Lesson - Assyrian Captivity

VERSES:   2 Kings 17:1-41

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings 17:6   "...the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away into Assyria ..."

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

PRAYER:   May we always put God first in our lives above everything else.

SPECIAL SONG:   The Wise Man Build His House Upon The Rock   (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog)

VISUAL AID:   Map showing Israel and Assyria.  Draw a large Activity on the whiteboard or chalkboard.

LESSON POINTS:

• Today's last lesson about the children of Israel is a very sad one. Ever since the children of Israel had come out of Egyptian bondage or slavery, God, through Moses, the judges, the prophets, and the kings had pleaded with the people not to have any other gods before Him (Exodus 20:3). Had they listened? Not for very long! When they were in trouble, what did they do? They prayed and cried out to God to help them, but when He did help, they soon forgot about Him and went back to serving gods that were made with men's hands. Men did what they wanted to do, and not what God wanted them to do. God warned the people all along to serve Him and to serve Him only, but they had not listened to Him. But things changed. Finally, God had had enough! 
• Remember that after King Solomon died, God had divided the kingdom of Israel .between King Solomon's son, Rehoboam, and King's Solomon's servant, Jeroboam. Rehoboam was given two tribes to make up the Kingdom of Judah and Jeroboam was given the ten tribes to make up the kingdom of Israel (see August - Lesson - Troubles At The End Of Solomon's Life on this blog).  Do we remember which kingdom was more faithful to God? The kingdom of Judah was not consistently faithful, but there were more good kings in Judah that loved God and walked in His ways. Now, God is going to make a big difference in the two kingdoms.
• Because of the Kingdom of Israel's sin and wickedness, God let Israel be carried off into captivity in Assyria. Let's look on the map to see where Assyria was (look at map). That is a very long way! God said from the time they had come out of Egypt, the people had sinned against the LORD God. There were many reasons why God allowed the people to again go into bondage or slavery. 
• They had feared other gods and walked in wicked and sinful ways. 
• He said that the children of Israel did evil secretly against God and built high places to serve their idols. 
• He said that under every green tree, there was an idol!
• They burned incense to their idols and did other wicked things to make God angry.
• God kept telling them over and over and over again to turn from their evil ways and to keep His commandments, but they would not listen.God said they would even stiffen their necks like their fathers had and did not believe God's words.  
• He said they had left the commands of the LORD God and made themselves two golden calves, made a grove to worships idols in, worshiped all the things up in the sky, and served Baal. 
• They had made their sons and daughters go through the fire of the idols and used magic and enchantments. 
• They knew what would make God angry, and those were the things that they did. 
• He said they had chosen to walk in the ways of Jeroboam and sin a great sin. What was that great sin? Idolatry. Choosing a statue before God. 
• So, God removed Israel from His sight and they were carried away into Assyrian captivity, never to return to God. From this point on, Judah was God's chosen people and from whom Jesus would be born.   
• The very last king of Israel was Hoshea and the year that the children of Israel went into Assyrian captivity was 722 B.C.. From now on, we will study about the kingdom of Judah being God's people and will study to see if they learn a lesson from their brothers from the kingdom of Israel.

"Older Student" Points:

• The children of Israel were guilty of presumptuous sin. They knew the rules. They knew the laws. They knew what would make God angry and those were the things that they chose to do. They made choices, but they made the wrong choices.
• The children of Israel were carried away into Assyrian captivity in 722 B.C. It is good to remember this date.
• Read Romans 1:20-32. These verses also show that God will give up on those who give up on Him. 

ACTIVITY:  Assyrian Captivity
Materials needed:  12" x 18" white construction paper, crayons.

