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The Israelites drifted away from the Lord again, and the Philistines began to harass and hurt them. The Lord blessed a childless couple with the birth of a son named Samson. The Lord told Samson’s parents that Samson was to live by a vow (promise) never to cut his hair or drink any alcohol. He would be a Judge of Israel and have special strength from God. Samson kept the vow, and as he grew up, his strength became well-known throughout the land.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 13-15

Outline:

1. The birth of Samson (Judges 13:1-24)

2. Samson marries a Philistine woman (Judges 14:1-20)

3. Samson begins fighting the Philistines (Judges 15:1-20)

Tips for teaching children:

• Since the story is about a strong Samson, at the beginning of class, have the children do some arm wrestling. Pair them up evenly according to their relative strength.
• Another thing to do at the beginning of class is to let the children eat a spoonful of honey and tell them that in the story today, there will be some honey.
• For a review activity, you can hand out paper and ask the children to draw and colour one of the scenes from the story. When they are finished, have the other children guess which part of the story this is. Additionally, you could have them retell that part of the story.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Divide the class up into three groups. Tell each group to read Judges 13-15. Give them a set of questions to answer after they read the text. You can find a set of review questions on the Missions Bible Class website. Here’s the link: https://missionbibleclass.org/old-testament/part2/judges-and-ruth/birth-of-samson/ Give each group about 20 minutes to read the text and answer the questions.
• After this bring the groups together asking for answers to each question. As a teacher, you can decide how each group is to give their answers to the questions.
• To conclude, lead a discussion on what they learned about God in these chapters and what they learned about Samson. Help the group consider the following:
  • Do you ever struggle with some of the things Samson struggled with?
  • How have you handled these struggles?
  • Give people time to formulate their answers.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: The Birth of Samson

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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Gideon gathered 32,000 Israelites to fight the huge Midianite army of 135,000 men. The Lord commanded Gideon to reduce his army to only 300 men. Gideon and his small army surrounded the Midianite camp at night and, at a signal, smashed jars, blew trumpets, and yelled. Torches were in all of the jars, so the Midianites became totally confused by the noise and light display. In their confusion, they began to fight and kill each other. As they fled, Gideon ordered all Israelites to attack. Gideon did things God’s way, and his small army won a seemingly impossible battle.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 7

Outline:

1. God pares down the Israelite army. (Judges 7:1-8)
2. Gideon and his servant scope out the enemy camp. (Judges 7:9-18)
3. God caused Gideon’s army to miraculously defeat the enemy. (Judges 7:19-25)

Tips for teaching children:

• The dream that the Midianite soldier had about a giant loaf of bread rolling into the camp and destroying a tent will sound humorous to children. A fun activity would be to set up little tents with cloth and a stick. Then let the children aim for them and bowl them over with a ball.
• Fill a shallow dish with water and place it on the floor. Children can drink from it and mimic Gideon’s soldiers in the story.
• A simple craft would be broken pieces of pottery with a small tea light sitting on it. Write “remember Gideon” on it.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Begin with the following question: “Have you ever felt inadequate or outnumbered in a situation?” How did you handle it?
• This story can be read in the class. Choose three readers to read the three parts to the outline in the notes above. Or choose six readers to read and divide chapter 7 into verses as follows:
  • 1-3
  • 4-8
  • 9-14
  • 15-18
  • 19-23
  • 24-25
• The following questions could be used for reflection and discussion. Ask as many questions as time allows.
  • How did fear play a role in the story—for both Gideon and the Midianites?
  • What does this story reveal about God's power and human weakness?
  • What role did obedience play in Gideon’s success?
  • When have you felt outnumbered or overwhelmed and had to rely on God's strength?
  • How can we support one another when we feel hesitant or fearful like Gideon?
  • Where in your life might God be asking you to trust Him more and yourself less?
• End the class with prayer, praying for trust in God even when life doesn’t make sense; pray that God may use you to do his will and to rely on God’s strength, not yours.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Gideon and the Midianites

