3rd-5th Grade (Both Hours) July 20, 2014
Leader BIBLE STUDY Use Week of: This week s Bible story opens with a feast a great banquet hosted in the palace by King Belshazzar. A thousand of his nobles were in attendance. The supply of wine was plentiful. King Belshazzar and those closest to him drank from the holy vessels that Belshazzar s ancestor, King Nebuchadnezzar, had taken from the house of God in Jerusalem. They drank and praised their false gods. 3 Several years had passed since King Nebuchadnezzar s reign. Babylon had seen a handful of successions, and though still served the king, he had likely lost his high-ranking position after Nebuchadnezzar s death. The great feast was suddenly interrupted when a human hand appeared; its fingers wrote a message on the wall. The king did not understand the message. Neither did the astrologers or wise men. The queen (possibly Belshazzar s grandmother) remembered and his ability to understand dreams and signs. God had given wisdom to understand visions and dreams of every kind. (Dan. 1:17) read the words on the wall: MENE, MENE, TEKEL, PARSIN. As verbs, these Aramaic words mean numbered, weighed, and divided. They can also be interpreted as a series of weights: a mina, a mina, a shekel, and half-shekels. interpreted the message. God had evaluated Belshazzar and found that he wasn t good enough. God was bringing his reign to an end. The kingdom would be divided. Belshazzar, who had witnessed the consequences of Nebuchadnezzar s sinful pride, did not humble himself before the Lord. That very night, Belshazzar was killed and the Persians took over the kingdom. Darius the Mede became king. God is opposed to the proud, but He gives grace to the humble. (See 1 Pet. 5:5.) If God were to weigh us, we too would be found deficient, lacking, not good enough. But when we put our trust in Christ, who humbled Himself on a cross, God will raise us up with Him. (Phil. 2:8; Eph. 2:4-6) Older Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 19 Session 3 1
Older Kids BIBLE STUDY OVERVIEW Session Title: God Gave Wisdom Bible Passage: 5 Big Picture Question: What does God do to the proud? God humbles the proud. Key Passage: 6:27 Unit Christ Connection: Despite captivity, God used faithful people to continue His plan to provide salvation through Jesus Christ. Small Group Opening Welcome time Activity page (5 minutes) Session starter (10 minutes) U N I T 19 3 Large Group Leader Countdown Introduce the session (2 minutes) Timeline map (2 minutes) Big picture question (2 minutes) Tell the Bible story (9 minutes) The Gospel: God s Plan for Me (optional) Sing (4 minutes) Key passage (5 minutes) Discussion starter video (4 minutes) Prayer (2 minutes) Small Group Leader Key passage activity (5 minutes) Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Journal and prayer (5 minutes) 2
The BIBLE STORY God Gave Wisdom 5 Nebuchadnezzar (neb yoo kad NEZ uhr), the king of Babylon, had died. A few other kings ruled after him, and then Nebuchadnezzar s grandson became king. His name was Belshazzar (bel SHAZ uhr). King Belshazzar had a big party a feast! He invited a thousand people, and there was plenty of food and drinks for everybody. King Belshazzar asked for gold and silver containers. The containers had been taken from God s temple in Jerusalem. The king and his guests drank from the containers. They were misusing them. The containers from God s temple were not supposed to be used for drinking at parties. While they drank, the king and his guests worshiped their false gods gods made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone. Suddenly, the feast was interrupted. A man s hand appeared at the wall, and its fingers began writing a message on the wall. The king watched the hand, and he was very afraid! His face was pale, and his legs shook. The king looked at the message on the wall, but he didn t know what it meant. Bring me the wise men! the king ordered. If anyone can tell me what this message means, I will give him gifts and an important job in my kingdom. The wise men came, but none of them knew what the message meant. King Belshazzar and his guests were upset. The queen heard what was happening, and she came into the room. She told the king, Don t be upset. There is someone in Babylon who is wise. He will know what this message says. The queen was talking about. came to the palace. The king said, If you can tell me what this writing means, I will give you gifts and an important job in my kingdom. didn t want the king s gifts, but he agreed to tell the king what the message said. First, reminded the king about what happened to his relative, King Nebuchadnezzar. God made King Nebuchadnezzar great, said. But King Nebuchadnezzar thought too much of himself, so God punished him. Older Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 19 Session 3 3
