God wants us to thank and praise him.

David Responds to God s Promise Lesson 3 Bible Point God wants us to thank and praise him. Bible Verse Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care (Psalm 95:6-7). Growing Closer to Jesus Students will n tell about nice things people have done for them, n learn about David s response to a promise from God, n think about why they re thankful to God and how to show their thankfulness, and n commit to thanking and praising God during the week. Teacher Enrichment Bible Basis n David responds to God s promise. 2 Samuel 7:18-29 After Saul was killed in battle, David became Israel s king. Soon after moving into the palace, David voiced his concern about the discrepancy between his grand palace and the simple tent that housed the ark of God. God told David to forgo building a temple. Instead, God promised David an everlasting kingdom. David was clearly wowed by that promise. In this passage, David expresses awe at how God could be so generous to him, as unworthy as he felt. The verses include bountiful praise to God for what God has done for him and for the nation of Israel. It s interesting that after this event David was inspired by the Holy Spirit to write many of the psalms, particularly those classified as Messianic psalms. These psalms portray many different aspects of the life and ministry of the Messiah, Jesus, who was yet to come. The closing verses of David s prayer express his confidence that God will do what he s said he will do. Through keeping his promises, God will not only bless David and Israel but show the rest of the world how powerful and faithful he is (2 Samuel 7:25-26). When we publicly worship and praise God, we declare his greatness in the same way. Prayer Read Psalm 100. Reflect on all the things God has done for you. How can you praise and honor God in the way you live? Pray: God, you are so wonderful and so deserving of my praise! Help me to always praise and honor you with my words and with my actions. As the children in my class see my praise and honor of you, let them be encouraged to be worshippers also. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 37

Lesson 3 Before the Lesson n Collect the necessary items for the activities you plan to use, referring to the Classroom Supplies and Learning Lab Supplies listed on the chart. n Make photocopies of the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at the end of this lesson) to send home with your students. n Pray for your students and for God s direction as you teach the lesson. This Lesson at a Glance Attention Grabber Bible Exploration & Application What Students Will Do Classroom Supplies Learning Lab Supplies Remembering Kindness Remember nice things people have done for them, and read Psalm 107:1 to discuss thankfulness. Praise Shakers Make rhythm instruments with words from 2 Samuel 7:18-29, do a praise rhythm, and sing a song from Psalm 95:6-7. Bibles, pencils, thin strips of paper Bibles, small snacks, small lunch bags, ribbon, colored markers, strips of paper, tape, CD player, beans or seeds Perfect Products Develop commercials for perfect products, and read Deuteronomy 32:4 and Psalm 28:7. Bibles, rock, aluminum foil, permanent marker Closing Thanks for Everything Explore God s perfect blessings, and read 1 Thessalonians 5:18a and Psalm 100 to think of ways to thank and praise God. Praise Pacts Commit to thanking and praising God during the week. Bible, variety of Goldfish crackers, large bowl, tape, markers, newsprint Praise shakers from Praise Shakers activity, pencils Welcome As kids arrive, ask them how last week s lesson affected their lives. Ask questions such as, What was it like trying to work out family conflicts? and How did it feel to show love to an enemy or someone you disagreed with? Tell kids that whenever you shake the noisemaker, they are to stop talking, raise their hands, and focus on you. Explain that it s important to respond to this signal quickly so the class can do as many fun activities as possible. Practice the signal two or three times. 38 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4

