Lesson - Korah's Rebellion

VERSES:   Numbers 16:1-50

MEMORY VERSE:   Numbers 16:48   "And he stood between the living and the dead: and the plague stayed."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Romans.  Write "Romans" on slips of paper and hand them out at the end of the class.

PRAYER:   Let all of us remember that God loves pure, dedicated, obedient hearts and try our best to have that kind of heart.

SPECIAL SONG:   Be Careful Little Eyes (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog)

VISUAL AID:   "Korah's Rebellion"  (same as Activity below)

LESSON POINTS:   Special Note: This lesson is a little longer than normal, so might start right on time today!

• It is never good to go against God. We know this is true because we have been studying for a long time now about what happens to people who do not love the LORD enough to obey Him. For some reason, there are some people who do not think of the consequences of their actions and rebel against God. That's what a man named Korah and his followers did. They forgot that God is all powerful and expects His children to obey Him, much like parents expect their children to obey them.
• There were four men, Korah, who was a Levite, and Dathan, Abiram, and On, who were from Reuben's family. These four men stood up before Moses with 250 of their friends who were in the congregation and were Israelite leaders, but they did not respect Moses and Aaron and the authority that God had given them. They gathered together in one place and told Moses and Aaron to their faces, "Why do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of the LORD when everyone here is holy, every single one of the people is holy?" When Moses heard what this group had to say, he fell on his face, then he said to Korah and to all the group, "Tomorrow the LORD will make known who is His and who is holy and who is allowed to come close to Him. Korah and all those that are in agreement with him, this is what you should do tomorrow:  Take your censors, put fire and incense in them in the presence of the LORD. He will choose who is holy. You have exalted yourselves too much, you sons of Levi! Isn't it enough that you are Levites and have special privileges and jobs? He has allowed you, as Levites, to come closer to Him than others are allowed and now you seek the priesthood as well? What has Aaron done to you that you can complain against him?"
• Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram, but they said that they would not come. They refused to obey the rules.This is called 'rebellion.' They complained to Moses and asked him why he was going to kill them in the wilderness and then make himself a prince over the people. Was this right? Was it Moses who didn't want to go into the Promised Land and was it Moses who was going to kill them in the wilderness? NO! The PEOPLE would not go and GOD gave them consequences for their sin! Normally, Moses was a meek and patient man, but this made Moses very angry and Moses suggested to God that He not accept any of their offerings. He said that he had not taken even a donkey from them and he had never wronged even one of them.
• So, Moses told Korah that he and all his company, and even Aaron, should appear before the LORD the next day. Each man was to take his censor, filled with fire and incense and stand of the door of the tabernacle. The next day, they did as they were told and the glory of the LORD appeared to the congregation. God told Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from the congregation because He was going to destroy all of the people in a moment! Moses and Aaron both fell on their faces and asked God if He would destroy them because a few had sinned. So the LORD told Moses to tell everyone to step away from Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side and to stay away from the tents of those wicked men or they, too, would be consumed for those men's sins. So, everyone stepped far away from the men and their tents, and all that they owned. The men stood outside their tents with their families.
• Moses then said, "This is the way that you will all know that God has sent me to do these things and I have not done anything by myself. If these men here die a natural death and nothing happens to them right now, you will all know that the LORD has not sent me. But, if the earth opens up and swallows them up and everything that belongs to them, and they go down into a pit alive, then you will know these men have made the LORD God angry."
• Guess what? It happened just like Moses said it would! The ground underneath only those men's feet and tents opened up and everything that they owned including them and their families went deep inside the ground and then the ground closed up again and they all died. Everyone who was standing around them, all of those 250 friends, started to run away because they were afraid that they, too, would be swallowed up, but a fire from the LORD came out and consumed every one of those 250 men offering incense. God wanted pure, dedicated, and obedient hearts, not rebellious hearts that disobeyed Him. He wanted the people to remember this lesson about Korah and the rebellion.
• God told Moses to tell Eleazar, Aaron's son, to go get the 250 censors from the fire and scatter all the ashes around because it was holy, then to take the brass censors and hammer them down to make a broad plate for a covering for the altar. This was to be a memorial to the Israelites that no one who was not from Aaron's family was to offer incense before the LORD. 
• Now you would think that was the end of the story, but it wasn't. The very next morning, do you know what the Israelites did? They complained about Moses and Aaron, saying that they had killed the people of the LORD!! They did not learn that it was the one who sinned that caused his own death! If Korah and his friends had been obeying God, they would not have died! So God heard the people complaining and He told Moses to get away from the people that He was going to kill all of them right then. Moses and Aaron fell on their faces and Moses told Aaron to hurry and take a censer, put fire and incense in it, and make atonement for the people because God's anger had already gone out to the people and a plague had begun. Aaron did as Moses said and the Bible says that as Aaron ran out in the middle of the people, he stood between the living and the dead and the plague was stopped, so not everyone died. 14,700 people besides Korah and his friends died that day. All because of Korah. Very sad. We always need to obey God. God wants what is best for us because He loves us very much, but He wants us to obey Him always.

"Older Student" Tips:

• Discuss the fact that all Levites were not all priests, but all priests were Levites. From no other tribe or family did God allow to be priests. (Leviticus 6)

ACTIVITY:   "Korah's Rebellion" *Please Note:  This is not a difficult project, but it may take a little extra time for small children. The brown papers can be made in advance by the Bible teacher to assure there is enough time to finish. (You can do this!! The kids will remember this story for a long time with this project.)