• Hand out paper to students.
• Fold long edge about 2" down.
• Unfold.
• Bring bottom edge up to folded line and fold.
• Fold in half, horizontally.
• Fold in half again to create eight boxes.
• Draw black lines on folded lines.
• In the long top box, write "Assyrian Captivity" "722 B.C." "2 Kings 17" and "GOD SAID..."
• Number the rest of the boxes.
• BOX 1:  Draw a picture of the statue of Baal. Write "The people feared other gods."
• BOX 2:  Write SECRET in a cloud.  Write The children of Israel did evil secretly against God."
• BOX 3:  Draw a tree with an idol under it. Write "Under every green tree there was an idol."
• BOX 4:  Draw a person with a long neck. Draw an arrow to the neck and write "stiff neck." Write "They had stiffened their necks like their fathers."
• BOX 5:  Draw two golden calves, sun, star, tree, idol.  Write "They had made two golden calves, a grove to worship idols, things in the sky to worship, and served Baal."
• BOX 6:  Draw An altar with fire, and the words 'magic ' and 'enchantments' in clouds. Write "They made their children go through the fire of idols, and used magic and enchantments."
• BOX 7:  Write "They knew what would make God angry--and that is what they did."
• BOX 8: Write "The children of ISRAEL were carried away into ASSYRIAN captivity. From this point on, God will be with JUDAH."

Lesson - God Keeps His Promise To Jehu

VERSES:   2 Kings 10; 13:1-21; 14:29

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings 13:21.  "...and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet."

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

PRAYER:   Pray that we grow in our love for God and want to keep His commandments because it pleases Him.

SPECIAL SONG:   Day 1, Day 1 (see March - Lesson - God Created Everything on this blog)

VISUAL AID:   Draw a picture on the whiteboard of Jehu destroying the house of Baal.

LESSON POINTS:

• As time went by, the kings of Israel were still evil and wicked kings. They did many bad things and worshiped Baal, a stone statue, instead of the living God. Jehu, one of the bad kings of Israel, did something good in God's sight and that was to kill all the remaining relatives or bloodline of the terrible king Ahab (2 Kings 10:17) (see September - Lesson - Ahab, The Most Wicked King of Israel on this blog). He also killed all of the worshipers of Baal and did not leave one alive. After that, he went and tore down all the images out of the house of Baal and burned them. He broke down the image of Baal and tore down the house of Baal. The Bible says in 2 Kings 10:28 that Jehu destroyed Baal out of Israel.
• Now, while destroying the image of Baal and all of the other statues was good, still Jehu did not worship the LORD God. He worshiped the golden calves at Dan and Bethel which was a terrible sin, too. Yet, Jehu found favor in God's sight concerning Ahab's house and was rewarded by God promising that Jehu would have four of his generations sit on the throne of Israel (2 Kings 10:30). But still Jehu did not walk in God's ways, he showed no respect to God and did not listen to God's Law at all.
• But God is different. God is good. God always keeps his promises. He promised Jehu four of his generations would rule over Israel and they did!  Jehu reigned over Israel, his son named Jehoahaz (2 Kings 13:1) ruled over Israel, his grandson named Johoash (2 Kings 13:19) ruled over Israel, and his great-grandson named Jeroboam (2 Kings 13:13) ruled over Israel, and finally his great-great grandson named Zechariah (2 Kings 14:29) ruled over Israel. They all ruled as kings of Israel because God had promised Jehu. God kept his promise.
• During part of this time, Elisha was having a hard time. He had fallen sick  and died. Elisha had been a good prophet of God all of his days, beginning when Elijah had found him working with twelve yoke of oxen (see September - Lesson - Elisha Takes Elijah's Place on this blog). Even in his death, Elisha showed the power of God. Elisha had died and was buried a little while before the Moabites invaded the land. A man had died and, as the men who were burying him saw a group of Moabites coming, they quickly placed him in Elisha's tomb. The minute the dead man touched Elisha's bones, the man revived and stood up on his feet again! Elisha had asked for a double portion of Elijah's spirit, perhaps this showed that his request had been granted.

"Older Student" Tips:

• Discuss differences in the idol, Baal, and the Living God. (One made with men's hands; one who made the Universe, etc.) There is but one God, and that God is the LORD God.
• Talk about making promises. Do we keep our word as God keeps His promises?