David Responds to God s Promise Attention Grabber n Remembering Kindness SUPPLIES: Bibles, pencils, thin strips of paper Have kids form two groups. Give each group a pencil and lots of thin strips of paper. Set the noisemaker at the front of the room so each group has access to it. Have each group form a line on the opposite side of the room from the noisemaker. Say: If you re the first person in your group, write on a slip of paper a nice thing that someone did for you. For example, you might say that a friend helped you with a hard homework assignment or your sister helped you do the dishes. When the first person in line has written something, he or she should race up to the noisemaker, shake it to show thanks, and return to the end of the line so the next person in line can go. Let s see how many strips of paper you can make in the time I give you. Hold on to your strips of paper for now. After a few rounds, say: Everyone, find a partner from the opposite group, and share with that partner what you wrote on your paper. Then return to your group. Have groups discuss these questions: How hard was it to think of something to write? (It was easy; I felt too much pressure to write and think fast.) How many rounds of this game do you think you could have played before running out of nice things to write? (I could have gone forever; a few.) How do you feel when someone does something nice for you? (I feel loved; I feel happy.) When someone does something nice for you, how do you let him or her know that you appreciate it? (I say thanks; I smile.) When you do nice things for people, how do you like them to react? (I like them to be happy; I like them to thank me.) Make sure the kids keep the strips of paper to use in the next activity. Ask kids to open their Bibles and read Psalm 107:1. Then have groups discuss these questions: What nice things does God do for us? (He loves us; he gave us the Bible; he sent Jesus to us; he gives us food and other stuff.) When God does nice things for us, how do you think we should react? Why? (We should thank God because the Bible says we should; we should praise God because he likes to hear our praises.) Why do you think it s important to thank God? (It helps us remember that all good things come from God; we need to obey when God says to thank him.) Say: When we thank others, we recognize their efforts and let them know we appreciate what they ve done. Being thankful shows that we might not expect or even deserve something and that we re glad someone thought of us. In the same way, it s good to let God know how much we appreciate what he does. God wants us to thank and praise him. Let s learn more about why and how to thank God by studying an example from the Bible. Every third- and fourth-grader has blessings to be thankful for. Kids often forget, though, to appreciate what they have and the people who give to them. They often fail to recognize the wonderful things God does and to praise God. Use this lesson to help kids acknowledge what God does for them. Teach kids why they should react to God with humble thankfulness and praise. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 39

Lesson 3 See page 5. Bible Exploration & Application n Praise Shakers SUPPLIES: Bibles, small snacks, small lunch bags, ribbon, colored markers, tape, strips of paper, beans or seeds, CD player track 4 Before class, put a small snack, such as a miniature candy bar or a handful of crackers, in a lunch bag for each student. Tie each bag with a ribbon. Have kids remain seated with their groups from the last activity, and hand each person a bag with a surprise snack in it. Let kids open the bags, but be sure they keep the ribbon and the bag to use later in the activity. After a few moments, ask: How did it feel to receive this surprise? (Great; I felt like you really like me.) What are ways to show appreciation for a nice surprise? (People give hugs; say thank you; shake hands.) Let kids munch their treats as you say: David received some surprises, too. In our last lesson, we learned about some tense moments between King Saul and David. Later, David became the king of Israel. David was very thankful to God for his success, and he wanted to build a temple for God as a way to say thank you. The temple would be a beautiful place where people could worship God. Then God told David that he was very happy with David so happy that he made David an amazing promise. God promised that David s kingdom would last forever! And God kept his promise through Jesus, who was born to David s earthly descendants his children s children s children. In fact, the writers of the New Testament often refer to Jesus as the Son of David to show that Jesus fulfills this promise God made to David! Ask: How do you think you d respond if God surprised you with such an amazing promise? (I d sing and shout and tell everyone I know; I d say a prayer of thanks.) Say: Let s find out how David responded to this surprise promise from God. Have kids get into groups of four. Make sure students have their Bibles. Give each group colored markers and about five narrow strips of paper. Have each group appoint Readers, with the other students acting as Recorders. Explain to kids that the Readers will slowly read aloud 2 Samuel 7:18-29. The Recorders will listen carefully and write on each of the paper slips a different phrase of thanks and praise David used to show God how he felt about the surprise promise. When groups have finished reading and recording, have them discuss the following questions: Based on what you read and wrote, how did David feel about the promise God made to him? (Amazed; happy; surprised.) How did David show his appreciation to God? (He praised and worshipped God; he thanked God.) 40 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4

