Winter Lesson 11 Bible Passage: 1 Kings 2 3 (Solomon Asks for Wisdom) God Gives Wisdom Remember Verse

Transcription

1 Classroom Edition 4s/5s Winter Lesson 11 Bible Passage: 1 Kings 2 3 (Solomon Asks for Wisdom) God Gives Wisdom Remember Verse For the LORD is good and his love endures forever. Psalm 100:5a LESSON OVERVIEW 8:15-8:45 10:30-11:00 Be in class for CONNECT/ CHECK-INS - playtime - coloring pages 8:45-9:05 9:05-9:25 11:00-11:20 11:20-11:40 WORSHIP GATHER: - Remember Verse - God s Big Story - Wonder Question 9:25-9:45 11:40-12:00 RESPOND prepared application activities 9:45 - end 12:00 - end BLESS and Snack - playtime until end 2017 David C Cook. TruResources are developed in partnership with ROCKHARBOR Church and a national network of family and children s ministry leaders. All rights reserved. Reproducible for church use only.

2 LEADER PREP Each week you ll find encouraging articles that help you prepare your heart to present the lesson. Inspire Shares personal stories from fellow ministry leaders about how God has worked in their lives Last year at this time, I was thinking about getting married. I prayed adamantly for God s discernment in our relationship. Unexpectedly, my soul felt unsettled. It was frustrating because it didn t make sense to me. Yet the more I prayed for God s wisdom and direction in our relationship, the more the restlessness grew. I explained to my boyfriend how I felt God was leading me; God s wisdom didn t provide for our relationship ending in marriage. I learned two things from this experience. First, God generously gives His wisdom to those who seek Him. Second, God s wisdom may seem like foolishness to the world. It can be countercultural. We were in love, and our community was strongly encouraging us. But when I sought the Lord for wisdom, I found the path I thought was so clear wasn t what God had planned for my life. Even now, I think we could ve had a strong and successful marriage. However, I ve seen God work powerfully through my singleness, through circumstances that couldn t exist in marriage. Through this process, I ve learned to respect that the Lord gives wisdom generously. I rejoice in that fact. Erika Abdelatif ROCKHARBOR Church Equip Offers perspective and context to the lesson s Bible passage The Lord gives wisdom, but we must seek Him. In the third chapter of 1 Kings, King Solomon is revealed as a leader with a duality of heart. In his early years, Solomon followed the structure and path his father, David, had set before him. He showed a desire to reign over the Israelites with justice. As his kingship began, God approached Solomon in a dream. In this dream, God told Solomon He would provide whatever Solomon requested. Rather than requesting fame, wealth, or long life, Solomon s only desire was wisdom. He asked God for a discerning heart to govern (v. 9). He desired keen judgment and to rule justly. God was pleased and blessed Solomon with wisdom. But Solomon s heart soon became divided. As king, Solomon began to engage in practices that ultimately led his heart away from God. In Deuteronomy, God gave His people specific laws for the way they were to interact while in Egypt. He warned them against intermarrying with the Egyptians, as they didn t worship the one true God and had the potential to lead the Israelites hearts astray. He was trying to shield them from being lured into worshipping false gods from these alliances through marriage. But many years later, King Solomon didn t follow what God had proscribed. Chapter 3 begins by announcing that he arranged to marry Pharaoh s daughter. Furthermore, Solomon didn t destroy the high places (which the people of that region used to worship and make sacrifices to false gods), as was instructed in Deuteronomy. Instead, he made sacrifices to God at the pagan altars of worship. God granted Solomon wisdom. He also told Solomon, If you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life (v. 14). Despite the great gift God had given, Solomon ultimately chose not to obey the ways of the Lord. His life stands as a warning to each of us to keep our hearts focused solely on God and His commands, in order to not fall away from the fervent call upon our lives. Support Provides reflection and assessment through encouragement, prayer, and time in God s Word If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you (James 1:5). This week, ask God for His wisdom. Begin by spending a moment asking God to search your heart. Are there things preventing you from hearing His voice? Do you avoid quiet because you re fearful of what He might say? Ask Him to reveal and remove these obstacles. Then, begin to ask God if there are areas of your life causing you to diverge from the path He s put you on. Pray that God would give you His wisdom and intelligence in handling these circumstances. Pray and ask for His discernment and judgment. Pray for His wisdom to direct you in wise choices.