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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As Israel again drifted away from God, the Midianites began to attack and destroy crops and loot the people. While Gideon was threshing wheat in a secret location, an angel of the Lord came to him and told him to lead the Israelites in a fight against the Midianites. Gideon came from the weakest clan in Israel, so he wanted reassurance that the Lord wanted him to lead. The Lord miraculously made wool fleece wet and then dry according to Gideon’s request, so Gideon knew that he should obey God and become the new Judge of Israel. The Lord chose Gideon to lead even though Gideon’s family was not famous or strong.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 6

Outline:

1. Israel strays from God and calls for help when it suffers for it. (Judges 6:1-10)
2. Gideon accepts God’s call to cleanse Israel of idols. (Judges 6:11-32)
   • An angel visits Gideon. (11-24)
   • Gideon destroys idols in Israel. (25-32)
3. Using a test of wool, God confirms Gideon’s leadership in saving Israel. (Judges 6:33-40)

Tips for teaching children:

• Mix oil and water in a jar and secure it with a lid. Guide the children in shaking the jar to mix the liquids. As you watch the liquids separate, talk about how God did not want his people to try to mix idol worship with following him.
• For younger children, provide an outline of a sheepskin and guide them in gluing cotton wool or wool yarn onto it.
• Collect items made from wool to show the children.
• Remind the children of the cycle of the judges. Printable instructions for the Judges Review Wheel.

Tips for teaching adults:

• As the teacher, I would ask the class members to share stories of times when they were afraid. Why were they afraid? What did they do to overcome their fear?
• Group reading: Divide the class into four groups. Each group will read and discuss one of the sections of Scripture found in the outline above.
  After all groups are finished reading, one member from each group should report back to everyone how their group would summarise their part.
• Following the summaries, have each group ask the rest of the class questions from their section of the story. For instance, one group could ask the other three groups, “What was the father of Gideon named?” For these questions, everyone should first try to answer without referring to the Scripture. You may spend 15 minutes or so on these questions, depending on your available time.
• At the end of the session, choose a couple of readers to read the following verses: Joshua 1:9 and Psalm 3.
  End with a prayer asking God for courage to act in faith, courage to do what God has called each of us to do, and courage to be faithful.

Full teaching instructions at Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Gideon and the Fleece

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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Deborah, the judge, held court while sitting beneath a palm tree. She was wise and helped the people solve their problems. She told Barak, commander of the army of Israel, that the Lord wanted him to fight an enemy named Sisera. Barak refused to fight unless Deborah accompanied him. She went along, and they defeated Sisera’s army. During the battle, Sisera escaped and hid in the tent of a woman named Jael. During the night, Jael killed Sisera in his sleep. After the events, Deborah and Barak composed a song about women winning the victory.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 4-5

Outline:

1. Deborah, the judge, organises Barak to lead an army against the Canaanite enemies. (Judges 4:1-16)
2. Sisera, the enemy commander, is killed by a woman. (Judges 4:17-24)
3. Deborah’s song (Judges 4:17-24)

Tips for teaching children:

• Outline a picture of a palm tree and guide the children in writing or drawing facts or observations about Deborah inside the outline.
• Guide the children in writing a poem or song about God.
• Construct a visual aid to depict the cycle of the time of the judges.
  • Safe with God
  • The people forget God
  • The people suffer
  • The people call out to God to save them
  • God sends a judge to save the people
  • And then start at the beginning again, safe with God.
    Printable instructions for the Judges Review Wheel.

Tips for teaching adults:

• You or other participants can read the following sections of Scripture. For added dramatic effect, sounds or video of a thunderstorm can be playing in the background while the poem sections of chapter 5 are being read. If using a YouTube link, such as this one, be sure to turn the sound off until the ad finishes playing at the beginning. You could also pause it until you are ready for the sound.
  • Reader 1: Judges 4:1-24
  • Readers 1-7, reading one section of this poem each:
    1. Judges 5:1-8
    2. Judges 5:9-13
    3. Judges 5:14-18
    4. Judges 5:19-23
    5. Judges 5:24-27
    6. Judges 5:28-30
    7. Judges 5:31
• Considering that the heroes of the story are women, list the ways women serve in the church. Discuss what would happen if the work and ministry of the women of your congregation stopped.
• Pray for your women of God. Thanks God for them and how vital they are to the work of God.