ACTIVITY:   
Materials needed:  9" x 12" brown light brown construction paper, 3" x 18" tan construction paper, marker, crayons, tape, crayons.

1. Hand out light brown paper.
2. Scrunch up brown paper in a ball.
3. Unscrunch and flatten out brown paper. This is the torn-down house of Baal.
4. At top of paper, write "God promised the kingdom to Four Generations of Jehu because..."
5. At the bottom of paper, write "Jehu Destroyed the House of Baal and Ahab's family."
6. Write "2 Kings 10" and "God's Promise" close together on the brown paper.
7. Write "2 Kings 13, 14"  and "God Kept His Promise" close together on the brown paper.
8. Draw designs on brown paper to resemble the torn-down house of Baal.
9. Write "house" and "of" and "Baal" on torn down pieces of Baal's house.
10. Hand out tan paper.
11. Fold tan paper in half.
12. Fold up 3" of the open end of tan paper, doubled.
13. On one side of tan paper, draw the front of Jehu.
14. On the other side of tan paper, draw the back of Jehu.
15. Make tan paper stand up in a triangle, overlapping short ends.
16. Tape to secure.
17. Stand Jehu up in the middle of the crumpled brown paper. Tape is not necessary, making this project portable.

Lesson - Joash Repairs The Temple

VERSES:   2 Kings 12:1-21 and 2 Chronicles 24:1-27

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings:12:2   "And Joash did that which was right in the sight of the LORD all his days wherein Jehoida the priest instructed him."

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

PRAYER:   We pray that we may always choose our friends wisely and stay close to that which is good.

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

VISUAL AID:   Make a large Activity (see below)

LESSON POINTS:

• Last time we studied about Joash, we learned how he was only seven years old when he was anointed as king of Judah by Jehoida, the priest. The people were so relieved that Athaliah, the queen, had died and was no longer in charge of their land. They were also happy that the kingdom was back under the rule of a descendant or family member of King David. So Joash grew up under Jehoida's love and care because all of his family had died at the hand of his grandmother, Athaliah.  Jehoida took good care of Joash and taught him the ways of God. Joash learned to love God with his whole heart.
• Joash served as king of Judah for forty years. He loved and served God most of his life. He did good things for the LORD, but after Jehoida died, it was a different Joash than what we have studied. 
• As Joash grew up and got older, he noticed that the temple of the LORD was not being taken care of very well. In King Solomon's day, the temple was beautiful and had silver and gold and many valuable treasures, but through the years and the battles with different nations, it did not look beautiful anymore and all the valuable gold and silver was taken out of the temple. Queen Athaliah's sons had also broken the temple of the LORD and taken out valuables.  Joash wanted to repair the temple and make it nice again.
• Joash had ordered that the priests to go through the land and ask the people for money, but it was a very slow process. Then the king had another idea! He had Jehoida get a box, or a "chest" is what they called it, and make a hole in it. Then they placed the chest at the door of the tabernacle and when the people would come in, then they would put money in the box.
• Now, you might not think that people would want to give up their own money very easily, but they did! In face, everyone was happy and glad and brought a lot of money to the temple and placed it in the chest. The chest got very full of gold and silver. The people brought SO much money and put it in the chest that the high priest and the scribe had to empty the chest and put it in bags. Then they paid men to come in and work on the temple and make it better. There were carpenters, people that worked with iron and stone, others were builders. There were somethings that were not done such as making trumpets and snuffers and things that were made of gold and silver, but still through Joash's good idea and faithfulness to God, they repaired the temple of the LORD. 
• Now, the bad part of the story. Jehoida was getting older, too, and finally died at 130 years old! That's old! Joash was now grown and on his own. He could have done good things or bad things. He could have served the LORD or not. The sad news is that Joash listened to the young princes of Judah and abandoned the house of the LORD. Joash did not remember the good advice and teachings that Jehoida had given him. He did not even remember Jehoida's kindness and love. Joash did many things that God did not approve of and Joash died not being faithful to God.