Materials needed:  12" x 18" brown construction paper, three 2" x 4" different colored scraps of paper, three 5" x 1" strips of white paper, tape, scissors, crayons, marker.

1. Hand out brown paper to students.
2. Fold paper in half, length-side.
3. Fold paper in half again, so there are four panels when unfolded.
   
4. Re-fold Panel One and Panel 4, so they both meet  in the middle. This creates the "pit."
   
5. Crease all folds well.
6. Unfold paper. Place on table, landscape-style.
7. Between first and second panels and third and fourth panels, cut 1 1/2" slits on top and bottom. (Total four slits.) (see picture below #8).
8. Fold inward point of slit to inside middle half of entire paper.
   
9. Hold up brown paper, so that inward triangles met. Tape like this on each side. (see below.)
   
10. Fold any-color strips of paper in half, and in half again. This is a tent.
11. Unfold small strips of paper, fold like a 'tent' and tape. Make three tents..
12. On white paper, write "Korah", draw his family; leave an extra inch of blank, white paper on one side to fold so the triangle will stand up. Tape to secure.
13. On white paper, write "Abiram", draw his family; leave an extra inch of blank, white paper on one side to fold so the triangle will stand up. Tape to secure.
14. On white paper, write "Dathan", draw his family; leave an extra inch of blank, white paper on one side to fold so the triangle will stand up. Tape to secure.
15. Write "Korah's Rebellion" and "Numbers 16" on the edge of the brown paper.
16. Place tents and families on top of flat 'ground.'
    
17. Have students practice holding the pit with the three tents and three families on the top of the "ground." Open up the "earth" and let the families and tents fall in! 
    
18. This is a great visual aid for this lesson!

Lesson - Sinning Willfully

VERSES:   Numbers 15:32-41

MEMORY VERSE:   Numbers 15:40   "That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Review the first five books of the New Testament-"Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts."

PRAYER:   May we always strive to love God with our whole heart, never sinning on purpose. Let us be pure and holy.

SPECIAL SONG:   How Do Christians Worship God? (see May - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #5 on this blog.)

VISUAL AID:   Large bundle of sticks (see Activity below)

LESSON POINTS:

• We remember from last week that the Israelites chose NOT to go into the Promised Land, even with God's help, to take the land from the Canaanites and the Amalekites. As their punishment, the people had to wander in the wilderness for forty years.  During this time, a man was found picking up sticks on the sabbath day. Let's think...is this what the people were supposed to do on the sabbath day? NO! What was the only thing they had to do on the sabbath day? That's right! Rest! They were not supposed to do anything, but rest. NO working at all, and yet they found a man picking up sticks! God had told the people many different times not to do any work on the sabbath.
• The people who found him, took him to Moses and Aaron and all the people. They put him in a separate place to wait because God had not told them what should be done to him. The LORD told Moses that the man should be put to death by throwing stones at him until he died. God wanted His people to trust and obey Him, to take His command seriously, and to be holy as He was holy. 
• God says what He means and means what He says...even today! Let us stay close to God's Word and read it every day. The way we know what pleases God is by reading His Word and obeying Him. . 

"Older Student" Tips: 

• Over the past few weeks we have studied many lessons in the Bible. Can we think of any examples of God saying what He means and meaning what He says? (Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, the wicked people in Noah's time, etc.)

ACTIVITY:    "The Man Who Picked Up Sticks"
Materials needed:  small thin sticks, 3" x 4" scrap of paper (any color), twine, crayons or markers, scissors, hole punch.

1. Let the student choose 7 or 8 small sticks.
2. Cut 7" of twine.
3. Unroll the twine into small pieces.
4. Pass one piece of twine to each child.
5. Hand out scrap of paper.
6. Have student punch a hole in paper on edge.
7. Write "The Man Who Picked Up Sticks" and "Numbers 15:32-41" on the scrap of paper.
8. Take one piece of twine and tie once around sticks.
9. Insert end of twine in hole in paper.
10. Tie well.

Lesson - The Minority Was Right!

VERSES:   Numbers 14:1-45

MEMORY VERSE:   Numbers 14:8   "If the LORD delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it to us; a land which floweth with milk and honey."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Acts.  Write "Acts" on slips of paper and hand out to students at the end of class.

PRAYER:   Let us be courageous and trusting like Joshua and Caleb.  If God is on our side, nothing can stop us.

SPECIAL SONG:   Read, Read, Every Day (see Songs We Sing In Bible Class #1 on this blog).

VISUAL AID:  Whiteboard or Chalkboard Drawing of 12 Spies Portraits. (See Activity below.

