Bible Verses

Work with your child and your students to learn each verse. Then, discuss the meaning of the verse and how it can be applied to our everyday lives. On Sundays during class, riding in the car, or at dinner, it's fun to share stories of how the children have used the verse in their lives that week.

We provide memorization verses for each week. You can add your own.

Sunday July 2 Philips Gal. 5:1
Plant your feet firmly therefore within the freedom that Christ has won for us, and do not let yourselves be caught again in the shackles of slavery.

• What does it mean to “plant your feet firmly?”
• What freedom has Christ won for us?
• What are the “shackles of slavery?”

Sunday July 9 NAS Eph 4:32
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

• Why should we be kind to each other?
• What does it mean to forgive like God?
• Is it easy to forgive?
• How do you forgive yourself?

Sunday July 16 Eph 4: 24
…put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.

• What does it mean to “put on the new self?”
• In the KJV, the verse reads, to put on the “new man”: how is that possible?
• Why have we been created?
• How do we live righteously?
• What does a life of holiness look like?

Sunday July 23 Eph 6:11
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

• What does God’s armor look like?
• How do you put on God’s armor?
• When do you put it on?
• What are the wiles of the devil?
• How will God’s armor protect you from the devil?

Sunday July 30 Eph 2:19 
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

• What does this verse mean to you?
• What does it mean to be “fellow-citizens with the saints?”
• Describe the household of God.

Sunday August 6 Phil 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

• How can you use this verse in your daily life?
• What kind of strength is this verse talking about?

Bible Stories

In the next few months, we are going to review some of the favorite figures of the Bible. This is a good time to review the books of the Bible and help pupils tell the stories. This month’s theme is obedience.

• Moses - Read Exodus
  • Birth
  • Fugitive
  • Burning Bush
  • Delivering Children of Israel from Egypt
  • Red Sea
  • Food in the Wilderness
  • Spying out the Promised Land
  • Ten Commandments
  • 40 years in the Wilderness
• Joshua - Read Joshua
  • Assistant to Moses (Exodus)
  • Choosing to serve God
  • Jericho
  • Settling in the Promised Land
• Gideon - Read Judges 6:1-8:32
  • Gideon Called
  • Signs from God
  • Midianites Defeated
• Samson - Read Judges 13-16
  • Birth
  • Marriage
  • Failure of Samson

COMMANDMENT WORK

Teachers might like to look at Mary Jane Chaignot's article on "The Ten Commandments - The Making of the Covenant" for background on commandments. Margaret Foerster's article on "Each Commandment Asks Questions" is an introspective look at what God was asking. Caryl Krueger's parenting article on "Thou Shalt Not Steal" is helpful in teaching the 8th Commandment. Barry Huff and Genelle Austin-Lett offer four practical exercises on the Ten Commandments for all ages.

• What is a commandment?
• What is the point of these ten commands?
• What is the first commandment?
• What does it mean to have one God?
• What "gods" would interfere with our relationship to one God?
• What happens with your life when you put God first?
• Let's all work at putting God first everyday for this next week and then share what happened.

Exercise:

Ask the students to write each of the commandments as if they were beatitudes. This helps them think of the message of the Commandment and the reward for obedience. For example: Blessed are ye when you make God your first priority for you shall be happy. Or:  I am happy when I don’t let anything interfere with my relationship to God. That way I’m always safe. Or: Blessed are those who adore only one God for they shall truly know God. Do two a week as you work through the Ten Commandments.    

Mary Jane Chaignot wrote a description of the Ten Commandments. This would be a good review for both student and teacher of all ages. The commandments are our guide book for living the Golden Rule.

The Ten Commandments

• In Hebrew they are called the Decalogue. Deca = ten. Logue = word.
  
  
• There are many parallels in Babylonian and Egyptian texts to the last six, which regulate the relationships between people. There aren't any parallels to the first four, which address the relationship of people to God.
  
  
• Setting: These words are addressed by God to Israel gathered, by His command, to the perimeter of the mountain at the base of Sinai. These people have been on an emotional roller coaster for three months. They've been ecstatic, fearful, comforted, saved, complaining. They've been getting ready for three days. They were taking this all very seriously. Now, what was the first thing they heard? "I am the Lord your God." It could also be said: "I the Lord, am your God."
  
  
• The first commandment starts with God. It sets the tone for everything that follows. First they were to know God; God is disclosing himself. "I am your God who brought you up, don't have any other gods before my face." This word demonstrated God's concern for their newly acquired freedom. They didn't have a clue how to be a people. God wanted them to be His people, and they didn't have it yet. They didn't know how. So He was trying to help them. Don't sell your birthright. Be single-minded. Start from God. To believe in God is to believe from the consciousness of God. We believe in a lot of things, we only believe from the standpoint of one thing.
  
