I Samuel 8:19-22) 2. Saul/a leader taller than all others (I Samuel 9:1, 2) 3. donkey(s)/Saul’s father donkeys are lost (I Samuel 9:3) 4. Samuel/anointing Saul (I Samuel 10:1) 5. Saul/hiding in the luggage (I Samuel 10:20-22) 6. Israelite(s)/cheering for Saul as the new king (I Samuel 10:23, 24) 7. Troublemaker(s)/selfishly not giving Saul gifts (I Samuel 10:26,27)! 8. Israelite(s)/offering sacrifices honoring Saul as king (I Samuel 11:15) 9. Other Characters/Situations as desired… PREPARATION: 1. WRITE Character/situations onto 3 x 5 note cards and PLACE into a bag or basket. INSTRUCTIONS: ! 1. READ/SUMMARIZE highlights of the story segment (Saul becomes king of Israel; I Samuel 8-11); use Flash-a-Cards if desired. 2. Divide children into pairs; one child is the “sculptor” and one is the “frozen statue”. (ADAPTATION for Primaries: teacher can be the “sculptor” and students are “statues”.) 3. As practice, DEMONSTRATE how the “sculptor” picks a character from the basket, then “molds” the “frozen statue” into the given situation. 4. Have each pair of students SELECT a character/situation from basket. 5. Give each group 1-2 minutes to think about how they can demonstrate their chosen character/situation. 6. The clay should be silent while being sculpted. The sculptor will POSE the “statue” in an appropriate pose. For example: If the character/situation is Saul’s anointment, the “sculptor” will pose the “statue” kneeling, while oil is mimed being poured over his head. The clay may move to show an action, but then must freeze at the end and wait for the audience to GUESS who and what part of the story is being dramatized. 7. Have each group take turns dramatizing all the characters and situations. 8. Pause to briefly DISCUSS each situation/scripture after its dramatization. 9. When all the situations have been dramatized, have the children SEQUENCE the character/situation cards in order. ! ! 17 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul “LISTEN AND OBEY” GAME MATERIALS: $ $ $ $ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! White Board and markers Copy paper (1-2 pieces per student) Pencils Various patterns INSTRUCTIONS: 1. READ or SUMMARIZE I Samuel 15, which tells the story of Saul’s disobedience to God’s command to completely destroy the Amalekites. 2. EXPLAIN that although Saul didn’t understand God’s reason for commanding him to completely destroy this nation, he should have listened to and obeyed God anyway! We may not always understand God’s advice, but we obey because God always knows what is best for us! FOCUS on the understanding that ifCARD we love God, we will obey EXAMPLE OF A “CLUE” Him; if we obey God, we show our love for Him. 3. DIRECT 2-3 volunteers to come to the white board. INSTRUCT the volunteers to listen closely to, and obey, the instructions given to try and DRAW the pattern that the teacher will describe. 4. DISTRIBUTE copies of one of the provided patterns to remaining students, being careful to not let students at the white board see the pattern. 5. DESCRIBE the pattern for students to draw; SHOW students at the white board the pattern after they are finished. DISCUSS how hard it is to give good directions, and to follow directions when we can’t understand what we’re drawing (or doing!) FOCUS on the idea that God always gives us good instructions. His guidance can always be trusted! 6. REPEAT play by giving all students a sheet of copy paper and instructions to a different diagram. Option: allow students to develop their own patterns to describe to the volunteers at the white board. EXAMPLE PATTERN: ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ... !"#: 18 God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul “CLUE” GAME MATERIALS: $ 3 x 5 note cards; put clues to a character/event on each card $ White board and markers ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Divide students into teams of 3-5. (Primaries may play individually.) 2. Give each student a “Clue” card, which describes a character, object or event. Students should ONLY look at their individual “Clue” card. (ADAPT for Primaries: teachers may give the clues.) 3. Taking turns, each student will SAY the first of 1-3 clues on their card to the next team, in sequence. 4. If that team (who may discuss the answers together), gets the correct CARD answer of theEXAMPLE “Clue” cardOF on A its“CLUE” FIRST clue, that team receives 5 points. If they must hear the SECOND clue, they receive 3 points with a correct answer. If the team needs to hear the THIRD clue, they will receive only 1 point with a correct answer. (FIRST clue needs to be the hardest clue!) 5. If, after hearing all three clues, no correct answer is given, the next team may BID to hear ALL THREE clues. If a correct answer is given, that team receives 1 point. 6. BONUS “Clue” cards are cards with ONLY one clue, and are worth 10 points for a correct answer. 7. Points are deducted for incorrect answers on a team that BIDS for a card after the previous team has missed all three clues (-1 point), or one clue, in the case of a BONUS “Clue” card (-10). *OPTION for Primaries: Do not keep score, just play for fun! EXAMPLE OF A “CLUE” CARD MOSES Clues: 1. God gave him the 10 Commandments. 2. Led the Israelites out of Egypt. 3. Adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, who found him in the Nile. ! ! 19 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul “CLUE” GAME continued… CLUE CHARACTERS/EVENTS 1. Adam 2. Eve 3. Creation 4. Noah 5. Flood 6. Babel 7. Abraham 8. Sarah 9. Isaac 10. Jacob 11. Esau 12. Joseph 13. Moses 14. Plagues 15. 10 Commandments 16. Wilderness wandering 17. Rahab 18. Joshua 19. Gideon 20. Samson 21. Samuel 22. Saul ! ! 20 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul “STRAW VERSE RELAY” GAME (Grades 3-5; adapted from The Big Book of Bible Games, Gospel Light, 1996.) MATERIALS: $ Note cards (one card per word of verse) $ Markers $ Straws (one per student) $ Baskets – 2 PREPARATION: 1. PLACE 2 baskets on the floor at one end of the classroom. 2. COPY memory verses onto note cards (one word of verse on each card). 3. MAKE two sets of verse cards. INSTRUCTIONS: ! 1. DIVIDE students into two teams. 2. SHUFFLE each set of memory verse cards so that they are mixed up. Place one set of cards in each of the baskets. 3. LINE UP the children opposite the baskets; give each student a straw. 4. First players on each team must quickly WALK to the basket and using a straw alone, PICK UP a piece of the verse by SUCKING on the straw. Bring the verse piece back to the team; the next player in line may go. REPEAT until all the pieces are retrieved. First team to put the verse in order is the winner. 5. Repeat game with another memory verse. ! ! 