BIBLE STUDY Samson was the last of the major judges of Israel. He was born to parents who dedicated him to the Lord as a Nazirite after the Angel of the Lord announced that Samson would be born to save the Israelites from the power of the Philistines. Samson grew up, and God blessed him with great strength. But when Samson requested to marry a Philistine woman, his parents were confused. Samson was supposed to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. Why would he want to marry one of them? But God had a plan in all of this. (See Judg. 14:4.) As Samson prepared for the wedding, he gave a riddle to the men with him about an event that occurred on his way to Timnah. (See Judg. 14:9-14.) Days passed, and the men convinced Samson s wife to tell them the answer to the riddle. This action sparked a series of events that would eventually lead to the death of Samson. When the men solved his riddle, Samson was so angry that he torched the fields of the Philistines. He used the jawbone of a donkey to kill 1,000 men, and he left his wife. The Philistine leaders determined to kill Samson. When Samson fell in love with a woman named Delilah, the leaders bribed her into telling them where Samson s strength came from. A man came and shaved the braids from Samson s head. He lost his strength and became helpless. The Philistines gouged out his eyes and took him prisoner. They had him stand between the pillars of a pagan temple. In a final plea to God, Samson asked for his strength back. God gave him strength, and Samson knocked over the pillars, collapsing the temple. In his death, Samson killed more Philistines than he had killed in his life. (Judg. 16:30) Though Samson disobeyed God, God used him to accomplish His purpose of delivering the Israelites from the Philistines. Jesus would come as the last Deliverer, saving through His life and His death those who would trust in Him. SUGGESTED THEME DECORATING IDEAS: Suggested theme decorations: Simulate the interior of a diner by setting up a few chairs and round tables with checkered tablecloths, generic condiment bottles, and napkins. Write special menu items and prices on a small chalkboard. Consider using the themed background slide. 1 // SESSION 4 // CYCLE 1 KIDS 2/3
Countdown video COUNTDOWN VIDEO Show the countdown video as your kids arrive, and set it to end as large group time begins. WORSHIP Worship leaders sing two songs with the children and collect offering. leader attire: apron chef hat notepad pen Giant Timeline Big Picture question slides INTRODUCE THE SESSION (3 MINUTES) [Large Group Leader enters dressed in a polo shirt and slacks with an apron and a name tag. Leader is also carrying a notepad and pen to take orders.] LEADER Hi, everybody! Glad you came back! [Rub your shoulders as if you are sore.] You know, being a server means I constantly have to carry trays loaded with food or drinks. I also have to stand on my feet for many hours a day. Working in such a fast-paced environment can make you pretty strong, but it can also make your muscles stiff and sore. How about we all stand up and stretch a little bit before we jump into our Bible story? Invite kids to stand up and spread out a little. Guide them through simple stretches, such as reaching their arms high over head, making arm circles, twisting side to side, and so forth. After a couple minutes, invite kids to sit again. GIANT TIMELINE (1 MINUTE) Leader Our last Bible story was about a judge named Gideon. What was so special about Gideon? How did God use Gideon? God used Gideon s weakness for His glory. Today s Bible story is about another judge. This judge was very strong. [Point to the Bible story on the timeline map.] I see here that his name was Samson. BIG PICTURE QUESTION (2 MINUTES) Leader Before we listen to the Bible story, do you remember the answer to our big picture question? How does God accomplish His plan? God uses people for His glory and our good. As you listen to the story of Samson, think about how God used him to bring about His glory and the good of His people. Bibles Samson video Big Picture Question Slide Bible Story Picture Slide main point TELL THE BIBLE STORY (10 MINUTES) Open your Bible to Judges 13 16. Tell the Bible story in your own words, or show the Bible story video Samson. Leader Joshua made a speech to the Israelites before he died. Does anyone remember what Joshua said to them? (Worship only God, Josh. 24:14) Did the Israelites worship only God? (no; Judges 2:11-12) When they forgot about God, what happened? (God allowed their enemies to take over, Judges 2:14-15) The Israelites were miserable, and they remembered how good they had it when they obeyed God. So they cried out to Him, Save us! God raised up judges to lead Israel. One of the judges was named Samson. Before Samson was even born, an angel appeared to Samson s parents and told them that their son would begin to save Israel from the Philistines. 2 // SESSION 4 // CYCLE 1 KIDS 2/3