  
• Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Today: "Please have a God.” Many people don't. But is that really true? Isn't there always something as a last resort on which people depend and to which they give their final allegiance? When God is gone, people put something else in His place, some object in which they place their final trust, some idol of their own making. Everyone has a god. Now we're just talking about what kind of a god it will be.
  
  
• Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image... Today: The point is one's view of God. God cannot be imprisoned in the forms of this world. He is free. He is beyond creation's control, not concrete. He does not become tangible in holy things. God is in His voluntary self-giving, His love, free judgment, and sovereign grace. God does not want us to destroy ourselves by serving the creature instead of the Creator. He doesn't want anything between us. He doesn't want anything between us even if it is good. He wants direct communication.
  
  
• Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain... Today: This has to do with the divine reputation. The Hebrew word for "take" is nasa -- sounds like NASA, sending up shuttles that carry things up, lift things up. Nasa means "to lift up, to carry, to bear." To do this in vain means to do it falsely, to make use of it for any idol, frivolous, or insincere purpose, or for mischief. God gave His name in friendship, for a relationship. All of God's names have to be honored, celebrated, blessed. To do anything less would be to treat this gift very lightly, to underestimate His power, and to misrepresent His nature. God's name is really saying, "I am here, you don't have to call me. I am here." God's name is consistent with His nature. And if we're going to that name, if we're going to carry it, bear it, and lift it up, then our nature must be consistent with it as well.
  
  
• Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Today: "Remember" is a very emphatic imperative. It isn't for those days when we have time to remember; it is to remember without lapse. Remember this in terms of the covenant. Do this every week. Why? God does not condemn people to slavery. He has built rest into His creation. We call it R and R, rest and recreation. And what is recreation except re - creation? The Sabbath is a time to step back; it is a time to be with God.

The next six words will focus on the horizontal line -- people to people.

• Honor your father and your mother. Today: Honor is in the imperative; it means "give weight to, glorify, esteem in the sense of giving precedence." It means taking someone seriously. It's not meant to just be subject to them, but to be respectful and to recognize their right of importance, to esteem them for their priority of importance and to love them. In that sense, they will be honored. Now, as we honor parents, we become honored parents. To the extent that we are honorable and honored parents, that is what we are teaching. And that is what the children pick up.
  
  
• Thou shalt not kill. Today: It would be a whole lot better if there had been a direct object. Unfortunately, it is open ended. But wait! Isn't this the same society that just witnessed the death of a whole lot of Egyptians, who fought a big battle with the Amelekites? Before they ever move away from this mountain, 3,000 of their own community are going to die. So what is this "Don't kill?" Does it make any sense? Let's go a little bit deeper. At that time, the sovereignty of God was determined by geographical boundaries. Each community had its own gods. The one with the strongest god was expected to prevail. Enjoying the spoils of war was really demonstrating glory to their god. But within the group, they were expected to hold each other in mutual esteem. All were under the care of that same God. Since God is the author of life, no one should dare act as God. And if someone did, the community acted on God's behalf. There is an underlying, basic principle that life belonged to God. When they went to war, they asked God. When crimes were committed, they cast lots or needed corroborating testimony from two witnesses. Both were considered to be signs from God. This word was intended to stop feudal killing. Such behaviors violated the standard of living that God expected of those who had given themselves to Him. This is still hard for us today. We have war, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia. These all raise hard questions. Whether we like it or not, these are all forms of killing.
  
  
• Thou shalt not commit adultery. Today: Again, this was given by God to a forming community. It is intimately connected to life within that community. The word, "adultery" comes from two words meaning, "add and other." Together, they mean to "add other," to dilute something by adding something else to it. To adulterate means to cheapen the quality or to upset the completeness. In antiquity, adultery meant sexual intercourse with the wife of another man, the fiancée of another man, or a wife with a married man. It was not meant to regulate one's love life; it was given to protect the institution of marriage. It provided societal stability. Marriages were not monogamous and divorce was permitted. But an existing marriage was given fullest protection. Actions that dilute, cheapen the quality, pollute, or upset the completeness in relation to marriage violate the covenantal agreement. In so doing, we adulterate our own self worth as persons, sell ourselves short on the real meaning of life, and all of this affects our relationship with God. At issue is the purity of our actions not the prudishness of them. God did not make us to use or to be used by other people. We should love and regard each other as priceless because we are each in a relationship with God.
  
  
• Don't steal. Today: This is best described as depicting stealing of any kind and sometimes may apply to the duplicity of it, the secrecy of it. Stealing of any kind disrupts relationships. This word was given by God to a forming community that had agreed to live in relationship, first of all, with Him. The penalty was not the main point; the real point was the breech of covenantal relations and the loss of God's presence. People who live in a relationship with God were not to steal from one another. A Thesaurus has dozens of words available to depict stealing. There's really only one way to be honest. Nothing anyone has is really his in any ultimate sense. Everything is God's; we are merely custodians. This is a word that speaks to those who are tempted to misuse their lives, to pilfer other people's lives, or to rape the earth. It stems from a vision that is out of focus. What's mine is God's, and we'll share it.
  