21 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul ART/CREATIVITY/SCIENCE! WORKSHOP Bible Background: I Samuel 13:1-15; 15 Saul is disobedient Focus/!! Interactive participation, creation of products to reinforce lesson concepts. Memory Verses/! Mark 12:29-31, “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” I Samuel 15:22b, “To obey is better than sacrifice…” I John 5:3a, “This is love for God: to obey His commands.” Learning Aids " " $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Life Application Study Bible Student Bibles “Saul” A Beka Flash-A-Card Teaching Pictures Fabric pieces Chariot wheel Plastic sword and shield Crown Headliner fabric (red, blue, gray) 10” red poster board squares for backing 6” AND 9” paper plates 3” circle die-cuts (red) Mini-heart die-cuts (gray) White golf practice balls Velcro strips, !” wide x 5” long Black markers Pre-printed labels Several hole punchers 14” yarn pieces Staplers and staples Double-stick tape and scissors Waxed paper Sweetened sugar cookies Cookies without sugar Frosting Sprinkles (optional) Plastic knives and napkins # CHECK IT O UT!# More great ideas about Saul can be found at: www.rotation.org Objective/! ! Student will be able to demonstrate his understanding that if we love God, we will obey Him. If we obey God, we show our love for Him. ! Student will create, design, implement, and participate in various projects/products to show concrete application of the principles of the curriculum. ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ 22 God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul A AR RT T//C CR RE EA AT TIIVVIIT TY Y//S SC CIIE EN NC CE EW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P LESSON PLANS 1. WARM-UP… with Journeymen in song, memory verses, sharing time, prayer requests, and DAILY BIBLE READERS (10-15 minutes) 2. FOCUS…The story of Saul is about trust and obedience to God. At first, Saul was a shy and reluctant leader. He was physically powerful and a good military leader, but he relied on his own strength rather than God’s power. He was at times afraid, arrogant, and impatient, and he made poor choices. Saul did not give his whole heart to trusting and following God. God wants us to learn from Saul’s strengths and weaknesses, obeying Him with all of our hearts. 3. PRAY, thanking God for His patience with us, asking Him to forgive us when we sin and for help to trust Him more. 4. “TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE” ! PLACE fabric piece, chariot wheel, shield, sword, King’s crown, “Saul” A Beka Flash-A-Cards on a nearby table to use while telling the story. ! SHOW Flash-A-Card of Saul’s anointing by Samuel; EXPLAIN: God chose Saul to be the first king of His people. Saul was tall and handsome, “without equal among the Israelites.” He was anointed by Samuel, and God’s spirit came on him with power. The Philistine people lived in the area where God’s people lived and caused them a great deal of trouble. The Philistines were not afraid of King Saul – they had forts, chariots and iron weapons, and more soldiers than Saul. King Saul had an army of 3,000 soldiers, but no chariots or iron weapons. Saul’s son, Jonathan, attacked one of the Philistine garrisons, which made them angry. They gathered their chariots and soldiers, ready to fight Saul’s army. ! SHOW Flash-A-Card of Saul sending out messengers throughout the land; EXPLAIN: Saul sent out a message to the Israelites, “The Philistines are marching against us. Let every man come to Saul!” The people answered his call, but they were afraid! Samuel heard about this and sent word to Saul that he would come in seven days to offer sacrifices to God and pray. God would show Samuel what they should do. Saul and his men waited for Samuel to arrive. While they waited, the Philistine army got bigger and bigger. Saul’s army was so afraid that they hid in caves and holes and between rocks. Some even sneaked away. Saul thought he had to do something to give them courage. He thought if he didn’t do something quickly, he would have no army left! You Will Need… DAILY BIBLE READER BOOKMARK Sample found on p. 49 STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student. TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE - Fabric piece - Chariot wheel - Shield - Sword - King’s crown - “Saul” A Beka Flash-A-Cards 23 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul A AR RT T//C CR RE EA AT TIIVVIIT TY Y//S SC CIIE EN NC CE EW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P LESSON PLANS continued… ! SHOW Flash-A-Card of Saul’s sacrifice; EXPLAIN: Saul became impatient, not wanting to wait for Samuel to arrive. Because of this, he made a very poor choice. Saul offered sacrifices even though he knew God had commanded only the priests and Levites to do this. The sacrifice was still burning when Samuel arrived. Samuel asked, “Why have you done this?” Saul made many excuses. He blamed his army, and he blamed Samuel. Samuel said, “You have been very foolish. You have disobeyed God, and your family will not continue to rule.” Samuel did not tell Saul what to do about the Philistines; he just sadly walked away. Saul counted his soldiers; he had only 600, so he and his soldiers went back home. Even though Saul had been impatient and disobedient, God was still patient with him, giving Saul opportunities to trust and obey Him. Over time, Saul made war against other nations that troubled his people. He had many victories and his army grew larger and stronger. Saul was doing so well that he seemed to forget that his success came from God. He felt proud of his many victories. He began to decide what was right to do instead of obeying God’s commands. Saul was preparing to do battle with the Amalekites. Samuel told Saul, “God You Will Need… STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student. TO OBEY IS BETTER THAN SACRIFICE - “Saul” A Beka Flash-A-Cards will help you win your battle. But you must destroy everything. Don’t ! take anything you find there..!!Saul won the battle, but he took King Agag as a prisoner, and his men decided to keep the best of the cattle. SHOW Flash-A-Card of Samuel confronting Saul; EXPLAIN: While Saul and his men marched back to their homes, God spoke to Samuel. “I am sorry I ever made Saul king. He does not obey my commandments.” Samuel was disappointed in Saul, too. He cried all night, and prayed for the king. The next morning Samuel went to see Saul. Saul said, “May the Lord bless you. I have done as God commanded.” (Did he?) Samuel looked straight into the king’s eyes and asked, “What about the bleating of sheep and lowing of oxen that I hear?” !Saul said, “We brought these back to sacrifice to the Lord.” !Samuel told Saul how God had spoken to him during the night. Saul tried to make excuses, and he blamed his soldiers. Samuel reminded the king, “It is better to obey God than to offer Him sacrifices! (give Him gifts). Because you no longer obey God, you will not be king.” ! TEAR fabric; EXPLAIN: Saul said he was sorry, and begged Samuel to go with him to worship God. As Samuel turned away from the king, Saul grabbed his cloak and it tore. Samuel said, “Just as you have torn my cloak, God has torn your kingdom away from you and given it to a better man.” ! Samuel left and never saw King Saul again. Samuel was very sad. He knew God would not lead Israel while Saul was king. Another man was chosen by God to become the second king to God’s people. Saul later died in battle. 