When Samson became judge, the Philistines were ruling over the Israelites and the Philistines were mean. Samson married a woman who was a Philistine, and he ended up defeating many Philistines by fighting them with the jawbone of a donkey. Can you tell me how Samson got so strong? God gave Samson power. God told Samson that he must never cut his hair. But Samson told too much to Delilah, and the Philistines cut Samson s hair. Samson lost his strength. The Philistines made Samson a prisoner and they made him blind. But Samson s hair began to grow back, and God made Samson strong again. Samson used his strength to knock down the temple of the false god, and even though Samson died, he killed many Philistines too. God raised up Samson as the last judge to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines. Samson made some wrong choices in his life, but God gave him power again so that in his death, he killed many Philistines and rescued the Israelites from their enemies. How does God accomplish His plan? God uses people for His glory and our good. Jesus came into the world as the last Judge, saving through His life and His death those who would trust in Him. Jesus lived the perfect life we fail to live and died the death we deserve to die. By giving up His own life, Jesus provided life for sinners who trust in Him for salvation. Jesus is alive and wants all people to receive eternal life from Him. Samson Judges 13 16 The Israelites disobeyed God, so God let their enemies, the Philistines, rule over them. One day, the Angel of the Lord appeared to two of God s people: Manoah (muh NOH uh) and his wife. He told them they would have a son who would save the Israelites from the Philistines. God had special instructions for their son: He should never cut his hair. Manoah s wife had a baby, and she named him Samson. God blessed Samson and made him strong. When Samson grew up, he saw a Philistine woman he wanted to marry. He went with his parents to meet the woman. On their journey, a young lion jumped out at Samson. Samson killed the lion, but he did not tell his parents what he had done. When Samson and his parents returned for the wedding, Samson found the lion. Some bees had made honey in the lion s body. Samson scooped up some honey and gave it to his parents. Some Philistine men came to help Samson prepare the wedding feast. Samson told the men a riddle: Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet. The riddle was about the lion and the honey, but the men could not figure it out. They asked Samson s new wife for help. Samson told his wife the answer to the riddle, and she told the men. Samson had been tricked! He was angry, and he left his wife. When he went back to get her, she was gone. Samson was so upset that he burned the Philistines fields. This made the Philistines angry. They wanted to kill Samson. Samson escaped to another city, where he fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines offered Delilah money if she would find out why Samson was so strong. Samson gave Delilah reasons for his strength, but none of them were true. Delilah tested his explanations, but Samson was still strong. Finally, Samson told Delilah the truth. If you cut my hair, I will not have my strength, he said. So when Samson was sleeping, the Philistines cut his hair. Delilah shouted, Samson! Wake up! The Philistines are here to kill you! But Samson wasn t strong anymore. The Philistines grabbed him and made him blind. They took him away in chains. Samson s hair began to grow back. One day, the Philistines made Samson stand between two 3 // SESSION 4 // CYCLE 1 KIDS 2/3
pillars in their temple. Samson cried out to God, Lord, please remember me. Strengthen me once more. So God strengthened Samson. Samson pushed on the pillars and collapsed the temple. Samson and everyone in the temple died. Christ Connection: Samson s sin led to his own death, but God used his death to deliver the Israelites from their enemies. Samson s story reminds us of Jesus. Jesus never sinned, but God sent Him to die on the cross and rise again to rescue believers from sin and give them eternal life. Key Passage slide Discussion starter video Mission Video KEY PASSAGE (4 MINUTES) Show the key passage poster. Lead kids to read Isaiah 33:22 together. Leader Who can tell me the first thing this verse tells us about God? (He is our Judge.) And the second thing? (He is our lawgiver.) How about the third thing? (He is our King.) Remember that God put people