  
• Don't bear false witness against your neighbor. Today: In ancient Israel, occasions that demanded truth-telling were in relation to public affairs. Disputes between families involved property, business, and personal injury. If an Israelite had a dispute with someone, he brought his witnesses and spoke before the elders at the main gate. There a decision would be rendered. Witnessing depended on truth-telling. At the heart of this commandment was the knowledge that language is the essence of culture and community life.
  
  
• Don't desire anything that is your neighbor's. Today: The Hebrew word is chamad. Typically, it means "desire, yearn for, covet, lust after someone or something specifically for your own use or gratification." But, some say that this is too broad, too inclusive. It's too strict, too hard. They then argue for a narrower meaning, like connive, saying that it prohibits any practical action that attempts to acquire what belongs to your neighbor. But we have to read the whole commandment. It doesn't say desire is bad; it says desiring what belongs to your neighbor is bad. This is a commandment that deals with root causes. Attitudes affect the way people live. This is like an itch that won't go away. There may also be some significance in the fact that this is the tenth and last of the series. In fact, let's think of this as a summary commandment. The violation of this commandment is like the gateway to the violation of all the others. Because it describes an attitude, it is also unenforceable. How can you enforce against coveting or desire? Who would know? If it were limited to connive, we might be able to see that. But as desire, that is something just between God and us.

These were spiritual guidelines. This was a pattern for living. These were the limits. Everything else was okay. This was not a one-time thing; this was a process. The children of Israel spent the rest of their days figuring out the practical application of those Ten Commandments given to them at the base of that mountain. They learned how to live with God and, thereby, how to live with each other. In a very real sense, we are still learning, too. Our story is very much connected to theirs.

— Mary Jane Chaignot

Each Commandment Asks a Question Margaret Foerster.

Have you ever thought of the questions each commandment asks? I'll list some possible questions; you add some more.

	1.	And God spake all these words, saying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Ex. 20: 3
		• Do you love Me, really love Me? How are you living this focused love? • Do you think of Me as your only God? Do you want Me to step aside occasionally when something or someone more important comes along?
	2.	Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. Ex. 20:4-6
		• Are there any images that are engraved in your thinking that are not like Me? • Are you more concerned with getting a human form or likeness that pleases people rather than a spiritual identity that pleases Me who has already shaped you beautifully? • Do you really want to be like Me? If so, are you thinking and acting like Me?
	It is so important that we think BIG -- think as big as God thinks and act as wonderfully as God acts. How does God act? With grace, power, poise, laughter -- God has a good sense of humor! After all, He delights in each one of us. Let's also make our prayers BIG -- big with power, big with joy, big with clarity. The tiniest detail is then magnified to be easily seen and valued. We aren't small, withered, fearful thinkers. We are magnanimous in thought and action, in word and deed. We are inclusive, not exclusive, in our loving of everyone. Let's simply be like God who loves equally each of His/Her precious children.
	3.	Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. Ex. 20:7
		• Do you just think I'm the greatest? • Do you stand in awe of Me and all that I AM and do? • Do you have a sense of reverence for My purity, perfection, grandeur, allness? • Do you trivialize My name or My Son's name by using them casually, angrily, or profanely? • When you pray and open up your whole being to Me, do you really expect an immediate answer from me? Or are you just praying because you're supposed to but don't really have the faith that your prayers are answerable?
	Where is our conviction? Our conviction determines our commitment. How committed are we to God? Are we committed enough to work for Him day in and day out without grumbling, self-pity, self-righteousness and with humility, honesty, and grace?
	4.	Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. Ex. 20:9-11
		• Do you have time in your week, in your days for Me? • How important am I in your daily activities? • Am I the center of your affections, or am I just a cheap date? • How do you keep the Sabbath holy? • Is Sunday a weekly reminder of Easter?
	5.	Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Ex. 20: 12
		• How are you caring for your aged parents? Do you treat them with respect? • Are you convinced that I am your Father-Mother? • Are your actions based on the Golden Rule?
	6.	Thou shalt not kill. Ex. 20:13
		• Do you look with love at one another? Or do you give a murderous glance? • Do you love My children so that you would never kill another's opportunity for success, for love, for joy, for friendship? • Do you kill the thought or motive that would lead to abuse or violence? • Do you kill others' ideas, aspirations, or plans that I have given them?
	7.	Thou shalt not commit adultery. Ex. 20:14
		• Are you faithful to Me? If so, then you will be faithful to one another. • Are you willing to deepen your love for Me until you feel satisfied without lusting after other gods...appetites for sensual delicacies that turn sour in the stomach? • Are you willing to obey Me rather than the self-destructive, undisciplined desires of the flesh?
	8.	Thou shalt not steal. Ex. 20:15
		• Do you accept that I have given you all that you ever need -- abundant supply, infinite ideas, satisfying relationships that glorify Me? • Are you willing to do your own work and to study and live what you are learning? • Do you indulge in self-satisfied pride and take credit for My ideas?
	9.	Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. Ex. 20:16
		• Do you tell Me the truth? • Are you honest with yourself about everything, or do you play games of hide and seek with the truth? • Do you understand that I am absolute Truth and that to know Me you must be truthful?
	10.	Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's. Ex. 20:17
		• Do you cherish in your heart of hearts all that I have given you as sufficient for a happy and fulfilling life? • Are you grateful for the good that I have given others? • Do you see others' abundance as a promise for everyone? • Are you greedy? • Are you loving your neighbor as yourself as My commandment requires?
	It has been said that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence until you get there and discover it is artificial turf. This commandment deals with thoughts, with the hearts of men. It prohibits grasping thoughts that lead to grasping deeds. Enjoy developing your own questions which each commandment asks. And then answer these questions thoughtfully, humbly, honestly.