24 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul A AR RT T//C CR RE EA AT TIIVVIIT TY Y//S SC CIIE EN NC CE EW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P LESSON PLANS continued… 5. THE BIG PICTURE: If we love God, we will obey Him. If we obey God, we show our love for H im. ! EXPLAIN: God chose Saul to be the first king of the Israelites. Saul had good qualities and bad qualities. But Saul’s bad qualities kept him from being the good leader God wanted for His people. He was impatient, proud, self-serving (he did what HE wanted), disobedient to God, and made poor choices. God wanted Saul to remember that he needed God’s help to be a good king. God told His people to fully commit their hearts to obeying Him. The Bible tells us that Saul did not commit his whole heart to God. If we love God, we will obey Him. If we obey God, we show our love for Him. ! KEEP CLOSE TO GOD…Have the children FORM a circle in the center of the room. EXPLAIN: We can keep close to God by practicing obedience to Him. INSTRUCT students: % If you’ve ever said an unkind word, take a step backward. % If you’ve ever acted unkindly, take a step backward. % If you’ve ever forgotten to pray, take a step backward. % If you’ve ever thought a mean thought, take a step backward. EXPLAIN: A little at a time, we can become far away from God. But when we practice obedience to God, through our actions, you can keep close to God. INSTRUCT students: % If you come to worship and Bible class, take a step forward. % If you have prayed for someone, take a step forward. % If you have done something to help someone, take a step forward. % If you’ve ever said a kind word, take a step forward. You Will Need… STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student. OBEDIENCE TOSS GAME - Directions on pg. 2627 ENRICHMENT - Unsweetened cookies - Sweetened cookies - Frosting - Sprinkles (optional) 6. OBEDIENCE TOSS GAME Craft Project… 7. ENRICHMENT…THE SWEET TASTE OF OBEYING GOD… ! Before class, FROST an unsweetened cookie. Leave the sweetened cookie unfrosted. ! SHOW the two cookies to the class. SAY: “I have two cookies here. One is decorated and one is plain. They are making me hungry! I would like to give these cookies to two students.” CHOOSE two students to each select and taste one of the cookies. ! Wait for a reaction from both students. ASK each student to describe the taste of each cookie. ! EXPLAIN: Saul was like the unsweetened cookie, good-looking on the outside, but on the inside, his heart did not have the sweet taste of obeying God. Each person must make the choice to obey God. We all have to make choices every day. Sometimes it’s hard to make the right choice, isn’t it? God will help you if you ask Him. Think of something you haven’t been doing at home, but that you know you should be doing. Do it this week, even if it doesn’t seem like much fun at the time. (Examples: being nice to a sibling, cleaning your room, doing your homework without being asked, not complaining, or studying your Bible.) ! Each student may FROST and EAT a cookie! FOCUS: Think about Saul and his heart: choosing to obey God is SWEET! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ 25 God’s Plan: The Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul! “OBEDIENCE TOSS”! GAME MATERIALS: $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Headliner fabric (red, blue, gray) 6” paper plate 3” circle die-cut (red) White golf practice ball Black marker Hole punch Stapler and staples Scissors $ 10” red poster board square for backing $ 9” paper plate $ Mini-heart die-cut (gray) $ Velcro strips, !” wide x 5” long (rough side) $ Pre-printed labels $ 14” yarn piece $ Double-stick tape PREPARATION: 1. CUT a 9” square of blue fabric and a 6” square of gray fabric for each student. CUT a red 3” circle die-cut for each student. CUT a gray mini-heart die-cut for each student. PREPARE pre-printed labels for each student (SEE example). CUT a 14” yarn piece and two Velcro strips (1/4” wide x 5” long) for each student. 6. ASSEMBLE supplies for each student. ! ! ! 2. 3. 4. 5. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!26 God’s Plan: The Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul! “OBEDIENCE TOSS”! GAME continued… INSTRUCTIONS: ! ! 1. TRACE the paper plates (as templates) to make a 6” circle on gray fabric and a 9” circle on blue fabric. 2. CUT out, then STACK the circles. 3. TAPE the heart to the small red circle. 4. STAPLE the red circle (left and right) to the gray circle; STAPLE the gray circle to the blue circle (top and bottom); STAPLE the blue circle to the red poster board (all four sides). 5. PUNCH two hole punches in the top corners and TIE the yarn piece through each hole to make a hanger (keep the yarn taut). 6. WRITE LOVE, TRUST, OBEY, and GOD, on the circles (in the order shown) with black marker. 7. ATTACH a direction label to the back of the poster board. 8. PEEL the backing from two Velcro strips and WRAP them around a golf ball, making an X. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! LABEL EXAMPLE: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Practice hitting your target! Sometimes we “hit it” (obey God), And sometimes we “miss it” (don’t obey God). Remember to put your WHOLE HEART into it! God loves you and wants you to obey Him. To play, toss the ball, hitting all four circles in order. To play with a friend, each person can take 3 turns, Trying to hit the center target, then the red circle, and so on. ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!27 God’s Plan: the Law… ...Kings of Israel…Saul MUSIC &MEMORY WORKSHOP Bible Background: I Samuel 8-11 Saul becomes king of Israel Memory objectives Focus/! Using music, games and a variety of interactive activities to reinforce knowledge and understanding of various memory objectives and lesson concepts. Memory Verses/! Mark 12:29-31, “The most important one,” Learning Aids " " " " " " Life Application Study Bible Student Bibles Journey Land Music Lyrics and explanations of songs Rhythm sticks, rhythm eggs “Musical Verses” game answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” I Samuel 15:22b, “To obey is better than sacrifice…” I John 5:3a, “This is love for God: to obey His commands.” ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! Objectives/! ! The student will recall and locate the two divisions of the Bible (Old and New Testaments), books of the O.T. and know that Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible. ! The student will recall the 12 Tribes of Israel. ! The student will be able to recall the memory verses, and explain each one’s meaning and application to his life. ! The student will learn selected songs that focus on memory objectives. ! Student will be able to demonstrate his understanding that if we love God, we will obey Him. If we obey God, we show our love for Him. 28 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul M MU US SIIC C& &M ME EM MO OR RY YW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P! LESSON PLANS 1. WARM-UP… with Journeymen in song, memory verses, sharing time, prayer requests, and DAILY BIBLE READERS (10-15 minutes) 2. PRAYER… begin class with prayer, asking God to accept our songs of praise, adoration and thanksgiving. 3. GOD’S PLAN (5 minutes)… as a “frame” for our “lesson in song”, REFLECT with students on God’s Plan for us. ! READ I John 5:3a, “This is love for God: to obey His commands.”! ! ASK: Why does John, one of Jesus’ apostles, tell us obeying God shows that we love Him? (Allow student responses.) ! ! GUIDE students to the understanding that God created us – His children – because of His deep love for us. Because He loves us so much and knows what is best for us, He asks that we trust and love Him enough to obey Him. True obedience is giving our whole lives to the Lord. (SEE Curriculum Guide FOCUS for more explanation.) 4. LESSON in SONG (20-30 minutes)…Using the Journey Land Music ! ! and lyrics (included), students will review and reinforce various memory objectives and lesson concepts through singing the selected songs for this Rotation. (ADAPT as necessary for Primaries and Middlers.) ! FOCUS…God was the leader of his chosen nation Israel. He led them out of Egypt and provided for all their needs as they wandered in the wilderness. When Israel disobeyed God, He sent judges and prophets to remind the Israelites that they needed to love and obey Him. This was not enough for the Israelites. They wanted a!king because “everyone else had one”. They asked Samuel for an earthly king. Samuel tried to convince them that an earthly king would not have their best interests at heart. In fact, Samuel warned the Israelites that a king would make some of them slaves and would take some of their land, crops, and livestock and give them to his attendants. Although Samuel tried to convince them that they should look to God as their king, the Israelites rejected Samuel’s advice. God told Samuel that it wasn’t really Samuel they were rejecting, but!Him. It was not exactly wrong for Israel to want a King but God knew that it would make it easier for the Israelites to forget that God was their leader if they had an earthly leader. Their request for a leader showed their lack of trust in God as their king. They wanted someone to make laws, lead an army, and run the nation through human strength. They rejected the strength of God to lead them through the many battles that lay ahead of them in Canaan.!!Israel was called to be a holy nation, different and “set apart” from everyone else. READ Leviticus 20:260!!The Israelites’ motive You Will Need… DAILY BIBLE READER BOOKMARK Sample found on p. 49 STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student. JOURNEY LAND MUSIC Available for download at www.mrcc.org ! ! ! ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ 29 God’s Plan: the Law… …Kings of Israel…Saul M MU US SIIC C& &M ME EM MO OR RY YW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P! LESSON PLANS continued… in asking for a king was to be like - not “different or set apart” from - the nations around them. It was not so much their desire to have a king that was disobedient to God but their reason for wanting a king. Just like God wanted the Israelites to be different from those around them, He also tells us in the New Testament that we should be different from the world around us. READ Romans 12:2; DISCUSS. ! THE BIG PICTURE…When Saul was chosen to be the first king of Israel, he loved and obeyed God. Saul got into trouble when he forgot that God was the true leader in control of the Israel nation. When Saul quit depending on God’s guidance, he stopped listening to, obeying, and loving God. How does God know that we love Him? God knows we love Him when we obey His commands. God doesn’t just want us to love Him a little bit; He wants us to love Him with everything we’ve got – heart, mind, soul, and strength. If we love Him completely we will obey Him. SING “Hear, O Israel” (Mark 12:28-31). Divide class into two groups for echo parts. ! SING selected songs that reinforce knowledge of key scriptures, characters and stories of God’s Word. FOCUS on the concept that to love and obey God, we must know Him. And the way that we know Him is by studying about Him in His Holy Word, the Bible. % “Old Testament Books” (option: rhythm sticks, rhythm eggs) % “12 Tribes of Israel” % “Go Down, Moses!” % “Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho” 5. MUSICAL VERSES game (15 minutes)…PLAY “Musical Verses” game to review and reinforce current and past memory verses and Old Testament books. You Will Need… JOURNEY LAND MUSIC Available for download at www.mrcc.org LESSON IN SONG - “Hear, O Israel” lyrics on pg. 31 - “Old Testament Books” lyrics on pg. 32 - “12 Tribes of Israel” lyrics on pg. 33 - “Go Down Moses” lyrics on pg. 34 - “Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho” lyrics on pg. 35 - Rhythm sticks/ rhythm eggs (optional) MUSICAL VERSES GAME - Directions on pg. 36-37 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 30 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul “HEAR, O ISRAEL” SONG CENTER (Music arr. David Sexton) Hear, O Israel, The Lord thy God is one God. REFRAIN: And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all of thy heart, (And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all of thy heart.) And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all of thy soul, (And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all of thy soul.) And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all of thy strength, (And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all of thy strength.) And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all of thy mind, (And thou shalt love the Lord, thy God, with all of thy mind.) Hear, O Israel, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. REPEAT REFRAIN 31 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul “OLD TESTAMENT BOOKS” SONG CENTER ! ! (Music, Arr. by Carol Mannen Smith) Oh, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First and Second Samuel. First and Second Kings, First and Second Chronicles Ezra, Nehemiah. Esther, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai Zechariah and the last one, Malachi. 