Free teaching instructions from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Deborah the Judge

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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The Lord had such confidence in Job’s faith that He allowed Satan to test him. Satan took away Job’s wealth, children, and health. Job’s wife and friends were not much help because they tried to convince him that he probably deserved the things that were happening to him. Despite his suffering, Job refused to give up his faith in the Lord. Satan was proved wrong, and in the end, the Lord blessed Job with even greater health, wealth, and family than before. Through a series of questions and revelations from the Lord, Job learned that God knows more than any human does. We may not know why things happen, but God does. We can trust Him.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Job 1-2; 16:1-5; 38-42

Outline:

1. God allows Satan to test Job (Job 1:1-2:10)
2. Job and his friends talk (Job 2:11 through chapter 37)
3. God speaks to Job (Job 38-41)
4. God reinstates Job’s life (Job 42)

Tips for teaching children:

• Discuss some of the amazing attributes of God from Job chapters 38 through 41). Provide illustrations and further study of any of these items. You could use the internet or a public library for resources.
• For artwork, have the children draw or paint pictures depicting any of the subjects in those same chapters.

Tips for teaching adults:

• This is a big and complex book. To help orient the class to discuss the book, as a teacher, I would show the Bible Project video on the book of Job. Here is the link. This is an excellent overview of the book that introduces some of its main ideas. Preview the video and prepare questions that the class can wrestle with. An example of a question might be "Does God run the world on a strict principle of justice?"
• Ask the class members to share any personal experiences they have had in losing possessions and/or in losing their health. Be sensitive to those who share. Ask them how they dealt with their loss. What was helpful? What wasn’t helpful? Resist the temptation to give shallow and trite responses to people's stories of suffering. A big part of this exercise is to listen rather than talk.
• Pray at the conclusion of the class time, asking God for wisdom in ministering to people who are suffering. Ask God to do his work in us and through us, even though we may be suffering. Acknowledge that our perspective is very limited, but that we trust God to work things out in the end.

Full teaching instructions are free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Job

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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When the Lord told the Israelites to divide the land, Caleb had a special request from Joshua. Caleb was an old man, but remembered forty-five years earlier when he was one of the twelve spies who had spied out of Canaan. Because Caleb had faith that God would help Israel conquer the land (even though the enemy seemed like giants), Moses had promised him the land. Although he was old, Caleb still believed that the Lord could help him fight the enemy. The Lord told Joshua to give the land of Hebron to Caleb. Caleb did indeed overtake the enemy and occupy Hebron.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Joshua 14:5-15; 15:13-15; and 21:43-45

Outline:

1. Caleb claims his part of the land (Joshua 14:5-15 and 15:13-15)
2. Go’d’s promises restated (Joshua 21:43-45)

Tips for teaching children:

• To begin a conversation about dividing the land, serve pizza and divide it into 12 portions before eating it.
• Show a map of the land divided between the tribes. Many Bibles include this map in the back pages. Otherwise, a map such as this one will be helpful. https://bible-history.com/geography/map-canaan-tribal-portions
• Invite an older Christian to visit your class and talk to the children about how they serve God.
• Shared Craft: These older adults and the children can use paint and paper to make handprints together.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Begin the class with any of the following questions for discussion:
  • How hard is it to keep promises?
  • What makes keeping promises difficult?
  • What are some factors that prevent us from keeping our promises?
• Since the lesson is about a strong 85-year-old Caleb, follow up with these questions:
  • Who knows some strong 80+-year-old people?
  • What makes them strong?
  • What keeps them going?
• One is never too old to serve the Lord. Older people are still valuable in the work of God. Ask the class to brainstorm ways that older people can serve the Lord. Then brainstorm ways your class can encourage older people to serve the Lord.
• Consider making any of these ideas a project.
• Pray for the older people in your congregation. Thank God for his faithfulness to his promises.