3 !!! Children develop relationships with their leaders and one another through simple activities and conversation starters. Coloring Pages and Playtime WORSHIP// 1st service: 8:45 2nd service: 11:00 Children experience and learn more about God through memorizing Scripture, storytelling from The Big God Story, prayer, and discussion. Begin GATHER with a Welcome Song. See How It Works document for an example. Remember Verse For the LORD is good and his love endures forever. Psalm 100:5a Remember Verse Definitions Endures: to last or stay the same Remember Verse Motions For the LORD: Make L with right hand. Cross right hand over front of body from left shoulder to right hip. is good: Place fingertips of open palm on chin. Move hand forward as if blowing a kiss. and his love: Cross arms over chest. endures forever: Point index finger, move finger in large circular motion. The Big God Story 1 Kings 2 3 God Gives Wisdom Storytelling Technique: Scriptures SUPPLIES Play dough or modeling clay (3 lumps)! Optional: play dough or modeling clay (1 lump per child)! - Might be too distracting if you have a large class, but feel free to do this if you think it would be beneficial. Leader Tip Optional storytelling activity: As the Storyteller sculpts, each child can create their own sculpture with their clay. After each sculpture, the children should squish the clay back into a lump and start with the next sculpture as suggested by the leader. Invite children to sit on their Story Spots. If you re ready to learn more about The Big God Story, you can stand up, shout Hooray! and then sit back down as fast as you can. Allow time for responses. Before we begin, let s invite God to teach us. Lead children in a Prayer of Release to pause, be still, and ask the Holy Spirit to quiet their hearts

4 and minds. As you begin, start forming a crown out of the clay. The first king of Israel, Saul, disobeyed God and went His own way, so God chose another man to be king. Does anyone know the name of that man? Pause for responses. Yes, his name was David. David was a good king who loved God very much. He listened to God and followed what God told him to do. After 40 years of being the king, it was time for David to give the job of being king to his son, Solomon. Ask kids to say Solomon a few times. Good job! David hoped Solomon would be a king who d love God with all his heart. Solomon wanted to do a good job as king, just like his father. Hold up finished crown. Solomon knew he d need a lot of help to do the best job possible. God would help Solomon. God gives wisdom. Who knows what wisdom is? Interact with responses. Wisdom is knowing a lot about many things. But it s more than just being smart. It s also about being able to make the right choice, instead of a wrong choice. The Bible says special wisdom comes from above, from God. The Bible also says when we ask God for His special wisdom, He ll give it generously to anyone who asks. Wisdom was very important for the kings in The Big God Story. Choose another lump of clay and begin sculpting a pillow for the next section of the story. Being a king is hard. Kings have to make a lot of choices about how to lead their people. Solomon was a good king. He worked on finishing the palace his father, David, started to build. Solomon also built the temple David hoped to make to thank God for being so good to him. One night, when Solomon was sleeping, he had a dream. Friends, God spoke to him in his dream! Isn t that amazing? God told Solomon he could ask Him for anything. Solomon thought and then asked God for help deciding between right and wrong. He also asked God to help him be a good leader. He asked God for wisdom. Invite everyone to repeat wisdom several times. God was pleased that Solomon didn t ask for money or fame. So God decided to give Solomon riches, honor, and wisdom to be a great king. Hold up the finished pillow. This is a pillow, and it reminds us of Solomon s amazing dream and that God gave Solomon wisdom. Take the final lump of clay and sculpt a large letter W as you continue with the story. King Solomon became an amazing king because of the wisdom God had given him. Many people came to him and asked for his help. He decided very important things because God had given him the wisdom to make really good decisions. It s not always easy to make good choices, is it? Interact with responses. All through The Big God Story, God s people had trouble doing the right thing. Sometimes they stopped following God all together. Solomon asked God for wisdom because he knew God gives wisdom. Hold up finished W. This letter W stands for wisdom. God gives wisdom, because He has all the right answers! All we need to do is ask Him to guide us, and He will, because He loves us so much! Wonder Questions Lead a discussion on today s part of The Big God Story as children take turns pulling Wonder Questions from a bag. SUPPLIES Wonder Questions strips (see Resources) Scissors Small bag with drawstring PREPARE AHEAD Print or copy the Wonder Questions strips, cut them apart, and place them in the bag. Today in this part of The Big God Story, King Solomon asked God for wisdom. He wanted to be a good king for God s people. The Lord was pleased with this request, so God gave wisdom to Solomon generously. The Lord will give us wisdom too. I wonder How would it feel to be a king with no wisdom? With God s wisdom? I wonder What would I ask God for if He said I could ask for anything? I wonder What wisdom does God want to give me? Prayers & Praises