32 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul “12 TRIBES OF ISRAEL” SONG CENTER (Music and Arr. by Kathy Thompson; available for download at www.mrcc.org) Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Dan, Naphtali, The two half tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, And Benjamin. REPEAT ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 33 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul “GO DOWN, MOSES” SONG CENTER (Traditional; available for download at www.mrcc.org) When Israel was in Egypt’s land, Let my people go! Oppressed so hard they could not stand, Let my people go! CHORUS: Go down, Moses, ‘Way down in Egypt’s land. Tell old Pharaoh, Let my people go! “Thus saith the Lord,” bold Moses said, Let my people go! “If not, I’ll smite your firstborn dead,” Let my people go! CHORUS “No more shall they in bondage toil,” Let my people go! “Let them come out with Egypt’s spoil.” Let my people go! CHORUS “Your foes shall not before you stand,” Let my people go! “And you’ll possess fair Canaan’s land.” Let my people go! CHORUS ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 34 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel…Saul “JOSHUA FOUGHT THE BATTLE OF JERICHO” SONG CENTER (Traditional; available for download at www.mrcc.org) You may talk about your kings of Gideon, You may talk about your men of Saul, There’s none like good old Joshua At the battle of Jericho! Up to the walls of Jericho, He marched with spear in hand. “go blow those ram horns,” Joshua cried, ‘cause the battle is in my hand!” Then the lam ‘ram, sheep horns Began to blow, Trumpets began to sound, Joshua commanded the children to shout, And the walls came tumblin’ down! Chorus: Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, Jericho, Jericho, Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, And the walls came tumblin’ down! ! ! 35 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel...Saul MUSICAL VERSES GAME (Grades 1,2) MATERIALS: $ Journey Land Music $ CD player $ Several (5 or 6) colors of construction paper (1 piece per child) PREPARATION: 1. PLACE alternating colors of construction paper squares on the floor in a circle. 2. LOCATE memory verses in student Bibles. RECITE. INSTRUCTIONS: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1. Have the children stand in a circle (one person behind each square). 2. PLAY Journey Land music for several seconds. Stop music. 3. CALL out a color. The children who are standing by that color RECITE the verse together. 4. Repeat several times until everyone has had a chance to recite it. *IMPORTANT: The goal of “Musical Verses” game is positive, encouraging review and ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! reinforcement of memory verses! If necessary, “prompt” students’ recitation of the verses. ! ! 36 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … …Kings of Israel...Saul MUSICAL VERSES GAME (Grades 3-5) MATERIALS: $ $ $ $ $ $ $ Journey Land Music Bible 1 chair per child Tape Bright piece of construction paper Whiteboard and dry erase marker Index cards PREPARATION: 1. WRITE the memory verse on the white board. 2. ARRANGE chairs in a circle facing inward. 3. TAPE a bright piece of construction paper to one chair. INSTRUCTIONS: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 1. Students will WALK around the inside of the circle of chairs while the music PLAYS. 2. When the music stops the students find a chair to SIT in. The student sitting in the chair with the colored paper goes to the board and TAPES an index card over (or erases) one word of the memory verse (SEE below). 3. All of the students then RECITE the verse together. Continue to PLAY until each word of the verse has been covered (or erased) and students are able to SAY it all from memory. Option: Student who places card over a word of the memory recites verse individually. “Now f is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not .” Hebrews 11:1 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 37 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law… G GE EO OG GR RA AP PH HY Y//C CU UL LT TU UR RE E … Kings of Israel…Saul ! WORKSHOP ! Bible Background: I Samuel 11-15; 17; 28; 31 Learning Aids Saul the warrior ! Focus/! Using map activities, research, visuals and activities to explore the culture, religion, chronology, and geography of ancient Canaan. Memory Verses/! " " " " " " Mark 12:29-31, “The most important one,” " answered Jesus, “is this: " " " " " " " " ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” I Samuel 15:22b, “To obey is better than " " " Life Application Study Bible Student Bibles Maps – world, Ancient Middle East Time Line “Saul” A Beka Flash-A-Card teaching pictures Research on weapons and warfare in Saul’s day Betty Luken’s “Armor of God” flannel graph Slingshot “Armor of God” stickers Color sheet of David and Saul “Tell Me About Saul” review game Play sets of armor “David and Goliath” video TV/VCR “Do You Know About…Saul?” sticker game Crayons “Saul Jeopardy” game Various teaching visuals sacrifice…” I John 5:3a, “This is love for God: to obey His commands.” Objectives/! ! The student will be able to locate key sites on a map, identify the time period of the kings of Israel, be able to give examples of geographic and cultural features of the ancient civilization and lifestyle of ancient Canaan, and explain and locate the division of Canaan among the 12 Tribes. !!38 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ …Kings of Israel…Saul!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God’s Plan: the Law… G GE EO OG GR RA AP PH HY Y//C CU ULLT TU UR RE EW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P! LESSON PLANS 1.! WARM-UP… with Journeymen in song, sharing time, prayer requests and DAILY BIBLE READERS (10-15 minutes). 2. PRAY to begin class time. 3. WHERE IN THE WORLD WAS…CANAAN? (5 minutes)… our study today takes place in the “Promised Land”: Canaan. On the Ancient Middle East and World Maps, LOCATE Canaan. 