LESSON POINTS:

• The children of Israel still did not understand. They were standing just outside the Promised Land, ready to go in, yet they were afraid and they cried all night! They did not understand that if God was on their side, there was no need to be afraid and worry and fret. God had taken care of them all through the desert, and now He was ready to protect them when they went in to take the land. Instead, they complained! They complained that they should have stayed in Egypt and should have died there. They also complained that they should have died in the wilderness. They complained that they were all going to die fighting by the sword. Do you know what they wanted to do? They wanted to go back to Egypt!!  They were going to select a captain and head for Egypt! 
• But the people forgot one thing, didn't they? Who was on their side? That's right! God was on their side and, with God on your side, you can do ANYTHING! Only Caleb and Joshua said they that the land was a very good land and that, if they pleased the LORD, then He would give them the land that flowed with milk and honey. Do you know how Moses and Aaron and Caleb and Joshua felt about all of this? They were sad, but only sad because the people were fainthearted or weak and not brave. The people did not believe that God would help them. Let's turn and read Numbers 14:5 and 6 in our Bibles. (Read verse.) Let's put our bookmarks right here. What did Moses and Aaron do? They fell on their faces in front of all the children of Israel. What did Joshua and Caleb do? They tore their clothes because they were so sad about the people not trusting God.
• Joshua and Caleb told the people not to rebel or go against the LORD. They said not to fear the people in the land, but all the children of Israel intended to throw stones at Joshua and Caleb when suddenly the glory of God appeared in the tabernacle. God was angry at the people. He asked Moses, "How long will these people disrespect me? Of all the signs that I have shown them, and they still will not believe! I will strike them down with a plague and raise a great nation out of you, Moses." God was willing to destroy all of those more than 600, 000 people, but Moses said to God, "The Egyptians will hear and tell all the people around them that they have heard that you are the LORD of these people, that You go before them in a cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night, and that You protect them. But if You kill all these people at one time, then the nations will say that You were not able to bring them into the land that You promised." Moses pleaded with God on behalf of the people. He told God that He was patient and full of great mercy and forgiveness. He asked to God to forgive them just like He had all along the way through the wilderness, walking from Egypt.
• Finally, the LORD told Moses of the consequences of the people's sin. He said that the people would not see the Promised Land, except for Joshua and Caleb. Joshua and Caleb believed God, but no one else did. God told the people that next morning that they should turn and get into the wilderness by way of the Red Sea. He said anyone over the age of twenty years old who had complained against God would die in the wilderness and never, ever see the Promised Land. Only Joshua and Caleb would see the land because they had believed God. The people would wander around in the wilderness for forty years until they all died, all but Joshua, Caleb, and the young ones. God said that for every day they were searching out the land of Canaan, that is how many years they would wander in the wilderness. How many days were they spying out the land? That's right! 40 days! How many years would they wander in the wilderness? Yes! Forty years! One year for one day in Canaan. That's another 'forty', isn't it? 
• Not Joshua and Caleb, but every one of the other ten men who made the children of Israel afraid of the land and complained against God had died by a plague. The people were greatly saddened. The next morning, the people got up early and said that they had sinned and that they would go up and take the land like God had wanted them to do in the first place. But it was too late! Moses said NOT to go because the LORD was not with them. They would not be protected from their enemies, so they had better not go and fight them. But the people went anyway, and the Amalekites and the Canaanites killed many of the children of Israel because God did not go with the children of Israel. Again, they did not listen to God or to Moses. They did what they thought was best.
• How very, very sad. This story could have ended with a happy ending if the people had only trusted God and had done what He told them to do. Just because there were more people saying one thing did not make it right. There were ten men saying "NO!" they could not take the land and only two men saying "YES!" they could take the land. Who was right? The ten men or the two men?  Of course, the two men, Joshua and Caleb. They were the minority, but they were right in God's sight. They believed God and His Words. The other ten men were the majority, but they were wrong.  Numbers are and never were important to God. 

"Older Student" Tips:

• Define "presume" for the students. The children of Israel "presumed" that God would be with them when they changed their minds and wanted to fight the Canaanites for the land. We should never presume that God will do something for us when we have sinned. The Bible says in 1 Peter 3:12 that the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers, but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil. We should always do what God wants, not what we want.
• Define "minority" and "majority." Discuss "The majority is not always right." Read Exodus 23:2.

ACTIVITY:  The Minority Was Right!

Materials needed:  12" x 18" dark green construction paper, 10" x 16" bright green construction paper, 9" x 15" tan construction paper, crayons, scissors, marker, glue.  Optional:  two stars.

1. Hand out the dark green paper. This is the background.
2. Hand out the bright green paper.
3. Fold bright green paper into twelve equal parts.
4. Unfold paper and glue to dark green paper, touching the bottom of the dark green paper.
5. Fold tan paper into twelve equal parts.
6. Cut twelve men's upper bodies out of tan paper, making sure each man fits into his own bright green square.
7. Draw a face on each man, 10 angry with their mouths open and two happy and hopeful with smiles on their faces.
8. Write "Joshua" and "Caleb" on the happy men's shirts.
9. Color all the men. It is nice when they all look a little different.
10. Glue men in their bright green square. It doesn't matter what order they are in.
11. Write "Majority or Minority. WHO WAS RIGHT? Numbers 14" at the top of the paper.
12. Find Joshua and Caleb on the paper. Write "YES!" in their boxes and, for older students, write something positive that they would have said about taking the Promised Land from the Canaanites and Amalekites.
13. On all the other men's squares, write "NO!" in the boxes and, for older students, write something negative that they would have said about taking the Promised Land from the Canaanites and Amalekites..
14. Extra:  Put a star sticker in Joshua and Caleb's boxes.
    

Lesson - The Spies

VERSES:   Numbers 13:1-14:

MEMORY VERSE:   Numbers 13:23  "And they...cut down...a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bare it between two upon a staff..."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Review the first four books of the New Testament:  Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

PRAYER:    May we trust the LORD enough to let Him take care of us in His own time.

