Get to know your Bible

Transcription

1 Get to know your Bible Bible Basics Curriculum No part of this curriculum may be republished without permission. Please feel free to copy for classroom use. Bible Basics Lesson 3/page 1 of 8

2 3 Lesson Title: History Scripture: Joshua 2, 6; 1 Samuel 8, 15, 17; Judges 6 Scripture Memory: All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching how to live right. 2 Timothy 3:16 Last week we learned that there are divisions in the Bible. What is the first one? (Law) And how many books does it include? (The first five) What are they? (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy) The second division is History. It includes the books Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. Do you remember talking about God s promise to Abraham last week? Part of that promise was about descendants and God gave Abraham a son that would begin to make all the descendants possible. The son God promised Abraham and his grandsons and great grandsons lived for a while on the land God had also promised. They lived there until they moved to Egypt to find food during a famine. Who remembers how long they were in Egypt? (over 400 years) How would they ever get back? Remember, God used Moses to free them from slavery and take them to the Promised Land. Did they move in immediately? No! How long did they wander around in the wilderness? (40 years) Why? They didn t trust God. God had promised the land to them, but when the first opportunity came to take it back from those who lived there, 10 out of 12 spies sent in ahead of them were too afraid. That fear infected the Israelites! Well, after 40 years, the two out of twelve who trusted God to give them the land were the only ones of their generation who were still alive when God gave them the land He had promised so long before. One of those was Joshua. He led the people after Moses died. The history part of the Bible tells us about how God s people entered the land God gave them and lived in it. One spectacular story of Israel going obedience to take the land involves Joshua marching the army around the city of Jericho once every day for six days and seven times the seventh day at God s command. With a trumpet blast and shout, the walls just fell in! Bible Basics Lesson 3/page 2 of 8

3 History tells about how the people began trusting in God, but also how they turned away because of the influence of the unbelievers around them. In fact, the book of Judges explains a cycle of years of disobedience, then judgment from God followed by a judge raised up to protect, and obedience during the life of the judge. All of that repeated for about 300 years! (See Judges 6 for an example.) Then, because of that disobedience they rejected God. They wanted a king like everyone else. God gave them what they wanted and told them exactly what it would be like. The king would take their sons and daughters. He would take their grain and their animals. He [would] use them all for his own work. (1 Samuel 8:16b) King Saul was everything God said he would be and from the very beginning he did things his own way and made excuses for his disobedience. (See 1 Samuel 15.) He reigned for 42 years. God raised up another king, a man after His own heart and ruled the kingdom during a time of war. His name was David and he loved the Lord. When King David was a young boy he killed the giant Goliath with a sling and a stone. Even though he was far from perfect, when King David sinned he turned from it and asked God s forgiveness for his sin. Throughout his life he wrote songs and played a harp. King David s son, Solomon, followed him on the throne and was the wisest man who every lived. Solomon built a temple for God. Throughout the history of the kings of Israel (1 & 2 Kings and 1 & 2 Chronicles) the kings are compared to David; the king either followed David s example in obedience to God or didn t follow his example and did what was evil in God s sight. As the kings disobeyed so did the people. Their disobedience ultimately led to their captivity in other countries. Ezra and Nehemiah tell us about that period of time. The book of Esther tells us about the years after that captivity. It tells the story of captives who remained in captivity even after they were allowed to return to the land of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Esther was a brave girl God used to save her people from destruction. Do you like to study history? If not, you might be wondering why you have to read the History division of the Bible or know anything about it. There is a quote from someone who lived a long time ago, Those who don't know history are doomed to repeat it. (Edmund Burke) History is important; we learn from it. It teaches us what works and what doesn t and reminds us of how God can accomplish the impossible. It also shows where we are at fault. Do you remember the verse we looked at in our first lesson from Deuteronomy chapter 6, Always remember these commands I give you today. Teach them to your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and walk along the road. Talk about them when you lie down and when you get up? (v 6,7) We review and remember Scripture because God wants us to. History is also important because ALL Scripture is inspired by God (2 Timothy 3:16a) What have we learned about that Scripture? It is useful for teaching and showing people what is wrong in their lives. How do you put this into practice in your life? If all Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives, have you opened your Bible and started reading it? Even the history? There are some amazing stories of ordinary men and women who trusted God. As they trusted Him, He did amazing things like making city walls fall down and saving His people from destruction. Did you know that God can do the same with you? Do you trust Him? Have you taken the first step by believing Jesus is God s Son raised from the dead and by choosing to follow Him? If not, let s talk. If you have, will you take a step each day to trust God with the impossibles in your life and watch Him do amazing things? Bible Basics Lesson 3/page 3 of 8