David Responds to God s Promise Do you think David responded well to God s surprise promise? Why or why not? (Yes, because he really loved God; yes, because God deserves our worship.) Say: David understood that God s promise to him was a very special, very unusual promise. He was thankful for the surprise promise, and he knew that God wants us to thank and praise him. When he heard what God had promised, he immediately went to thank and praise God. We know from another verse in 2 Samuel that David sometimes used music to praise God. Have a volunteer read 2 Samuel 6:5. Ask: What are some of the instruments mentioned in this verse? (Lyres; harps; tambourines; castanets; cymbals.) Say: Let s make our own praise instruments with the things from your surprises and use them to thank and praise God. Hand each group some beans and tape. Have the children put some of the beans into the bags that held their surprises and tie the bags securely with the ribbon. Have them tape the paper strips they made in the Remembering Kindness activity, as well as the strips from this activity, to the outside of the bags and decorate the bags with the markers. Have the kids form two groups. Say: Let s learn a praise rhythm to review what we just learned about David and to praise God ourselves. Teach the following praise rhythm to the entire group for use in the reading below. Practice it several times. Choose a child with strong reading and speaking skills to be narrator, or read those lines yourself. The praise rhythm will always be preceded by the entire group saying, Give thanks and praise to God! Praise Rhythm: All: Clap once. Praise Shakers: Shake two quick beats, pause one beat, shake one final beat. All: Clap once. Praise Shakers: Shake two quick beats, pause one beat, shake one final beat. All: Clap once. Praise Shakers: Shake two quick beats, pause one beat, shake one final beat. All: Clap once. When the Narrator points to the group, kids should respond by saying, Give thanks and praise to God! while waving their shakers above their heads. The kids should then do the praise rhythm. Narrator: God promised David that he would make his name great! (Point.) Most kids have about a sevenminute attention span. That means you need to be ready to move on to the next activity before kids get bored with the current one. Narrator: God promised David that he would set God s kingdom through David s children. (Point.) Narrator: God promised David that David would help fulfill God s promise that the whole world would be blessed. (Point.) Narrator: David praised God for telling him about the future. He was so thankful that he wanted to build God a beautiful temple so that people could worship him. (Point.) Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 41

Lesson 3 Narrator: David praised God and told God that he was great! David realized that there is no one like God. David praised God for saving his people in Israel. (Point.) Narrator: David thanked God for performing great and awesome wonders. (Point.) Narrator: David offered God a prayer to praise and thank God for the good things he had promised. (Point.) Say: Let s sing a praise song and use our shakers. This song is based on our Bible verse for this week, Psalm 95:6-7. Ask a volunteer to read aloud Psalm 95:6-7, and have everyone repeat it: Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. Lead the kids in singing Come, Let Us Worship (Psalm 95:6-7) (track 4). The lyrics are in the back of your teacher guide. Then have kids gently shake their bags in time to the song. Finish by praying: Praise you, Lord, for you are good. Thank you for giving us the Bible so we can learn from people like David that you want us to thank and praise you. In Jesus name, amen. Set aside the praise shakers to use during the closing activity. HANDS-ON BIBLE Have kids form groups of three or four. Give each group a handful of cotton balls and a sheet of heavy paper or cardstock. Direct kids to open their Hands-On-Bibles to Psalm 95 and complete the Why Worship? activity. (Kids will scatter cotton sheep with the paper.) Then discuss together: How are we like sheep? Why do we need God to shepherd us? How can you show thanks to God for being your shepherd? It s important to say the Bible Point just as it s written in each activity. Repeating the Bible Point over and over will help kids remember it and apply it to their lives. n Perfect Products SUPPLIES: Bible, rock, aluminum foil, permanent marker Before class, make a small, simple shield from a square of aluminum foil. You ll also need a rock. Use a permanent marker to write Psalm 28:7 on the shield. Then write, Deuteronomy 32:4 on the rock. Put the shield and the rock out of sight. Say: Now let s learn more about why we should thank and praise God. Have kids form groups of four, and give each group one of the following Learning Lab items: 42 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4