Full teaching instructions are free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Conquering the Land & Fighting Giants

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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People in the town of Gibeon were afraid Joshua’s nearby army would overpower them. They pretended to be from a faraway place and tricked Joshua and his army into promising to keep them safe. When the Israelites later heard that the Gibeonites were neighbours, they knew they had been tricked. Joshua made this mistake because he did not ask God to help him. Even so, they knew they had to honour the treaty. When enemies attacked Gibeon, Joshua took his army and protected them in a battle where the Lord caused the sun to stand still.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Joshua 9:1-10:15

Deuteronomy 7:1-5

James 1:5

Outline:

1. The Gibeonites tricked Israel into making a peace agreement. (Joshua 9:1-27)
2. Israel protects Gibeon and displays God’s strength over the Amorites. (Joshua 10:1-15)

Tips for teaching children:

• Young children will enjoy dressing up in “old” clothes and pretending they are the Gibeonites playing a trick on Joshua.
• For art expression, children can paint a sunburst. Before you begin, have them write “Joshua 10:8) along the bottom edge of a white paper. Help them squeeze some yellow paint in the middle of a paper. Provide straws so they can blow the paint out from the middle as if the sun. Alternatively, use paint brushes.
• Read James 1:5 together and talk about God’s wisdom. If we do not depend on God’s wisdom we can fall for tricks that others play on us.
• Collect examples of “tricks” that advertisers and others play. Read the packaging carefully to see how “fruit flavoured” is not the same as actual fruit juice. Other examples might be flash packaging for a game that is not all that fun, fake money or jewellery.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Summarise Joshua 9 and then have the class read chapter 10:1-15. Ask one or two people in the class to do the reading.
• Bring some examples to class to demonstrate that appearances can be deceiving. Items might include fool's gold, zirconium stone, or a bottle of "water" that has been replaced with salt water. Someone could taste this "water". Ask the class if they have ever been deceived and how that made them feel. Follow up by asking the class for some Bible examples of deceit and discuss how damaging the deceit was to relationships.
• Ask the class why stealing from God was so bad for Achan. After discussing this, follow with the question: “How can we steal from God?”
• End the class by praying that the class members will endeavour to be honest and generous.

Full teaching instructions are free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: The Gibeonite Trick

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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Because Joshua believed the Lord would help the Israelites win another battle, he led the people in attacking the city of Ai. Israel lost miserably. The Lord told Joshua that one of the Israelites had taken things for himself during the battle of Jericho instead of devoting them to the Lord. Soldiers found a robe, silver and gold, that a man named Achan had buried and hidden inside his tent. Achan was stoned outside the city. The Lord then told Joshua to attack Ai again. This time, the Israelites won the battle. Achan thought he could hide his sin from the Lord, but he was wrong.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Joshua 6:18-19; 7:1-8:1

Outline:

1. Achan secretly kept spoils from the Battle of Jericho. (Joshua 6:18-19 and 7:1)
2. Without God’s blessing the Israelites lose the Battle of Ai. (Joshua 7:2-5)
3. Achan’s sin is exposed and punished. (Joshua 7:6-26)
4. Now, with God’s blessing, Joshua leads the people towards victory over Ai. (Joshua 8:1)

Tips for teaching children:

• Place a number of pieces of fabric on the floor to represent tents in a camp. Before the children arrive, hide items resembling gold and silver under one of the “tents” so the children can find them.
• Write “good secrets” and “bad secrets” on the white/chalkboard. Ask the children to list some and then discuss them. Examples might be as follows:
  • Good secrets: A surprise birthday party, Christmas gift, doing something nice for someone and not telling them who did it, etc.
  • Bad Secrets- doing something that is wrong and not telling, not telling someone something that could help them, hiding things that break the law or that could hurt someone or make them unhappy, anything that makes you lie to keep it hidden is a bad secret; any time someone tells you to keep something from your parents is a bad secret, and you should tell your parents.)
• Warning: Treat this very carefully. It is a sad fact that children can be abused or mistreated and then told to keep it a secret. Be sensitive and alert to any situation in the lives of your children. If you become aware of any such situation seek professional advice. This is not a secret you can ignore.

Tips for teaching adults:

• If time allows, have a reader read the entire text aloud to the class. The reading could be divided into sections and multiple readers used. One way to divide the reading is to use the points in the outline provided above.
• Have the class members give examples of how the actions of one person can affect others. In other words, ask class members for examples of people being affected, good or bad, by the consequences of the actions of another person.
• Neither Joshua nor Achan fully trusted God in this story. Ask the class to discuss what can be learned from each of these characters.
• End the class by praying for the leaders of your church to seek God’s guidance. Also pray that we can re-commit ourselves in fulfilling our commitment to God.
  
  

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org