King Belshazzar had not learned from Nebuchadnezzar s mistakes. King Belshazzar did not love God; he loved himself the most and he worshiped false gods. God is in control of your life, said. This message on the wall is a message from God. Then read the message. The words on the wall were MENE (MEE nih), MENE, TEKEL (TEK uhl), PARSIN (PAHR sin). told the king what the words meant. MENE meant that God had counted the days of the kingdom. The king wasn t going to be king anymore. The next word, TEKEL, meant that God had given the king a report card, and he had failed. The word PARSIN meant that Babylon would be split up and taken over by two enemies. King Belshazzar gave gifts like he had promised, and he gave an important job in the kingdom. That night, God s message came true. King Belshazzar was killed, and a new king named Darius (duh RIGH uhs) took over the kingdom. Christ Connection: God used s wisdom to get the king s attention about his pride. The king acted like he was better than God. God humbled the king. Jesus humbled Himself by dying on the cross for our sin. God raised up Jesus and gave Him honor. When we humble ourselves and trust in Jesus, God will raise us up too, and we will be with Him forever in heaven. 4
Small Group OPENING Session Title: God Gave Wisdom Bible Passage: 5 Big Picture Question: What does God do to the proud? God humbles the proud. Key Passage: 6:27 Unit Christ Connection: Despite captivity, God used faithful people to continue His plan to provide salvation through Jesus Christ. dry erase board and marker foreign language dictionaries (optional) Word Search activity page, 1 per kid pencils Welcome time Greet each kid as he or she arrives. Use this time to fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. Invite kids to share words they know in other languages. Write each word on a dry erase board. Discuss what the words mean and how we can learn words from other languages. You may wish to provide kid-friendly language dictionaries to allow kids to look up basic words in another language. Suggestions: hello, goodbye, red, blue, square, circle, road, room, ice cream Say Today s Bible story involves some words and no one knew what they meant. Activity page (5 minutes) Assist kids in completing the word search on the activity page Word Search. Say All of the words in our puzzle are a part of today s Bible story. Which one is the name of a king? Transition to large group Older Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 19 Session 3 5
Large Group LEADER Session Title: God Gave Wisdom Bible Passage: 5 Big Picture Question: What does God do to the proud? God humbles the proud. Key Passage: 6:27 Unit Christ Connection: Despite captivity, God used faithful people to continue His plan to provide salvation through Jesus Christ. countdown video rope, lantern, pen, clipboard or notepad for leader Countdown Show the countdown video as your kids arrive, and set it to end as large group time begins. Introduce the session (2 minutes) [Large Group Leader enters carrying a length of rope, a lantern, a pen, and a clipboard or notepad. Place the items down together and make two marks on your notepad.] Leader Rope, check! Lantern, check! Buckets, already in the truck, check! Blankets, in the truck, check! Oh, hello, boys and girls! I ve been helping one of the rescue teams inventory and restock their rescue truck with supplies. Someone share something cool that happened this week. Wow! What interesting things happened this week! Today our Bible story is about one of the coolest things to happen that I have ever heard. I can t wait to get to that part, but I ll warn you. Our Bible story does include a guy who sins. The Bible tells us a lot of stories about people who sinned. Why do you think that is? Well clearly, God wants us to learn something from all of these stories, so let s review the Bible stories and big picture questions we have had the last couple of weeks. Older Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 19 Session 3 7