David Responds to God s Promise balancing bird, smiley face bouncy ball, inflatable baseball bat, bloom ball, snapper hand, gotcha grabber, super skrunch, or balloon racer. Say: Your group is a sales team, and you have a few minutes to come up with a commercial about the product I gave you. Think of a great use for your product, and then try to convince us through your commercial why we need the product and how perfect your product is. Make sure that everyone has a role in performing the commercial. Give kids about five minutes to develop their commercials, and then have each group perform its commercial for the class. After all the groups have performed, ask: Is anyone convinced that you need one of these products? Explain. (Yes, I really like the balancing bird and need it to show my friends; no, I like some of them but don t need them.) Is anyone convinced that one of these products is really perfect? Explain. (No, they re just toys and can break; they really aren t important.) Do you think any product is truly needed? truly perfect? Explain. (Yes, some things are really made great; no, everything can break or stop working.) Then say: I have two items that represent something we all truly need and something that is truly lasting and perfect. Ask a volunteer to come to the front of the class and hold the rock up high. Ask a second volunteer to read aloud Deuteronomy 32:4. Ask: Why do you think this writer compared God to a rock? (God is unbreakable; God is strong; God doesn t change.) What does this verse say about God? (His work is perfect; he is just; he does no wrong.) Why do you think we need someone like that? (Because no person is perfect and no one can love us and take care of us like God can.) Ask a third volunteer to come to the front of the class and hold the aluminum-foil shield high. Ask a fourth volunteer to read aloud Psalm 28:7. Ask: Why do you think this writer compared God to a shield? (God loves us and wants to protect us.) What does this verse say about God? (God helps us; God protects us.) Why do you think we need someone like that? (Bad things can happen, and we need someone to help us.) What did this writer say is a good response to God, who is our perfect rock and our perfect shield? (To burst out in songs of thanksgiving; to praise God.) Do you think this is a good response? Why or why not? (Yes, God likes us to thank him; no, I am not a good singer.) Say: God wants us to thank and praise him. And because God is faithful, just, upright, strong, and all-around perfect unlike any product or person on earth it s easy to understand why we should thank and praise him. Let s think about what God has done in each of our lives and how we can thank and praise him. WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD Children under 8 yrs. can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. Adult supervision required. Keep uninflated balloons from children. Discard broken balloons at once. Balloons may contain latex. Be creative in your use of classroom space. Move your table aside so kids can move around freely and work in groups. Have chairs available, but be willing to have kids sit on the floor as well. Chairs can be a distraction, and moving them around slows down your lesson. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 43

Lesson 3 n Thanks for Everything SUPPLIES: Bible, variety of Goldfish crackers, large bowl, tape, markers, newsprint Say: God always wants what s truly best for us and because he knows us perfectly, he always knows what s best for us. That means that whatever God gives us is just the right thing. Let s start by thinking about the very best things God ever gave us. Ask: What do you think that might be? (He gave us life; he gave us Jesus.) Say: The very best that God gave us was his absolutely perfect Son, Jesus. Not only was Jesus perfect in everything he did, Jesus is the perfect answer to what we all need. Ask: What has Jesus done for you? (He died for me; he lives in my heart; he helps me make good choices.) Say: Now let s think about some of the other things God has given us. If someone drops a balancing bird during the relay, have that person gently spin the bird again and continue with the relay. At one end of the room, tape a sheet of newsprint to a wall, and place some markers below the sheet. Then write, Be thankful in all circumstances (1 Thessalonians 5:18a) on the newsprint. Ask: Why do you think we re supposed to give thanks no matter what happens? (Good things always will come from bad; it makes us think about God.) Why is it sometimes difficult to give thanks? (Things make us feel sad; we get grouchy and forget.) Say: When our hearts are thankful, we see the good things God and others do for us. Ask: What happens when our hearts are not thankful, when our hearts are ungrateful? (We don t appreciate the good things people do; we complain a lot; people won t want to do nice things for us anymore.) Ask kids to line up single file at the end of the room opposite the newsprint. Explain that on go, the first person will walk to the sheet of newsprint, write something he or she is thankful to God for, and then walk back. Tell kids that each person will need to write something different. Say: Here s the catch: You ll be holding a spinning balancing bird. You ll need to carefully balance the spinning bird on the perch as you walk and write, and then you ll hand the bird to the next person in line. Have the first person in line balance the balancing bird on the perch and start it spinning. Then say: Go! When each person has had a chance to write, call time. Then gather kids in a circle and ask: Was it easy or difficult to think of things to write? Why? (It was easy because I like thanking God; it was hard because I had to work so hard not to drop the bird.) How did concentrating on the balancing bird distract you from thanking God? (I couldn t think about God because I was afraid I would drop the bird; it didn t distract me too much.) 44 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4