"Older Student" Points:

• We always need to remain faithful to God no matter what happens to us or how much people persuade us in a negative way. We need to stay close to God and His Word. We will be glad we did!
  

ACTIVITY:   Joash Repairs The Temple
Materials needed:  a small box for every student, wrapping paper, gold scrap paper, marker, glue, tape, scissors.

1. Note:  The Bible Teacher may want to wrap the boxes in advance if the students' hands are small. 
2. Hand out box.
3. Hand out wrapping paper, cut to size of box.
4. Wrap box.  Let the older students wrap their own box. Does it matter what it looks like? No! ...and they are SO proud of everything they do!
5. Using a marker, draw lines to resemble wood all over box.
6. Very carefully, cut a slot in the box. (Teacher might want to poke the hole in the box for the students.)
7. The paper will come off of the slot, so glue the flap and press the apper down.
8. Write "Joash Repairs The Temple" and "2 Chronicles 8:8-14" on the box.
9. Hand out gold scrap.
10. Cut all different sized circles that will fit in slot of box.

Lesson - Joash, A Good King

VERSES:   2 Kings 11:1-21

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings 11:21   "Seven years old was Jehoash when he began to reign."

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

PRAYER:   Thank God for those who love us and take care of us.

SPECIAL SONG:   The Family In God's Plan (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog)

VISUAL AID: Draw a picture of a young boy with a crown on his head. Write "Joash" on the board.

LESSON POINTS: Since this is a short lesson, it may be a good time to review some of the stories you have had recently, so they stay fresh in the students' minds.

• There were many wicked kings of Israel and Judah and very few good kings who loved God and followed His ways. Many of the kings were killed by people who wanted to be king, some were killed by their relatives, and a few were killed in battle. It wasn't always easy being a king. A king never knew who his friends were. He had to be careful.
• There was a wicked king of Judah who name was Ahaziah. He only reigned one year and then he died. When his wicked mother, Athaliah, saw that her wicked son was dead, she had all of his children--which were her grandchildren--killed, so she could be queen. How terrible was that! A very bad woman! 
• However, there was one little boy whose name was Joash who had a kind aunt who loved him and saved his life by rescuing him and hiding him. His aunt took him when no one was looking, so no one even knew he had escaped! She hid him in the house of the LORD for SIX years! No one knew he was alive, especially not the wicked queen!
• Then, when Joash was seven years old, Jehoida, the priest, brought in the captains of the army, made them promise not to say anything, and then showed them the young boy, Joash, who would be king. Jehoida was a good man and he wanted Joash to be protected, so he had all of the captains of the army watch over Joash to make sure he was safe.
• Then they put a crown on Joash and made him king and anointed him. The people clapped their hands and shouted, "God save the king!" When the queen, Athaliah, heard the noise, she went to the temple of the LORD where the young king was standing by a pillar. The princes and the ones who blew on their trumpets were standing by Joash. All the people were rejoicing and were happy. All but Athaliah. She tore her clothes and cried, "Treason! Treason!" She was very distressed and unhappy that Joash was alive and that he was the king and she was not the queen.
• Jehoida made certain that Joash was not harmed. He told the captains of the army to follow Athaliah and kill her with a sword, but not to kill her in the temple of the Lord. So they followed her and killed her by the way where the horses came into the king's house. And that was the end of the wicked and bad queen Athaliah.
• Jehoida  made a covenant or promise between the LORD and the king and the people that they should be the LORD's people, so all the people went into the house of the idol, Baal, and broke it down. All of the city was quiet and at rest because Athaliah was not queen and Joash was the brand new king at the age of seven years old!

"Older Student" Tips:

• The definition of treason is betrayal.
• Discuss how wicked Athaliah was. Read 2 Chronicles 23. It reads almost the same as 2 Kings 11.