Timeline Map Timeline map (2 minutes) Leader Our first week at command central of the Mount Rescue Squadron, we learned about and his three friends. The four boys obeyed God s laws. Our big picture question and answer was, What did do in captivity? remained faithful to God. Who remembers last week s big picture question and answer? Who was with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego? God was with them in the fire. God rescued Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Today we are studying another story about. When was first taken to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar was the king. Now Belshazzar was king. You may want to point out each story on the timeline as you review. If you have more time, review several past stories with kids, allowing them to provide details about each story or Bible person. Big picture question (2 minutes) Leader Our big picture is, What does God do to the proud? Does God like pride? Why or why not? Pride steals God s glory. Now that doesn t mean God doesn t want us to feel good about accomplishing something. It s OK to feel good that you worked hard and finished something, if you remember to praise God for giving you the ability to work hard and finish. If you finish and you are proud that you finished it, and you think you are so awesome, and you are so cool, and you are the most amazing well, that sounds like sinful pride. It s all about you and not about God. We know that really everything should be all about God, not about us! Pride steals God s glory. We don t love and respect God when we are filled with pride. Today our Bible story 8
includes a person who was proud. Let s listen to find the answer to our question, What does God do to the proud? God Gave Wisdom video Bibles, 1 per kid Bible Story Picture Slide or Poster Big Picture Question Slide or Poster Tip: For a shorter version of the Bible story, read only the bolded text. Tell the Bible story (9 minutes) Open your Bible to 5 and tell the Bible story in your own words, or show the Bible story video God Gave Wisdom. Leader Who was the proud person in our story? Belshazzar was very proud of himself. He dishonored God by being proud. He was so proud that he didn t respect God at all. He brought the vessels from the temple into his party. The vessels from the temple were made to be used to honor God in the temple. Belshazzar didn t have any honor for God. He showed great disrespect by drinking wine and worshiping false gods with items that were dedicated to the one true God. Did you catch the really cool part of the story? In the middle of the party, a hand appeared! The hand wrote on the wall. All the people at the party were very afraid. They didn t know what was happening. Belshazzar and his advisors couldn t figure out what the message said. But the queen remembered that had a special ability from God. God had given the ability to understand signs, visions, and dreams. explained the message to the king. The king had been measured and he came up short. He would be judged for his sin. He would not be king much longer. What does God do to the proud? God humbles the proud. We are also sinners. When God measures us, we also come up short unless we have repented and trusted in Jesus. When we repent and trust in Jesus, God accepts the perfect sacrifice of Jesus as payment for our sin. We are forgiven. Jesus was the opposite of Belshazzar. Jesus Older Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 19 Session 3 9
is our King of kings, and He is humble. He is so humble that He died for our sins. When we are humble and trust Jesus to save us, God forgives us and adopts us into His family for eternity. The Gospel: God s Plan for Me (optional) Using Scripture and the guide provided, explain to boys and girls how to become a Christian. Tell kids how they can respond, and provide counselors to speak with each kid individually. Guide counselors to use open-ended questions to allow kids to determine the direction of the conversation. Encourage girls and boys to ask their parents, small group leaders, or other adults any questions they may have about becoming a Christian. You Are I Am song Sing (4 minutes) Leader Stand with me and let s sing You Are I Am. As we sing, think about each of the words and what the song is telling us about God. Lead boys and girls to sing the theme song. Leader Would anyone like to share something our song tells us about God? Select a few kids to answer. Affirm their willingness to respond. Key Passage Slide or Poster He Rescues and Delivers song Key passage (5 minutes) Leader Who can tell me where our key passage is found in the Bible? Great answer! Do I have any volunteers who can say the passage from memory? Select three or four kids and assist them as needed. Lead the entire group to read the verse together. Sing He Rescues and Delivers. You may select a couple of volunteers to lead the group in singing. 10