4. CHRONOLOGY (10-15 minutes)… using the Time Line, review and and reinforce dates relevant to: ! Moses’ birth (ca. 1526 B.C.) ! Israelite bondage in Egypt (from around 1850-1446 B.C) ! Exodus out of Egypt (1446 B.C.) ! Entry into the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering the desert. Most historians agree that the Israelites entered Canaan ca.1406 B.C. ! Judges, many whose terms overlapped, ruled and guided the Israelites for around 300 years, from ca. 1375 B.C. to 1050 B.C. Important note: Judges ruled over individual tribes, not ALL of Israel, so some judges ruled different tribes during the same time period. ! Saul, the first king of Israel, was anointed by Samuel around 1050 B.C., around 300 years after Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land. 5. WEAPONS and WARFARE in SAUL’S DAY (30-40 minutes; ADAPT for Primaries)… 6. ENRICHMENT/REINFORCEMENT…reinforce knowledge of the life of Saul. ! Primaries (Grades 1, 2)…PLAY “Tell Me About Saul” game ! Middlers (Grades 3-5)…PLAY “Do You Know About…Saul?” game ! You Will Need… DAILY BIBLE READER BOOKMARK Sample found on p. 49 STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student WHERE IN THE WORLD WAS…? - Map of Ancient Middle East - World map CHRONOLOGY - Timeline: Big Picture Bible Timeline, Gospel Light Publishers. ISBN: 0-8307-1472-3 (Can be ordered from Amazon.com) WEAPONS AND WARFARE IN SAUL’S DAY - Research on pgs. 41-43 - “Saul” A Beka Flash-A-Cards - Betty Luken’s “Armor of God” flannel graph - Armor play sets - Time line - World map - Ancient Middle East map - Various visuals ENRICHMENT - “Tell Me About Saul” directions on pg. 44 - “Do You Know…” directions on pg. 45-46 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 39 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ …Kings of Israel…Saul!!!!!!!!!!!!!! God’s Plan: the Law… G GE EO OG GR RA AP PH HY Y//C CU ULLT TU UR RE EW WO OR RK KS SH HO OP P! ENRICHMENT 1.! ENRICHMENT/REINFORCEMENT…reinforce knowledge of the life of Saul as well as the culture, religion, chronology, and geography of the ancient Canaan of Saul’s day. ! Primaries (Grades 1, 2)… % WATCH selected portion of “David and Goliath” video pertinent to story segment % Sling shot…students may CONSTRUCT and PRACTICE “slinging” their own sling shots ! Middlers (Grades 3-5)… % PLAY “Saul Jeopardy” % Sling shot…students may CONSTRUCT and PRACTICE “slinging” their own sling shots % WATCH selected portion of “David and Goliath” video pertinent to story segment You Will Need… STUDENT BIBLES Any Bible version you have available will work. Try to provide one per student ENRICHMENT - “David and Goliath” video, Nest Videos - TV/VCR - Sling shot pattern and instructions: Lamps, Scrolls, & Goatskin Bottles, Standard Publishing ISBN 0-7847-1165-8 - “Saul Jeopardy” directions on pg. 47-48 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! 40 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ !God’s Plan: the Law … … Kings of Israel…Saul “WEAPONS AND WARFARE IN SAUL’S DAY” "War will continue until the end…. wrote the ancient Biblical prophet. Warfare – fighting over food supplies, territory, for power or glory – has existed since the beginning of mankind and will continue until the end of time. POINT OUT 1000 B.C. on Time Line: In Saul’s day, around 1000 B.C., the Israelites had been settled back in their promised land, Canaan, for around 300 years. LOCATE Canaan (present day Israel) on World map and Ancient Middle East map. Because the Israelites failed to follow through on God’s directive to completely rid Canaan of its idolatrous inhabitants, God’s people were continually tormented by them. The pagan peoples of Canaan kept the Israelite tribes in subjection through constant raids to carry off their families and property. The Israelites could do little to defend themselves. One of the major tribes, the Philistines, had a monopoly on the iron trade that restricted the Israelites from owning weapons! In fact, if an Israelite simply wanted to sharpen his farming tools, he had to pay a Philistine blacksmith. The Israelites asked God for a king to protect and unite them: they would have been protected and united by God if only they had obeyed Him in the first place and gotten rid of all of the Canaanites! Under siege… Pockets of Canaanites were scattered throughout the Promised Land. Each fortified, walled city and the surrounding countryside was ruled by its own king. Each king was constantly either defending his territory, or trying to add to it by attacking the surrounding tribes and cities. When an enemy army surrounds a city or castle and waits until the people inside surrender – after running out of food, water or weapons – they have put those people “under siege”. READ I Samuel 11:1-3, which tells us about this common ancient practice. Because Israel’s tribes were loosely organized, Nahash was betting that no one would come to the city’s aid. Since sieges could last for months, he was hoping to take the city without a battle. A strong, well-stocked city could withstand a siege if the besiegers ran out of food. Saul’s decisive attack on Nahash helped unify Israel and proved to the Israelites that he was a worthy military leader. The defenders of the city were high up on the thick, stonewalls, protected by barriers, looking down on their attackers. Archeologists excavating Jericho found that it had towers and walls 20 feet thick and 25 feet high in some places (SHOW Teaching Picture of Jericho), while the ancient city of Ninevah had walls 120 feet high and 30 feet thick! Ancient cities’ gates were thick wood, often covered in iron so that they would not catch fire or be battered down. Attackers who came close to the walls with ladders or grapnel hooks (a hook attached to a length of rope that could be climbed when thrown over a wall) were in danger of being picked off by sniper archers on the city walls. Defenders often poured boiling oil or water on their attackers, or threw rocks down on them. Since ancient cities had such high, thick walls, how could attackers capture a city? They could tunnel under the walls of the city, or use different “siege machines” to attack the walls. The ancient Babylonians and Assyrians developed several effective siege engines. The “siege tower” was a tall, multi-story structure on wheels that could be pushed close to the city walls. (SHOW Teaching Picture of siege tower) Attacking soldiers on the siege tower would then jump over onto the walls. It was covered with wet animal hides to deflect burning arrows. A battering 41 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ WEAPONS AND WARFARE IN SAUL’S DAY… Continued... ! ! ! ram or battering spear was one of the oldest siege weapons. Made from a heavy tree trunk hung on ropes or chains from a timber frame, it was swung and rammed against the city walls or gate to make a hole. (SHOW Teaching Picture of battering ram) Chariot and Infantry Warfare… Most armies in Saul’s day fought on foot – infantry. They might be armed with bows, slings, spears, or clubs – common weapons of his era. Once chariots were invented around 2500 B.C. by the Mesopotamians, however, warfare changed forever. Until horses were tamed, chariots were pulled by wild donkeys. Most chariots were twowheeled wooden platforms with open backs. (SHOW Teaching Picture of chariot) Chariots were very fragile. The long pole to which the horses were harnessed was easily damaged. Although two horses usually pulled chariots, sometimes three or four horses were used. Most chariots held two people: the driver and the archer or spearman. With the driver to handle the horses, the archer was free to concentrate on firing at the enemy. Sometimes