Thou shalt not steal! by Caryl Krueger

Many parents don't find this commandment from Exodus 20 pertinent to their family, but on closer examination, stealing goes far beyond hot-wiring a car or even shop-lifting. Definitions of stealing include "to take without permission" and "to usurp what rightfully belongs to another."

To take without permission includes the casual but bothersome borrowing that often goes on in a family: using a sibling's electronic game without asking, borrowing a shirt and returning it with a stain on it, or helping oneself to two or more cookies after gaining permission to have just one. This kind of borrowing is truly dishonest and is based on the feeling that one's own needs are not being fulfilled so one must take (steal). But, God gives his children what they need and He loves and supplies them with those needs when they listen to Him and respond.

To usurp what rightfully belongs to another can involve the stealing of a friend's good idea, the copying of his exam answers, the plagiarizing of Internet information as one's own research. Since God is the source of intelligence, no one has a corner on reflecting His wisdom, and an understanding of this saves time and involves no guilt. Some kids fail to develop their own unique styles and are merely copycats of friends and celebrities.

Some youngsters like to steal the spotlight, feeling that they need undue attention and forgetting that God values each of us for our individuality. And, many youngsters steal their parents' time with deviousness rather than seeking to solve challenges on their own or with parental help. For example, they purposefully put off responsibilities with lame excuses and empty promises: "Yes, I'm gonna help to clean the garage," or "I will write my book report." But, actually such things only get done after many time-consuming reminders - or never. Thus they steal time from their parents.

Some youngsters like to steal the spotlight, feeling that they need undue attention and forgetting that God values each of us for our individuality. And, many youngsters steal their parents' time with deviousness rather than seeking to solve challenges on their own or with parental help. For example, they purposefully put off responsibilities with lame excuses and empty promises: "Yes, I'm gonna help to clean the garage," or "I will write my book report." But, actually such things only get done after many time-consuming reminders - or never. Thus they steal time from their parents.

Exercise: This is an article by Barry Huff on Teaching the Ten Commandments. It goes nicely with Independence Day and discussions of freedom.

When my 3rd grade Sunday School class was studying the Ten Commandments, I brought a big wooden box to class (a sturdy suitcase or trunk also works). I invited each student to climb into the box and describe how they felt (trapped). Then, I turned the box over, the students climbed on top of it, and they described how they felt while standing on top of the box (elevated). I explained that, while some people think the Ten Commandments box you in and restrict you, they actually are meant to be foundations for freedom that give you a higher perspective.

God introduces the Ten Commandments by declaring, "I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt…" (Exod 20:1). In the verses that follow, God gives this newly-liberated community the top ten ways to remain free.

As the box analogy illustrates, the purpose of the commandments is not to limit, but to liberate!

— Barry Huff

Exercise: Teachers: Print out the scramble list below to help students remember each commandment and then discuss them in light of Jesus explaining the two great commandments in Luke 10: 25-37.

Look at each one.

• Which commandments apply to God and which apply to our neighbor?
  • Number 5 looks like it might apply to God and our parents.
• What about commandments 6-10?
• Do you see how obeying each of those is living the Golden Rule?
• The first commandments tell us to get our priorities right with God and the bottom half show us how to live with each other.
  • Select one commandment and create a poster to go with your Golden Rule poster.

Exercise: Ten Commandment Ideas

In the pre-school Sunday School class, I prepared hand puppet packets for each pupil.

I first made up my own hand as Moses.