SPECIAL SONG:   The Twelve Sons Of Jacob (see  April - Lesson - The Twelve Sons Of Jacob on this blog).

VISUAL AID:   Overhead Projector (for instructions, see March - Visual Aid #4). Draw a cluster of grapes on a branch, large enough for two men to carry on a pole (Num. 12:23). Extra visual aid:  Bring in a cluster of grapes to eat, showing how small our grapes are compared to the ones found in the Promised Land.

LESSON POINTS:

• THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL HAVE ARRIVED AT THE PROMISED LAND!  God promised the children of Israel that He would take them to a land that flowed with milk and honey (Ex. 13:5) and God always remembers His promises. The people camped in the wilderness and God told Moses to tell the people, "Send men into the land of Canaan and spy out the land." God told them to pick one man from each tribe. Do we remember what a tribe is and who was the head of each tribe or family? If we can remember way back to Jacob and Joseph's time, how many sons did Jacob have? That's right! Twelve! Each one of Jacob's sons had a family and they were in charge of their family or sometimes they called a family a tribe. This is what God was talking about! He wanted one man from Reuben's family, one man from Simeon's family, and on down the line to one man in Benjamin's family. Levi's family did not need to go because they were priests, but Joseph--remember Joseph?--had two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, and they each had families, so in the end twelve men were chosen to spy out the land. 
• The spies' job was to see what was in this new land that had been promised to them, to take a look at the people who lived there, to see if the people were strong or weak, to see if there were many people or just a few. Another job was to look at  the land to see if it was a good land with lots of crops, to see if there was wood in the land, and they were to bring something back that grew there. Moses told them to be courageous and go check it out, so they went.
• They climbed up into the mountains and came to a place called Hebron. There was a brook there, and that was where the twelve spies saw an unusual sight! They saw very, very, very big grapes hanging on the vines because it was the grape season when they spied out the land. The grapes they saw were larger than any they had EVER seen before! They were HUGE! So they cut down a branch as big as this one (motion to the grapes that you have drawn--see Visual Aid above) and not one, but TWO men had to carry it back to the camp on a pole or a staff between them. They also brought back pomegranates and figs. Can you imagine how they felt? Here they had been traveling in the desert and these are the first fruits they have had in a long time! Finally after forty days, the men returned to the camp. FORTY DAYS?! We can remember that! How long did it rain during the flood? Forty days and forty nights! How long was Moses up in the mountain with the two tablets? Forty days! How long were the spies in the land of Canaan? Forty days!
• When the twelve men came back to the camp, they stood before Moses and Aaron and all the people and told them what they had seen and showed them the fruit of the land. This is the report they gave:  "We have seen the land and it surely does flow with milk and honey. Here we show you the fruit of this new land. BUT...we have seen the people and their cities. Their cities have walls all around them and the people there are as tall as giants!!" We know the people were a little afraid when they heard this news because there was a good man named Caleb there with the other eleven men, and the Bible says that "Caleb stilled the people" or he calmed them down. Caleb said to Moses and all the people, "Let us go right now and possess it for we are well able to overcome it." But the men that were with Caleb, all except Joshua, said, "Oh, no! The people there are stronger than we are and we are not able to fight them. We are like grasshoppers compared to them." 
• Next time, we will see what happens. Will they go in and fight for the land...or will they be afraid?

"Older Student" Tips:

• Study a little about the city of Hebron.
• It is interesting that we now know of three different occasions where the number forty is used.
• What do we remember about Joshua? He held up Moses' hands when they were fighting the Amalekites. Joshua went up the mountain a little ways with Moses. Now, we have learned he is one of the spies!
  

ACTIVITY:    Grapes From The Promised Land
Materials needed:  9" x 12" yellow construction paper, scraps of different shades of purple paper, 3" x 2" rectangle of brown paper, 8" x 12" green construction paper, glue, scissors, marker or crayons.

1. Hand out a piece of yellow paper. This is the background.
2. Hand out shades of purple paper. 
3. Cut purple papers into approximately 2" circles.
4. Turn yellow paper portrait style (up and down).
5. Glue circles onto yellow paper, starting at the bottom. These are the grapes.
6. Fold brown paper in half, and in half again. This is the branch.
7. Glue branch to top of paper, touching the grapes.
8. Fold green paper in half.
9. Cut two leaves out of paper.
10. Fold each leaf in half, and in half again. These are the veins in the leaves.
11. Glue leaves to top of yellow paper.
12. Write "Grapes from the Promised Land" and "Leviticus 13:23" on the yellow paper.

Lesson - Miriam And Aaron Forgot God's Ears

VERSES:   Numbers 12:1-16

MEMORY VERSE:   Numbers 12:3.  "Now the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  John.  Write "John" on slips of paper and hand out to the students at the end of class.

PRAYER:   May we always appreciate the fact that God is in control and God knows what is best for us.

SPECIAL SONG:   The Books of the Old Testament, The Books of the New Testament, and Be Careful Little Eyes, stressing the verse about being careful what we say (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog). Be Patient And Kind is another appropriate song on this blog which you will find under April - Lesson - Joseph Meets His Brothers Who Hated Him.)

VISUAL AID:   Large Miriam (see Activity below). Would be nice to have large Aaron and Moses, too. 