5 ! After discussing the Wonder Questions, encourage kids to stretch their legs in front of them and try to bend and touch their toes a few times. Then, ask them to have a seat in a circle before moving into a time of Prayers & Praises. God spoke to Solomon in a dream and gave Solomon His great wisdom. Let s pray and thank God for always hearing His children when they come to Him. I ll start. Amazing God, You are so wise. You give us what we need, and I m so thankful. Allow children time to participate. Encourage them to speak their own words or repeat the words you offered. Then transition into prayer for individual requests and praises as the Holy Spirit directs you. Now let s share how we can pray for each other. Ask children to share updates on the things they previously asked the class to pray with them about. Celebrate the praises, recommit to praying for things not yet answered, and ask for any new requests. Pray for the praises and requests mentioned, and let children know you ll continue to pray for them in the coming week. Children reflect on what the Holy Spirit is teaching them and respond through creative activities and games. Sculpting Session Children will contemplate areas in their lives where they need God s wisdom as they sculpt with clay. SUPPLIES Modeling clay (1 lump per child)! Invite kids to take giant steps over to the table. Friends, today we ve been learning from The Big God Story that God gives wisdom! Let s take some time right now to think of how we all need God s wisdom to help us this week. Distribute the modeling clay. Think of something in your life that might be a choice you need to make, or a situation where having God s wisdom could help you. It could be with your family, friends, or in your school life. As you re silently talking to God about that personal thing, feel free to sculpt with your clay. You can create something that reminds you of how you needs God s wisdom, something to praise God for giving us wisdom, or anything else you d like. Allow for time for kids to share their sculptures if they d like. After the activity is finished, save the sculptures for display at your next Remember & Celebrate weekend. (Optional) Look What I Can Do Solomon needed God s wisdom in order to be a good leader of God s people. In this game, children will get to take turns practicing their leadership skills. SET UP Clear an open space in your room where children can move around freely. Invite kids to hop over to your game space. God gave wisdom to Solomon, and all the people in the nearby countries came to Solomon for help. Because of God, Solomon was able to show the people what to do. Explain that each child will have a turn to be the leader. The leader will say, Look and see what I can do. Show me how you do it too! While they re saying the phrase, they should do a motion. The other children can try to copy the motion. Give the kids a few moments to think of a motion they d like to do. I ll start! Look and see what I can do. Clap hands. Show me how you do it too! Encourage kids to copy. Choose someone to be the next leader. If time allows, each child can have multiple turns as the leader. Developmentally Speaking It s critical to practice gross motor skills during the early years of child development. Providing children with the space, time, and opportunities to practice things such as galloping, skipping, hopping, running, and so on, will empower kids to master the skills and ultimately give them a foundation for healthy, active lifestyles.

6 ! Children receive a blessing from their leaders and sometimes one another. A blessing may be a prayer of commission, a portion of Scripture, or words to encourage and guide. At the end of your time together, invite kids to stand shoulder to shoulder. Starting at one end, encourage each child to turn to her neighbor, hold his hand, and say, God gives wisdom. They can continue holding hands with each other as they hear the following blessing from James 1:5: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. Children, may you know that God is wisdom. May you follow His commands. May you praise Him forever. Send home the At Home Weekly with your kids.