ACTIVITY:   Joash is king at seven years old!
Materials needed:   9" x 12" tan piece of construction paper, scrap of yellow paper, sequins or shiny pieces of paper, scissors, glue, marker and crayons.

1. Hand out tan paper.
2. Draw a picture of the side of a young boy.
3. Cut a crown out of the yellow paper.
4. Glue sequins of small circles of shiny paper on crown.
5. Glue crown to the top of Joash's head.
6. Write "Joash is king at SEVEN years old!!" and "2 Kings 11" on the tan paper.

Lesson - What the Syrians Heard Helped

VERSES:   2 Kings 6:24-7:20

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings 7:1   "...Tomorrow about this time shall a measure of flour be sold for a shekle..."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Review all of the Old Testament books from Genesis to Jonah.

PRAYER:   Thank God for our food.

SPECIAL SONG:   No, Not One  (see June - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #6 on this blog)

LESSON POINTS:

• We have studied before about famines and we know that a famine was a time when there was no food for the people to eat. Remember the time when Joseph saved his family from a terrible famine that lasted seven years (Genesis 41:54). Also, there was such a bad famine that Naomi and her family moved to Moab and one of her sons married Ruth (Ruth 1:1). Famines were never good. People always need food to eat and when they don't have any, times are very tough. There are tough times in our lesson today.
• There had been a great famine in Samaria and people were very hungry, but when the king of Syria went up and besieged Samaria, times were terrible. When a city or an area is "besieged", it means that there were no supplies at all coming in to the city or area. Usually it meant that an army had circled the city and had cut off all the food going into the city or area. There would be nothing going into the city. Nothing. No flour. No meat. No vegetables. For a little while, people might be fine, but eventually, people would run out of food in the city and people would get so hungry that they would surrender to the army that was besieging it. This is what Syria was hoping to do to Samaria. It had been a while since any food had come into Samaria, and people were paying a lot of money for anything to eat. They were eating things that normally they would never eat! Times were extremely tough.
• The king was desperate and was looking for someone to blame for the bad times and guess who he chose to blame? That's right! God and his prophet, Elisha! Elisha was sitting in his house talking with the elders when Elisha suddenly knew that the king of Israel had sent a messenger who was coming to kill him, so he said to shut the door and not to let him in. The messenger arrived before Elisha had finished talking. The messenger said that the LORD had made all the terrible things happen to the Samaritans and why should  he continue to wait on the LORD to help them?
• Elisha replied that the LORD God said that tomorrow flour would be selling for nearly nothing. An important man who had been meeting in Elisha's house asked how could that be true? He said that even if the LORD would send rain right then, how could that happen? Elisha told him, "You shall see it with your own eyes, but you will not taste any of the food."
• Now there were four men who had leprosy and were about to enter the gate of Samaria. They wondered out loud what to do. Should they go into the city where they knew they would die without any food because there was no food in the city. They also thought about going to the Syrians and hoped they would not be killed, so in the evening, they went into the camp of the Syrian army. But something was very, very strange! There was not one man found in the camp! Not one! The LORD had caused the entire Syrian army to hear the sound of chariots and horses and a huge of amount of people! They thought that the king of Israel had help from his neighbors and they were going to come and kill them, so they ran away as fast as they could and left everything in their tents as the sun was setting. 
• As they entered the Syrian camp, the men with leprosy went inside one tent and found that there was plenty of food and valuables, so they took some and went and hid it. They came back and did the same thing to the next tent. But then they thought that they should be sharing the food with the people inside the city, so they went and told the one guarding the city. He went and told the king in the middle of the night, but the king thought it might be a trick to take the city. He thought all the Syrian soldiers were hiding and would come in and take the city if they went out of the city. One of the king's servants suggested that they send out a couple of horses that were still surviving and check it out.
• When the soldiers saw that there were no enemy soldiers in the camp and all the horses were still tied up, they went back and told the king. The people hurried out of the city to see if there was something to eat in the tents,and, just like Elisha said, flour was sold for almost nothing the next day. Elisha's word was true. Also true, the man who was in charge of the gate was the same man that doubted Elisha's word and the Word of God in Elisha's house. There were so many people running out of the city to get food that he was trampled to death in their hurry, so Elisha's words were true again. The man saw the food, but he never tasted any of it. Elisha told the truth.