sharp blades were fastened to the wheel axles so that when the chariots were driven through the enemy ranks, their soldiers were sliced up. Chariots were an elite striking force of highly trained horses and their crews. Lines of chariots would race into the ranks of the opposing infantry, most who wore no armor. With the chariots’ crews throwing spears or shooting arrows, there were heavy casualties among the tightly packed infantry. READ I Samuel 13:5, 7b, which describes Saul’s troops as “quaking with fear” when they learned that “The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore.” It’s no wonder that the Israelite army was petrified with fear: not only were they facing the terrifying chariot force of the Philistines, but only Saul and his son Jonathan had any iron weapons! Battle Strategy… Battles in ancient times were often short – it was exhausting to fight with a heavy sword or spear! Armies set up camp on opposite sides of a valley or ravine, and waited on each other to attack first. (SHOW Teaching Picture of Israelite and Philistine armies facing each other across ravine) Since it is better battle strategy to fire down upon attackers than to try to take the offensive, whoever would rush down the valley and up the steep cliffs toward the opposing army would be at a great disadvantage and suffer great casualties. Battles were generally fought during the day, so a night raid or an ambush took the enemy by surprise. READ I Samuel 17:2, 3, 16. An army often avoided the high cost of battle by pitting its strongest warrior against the strongest warrior of the enemy. The winner of the fight was considered the winner of the entire battle. Goliath was “representing” the Philistine army – although the Israelites had no one brave enough to fight him! After a battle, defeated warriors fled, trying to escape by throwing away their heavy weapons and equipment. 42 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ WEAPONS AND WARFARE IN SAUL’S DAY… Continued... ! ! ! Armor and Weapons…(“Armor Of God” Flannel graph Set) ! READ!I Samuel 17:4-7. Armor, as well as weapons, in Saul’s day were generally made of bronze, a combination of copper and tin. ! PLACE armor flannel piece on soldier’s chest. Soldiers wore armor to protect the head, neck and chest. Saul and Goliath wore scale armor. The Assyrians devised scale armor, made of very small, overlapping bronze metal plates sewn onto a heavily padded tunic. This type of armor gave warriors great mobility in battle. Goliath’s armor weighed 125 pounds! ! PLACE greaves (shin pads) flannel piece on soldier’s shins. ! PLACE helmet flannel piece on soldier’s head. Helmets were often just round bronze hats without a mask or face protector. ! PLACE shield flannel piece on soldier’s left arm. A shield, usually carried or strapped to the left arm, offered protection and left the right arm free to hold a weapon. Kings or important warriors used a shield bearer to carry their shields into battle for them. SHOW Teaching Picture of Goliath with his shield bearer. ! PLACE spear flannel piece on soldier’s right hand. The process of “casting” (heating and shaping) iron was newly discovered around 1000 B.C. Iron was much stronger and harder than bronze and was highly valued. The iron point of Goliath’s spear weighed 15 pounds! Other common weapons of Saul’s day included javelins, clubs, swords, battle-axes, slingshots and maces (a club with a spiked end). ! EXPLAIN: When Saul put all of his heavy armor on David to fight Goliath, it’s no wonder that David was overwhelmed! David’s confidence in fighting Goliath wasn’t from armor or weapons. He used his expertise in a simple slingshot and his confidence in his Lord to defeat the mightiest warrior of the Philistine army! ! SHOW sling. The sling was made of two long strips of leather or sinew attached to a pouch, which would hold stones. When one strip of the sling was released after spinning it in an underhanded motion, much like a fast-pitch softball throw, the slung stone would have great momentum. (DEMONSTRATE throw with a sling) An expert slinger could hurl his missile up to 1500 feet. The Bible tells us that when David’s stone – guided by God – hit Goliath, “the stone sank into his forehead”. SHOW Teaching Picture of David hurling sling at Goliath. The force of the stone knocked Goliath out and David was able to use Goliath’s own sword to kill and behead him. The Big Picture…APPLYING the lesson concepts to the students’ lives makes learning relevant and lasting. Saul was an awesome warrior. Saul’s courage and military prowess united the Israelite tribes into a nation, but his petty jealousy and disobedience to God proved to be his undoing. 43 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ God’s Plan: the Law … … Kings of Israel…Saul “TELL ME ABOUT SAUL” GAME MATERIALS: $ 2 armor play sets (or 2 sets of Betty Luken’s “Armor of God” flannel graph) $ Questions (use the included “Saul Jeopardy” questions) $ Treats (optional) ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Divide students into two “teams”. 2. One student from each team is designated as “Saul”. 3. ASK students in Team 1 a review question. (All team members may help provide the answer.) 4. If question is answered correctly, PLACE a piece of armor on “Saul”. (Or, place a flannel piece of armor on flannel graph “Saul”.) 5. Continue play. First team to completely dress “Saul” is the winner. 6. Optional: award treats for cooperation and participation to all teams! Option: Student who places card over a word of the memory recites verse individually. *IMPORTANT: The goal of “Tell Me About Saul” game is positive, encouraging review and reinforcement of knowledge of Saul, the first king of Israel! (If desired, play game again, reorganizing teams and designating new students to be “Saul”.) ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 44 God’s Plan: the Law … … Kings of Israel…Saul “DO YOU KNOW ABOUT…SAUL?” GAME MATERIALS: $ $ $ $ ! ! ! ! ! Game sheet (pg. 46) “Armor of God” sticker strips (1 strip per student) Crayons (1 box per student) Pencils (1 per student) PREPARATION:! $ $ $ $ PASS out a game sheet to each child. GIVE each child Armor of God stickers. GIVE each child a box of crayons. DIRECT students to listen carefully to the “clues” and follow the directions given. Not all answers will be used. ! ! ! ! CLUES: ! ! ! 