1. Put double-stick tape on your thumb and over your forefinger.
2. Add loose yarn to make a head of hair and beard as seen in the picture.
3. Take blue or brown adhesive dots and place them as eyes on your hand.
4. Use a pink dot for the nose.
5. Use lip stick to create a red mouth between forefinger and thumb.
6. Take a plastic glass and turn it upside down.
7. Drape the glass in a striped dish towel.

Then I practiced moving my fingers to make Moses "talk."

The packets for each child include:

1. Dots for eyes and nose
2. A strip of red for the lips
3. Double stick tape for hair line
4. Colored yarn for hair

When each child arrives, make up his/her hand and explain that he/she is one of the Children of Israel.

Moses starts by teaching a commandment. Each child repeats the commandment as a child of Israel. By tagging the hand puppet with a piece of wax paper with the child's name on it, everyone can take off their hand costumes and keep them for subsequent weeks work.

The first Sunday, I taught the children to say, "Power belongeth unto God" after they heard each commandment. Then we started the specific work of memorizing the commandments. I have found that the children learn the commandments quickly as they get their hands to mouth the words of their puppets.

This project was taken so seriously that one Sunday when I asked the students to close their eyes for the Lord's prayer, one little boy went so far as to cover the eyes on his hand!

Exercise:

Design a poster for your room or church using one or more of the Ten Commandments. The poster should give us an idea of what the commandment means and what we can do to uphold it. Don't forget to list the commandment you are using. Be creative and have fun.

Here's an example from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

Exercise – Talk about the obedience of Joshua. Ask them to do five different things. Anything that would show obedience. Example:

1. Close your eyes
2. Fold your hands
3. Praise God
4. Clap your hands once and say “Amen.”
5. Open your eyes

Did everyone do each detail? If not, discuss why not? Why is it difficult to be obedient or why is it easy? You might ask them to pick up trash in the parking lot (make sure it is safe) or help with children in the nursery when they come into sing. Find ways for them to follow. Help them to think through who they are obedient to. We don’t follow all orders. If someone told them to steal candy, they wouldn’t obey. Talk about Gideon’s obedience in light of making sure the orders were from God. Talk about Samson’s disobedience. He was an example of human will run wild.

• Moses  - Read Exodus 1- 2
  • Birth
• What did the king of Egypt order to be done to the Hebrew baby boys? Exodus 1:16
• What did the midwives do when the king commanded them to kill any newborn boys? Exodus 1:17
• Who was the baby found by Pharaoh's daughter in an ark of bulrushes floating in the river? Exodus 2:1-10
• Why did Moses' mother hide him for three months and then put him in an ark of bulrushes by the river's brink? Exodus 1:22; 2:1-10
• Where did Pharaoh's daughter find the baby Moses in his ark of bulrushes? Exodus 2:1-10
• Who watched the baby Moses as he floated in the ark of bulrushes at the river? Exodus 2:1-10
• Please name Moses' older sister who watched him from a distance when he floated in the ark at the edge of the river. Exodus 2:1-4; Numbers 26:59
• Pharaoh's daughter adopted Moses. Who nursed the child for her? Exodus 2:7-10
• How did Moses' older sister help him when he was very young? Exodus 2:1-10
• Where was Moses born? Exodus 2:1-10
• What is the relationship among these three Biblical characters: Numbers 26:59
  • Aaron
  • Miriam
  • Moses
• What is the term used for a king in Egypt? Exodus 1:8-11
• Why did Moses kill an Egyptian? Exodus 2:11-15
• Moses was afraid after he killed the Egyptian. He left his home and became a shepherd for the priest of Midian, who had seven daughters. What was the name of the daughter who married Moses? Exodus 2:21

• Moses - Read Exodus 3-5
  • Fugitive and Burning Bush
• Who kept the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, and led the flock to the mountain of God, Horeb? Exodus 3:1
• Which biblical mountain is referred to as "the mountain of God?" Exodus 3:1
• What man saw a burning bush and then heard God call him "out of the midst of the bush?" Exodus 3:1-4
• Where was Moses when God said, "put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground?" Exodus 3:1, 2, 5
• Who made the lives of the children of Israel "bitter with hard bondage, in mortar, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field?" Exodus 1:14; 3:7-10
• What message did God give Moses at the burning bush? Exodus 3:1-20
• What Bible character asked God this question: "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" Exodus 3:11
• Fill in the blank: "And God said unto _______, I AM THAT I AM ....." Exodus 3:14
• Whom did God direct to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt? Exodus 3:10, 11
• Who told Moses to cast his rod on the ground? What did the rod become? Exodus 4:1-5
• God called to Moses out of the midst of a burning bush. When Moses cast down his rod, it became a serpent. Did God instruct Moses to pick the serpent up by the neck or the tail? Exodus 4:4
• When Moses picked up the serpent, as God commanded, what did the serpent then become? Exodus 4:4
• Moses' brother helped Moses lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. What was his name? Exodus 4:28-31; 7:1,2
• The Hebrews made bricks for the king of Egypt. After Moses and Aaron told Pharaoh that the Lord God of Israel said, "Let my people go," Pharaoh gave the taskmasters an order that made the people's work more difficult. What was the command that made the work even harder? Exodus 5:6-7, 12-13
• What did the Children of Israel think of Moses and Aaron?