LESSON POINTS:

• God always sees and hears everything we do. Sometimes we forget that! We say things to our friends and we forget that God is listening, too. Sometimes we do things with our friends and we forget that God is watching, too. We should always remember that we are not alone. God is watching over us and He listens to what we say. 
• Do you remember Moses' sister's name? That's right! Miriam! Do you remember Moses' brother's name? That's right! Aaron was Moses' older brother! Aaron and Miriam forgot something that we just talked about.  They forgot that God was listening when they complained about Moses and about his wife from a country called Ethiopia. God heard every complaining word. They were jealous of Moses and his relationship with God. They said, "Has the LORD spoken ONLY to Moses? Hasn't God also talked to us, too?" Guess who heard what Aaron and Miriam were saying? God! 
• Suddenly, the LORD spoke to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam and He said, "You three come out into the tabernacle!" And they did. The LORD came down in the pillar of the cloud and stood at the door of the tabernacle. God called Aaron and Miriam and they stepped forward. God told them, "Hear my words. If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD will speak to him in a dream and a vision. I don't do that with Moses. Moses is always faithful. With him I speak directly, face to face. Why were you afraid to speak to My servant, Moses?" Now, it seems that Moses was the meekest men on the earth. Meek does not mean weak; it means to be humble, patient, and not want to fight, showing strength through patience. That sounds like Moses, doesn't it? Let's see how the LORD felt about this situation. Let's turn to Numbers 12:9. (Read verse.) Let's put our bookmarks right there. How did God feel about how Miriam and Aaron had been acting? That's right! He was angry and not just a little bit. He was VERY ANGRY! They found that when the cloud left the tabernacle, Miriam was white with leprosy. 
• Do you remember that word "leprosy?" Leprosy was a dreaded disease and it had no cure unless the LORD cured it. Aaron said to Moses, " I plead with you that you do not blame us for this sin. We have done foolishly and we have sinned. Please do not let her be one that is dead with leprosy!" Moses cried unto the LORD to heal Miriam. He prayed fervently and the LORD heard Moses. He still punished Miriam and she had leprosy for seven days and had to stay outside the camp. The children of Israel did not travel during those seven days until Miriam was healed, then the people traveled on to the Promised Land, a land that flowed with milk and honey.

"Older Student" Tips:

• Jealousy makes us do terrible things. We want things that others have and we don't like that person because of that jealousy. God gets angry when we are jealous of others. He wants us to be patient and kind to others and not jealous and complaining. Read Ephesians 4:31, 32 in the New Testament.
  

ACTIVITY:  Miriam Became Leprous
Materials needed:  Stencil of a body to trace, 9" x 12" white construction paper, 9" x 12" tan construction paper, colorful napkin, black construction paper scrap, scissors, crayons, glue.

1. Pass out both pieces of white and tan construction paper.
2. Trace body stencil on both pieces of paper. The tan paper is Miriam complaining; the white paper is Miriam with leprosy.
3. Cut both 'bodies' out.
4. Fold napkin in half to fit body (without head). This is Miriam's dress.
5. Trace body without head on folded napkin. 
6. Cut out 'dress.' When done, there should be two 'dresses', one for each side of body.
7. Glue tan and white paper bodies together, so they match. It is fine if they are not exact.
8. Glue a dress on each side of Miriam.
9. Color faces--complaining face on tan paper, sad face on white paper.
10. Write "...Miriam became leprous..." and "Lev. 12:10" on white-papered Miriam.
    

Lesson - Menu Rules (Song)

VERSES:   Leviticus 11:1-47

MEMORY VERSE:   Leviticus 11:3   "Whatsoever parteth the hoof, and is clovenfooted, and cheweth the cud, among the beasts, that shall ye eat."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  Luke.  Write "Luke" on small slips of paper and hand out at the end of class.

PRAYER:   Thank God for all the food that we have to eat and that it is good for us.

SPECIAL SONG:   The Books Of The Old Testament, The Books Of The New Testament, and The Wise Man Built His House Upon The Rock (all three songs are found in Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog). Or try this new song right off the press:

GOD'S MENU

From the creatures of the land,

God gave Moses His command,

Things they could and could not eat,

Must chew the cud, With cloven feet.

Do what's good and shun the bad,

You'll be happy, never sad,

Follow God and do not stray,

He will lead you all the way.

VISUAL AID:    Pictures of all kinds of animals listed in our lesson today.

LESSON POINTS:

• The book of Leviticus is filled with many rules for the children of Israel. There were rules on staying away from idols, on the disease of leprosy, on sacrifices, on marriage, and on food. The rules were for the Israelites' own good. God said the people were to be holy because He was holy. 
• Talking about their food, the people lived in tents and traveled in the desert or wilderness and could not keep food for a long period of time like we can. We have refrigerators, ice chests, and freezers, but the children of Israel did not. There needed to be guidelines or rules concerning the type of food the people could eat or they would get sick and maybe die. God, being so wise and smart, told Moses to tell the people what was good to eat and what was not good to eat. God called the good things to eat "clean" and the bad things to eat were called "unclean." Moses told the people what God had told him about "clean" and "unclean" food. 
• God said it was important to look at the animals' feet and to notice how the animals ate their food. This would be the way the people could tell what was "clean" or "unclean" food. If the animals had hooves that were divided or "cloven" AND the animals chewed their cud, they could be eaten. They had to do both of these things. A cow is a "clean" animal because its hooves are cloven or divided and a cow chews its cud, so the Israelites could eat a cow. Do you know what "chewing their cud" means? Let's all chew our pretend food like a cow would right now. (Chew your cud from side to side.) 
• Moses began to list the animals that they could eat and not eat. Moses already said that they could eat anything that had cloven hooves and chewed its cud. But some of the things that God had said not to eat were camels (chews, but no cloven hoof), rabbits (chews, no cloven hooves), and pigs (cloven hooves, but doesn't chew its cud). Those animals were unclean to the Israelites.
• Moses then talks about the things that were in the water. God said that whatever had fins and scales in the waters, in the seas, and in the rivers were "clean." What did "clean" mean? That's right! The people could eat it! BUT...if it did NOT have fins or scales, then it was "unclean." What did "unclean" mean? That's right! They could NOT eat it!
• Next, Moses talked about the birds. Moses made a big list of the birds that the people could NOT eat. They could not eat the eagles, or vultures, or buzzards, or falcons, or owls, or night hawks, or hawks, or swans, or pelicans, or storks, or herons, or bats. God did not say why they could not eat them, only that they were commanded not to eat them. 
• Then Moses talked about the creeping things. If the creeping thing had four feet and could leap, they were OK to eat. Even locusts and grasshoppers and beetles were clean. But all the other flying creeping things were unclean.
• God said that anything that walked on its four paws were unclean. Can you think of something that has four paws? Yes! Cats, tigers, lions, bears, dogs,and animals like that could not be eaten. They also could not eat weasels, mice, tortoises, ferrets, lizards, snails, and moles. 
• God also listed may rules about not touching anything that was dead or things that came in contact with dead things. Do we know why? The Bible does not say, but things that are dead usually have diseases and sicknesses. If the people touched them, then they might get the disease, too.
• God also told the people they could drink water if it was in a fountain or pit and the water was moving and there was plenty of it. We obey this rule even today. If there is a pool of water, maybe from the rain, we don't drink it because the longer it sits there, the greater the chance that bugs or sickness or disease might be in the pool. So we even can learn from these rules today, can't we? 
• Remember how we have said that when God says something once, we had better listen, and when He says something twice, we had better REALLY listen? In our lesson today, God says TWO times that the children of Israel were holy because God was holy. He wanted His people pure and holy and helped them in any way He could. Making sure their food was good was one way God helped the people.

"Older Student" Tips:

• Older students may find the lesson today very interesting. Many times, Bible teachers skip lesson like this, thinking that it might be too difficult for children to "sit through." A theme like this can bring out the intelligence of God, His wisdom, and His love for His people. God truly cares for His own.
  

ACTIVITY:   Clean Or Unclean?
Materials needed:   either white bond paper for the students to draw the animals (cows, oxen, sheep, goats, camels, pigs, rabbits, fish, eagle, owl, stork, etc.), or stickers, or free clip art found on the internet and copied before class time, 9" x 12" construction paper, crayons, scissors, glue.

1. Hand out construction paper to each student. This is the background.
2. Fold paper in half.
3. Write "CLEAN" and "UNCLEAN" at the top of the construction paper.
4. Hand out white bond paper to each student. This is paper for the animals. 
5. Draw animals listed above on the white paper.
6. Cut out animals.
7. *OR if you have chosen the clip art method, hand out the prepared papers now and cut out animals. (Animals cut out in squares instead of on the blackline is fine and faster.)
8. *OR even easier, use the animal sticker method, but there must be both clean and unclean stickers available!
9. Color animals.
10. Glue animals to the "Clean" or "Unclean" side. 
11. Write "Leviticus 11:1-47" somewhere on the paper.
12. Check all papers before they leave the classroom.

Lesson - Nadab and Abihu

VERSES:   Leviticus 10:1-7

MEMORY VERSE:   Leviticus 10:1  "...and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He commanded them not."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  Mark. Write "Mark" on slips of paper and hand them out to the students when class is over.  

PRAYER:  May we always strive to obey God in everything He says. Let us be thankful for the Bible and the wisdom of God.

SPECIAL SONG:  It might be wise to continue to sing The Book Of The Old Testament as a review, so the students won't forget them. Practice the new song, The Books Of The New Testament (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3).

VISUAL AID:    Draw pictures of Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar on the whiteboard or chalkboard. With a red marker or pink chalk, cross out Nadab and Abihu as you tell the story of when they sinned. 

LESSON POINTS:

• Aaron and his sons were from the tribe of Levi and were made priests by God. God told them through Moses exactly how to do everything exactly the way He wanted it done. God was very specific. Remember when we studied about the tablets of stone (see May - Lesson - The Tablets on this blog)? God was very specific in how He wanted things done and that is exactly how God was concerning the priesthood. It mattered how the tabernacle was built, and how the priests' clothing was made, everything mattered to God! Today, we sometimes hear that it doesn't matter to God how we worship Him. Was it important in the Old Testament times how God was worshiped? YES! And it matters today. God wants to be worshiped His way, not how people think He wants to be worshiped. It was no different with the priests and their jobs. The priests in the Old Testament had special jobs they had to do. They offered sacrifices according to the law, they taught the law to the people, and they took care of the tabernacle.
• Nadab and Abihu were Aaron's sons. They were right there with Moses and their father, Aaron, when Moses was telling them about all the special jobs they, as priests, had to do to take care of the tabernacle. One of their jobs was to take their censers which was a container for burning incense and put incense in the censer. God had told them where to get the fire to burn the incense, but for some reason Nadab and Abihu did not use the fire that God told them to use. Let's turn our Bibles to Leviticus 10:1 and see what kind of fire Nadab and Abihu offered. (Read verse.) Let's put our bookmarks right here. What kind of fire did they use? That's right! Strange fire! Fire that God had not told them to use. What were they thinking? God had told them everything to do and here they offered fire that God had commanded them NOT to use!
• Does God mean what He says? YES! Does He say what He means? YES! When they offered that strange fire, the Bible says there came fire out of the LORD and consumed them and they died right there and then! God always means what He says. They should have known better, but they sinned and did what God had not commanded them.
• Then Moses (who was their uncle) told their father, Aaron, that this is what God meant when He said that He would be sanctified and holy before those who came close to Him. Before all the people, God would be glorified or honored. And do you know what Aaron said?  Nothing. The Bible says that Aaron held his peace or said nothing. He did not want to complain to God about how he thought that God was too harsh because Aaron did not want to make God angry and he respected for God's laws, too. He didn't open his mouth at all. He knew his sons should have obeyed God in all things. He must have been sad, but he didn't say anything at all.
• Moses called Nadab and Abihu's cousins to come and take Nadab and Abihu out of the sanctuary and out of the camp. Moses went on to say to Nadab and Abihu's brothers, Eleazar and Ithamar, and his father, Aaron, NOT to uncover their heads or tear their clothes like people normally did when someone in their family died or they would die, too, and God's anger would come down on all the people. The rest of the children of Israel could be sad about Nadab and Abihu, but not Aaron and his sons. This showed that God's punishment is always right and just.
• Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar were not to leave the door of the tabernacle or they would die because the Lord's anointing oil was upon them. And they did as God commanded them.

"Older Student" Tips:

• The Bible teacher might review a little about 'generic' and 'specific' commands again, so that all of the students remember. (See May - Lesson - The Tablets.)
• The Bible says that the Nadab and Abihu's cousins went close and carried them out of the camp in their coats, so it didn't totally annihilate them, it just killed them. (Lev. 10:5)

ACTIVITY:   Aaron held his peace
Materials needed:  9" x 12" sheet of construction paper, one sheet of white typing or bond paper, crayons, glue, scissors.

1. Hand out a sheet of white paper.
2. Using all of the paper, draw a portrait of Aaron looking very sad, but crying.
3. Cut out Aaron and glue to construction paper.
4. Write "Nadab and Abihu" and "Leviticus 10:1-7" at top of the paper.
5. Write "offered strange fire" and "...and they died..." and "And Aaron held his peace" on the paper.
6. Write "Aaron" on Aaron's shirt.

Lesson - Leviticus

VERSES:   Leviticus 1-9

MEMORY VERSE:   Leviticus 19:2   "...Ye shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:  We will begin learning the books of the New Testament. It is a good idea to spend a little time and help the students find the page that usually says "New Testament" in the middle of the Bible. You can hold up your Bible to this page and physically show them which Testament comes first in the Bible, which is the larger Testament,  and it will be easier for the students to remember these facts.  "Matthew" is the first book of the New Testament and the one to be learned as a Book To Remember for next time.

PRAYER:   Thank God for giving us His Word, so that we know how to worship God and how to live a life pleasing to Him.

SPECIAL SONG:   The Books Of The New Testament.  Try a new song, "The Books Of The New Testament," found on this blog under March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3. (Click on the white arrow in the orange circle for the tune to the song.)

VISUAL AID:   The Bible (Hold up the Bible to Leviticus, as you tell the lesson.) Draw a picture of people falling on their faces and worshiping God on the whiteboard or chalkboard.

LESSON POINTS:

• The book of Leviticus is the third book of the Old Testament. Leviticus is filled with laws and rules that told the children of Israel how to worship God and how to live their lives in a way that was pleasing to God. They were God's People and they lived differently that the other nations. They were to be holy like God was holy. God told them in this book how to live. Today, Christians are God's people and must live differently than the world around them. Today, the New Testament tells Christians how to live and how to worship God. Christians, too, are to be holy like God. (Ephesians 1:4)
• This book is filled with different sacrifices that the Israelites offered to the LORD God, the laws and specific ways in which these offerings were offered, and how often they were to offered.  The first seven chapters in this book of Leviticus told the people how to offer sacrifices to God. There were burnt offerings, will offerings, meat offerings, offerings of the firstfruits, peace offerings, sin offerings, wave offerings, and trespass offerings. God also made special provisions for the poor, so they had special rules as well. 
• In chapters eight and nine, it tells how Aaron and his sons had special jobs. They were the priests from the tribe of Levi who had special clothes and performed the sacrifices and offerings for the people, but the LORD still only talked to Moses. 
• When Moses had told all the people everything that the LORD wanted done and how He wanted it done, Moses and Aaron went into the tabernacle. When they came out of the tabernacle, the glory of the LORD appeared to all the people. There was fire that came from God and consumed or burnt up the offering that was on the altar. Let's turn to Leviticus 9:23, 24 and read what the people did after the fire burned up the offering on the altar. (Read verses.) Let's leave our bookmarks right here. What did the people do? That's right! All of the people saw God's glory and fell on their faces and worshiped Him. 