"Older Student" Tips:

• Military strategies that were successful in Old Testament times still work today. This tactic  of besieging a city is used in many countries to win battles.
• God's Word is true, isn't it? Whatever God says is truth. It doesn't matter if people don't believe God or His prophets, or if they are skeptical, His Word is always true.

ACTIVITY:   Envelope Turned Into A Tent
Materials needed:  5" x 7" envelope, scraps of colored paper, scissors, glue, marker.

1. Hand out envelope to students.
2. Cut off the open flap of envelope.
   
3. Cut off one long edge of envelope.
   
4. Place corner down on table and bend slightly.
   
5. Press down to make a tent.
   
6. Crease edges.
   
7. Cut off excess at bottom of envelope.. 
8. Cut up middle of tent Make sure you are only cutting the top paper and not both papers..
   
9. Fold back 'flaps' of tent.
   
10. Decorate with scraps. For example, make a bed, pillow, boxes of food, shoes, arrows, shield, clothes. 
    
11. Write "food" on boxes.
12. Make a couple of boxes for the outside of the tent.
    
13. Close tent and write "2 Kings 7:6, 7" and "The Syrians heard a noise of chariots...and left their tents..." (see #12 picture).
14. Write "Open Here" by the middle of the tent.
15. Hopefully, the tent will stand up on its own. If not, make sure the bottom of the tent is cut straight. (see top picture).
16. The students should love their tents that have no men in them.  (They are cute!)

Lesson - Elisha - "More Are With Us!"

VERSES:   2 Kings 6:8-23

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings 6:16   "...for they that be with us are more than they that be with them."

BOOK TO REMEMBER:   Jonah.   Write "Jonah" on small slips of paper and hand out at the end of class for at-home memorization.

PRAYER:   Thank God for his constant care and protection.

SPECIAL SONG:   On Jordan's Stormy Banks (see June - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #6 on this blog)

VISUAL AID:   Bible map, showing Dothan, Samaria, and Israel. Make an example of the Activity to tell the story. (see below)

LESSON POINTS:

• Sometimes we really don't know why kings went into battle against each other. At times, it would be  a territorial conflict or land trouble where one king taking another king's land and the other king was forced to fight for his own land or lose it. Other times, one king would want revenge and fight a battle to get even with the king because someone had wronged him. Today's lesson is not so much about the battle, but what Elisha did to stop a battle.
• There were two kings, the King of Syria and the King of Israel. The King of Syria started a fight against Israel. He told all of his servants that his camp would be in a certain place, but the Bible doesn't tell us where he was camped. Elisha, the man of God, sent a messenger to the King of Israel and said do not pass by this certain place because the Syrians will come down and fight you. So the King of Israel was smart and stayed away from that place, and there was no battle. This happened at least three times that the King of Israel was saved by Elisha telling him not to go where the King of Syria was camped. 
• The King of Syria was troubled. He couldn't figure out how the King of Israel knew where he was going to be, so he asked his servants which one of them was on the King of Israel's side. The king's servants told the king that none of them were on Israel's side, but they knew that Elisha, the prophet in Israel told the King of Israel everything that the King of Syria said in private. 
• The King of Syria told his servants to go and spy on Elisha and find out where he was staying, so that they could bring Elisha back to the king. The king's servants went out and quietly found out that Elisha was in the city of Dothan. 
• When the King of Syria found that out, he sent out a great number of chariots and horses and soldiers to capture Elisha at nighttime. There were so many soldiers that they completely circled the city. Then they waited.
• When Elisha's servant got up very early the next morning, he looked out and he saw the tremendous amount of soldiers and chariots and horses. He went straight to Elisha and told him what he saw. Elisha's servant was afraid and asked Elisha, "What are we going to do??"  Wise Elisha replied, "Don't be afraid. There are more that are with us than are with them." Elisha knew that God was on their side. Then Elisha prayed to God and asked if his servant's eyes could be opened, so he could see what Elisha saw. The LORD opened the servant's eyes of the young servant and saw that the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire!
• When the Syrians came down to take Elisha back to the King of Syria, Elisha prayed that the LORD would strike the Syrians with blindness and the LORD did as Elisha asked. Elisha went out and told the soldiers that the way they were going was not the right way and that this was not even the right city. The soldiers did not know because they couldn't see anything. Elisha said he would take them to the man they were looking for. Guess where Elisha took the great amount of soldiers who were blind?  He took them to Samaria! That was where the king of ISRAEL was! 
• When Elisha and the HUGE blinded Syrian army arrived in Samaria, Elisha prayed that all of the Syrian soldiers eyes would be opened. When the LORD granted Elisha his prayer, can you imagine the Syrians surprise when they opened their eyes and they were right in the middle of Samaria, the enemies' city?
• When the King of Israel saw the Syrian soldiers, he asked Elisha two times, "Can I kill them? Can I kill them?" but Elisha said no and asked if the king had taken captives in battle, would he have killed them? Elisha knew that no king would kill the captives he took in battle. Elisha told the king to give them bread and water which the king did. Then the King of Israel did a little more because he sent away the Syrian army with food for their trip back home. 
• Do you know what the best part of this story was? For a while, the band of Syrian soldiers did not come back to the land of Israel to fight. Elisha solved a problem and no one was hurt. 