• Moses - Read Exodus Exodus 7-12
  • Delivering Children of Israel from Egypt
• How many of the ten plagues in Egypt can you name? Exodus 7:14 to12:13
• Pharaoh and the Egyptians suffered a series of terrible plagues. These plagues included fish dying; too many frogs, lice, and flies; the death of all their cattle; hail storms; locusts; three days of darkness; and, finally, the death of all firstborn children. Why? Exodus 7 to 12
• Which plagues were the magicians able to duplicate? Why?
• Why did God keep hardening Pharaoh's heart? What was the purpose? Ex. 4:21; 7:3, 13, 14, 22, 23; 8:15, 32; 9:7, 12, 14
• Is there anything symbolic about the plagues?
• Does the world today face plagues similar to these?
• What do they call themselves today? How do we deal with them?
• Open your Bibles to Exodus 9:8 - chapter 13
• How would you have handled the plagues?
• What was the last and most awful plague, the one that finally persuaded Pharaoh to let the children of Israel go? Exodus 12:29-31
• The children of Israel left Egypt about 1450 BCE. What do we call this event?
• How is this event celebrated today? [You'll need to do some research.]
• What did they have to do to avoid the plague of death? Exodus 12:22,23
• Were the Children of Israel ready to leave Egypt? Why or why not?
• Is it sometimes more comfortable to stay in a bad situation you know than to change to an unknown circumstance?
• Led by Moses, the children of Israel were able to travel by day and by night. What did they follow by day "to lead them the way?" What gave them light at night? Exodus 13:21
• What is significant about the "light?"
• What does the annual festival called Passover commemorate? See Passover in a Bible Dictionary.
• Is it still celebrated today?
• Would you be willing to pick up and leave, not knowing where you were going?
• What kind of trust in God does that require?

• Moses - Read Exodus 14 -15
  • Red Sea
• Describe what it must have been like to have the Red Sea in front of you and Pharaoh's soldiers coming up from behind.
• What would you have said to Moses under the same circumstances?
• Describe the song of the Children of Israel.
• Do you sing when God has helped you?
• They are singing in Ex. 15:22 and then what do they do in verse 24? Why?
• How many wells do they encounter in Elim? What is symbolic about the number? [Ex. 15:27]

• Moses - Read Exodus 16-19
  • Food in the wilderness
• What do the Children of Israel complain about next? [Ex. 16: 2-3]
• How does God answer their complaint? [Ex. 16:11-16]
• What is manna? [Manna means "what is it?"]
• What do we learn about this food plan from God?
• When the Children of Israel arrived in Rephidim, what did they complain about this time? [Ex 17:2-3]
• Is this a tour group you would want to join?
• A big battle takes place between the Israelites and the Amalekites. How is the battle won? [Ex 17: 8-12] (This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. It encourages us all to hold each other's hands up until we have the victory. It bears repeating. Ask the students to tell their parents about Aaron and Hur helping Moses hold up his hands.)
• You might ask the students to hold their arms in the air for awhile to see how difficult it is. Then ask someone to help hold up someone else's hands.
• What advice did Jethro give Moses? [Ex. 18: 15-27]
• What does that tell us?
• What was the smoke all about on Mt. Sinai? [Ex. 19]
• What did your parents say when you told them the story of Aaron and Hur holding up Moses' hands?
• What does it mean to hold up each other's hands?
• Have you ever had to help someone in your family?

• Moses - Read Exodus 20
  • Ten Commandments
• Who wrote the first two commandments as beatitudes? Let's look at them.
• See if you can keep God as your number one priority for this next week.
• What is the second commandment? [Ex. 20:4-6] What images do we have today that might be considered gods?
• What images might come from heaven above? (Astrology?)
• What are images in the earth? (TV images of the perfect body)
• What are images under the water?
• Why would God be jealous?
• What are we asked to do in the 3rd commandment?
• What does it mean to take the Lord's name in vain?
• Why is cursing or swearing so prevalent?
• Why do people use bad words?
• How do you stop using language that doesn't glorify God or magnify good?
• How would a penalty jar help you and family members to avoid inappropriate language?
• What other measures might you recommend to stop from taking God's name in vain?
• Examine Barry Huff's definition of the Sabbath.
• What does the Sabbath mean to you?
• How did we get so far away from Sunday being a day of worship?
• In what ways do you keep the Sabbath?
• Why is it important to rest? It is obviously a commandment from God, why is it so important? (WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?)
• Why do so many people avoid obeying the fourth commandment?