4 Memory Verse Activity: Continue working on 2 Timothy 3: Play balloon tennis with paper plate and craft stick racquets. Say a word of the verse in order as the balloon is passed from side to side. Take the opportunity to review each individual story within this main story. For example: Review the story of Joshua and Jericho. Discuss how it fits in the History section of the Bible and how that story is useful for teaching. Continue with your Bible Reading Journals. Don t forget to discuss the questions: 1) What happened in this passage? 2) What does this passage teach about God? 3) What does this passage teach about my relationship with others? 4) What does God want me to do in response to this passage? Continue practicing the books of the Bible. Print each book of the Bible on a separate clothespin. Practice arranging the clothespins in order. This can be done on a hanger or around the top of a plastic bucket. Continue to play hopscotch with the books of the Bible. Make two playing fields, one for the Old Testament and one for the New Testament. Make a Books of the Bible lap book. Continue to play a cup game. Provide another set of cups (or two) and have a competition. Learn the books of the Bible along with the song Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star. Write the books of the Bible on ping pong balls. Place them in a shallow pan. Use chopsticks to separate them into Old Testament/New Testament books. Then separate them into divisions. Bible Basics Lesson 3/page 4 of 8

5 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. It is useful for correcting faults and teaching how to live right. Using the Scriptures, the person who serves God will be ready and will have everything he needs to do every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Bible Basics Lesson 3/page 5 of 8

6 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching and for showing people what is wrong in their lives. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Bible Basics Lesson 3/page 6 of 8

7 C R O L L S A M S N T E S T A G C B E Y O R D I E X O D U S R H L E V I T I C U S R E W R E R E H T S E E S T O O E N E K O F I S L F R Y T W E M P Y K N A U H S O J M A D A S O R I I W H A T I S W R O N G E O L C N T O E T R N S E R R T T U L D P S S E G O L E U M A S N E H E M I A H R U H T M O I E S E G R A C K E F I H L S H S P A R G M H R T E Z R A P S U S T E O K I N G S E R A E E S E L P O E P G N I W O H S T I I N J U D G E S P Y G O S D HISTORY JOSHUA JUDGES RUTH SAMUEL KINGS CHRONICLES EZRA NEHEMIAH ESTHER SHOWING PEOPLE WHAT IS WRONG Bible Basics Lesson 3/page 7 of 8

8 C R O L L S A M S N T E S T A G C B E Y O R D I E X O D U S R H L E V I T I C U S R E W R E R E H T S E E S T O O E N E K O F I S L F R Y T W E M P Y K N A U H S O J M A D A S O R I I W H A T I S W R O N G E O L C N T O E T R N S E R R T T U L D P S S E G O L E U M A S N E H E M I A H R U H T M O I E S E G R A C K E F I H L S H S P A R G M H R T E Z R A P S U S T E O K I N G S E R A E E S E L P O E P G N I W O H S T I I N J U D G E S P Y G O S D HISTORY JOSHUA JUDGES RUTH SAMUEL KINGS CHRONICLES EZRA NEHEMIAH ESTHER SHOWING PEOPLE WHAT IS WRONG Bible Basics Lesson 3/page 8 of 8