in charge over Israel Moses gave the people laws; people like Othniel, Ehud, Shamgar, Deborah, Gideon, and Samson served as judges; and later, God made people like Saul, David, and Solomon kings. No matter who was the ruler, we know that God was ultimately in charge. How does God accomplish His plan? God uses people for His glory and our good. The last sentence of our verse says that God will save us. For the Israelites, that meant being saved from their enemies. But the Lord had a plan to save His people from something much greater than physical enemies. He planned to send His Son, Jesus. Those who trust in Jesus are saved from sin and death! Invite boys to read the verse, followed by the girls. DISCUSSION STARTER VIDEO (4 MINUTES) Leader Have you ever seen something that was out of control? Check out this video. Show the Unit 9, discussion starter video. Leader Was it bad that the plane was really fast? What created the problem? Guide kids to consider whether Samson properly used his gift of strength. Lead them to discuss how God-given gifts or talents could be used for good or for bad. For example, how might a person with a lot of wealth use that gift to bless others? How might they waste the gift? MISSION VIDEO LEADER Have you ever heard of the NAME region? Check out this video. Show the missions video One Percent. LEADER Wow! There are half a billion people who live in the NAME region or who come from that area of the world and very few of them have trusted in Jesus. We have a huge task to share the gospel with all of these people. Let s pray for the people of the NAME region and trust in God s power, not our own, to share the gospel with these people. PRAYER Invite kids to pray before dismissing to small groups. Thank God for His good gifts that enable people to live out His plan. Ask God to give kids wisdom to use their gifts and talents for His glory. DISMISS TO SMALL GROUP 4 // SESSION 4 // CYCLE 1 KIDS 2/3
Activity Page, 1 per kid markers/pencils Bibles As kids arrive, invite them to talk about a time they did something they regretted, or wished they hadn t done. How did they feel? Were they able to make it right? (For example, if a kid insulted his sister, he could make it right by apologizing and asking for forgiveness.) ACTIVITY PAGE (5 MINUTES) Invite kids to complete the Who Am I? Riddles on the activity page. Provide Bibles and assist kids in looking up the Scripture references to find the answers. You may choose to form three groups and assign each group one of the riddles to solve. Say Who was the woman who lived in a tent? (Jael, Judg. 4:17-24) Who met with the king of Moab? (Ehud, Judg. 3:15-25) Who tested God by putting fleece on the ground? (Gideon, Judg. 6:11-16) 10 minutes after the start of service Break into groups of 10 or less children for Small group Option: Retell or review the Bible story using the bolded text of the Bible story script. Bibles, 1 per kid Main Point Poster numbered cube BIBLE STORY REVIEW & BIBLE SKILLS (10 MINUTES) Give each kid a Bible. Instruct boys and girls to open their Bibles to Judges 13. To review the Bible story, call out the following verses and allow volunteers to read each verse aloud. Allow time for kids to find the verses in the Bible, and assist as needed. Explain that when kids listen to the verse or passage, they should cheer if something good is happening or boo if something bad is happening. Judges 13:1 Israel disobeyed the Lord. (boo) Judges 13:3-5 God promised a couple that their son would set Israel free from the Philistines. (cheer) Judges 13:24 Samson was born. (cheer) Judges 16:6 Delilah tried to find out what made Samson strong. (boo) Judges 16:7,11,13 Delilah tried to make Samson weak. (boo) Judges 16:17 Samson told Delilah the secret to his strength. (boo) Judges 16:19 A Philistine man cut off Samson s hair. (boo) Judges 16:21 The Philistines made Samson blind and made him a prisoner. (boo) Judges 16:22 Samson s hair started to grow back. (cheer) Judges 16:25 The Philistines brought Samson to the temple of their false god. (boo) Judges 16:28-30 Samson prayed, and God made him strong again. (cheer) 5 // SESSION 4 // CYCLE 1 KIDS 2/3