"Older Student" Tips:

• Looking through the first seven or eight chapters of this book, it is interesting to note that many times, the phrase "a sweet savour" is used. This means that the offering pleased God. Because it is a short lesson and if there is time, suggest that the students count how many times they can find this phrase in the first eight chapters.
• Interesting, too, is that in Leviticus 7:23-27, there were grave consequences for those who ate of the fat and the blood of the sacrifices.
  

ACTIVITY:   Book
Materials needed:  9" x 12" any color of construction paper, two sheets of 8.5" x 11" white bond paper, staples, stapler, crayons.

• Hand out construction paper.
• Fold paper in half.
• Write "The Book Of Leviticus" on the outside of paper.
• Fold two sheets of white paper in half like a book.
• Stuff white folded papers into folded construction paper. 
• Staple papers together like a book. Three staples should do it.
• Open to first white paper.
• On the first folded white paper, write "Leviticus told God's people how to worship God and".
• Turn the page.
• On the left side, write "how to live to please God."
• One the right side, write "The Israelites were God's people."
• Turn the page.
• On the left side, write "They were to live differently than other nations."
• On the right side, write "Today, Christians are God's people."
• Turn the page.
• On the left side, write "Christians must live differently than the world."
• On the right side, write "Today, the New Testament tells Christians how to live"
• Turn the page.
• On last white page, write "and how to worship God."
• Decorate outside cover, time permitting. Numbering pages, optional.   
• If you believe that there too many words for your students to write, simply type up the words, copy them off, have the students cut them out and glue them to the white papers.

                                                

 

My Hope And Prayer

My friend, as I sit here in my kitchen and think about what I would say to you if you were sitting across the table from me right now, I would ask you if you thought you have grown in your Bible knowledge these past few months, as I believe I have. I would hope that your answer would be "Yes!" as well.

With both our hearts and our Bibles open, we should be learning quite a bit through our studies together! It is impossible to teach what we do not know. How can we impart knowledge to others that we do not know ourselves? Just as we teach the children, God talks to us through His Word and, if we are not reading it, He does not talk to us. (Hebrews 1:1, 2) We must read to know the Truth (John 8:31, 32), we will not be ashamed if we study (2 Timothy 2:15), and our faith will grow as well (Romans 10:17). A definite win-win!

Today marks the 100th blog on this site and my daily prayer is that there is someone "out there" who is finding this blog helpful. May someone become a little more confident, a little less 'lost', a little more motivated in knowing how to teach, what to teach, and is actually enjoying the lessons, songs, and activities along the way. Perhaps that someone is you! You may be the reason for this blog! May we continue on our journey through the Bible, growing "in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory both now and for ever..." (2 Peter 3:18)

Songs We Sing In Bible Class #5

Mixing classic children's tunes like Mary Had A Little Lamb, London Bridge Is Falling Down, and It's A Small World with new Bible lyrics is not a new concept, yet, whenever you do it yourself, you think you are a genius! Children easily grasp on to 'new' songs such as the ones below because they already know the tune. Half the work is done! Try a song or two below to see how easy it is, then try writing one of your own! Remember to keep it simple and keep it biblical! If your students are learning, they might as well learn it correctly straight from the Bible. (Click on the arrows below to hear the song. Technology is great!)

HOW DO CHRISTIANS WORSHIP GOD?

(1 Thess. 5:17;  Eph. 5:19;   1 Cor. 16:2;   Acts 20:7;  2 Tim. 4:2)

How do Christians worship God?

Worship God, worship God?

How do Christians worship God

On the first day of the week?

With bowed heads, they pray to Him,

Pray to Him, pray to Him,

With bowed heads, they pray to Him

On the first day of the week.

With one voice, they sing to Him, 

Sing to Him, sing to Him,

With one voice, they sing to Him

On the first day of the week.

Cheerfully, they give to Him,

Give to Him, give to Him,

Cheerfully, they give to Him

On the first day of the week.

Soberly, they break the bread,

Break the bread, break the bread,

Soberly, they break the bread

On the first day of the week.

With God's Word, they preach the Truth,

Preach the Truth, preach the Truth,

With God's Word, they preach the Truth

On the first day of the week.

MARY, MARTHA, AND LAZARUS

(John 11:1-45)

Mary, Mary, and Lazarus,

And Lazarus, and Lazarus,

Mary, Martha, and Lazarus

Were friends of Jesus.

Lazarus got sick and died,

Sick and died, sick and died,

Lazarus got sick and died,

His friend, Jesus, cried.

"Come forth, Lazarus!" Jesus said,

Jesus said, Jesus said.

"Come forth, Lazarus!" Jesus said,

He raised him from the dead!

JESUS WAS TEMPTED

(Matthew 4:1-11)

Jesus was tempted just like we are, too,

Once for forty days He did not eat food,

"Make these stones become bread,"

That's what the devil said,

But Jesus remained true.

(CHORUS)

Satan took Him up to the temple's top,

Up from there Jesus was to simply drop,

"Thou shalt not tempt the Lord,"

Jesus quoted from God's Word,

Again, Jesus remained true.

(CHORUS)

"All the kingdoms of this world yours shall be,

If you'll only fall down and worship me,"

"Get Thee hence," Jesus sent,

And away Satan went,

Always, Jesus remained true.

(CHORUS)

CHORUS:  

"It is written," Jesus said,

"It is written," Jesus said,

"It is written," Jesus said,

Do we say that, too?