The first four commandments deal with our relationship with God. I consider the fifth on honoring our parents a pivotal commandment because it swings both ways. Honor God as our Divine Parent and honor our human dads and moms. The remaining commandments tend to the relationship between people. The Ten Commandments are a guarantee of a better life if obeyed.

• Why is it important to honor your parents?
• Why is it difficult to do that?
• What does it mean to honor?
• Why are parents important?
• Why did God include such a command?
• Add to the list of ways to improve our relationships with our parents.
• Why did God give us parents in the first place?
• When we look at the 6th commandment about not killing, what comes to thought?
• What does kill mean?
• Does it mean only to take someone's life?
• Does it refer to animals' lives?
• What about the life of our planet?
• In what ways is the word "kill" used? (kill time, dressed to kill, fit to kill, etc.)
• Do we ever kill someone's spirit through criticism?
• How can we better obey the commandments we've studied?
• Discuss the meaning of: to adulterate. Rodale's Synonym Finder lists - tamper with, doctor, water down, make impure, pollute, weaken, corrupt.
• We know the legal ramifications of the term adultery, but how does this commandment apply to everyday life?
• When you break this commandment, what happens to a family?
• Can you see that when you disobey any of the last six commandments, it ruins your relationships with others?
• How can we not fall prey to disobedience?
• Why is marriage important?
• What does it mean to not steal?
• Do you think it meant only taking someone else's possessions?
• What else could it possibly mean? Look at Caryl Krueger's article above in Activities.
• What other things are stolen? (Moments, ideas, boy friends, girl friends, spotlight, etc.)
• How can we be more aware of how we are behaving?
• What can we do differently if we waste people's time?
• Why do we flirt with someone else's special friend?
• Why is plagiarism such a big problem today?
• What can we do individually to avoid stealing of any nature?

• Joshua - Read Joshua 1-2
  • Choosing to serve God
• What happened at Mt. Nebo? (Deut. 34:1-5)
• Who is now in charge of the Children of Israel? (Joshua 1:1-3)
• Riddle: Which Bible character didn't have any parents? (Joshua 1:1 Joshua, the son of Nun [sounds like none].)
• What words of comfort did God give Joshua? (Josh.1:2-18)
• To which city does Joshua send spies?(Josh. 2:1)
• How many spies did Joshua send? (Josh. 2:1)
• Who protected the spies? (Josh. 2:3-8)
• Why did Joshua use spies?
• What do spies do?
• Do we use spies today?
• For what purpose?
• If God asked you to be a spy for Him, would you do it?
• What kinds of things would you spy for God? (People doing good!)
• Can we catch people -- our friends, siblings, parents, teachers -- doing good?

Do a quick review of Joshua sending out the spies. Talk a little about Rahab. What qualities do we see in Rahab?

What did the spies promise Rahab? Take out the maps and ask the children to:

• Find the Jordan River on the map.
• Why is the Ark of the Covenant so important?
• What happened to this river when the priests, carrying the Ark of the Covenant, put their feet in the water? (Josh 3: 13-17)
• What does this event remind you of? (parting of the Red Sea)
• Why do you think God did this? Do you think it is possible to part the water?
• What have the children of Israel been eating for 40 years? (manna and quail)
• What is your favorite meal?
• Do you think you could eat that meal everyday for 1 year? 40 years?
• What will the Children of Israel get to eat now? (Josh. 5:12)

• Joshua - Read Joshua 5-6
  • Jericho
• What happens to Joshua that is very similar to Moses' experience? (Josh. 5:13-15)
• What else did Joshua experience like Moses? Why do you think this happened to Joshua?
• Now that Joshua and the Israelites are across the Jordan River, what happens next?
• What kind of a city was Jericho?
• Could they walk right in and take over the city?
• Why not?
• What instructions did God give Joshua and his people? (Josh 6:3-5)
• Why do you think they were told to just walk around the city?
• What weapons were they going to use?
• What was God teaching them?
• What were they to do with the things they found in the city? (Josh. 6:18-19)
• What happened on the seventh day? (Josh.6:20)
• Who was saved from destruction? (Josh. 6:17, 23-25)
• Did the spies keep their word to Rahab? · Why is it important to keep your promises?
• What lessons did God want the Children of Israel to learn about conquering Jericho?