David Responds to God s Promise How is that like concentrating on things in life that distract us from thanking God? (Sometimes my work at school distracts me from what s important; life gets too busy sometimes, and we forget to give thanks.) Say: Sometimes it s hard to thank and praise God. We might feel too sad. We may even feel like God isn t there. But we can always find something to praise God for. Bring out a large bowl of Goldfish crackers. It should be a mixture of several different varieties colorful, pizza flavored, pretzel, nacho cheese, and chocolate, for example. Pass the bowl around the circle and let kids each take a handful. When everyone has some Goldfish crackers, ask: What is one thing all these fish have in common? (They re all smiling; they re all yummy.) Ask if anyone has found a cracker that isn t smiling. They should all have smiley faces. Let kids eat their crackers as you continue the discussion. Ask: How are the smiley faces similar to how we should praise God? (We should be grateful to God always; we should praise him no matter what.) Say: Even when it s hard, God wants us to thank and praise him. We should always face him with praise, just as the Goldfish crackers are always smiling when they face us. Have the class form two groups, and have a volunteer read aloud Psalm 100. Then say: In your groups, think of five ways you can thank and praise God for the blessings he gives us praying or singing, for example. After a few minutes, have groups share ideas. Add the responses to the newsprint. Ask: How can you be sure to thank and praise God, no matter what happens, despite all the other things going on in your life? (Ask God to help me; take time at the beginning of each day to think about God.) Say: As our lists show, we have a lot to be thankful for! God wants us to thank and praise him, and it s important for us to remember to do that. Keep the newsprint up for a few weeks to remind kids to thank God no matter what happens. Closing n Praise Pacts SUPPLIES: Praise shakers from Praise Shakers activity, pencils Have kids form groups of four, and pass out the praise shakers kids made earlier. Tell kids each to remove one or two paper strips from the shakers. In their groups, have kids take turns putting into their own words what the words or phrases written on the paper strips mean. Then have kids each turn to a partner in their group and tell the partner why they re thankful for him or her. Pass out pencils, and have pairs talk about what they can do to thank and praise God. For example, kids could write, Thank God for the little things, or Show God s love to my little sister. Have kids write their ideas on the strips of paper and commit to thanking and praising God during the week. Be sure kids take their paper strips home as reminders to follow through with their commitments. Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4 45

Lesson 3 Growing closer to Jesus extends beyond the classroom. Photocopy the Hands-On Fun at Home handout (at the end of this lesson) for this week, and send it home with your kids. Encourage kids and parents to use the handout to spark meaningful discussion on this week s topic. 46 Hands-On Bible Curriculum Grades 3 & 4

LESSON 3 God wants us to thank and praise him. Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care (Psalm 95:6-7). Have each person answer the following questions: Why should we thank and praise God? What do you have to be thankful for? In what way is your life better today than it was a month ago? a year ago? Practice thankfulness at mealtimes this week. When you ask someone to pass something to you, thank that person for something first. For example, when you ask your brother to pass the salt, you could say, Tommy, thanks for playing baseball with me this afternoon. It was really fun. Please pass the salt. With everyone thanking each other before asking for something, mealtimes can be peaceful and pleasant. Create a scrapbook of God s blessings to you. Take photographs, draw pictures, or cut out pictures from magazines that show things you re thankful for. Glue each picture onto a sheet of paper, per, and write a sentence, such as I m thankful for Grandma because she loves me, on each page. When you have several pages assembled, use a paper punch so you can put the pages in a three-ring binder. Add to your scrapbook anytime you re thankful! Read Psalm 8. What things around you remind you to thank and praise God? Read Acts 16:16-26. Think about a bad situation you face. How can thanking and praising God change how you feel about the situation? Notables Certificate of Thanks Cut out this certificate to let someone know that your appreciation for him or her reaches the stars. Thanks,, for all you do for me! I especially appreciated it when you. You re a star! Permission to photocopy this handout from Group s Hands-On Bible Curriculum, Grades 3 & 4, granted for local church use. Copyright Group Publishing, Inc., 1515 Cascade Avenue, Loveland, CO 80538. group.com 47