Judges/Gideon
JUDGES/GIDEON
Objectives:
- Children should be able to tell the story of Gideon – the meat offering, the fleece, the choosing of the men, and the battle.
- Children should understand the need to trust in God in all things.
Possible Lesson Plan:
- Open with prayer.
- Scripture Reference: Judges 6-7. When the Israelites entered the Promised Land, they were not ruled by a king but by judges called by God. God had commanded Moses to build the Ark of the Covenant (remember what was in it?) and the Tabernacle – a huge tent, greatly decorated, holding the precious Ark. During the years of wandering, the Levites carried this huge tent and all of its furnishings, to be set up at each new camping place. In the Promised Land, the Tabernacle was set up at a place named Shiloh. The people came to Shiloh to pray and to give offerings to God. On the Day of Atonement each year, the high priest would sacrifice a goat as an offering to the Lord and send another goat out into the wilderness to show that the people’s sins were sent far away. On this holy day, celebrated from the days of Moses until today, the Jewish people fasted and prayed.
- Learning Game: Charades. Write the major events of the story on slips of paper (same as for the story-spinner below). Have the students pick out a slip and act out the event while the others guess what’s happening.
- Discussion: Gideon was one of the judges called by God. How did God call Gideon? What was the purpose of the fleece? How did Gideon choose his men? Why? How did he win the battle? Was Gideon stupid to go into battle with such odds against him? Why or why not?
- Find the tribes of Israel on the map. Where was Gideon. Other judges?
- Make a Story-Spinner:
Take a paper plate. Divide
it into 5 sections. In each
section, have the child draw
the stories of Gideon: the
burning of the meat and cakes,
the destruction of Baal’s altar,
the fleece, the choosing of the men, the attack on the
Midianites. Make a spinner out
of tagboard or another plate.
Attach it to the first plate with
a brad; it will spin better with
a small bead between spinner
and plate. Spin the spinner, and
tell the story that goes with the
picture.
- Close with prayer.