Say Before Samson was born, an angel told his parents that Samson would rescue the Israelites from their enemies, the Philistines. Even though Samson made some wrong choices, God did ultimately use him to defeat the Philistines. How does God accomplish His plan? God uses people for His glory and our good. Samson s sin led to his own death, but God used his death to deliver the Israelites from their enemies. Samson s story reminds us of Jesus. Jesus never sinned, but God sent Him to die on the cross and rise again to rescue believers from sin and give them eternal life. Journal Page Pencils The gospel is the good news, the message about Christ, the kingdom of God, and salvation. Use these prompts to share the gospel with your kids. Bibles, 2 GOD RULES. Ask: Who is in charge at home? Explain that because God created everything, He is in charge of everything. Read Revelation 4:11. WE SINNED. Ask: Have you ever done something wrong? Tell kids that everyone sins, or disobeys God. Our sin separates us from God. Read Romans 3:23. GOD PROVIDED. Explain that God is holy and must punish sin. God sent His Son, Jesus, to take the punishment we deserve. Read John 3:16. JESUS GIVES. Ask: What is the best gift you ve ever received? Say that Jesus took our punishment for sin by giving His life, and He gives us His righteousness. God sees us as if we lived the perfect life Jesus lived. This is the best gift ever! Read 2 Corinthians 5:21. WE RESPOND. Explain that everyone has a choice to make. Ask: Will you trust Jesus as your Savior and Lord? You can turn from self and sin and turn to Jesus. Read Romans 10:9-10. JOURNAL AND PRAYER (5 MINUTES) Distribute pencils and journal pages. Encourage kids to list three things they are good at. Invite them to pray and thank God for their talent. Then prompt them to write a few sentences about how they might use their skills to glorify God. Remind kids that we glorify God when we show others how great He is. As time allows, lead kids to complete Samson in Action on the activity page. Encourage kids to look up each passage in the Bible. They should write a short caption and illustrate the scene to complete the comic strip. THE GOSPEL: GOD S PLAN FOR ME Use Scripture and the guide provided in the classroom to explain to boys and girls how to become a Christian. Assign individuals to meet with kids who have more questions. If this is not possible, encourage boys and girls to ask their parents, leader, or other Christian adults any questions they may have about becoming a Christian. 6 // SESSION 4 // CYCLE 1 KIDS 2/3
Samson Judges 13 16 The Israelites disobeyed God, so God let their enemies, the Philistines, rule over them. One day, the Angel of the Lord appeared to two of God s people: Manoah (muh NOH uh) and his wife. He told them they would have a son who would save the Israelites from the Philistines. God had special instructions for their son: He should never cut his hair. Manoah s wife had a baby, and she named him Samson. God blessed Samson and made him strong. When Samson grew up, he saw a Philistine woman he wanted to marry. He went with his parents to meet the woman. On their journey, a young lion jumped out at Samson. Samson killed the lion, but he did not tell his parents what he had done. When Samson and his parents returned for the wedding, Samson found the lion. Some bees had made honey in the lion s body. Samson scooped up some honey and gave it to his parents. Some Philistine men came to help Samson prepare the wedding feast. Samson told the men a riddle: Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet. The riddle was about the lion and the honey, but the men could not figure it out. They asked Samson s new wife for help. Samson told his wife the answer to the riddle, and she told the men. Samson had been tricked! He was angry, and he left his wife. When he went back to get her, she was gone. Samson was so upset that he burned the Philistines fields. This made the Philistines angry. They wanted to kill Samson. Samson escaped to another city, where he fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines offered Delilah money if she would find out why Samson was so strong. Samson gave Delilah reasons for his strength, but none of them were true. Delilah tested his explanations, but Samson was still strong. Finally, Samson told Delilah the truth. If you cut my hair, I will not have my strength, he said. So when Samson was sleeping, the Philistines cut his hair. Delilah shouted, Samson! Wake up! The Philistines are here to kill you! But Samson wasn t strong anymore. The Philistines grabbed him and made him blind. They took him away in chains. Samson s hair began to grow back. One day, the Philistines made Samson stand between two pillars in their temple. Samson cried out to God, Lord, please remember me. Strengthen me once more. So God strengthened Samson. Samson pushed on the pillars and collapsed the temple. Samson and everyone in the temple died. Christ Connection: Samson s sin led to his own death, but God used his death to deliver the Israelites from their enemies. Samson s story reminds us of Jesus. Jesus never sinned, but God sent Him to die on the cross and rise again to rescue believers from sin and give them eternal life. 7 // SESSION 4 // CYCLE 1 KIDS 2/3