Unit 19 Session 3 discussion starter video Discussion starter video (4 minutes) Leader How do you know when you are struggling with pride? Check out today s video as you think about your answer. Show the Unit 19 Session 3 video. Leader Does that kid look familiar to anyone? Does anyone want to admit that you might have been just like him? It is very easy to start thinking we are all awesome, especially when we make a good grade or score a winning goal or do really well in a recital. What or who should receive praise when we succeed at something? God. Did the king in our Bible story care about honoring God? Who was he focused on? When you realize you are acting like the kid in the video, what is something you can do to stop your pride? Allow several kids to answer. Always remind kids that we will sin, but God forgives us when we repent. Prayer (2 minutes) Leader Our time is almost over for today. I am so glad you came back to our command central. Belshazzar certainly learned that God does not like sinful pride. What does God do to the proud? God humbles the proud. In one night, King Belshazzar went from having power over the whole kingdom of Babylon to being conquered and losing it all. God desires for His people to be humble. Name one way Jesus was humble. Yes. All of those are true. Jesus ultimately humbled Himself completely by dying on the cross for our sin. After I pray, you will head to your small group and spend some more time talking about our Bible story, big picture question, and Christ Connection. Close in prayer. Older Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 19 Session 3 11
The Gospel: God s Plan for Me Ask kids if they have ever heard the word gospel. Clarify that the word gospel means good news. It is the message about Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation. Use the following guide to share the gospel with kids. God rules. Explain to kids that the Bible tells us God created everything, and He is in charge of everything. Invite a volunteer to read Genesis 1:1 from the Bible. Read Revelation 4:11 or Colossians 1:16-17 aloud and explain what these verses mean. We sinned. Tell kids that since the time of Adam and Eve, everyone has chosen to disobey God. (Romans 3:23) The Bible calls this sin. Because God is holy, God cannot be around sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves God s punishment of death. (Romans 6:23) God provided. Choose a child to read John 3:16 aloud. Say that God sent His Son, Jesus, the perfect solution to our sin problem, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. It s something we, as sinners, could never earn on our own. Jesus alone saves us. Read and explain Ephesians 2:8-9. Jesus gives. Share with kids that Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we can be welcomed into God s family for eternity. This is the best gift ever! Read Romans 5:8; 2 Corinthians 5:21; or 1 Peter 3:18. We respond. Tell kids that they can respond to Jesus. Read Romans 10:9-10,13. Review these aspects of our response: Believe in your heart that Jesus alone saves you through what He s already done on the cross. Repent, turning from self and sin to Jesus. Tell God and others that your faith is in Jesus. Offer to talk with any child who is interested in responding to Jesus. 12
Small Group LEADER Session Title: God Gave Wisdom Bible Passage: 5 Big Picture Question: What does God do to the proud? God humbles the proud. Key Passage: 6:27 Unit Christ Connection: Despite captivity, God used faithful people to continue His plan to provide salvation through Jesus Christ. Key Passage Poster tape slips of paper pen He Rescues and Delivers song Bibles, 1 per kid Small Group Visual Pack poster board, 2 pieces markers Key passage activity (5 minutes) Tape an X on the floor. Write the key passage on slips of paper, one word or phrase per paper. Mix up the papers and distribute them to the kids. Invite kids to form a circle with one kid standing on the X. Play the key passage song and instruct kids to walk in a circle. Stop the music randomly. The kid standing on the X when the music stops must announce which word of the key passage she has on her paper. The remaining kids must organize themselves in correct order surrounding her. Allow kids to trade papers and switch places before playing again. Suggests kids say the key passage from memory. You may wish to begin the game with the key passage poster in clear view for the kids to reference. After playing one or two rounds of the game, remove the key passage poster from sight and play again. Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes) Say Did Belshazzar understand what Nebuchadnezzar had learned about God? Form two groups. Provide each group with a sheet of poster board. Ask one group to read 4:28-37 and one group Older Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 19 Session 3 13