• Gideon - Read Judges 6:1-8:32
  • Gideon Called
  • Who appears to Gideon? (Judges 6:11-13)
  • What does the angel ask Gideon to do? (Judges 6:25-28)
  • What was wrong with the altar Gideon's father built?
  • Which commandments were the people breaking by having an altar to Baal?
  • What kinds of things do people bow down to today?
  • How did Gideon's father react? (Judges 6:29-32)
  • What kind of a person was Gideon?
  • What did God want Gideon to do after he broke down Baal's altar? (Judges 6:16,17, 34-35)
  • How did Gideon test God? (Judges 6:36-40)
  • Imagine trying to thresh wheat so no one sees what you're doing. How difficult is that?
  • The angel of the Lord appears before Gideon and asks him to do what?
  • What personal altars do we need to knock down?
  • When the angel appeared to Gideon, was it for the sole purpose of destroying Gideon's father's altar to Baal or something else?
  • What else did God want Gideon to do?

• Joshua - Read Joshua 6
  • Signs from God
  • Why do you think God would have selected someone like Gideon? After all, he was from the weakest of the twelve tribes, he doubted his ability, and he tested God.
  • How did Gideon test God? (Judges 6:37-40)
  • What is fleece?
  • How many times did he test God?
  • After God passed the test, what did Gideon do?
  • Do we ever test God?
  • Is it a good practice to test God?

• Joshua - Read Joshua 7
  • Midianites Defeated
  • Who was Gideon to defeat? (Judges 6:16)
  • Gideon had to select an army. How many did he recruit? (32,000 Judges 7:3)
  • Why did God want a smaller army? (Judges 7:2)
  • What did Gideon do to reduce the size of his army? (Judges 7:3)
  • How many left because they were afraid? (22,000)
  • What did Gideon have to do to reduce the size of the 10,000? (Judges 7:5-6)
  • Describe why those who didn't drink from their hands would be a bad risk militarily.
  • What were God's instructions to this army?
  • What have you learned about God?
  • What have you learned about listening to God?

• Samson - Read Judges 13
  • Birth
  • What was unusual about Samson's birth? (Judges 13:3)
  • What did the angel tell his mother? (Judges 13:3-5)
  • What instructions did the angel give Samson's mother? (Judges 13:6-7)
  • What are the vows of a Nazarite? (see above: no strong drink, no eating of unclean food, and no hair cuts)
  • Did Manoah believe his wife?
  • Why do you think he insisted he hear the message from the angel?
  • What was unusual about Samson? (strength) Who was Samson's father? (Judges 13:8-9)

• Samson - Read Judges 14-15
  • Marriage
  • Who did Samson want to marry? (Judges 14: 2)
  • Why didn't this please his parents? (Judges 14:3)
  • Do you have any rules about who you can date?
  • What did Samson do to the lion? (Judges 14:5-6)
  • What is Samson's riddle? (Judges 14:12-14)
  • Is this a fair riddle? Why or why not?
  • If you are the only one who can possibly know the answer, is it fair?
  • What do the Philistines promise to do to Samson's wife if they don't get the answer to the riddle? (Judges 14:15)
  • What does Samson's wife do? (she gets Samson to tell her and then she tells the Philistines)
  • What does Samson do in his anger? (Judges 14:19)
  • How does this affect his wife? (Judges 14:20)
  • What rules did Samson break? (he ate unclean food, honey from the lion, he drank strong drink at the feast, he killed people unnecessarily)
  • What happens when we break rules?
  • When Samson tries to win back his wife, what happens?
  • What does he do when his wife's father offers someone else?(Judges 15:3-5)
  • How many foxes did he catch? (300)
  • What do the Philistines do after Samson burns their crops? (Judges 15:6)
  • How does Samson avenge this act? (Judges 15:7-8)
  • What is revenge?
  • What happens when people resort to revenge?
  • What do we learn from Samson's experience about revenge? o
  • How many men did Samson kill with the jaw bone of a donkey? (Judges 15:15)
  • After this carnage, he judged Israel for how many years?(Judges 15:20)

• Samson - Read Judges 16
  • Failure of Samson
  • Who did the Philistines use to entice Samson? (Judges 16:1-2 )
  • What does Samson do with the massive gate to the city?
  • Why do you think he did that?
  • What was the name of the woman Samson loved in the valley of Sorek? (Judges 16:4)
  • What was Delilah's motivation? (money)
  • Did she love Samson?
  • What mistake did Samson make with Delilah that he made with his wife? (told his secret)
  • Do you keep secrets?
  • What have you noticed when you tell someone a secret?
  • Who do you trust to tell a secret? Why?
  • How much money did the Philistines promise Delilah if she found the source of Samson's strength? (Judges 16:5)
  • How many times did Samson lie to Delilah before telling her that his hair was the source of his strength? (three times)
  • What four things did Samson tell Delilah would weaken him? (green withs, new ropes, weaving seven of his locks with the web, and a razor on his hair)
  • What do the Philistines do to Samson after they cut his hair?
  • What is Samson's final act?
  • What do we learn from Samson's life?