1. PLACE shield sticker on the answer to: “What did the Israelites ask God for that would protect and unite them?” (Answer: KING) 2. PLACE helmet sticker on the answer to: “When an enemy army surrounds a city or castle and waits until the people surrender, it is called a _____________.” (Answer: SIEGE) 3. Using the red crayon, DRAW a circle around the answer to: “A huge tree trunk that is swung and rammed against high city walls or its gates to create a hole, is called a ____________.” (Answer: BATTERING RAM) 4. Using the green crayon, DRAW a star by the answer to: “Most ancient armies fought on foot”. (Answer: INFANTRY) 5. PLACE the appropriate sticker on the answer to: “The type of armor that protects the lower legs.” (Answer: GREAVES) 6. Using the blue crayon, DRAW a line under the answer to: “In the ancient Middle East, these were NOT ridden into battle.” (Answer: HORSES) 7. PLACE the armor sticker on the answer to: “Whom did God choose to be Israel’s first king?” (Answer: SAUL) 8. Using the yellow crayon, DRAW a “sad face” by the answer to: “The Israelites had no weapons at first because they had no way to make what?” (Answer: IRON) ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 45 God’s Plan: the Law … … Kings of Israel…Saul “DO YOU KNOW ABOUT…SAUL?” GAME continued… DIRECTIONS: Listen carefully to the CLUES given, and mark the correct ANSWER below. (Not all answers will be used!) 1. Saul 2. Greaves 3. Cavalry 4. Horses 5. Iron 6. Bronze 7. David 8. Siege 9. King 10. Battering ram 11. Infantry 12. Camels ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 46 God’s Plan: the Law … … Kings of Israel…Saul “SAUL JEOPARDY” GAME ! ! MATERIALS: $ White board with markers $ Jeopardy questions (Pg. 48) $ Treats (optional) ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! INSTRUCTIONS: 1. On white board, LIST categories below with point values (100, 200, 300, 400) under each category. 2. Divide students into small teams of 3-4 students per team. Number or name each team; WRITE team names (or numbers) on the white board for score keeping. 3. Allow each team to CHOOSE a question from select category and point value. Although only one student from that team will be allowed to ANSWER the ! question, that student may confer with all members of his/her team on the ! answer. ! 4. If answer is correct, add points to that team’s score. If answer is incorrect, ! either give the correct answer or allow the next team in the rotation to “BID” on ! the answer. (“Bids” must total the! point value of the question.) If answer is correct, add points to that team’s total. A “bid” question DOES NOT take the ! place of the regularly scheduled question of that team. ! 5. Continue game by rotating to the next team for a question. (All teams should ! be given the same number of opportunities for Jeopardy questions.) 6. Optional: give treats for cooperation and participation to ALL teams, with a little extra for the winning team. ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! *IMPORTANT: The goal of “Saul Jeopardy” is positive, encouraging review and reinforcement of knowledge of Saul, the first king of Israel! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 47 God’s Plan: the Law … … Kings of Israel…Saul “SAUL JEOPARDY” GAME continued… ! ! QUESTIONS TIME LINE… 100 – Whose birth is the starting point of all dates on our calendar? (Jesus) 200 – What does “B.C.” in a date mean? (“before Christ”) 300 – How many years did the Israelites wander in the desert before entering the Promised Land? (40 years) 400 – How many years passed after the Israelites entered Canaan before God allowed them to have their first king? (300 years) The FIRST KING… 100 – How many Israelite families or “tribes” were there? (12) 200 – The Israelites asked God for a king that would protect and unite them. Who was Israel’s first king? (Saul) 300 – The first king’s son was also a great warrior. Who was this son? (Jonathan) 400 – Why were Saul and his son the only Israelites with iron weapons? (Iron weapons were too expensive and rare for everyone else, since only the Canaanites knew how to make iron tools and weapons.) WARFARE in Saul’s Day… 100 – Armies in Saul’s day did not ride what into battle? (horses) 200 – What were most weapons and armor made of in Israel in Saul’s day? (bronze) 300 – When an army surrounds a city or castle and waits until the people inside surrender, they have put those people under _______. (siege) 400 – How could attackers capture a city with thick walls? (tunnels, towers) DAVID and GOLIATH… 100 – David was an expert using what weapon? (slingshot) 200 – How much did Goliath’s armor weigh? (125 pounds) 300 – Goliath was a champion warrior from what Canaanite tribe or nation? (Philistines) 400 – How was David able to defeat Goliath? (with God’s help, he knocked him out with a stone from a slingshot, then beheaded him with Goliath’s own sword) ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ! ! ! ! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 48 EXAMPLE PATTERN for Daily Bible Readers Bookmark Daily Bible Reading WEEK 1 Sunday Genesis 1:1-5 $ Monday Genesis 1:6-8 $ Tuesday Genesis 1:9-13 $ Wednesday Genesis 1:14-19 $ Thursday Genesis 1:20-23 $ Friday Genesis 1:24-27 $ Saturday Genesis 1:28-31 $ Memory Verses: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.” John 1:1 ! ! 49 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ RESOURCES Boal, Tom. (1997). The Big Book of Bible Skits. Ventura, CA: Gospel Light. ISBN 0-8307-1916-4 Downey, Melissa C. & Lingo, Susan L. (1993). Activity Resource Books. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing. ISBN 0-7847-0033-8 Drane, John (Ed.). (2001). Encyclopedia of the Bible. Oxford, England: Lion Publishing. ISBN 078524614-2 Eide, Carol (Ed.). (1991). Big Picture Bible Time Line. Ventura, CA: Gospel Light. ISBN 0-8307-1472-3 Hans, Julia B. (2000). Lamps, Scrolls & Goatskin Bottles. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing. ISBN 0-7847-1165-8 Hardin, Joyce. (2002). Journeys Around the World. Ft. Worth, Texas: Sweet Publishing. ISBN 0-8344-0250-5 Harrast, Tracy L. ((1984). Life and Lessons of Jesus Series (Activity Books). David C. Cook Publishing Co. ISBN 1-55513-388-6 Henderson, Robert & Gould, Ian. (1967). Life in Bible Times. Edinburgh: Rand McNally & Co. ISBN 528-87765-8 James, Steven. (1984). Tandem Bible Storyscripts. Cincinnati: Standard Publishing. ISBN 0-7847-1320-0 Jones, Graham & Deverell, Richard. (1992). How They Lived in Bible Times. Ventura, CA: Regal Books. ISBN 0-8307-1574-6 Lassieur, Allison. (2004). The Ancient Romans. Mexico: Scholastic Inc. ISBN 0-531-12338-3 ! Rock, Lois. The Time of Jesus. Lion Children’s Books. ISBN 0-7459-4080-3 !!! ! 50 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ !!!!RESOURCES… Continued... Tester, S.R. (1982). The World Into Which Jesus Came. Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing. ISNB0-89565-232-3 Turnbull, Helen (Ed.). Bible-Time Crafts. Loveland, CO: Group Publishing. ISBN 0-7644-2067-4 Vamosh, M. F. Daily Life at the time of Jesus. Herzlia, Israel: Palphot Ltd. ISBN 0-570-05292-0 Weir, Christy (Ed.). (1996). The Big Book of Bible Games. Ventura, CA: Gospel Light. Whiting, Karen K. (1984). Christian Concept Series. Torrance, CA: Shining Star Publications. ISBN 1-56417-955-9 ! ! ! ! 51 © 2009 Memorial Road Church of Christ