to read 5:17-21. Each group should make a list or draw a picture of what happened to King Nebuchadnezzar. Allow kids to share what they learned. Say Did Belshazzar understand what Nebuchadnezzar had learned about God? No. What does God do to the proud? God humbles the proud. How did God humble Belshazzar? Help kids refer to 5:24-31 as they answer. Say Who humbled Himself by dying on a cross? (Jesus humbled Himself by dying on the cross for our sin. God raised up Jesus and gave Him honor. When we humble ourselves and trust in Jesus, God will raise us up too, and we will be with Him forever in heaven.) If you choose to review with boys and girls how to become a Christian, explain that kids are welcome to speak with you or another teacher if they have questions. God rules. God created and is in charge of everything. (Gen. 1:1; Rev. 4:11; Col. 1:16-17) We sinned. Since Adam and Eve, everyone has chosen to disobey God. (Rom. 3:23; 6:23) God provided. God sent His Son, Jesus, to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. (John 3:16; Eph. 2:8-9) Jesus gives. Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again so we can be welcomed into God s family. (Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18) We respond. Believe that Jesus alone saves you. Repent. Tell God that your faith is in Jesus. (Rom. 10:9-10,13) 14
smocks or paint shirts paint pens non-disposable plastic cups Activity: Party cups Allow kids to use paint pens to decorate plastic cups. For safety, instruct kids not to paint inside the cup or too close to the rim. Encourage kids to print a Bible verse or phrase on their cups as a reminder that all celebration should lead us to praise God. Say What was wrong with the celebration that Belshazzar and his friends had? Name a way Belshazzar sinned. (He was proud. He drank from the vessels dedicated to God. He worshiped false idols.) What does God do to the proud? God humbles the proud. What happens when we humble ourselves and trust in Jesus? (When we humble ourselves and trust in Jesus, God will raise us up too, and we will be with Him forever in heaven.) pencils journals Bibles Journal Page, 1 per kid Temple Treasures activity page, 1 per kid Journal and prayer (5 minutes) Ask kids to consider areas of their lives in which they are tempted to be prideful. Invite kids to write a prayer on their journal pages, repenting of their pride and seeking God s help to remain humble in the future. Kids may also list prayer requests. Say What does God do to the proud? God humbles the proud. Provide kids with the opportunity to share their prayer requests aloud before closing the group in prayer. As time allows, lead kids to complete the activity page Temple Treasures. Older Kids Bible Study Leader Guide Unit 19 Session 3 15
Instructions: Find the following words in the puzzle. Listen to today s Bible story to hear what part each word has in the story. NEBUCHADNEZZAR AEIOUNAAGEMTLQ MYSUSEJNVUOQYD ELQEZZRIDODDAD SYTRAPLETISRTA SHUMILITYEITZN APARAQTDRUWNZI GYNWISDOSHQTAE EVLRAZZAHSLEBL Words:, hand, Belshazzar, message, wall, Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, wisdom, Jesus, humility, party UNIT 19 Session 3 Older Kids Activity Pages
Instructions: Find all of the gold and silver containers Belshazzar should not have used at his party. UNIT 19 Session 3 Older Kids Activity Pages
Journal Page Key Passage: 6:27 Session1: and His Friends Obeyed God 1 Session 2: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego 3 Session 3: God Gave Wisdom 5 Session 4: Was Rescued from the Lions 6 OK TO PRINT
He delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, he who has saved from the power of the lions. 6:27 Unit 19 Key Passage Poster (ESV) OK TO PRINT
What does God do to the proud? God humbles the proud. Unit 19 Session 3 Big Picture Question OK TO PRINT
Unit 19 Session 3 God Gave Wisdom OK TO PRINT
Today we will be tasting/ touching/sniffing: Please notify the leader if your child should not participate. Instructions: Print this poster. You may laminate it and reuse it throughout the quarter. Use a dry erase marker to fill in the necessary information. Display the poster where parents and kids can see it before class. UNIT 19 Allergy Alert OK TO PRINT