"Older Student" Tips:

• Check on the map where Dothan, Samaria  and Israel were located.
• Even kings had ethics when it came to battle, as many of the armies do today. It must have been common knowledge that the kings did not kill captives of war.
  

ACTIVITY:
Materials needed:  one paper bowl, 2" x 4" piece of shiny red paper such as wrapping paper, 2" x 3" scrap of brown paper, tape, marker, scissors, glue.

1. Hand out bowls to students. This is the mountain around Elisha's house with the house being in the valley.
2. On the outside of the bowl, write "The LORD opened the eyes of Elisha's servant" and "2 Kings 6:8-23."
3. On the inside of the bowl, around the edge 2" down, write "For they that be with us are more than they that be with them." and "2 Kings 6:16.
4. Fold brown paper in half.
5. Fold brown paper in half again. (see top picture). This Elisha's house.
6. Tape to secure.
7. Write "Elisha's house" on the roof of the house.
8. Glue inside the bottom of the bowl.
9. Hand out shiny red paper.
10. Fold in half, then cut.
11. Fold in half again, then cut.
12. Keep folding and cutting until the paper can be managed and cut in tiny pieces.  These are the horses and chariots of fire that Elisha and his servant saw on the mountain.
13. Glue tiny shiny pieces all around the top edge of the bowl, so it looks like Elisha's house is surrounded by horses and chariots of fire.

Words Of Encouragement Along The Way #11 - Words Make A Difference!

Words can make all the difference in the world! In the political world, one wrong word can result in grave consequences for nations. In the celebrity arena, one misspoken word can bring down a rising star. In the medical field, one inaccurate word can mean life or death. In relationships, one offensive word can produce hard, bitter feelings that can last a lifetime. Yes, words are important in every aspect of our lives!

The religious world is no different. The serpent simply added a single word to the LORD's words and it resulted in the fall of man (Genesis 3).  Ananias and Sapphira had trouble with truthful words and they died (Acts 5). Proverbs 12:25 tells us how much difference an encouraging word can make to someone who is disheartened. How about our idle words? Those, too, are important according to Matthew 12:36. There is an uninspired saying that says, "Silence means consent." Even the absence of our words is just as important as "a word fitly spoken" which "is like apples of gold and pictures of silver" (Proverbs 25:11). 

Words are vehicles that express ideas. Do you, as the Bible teacher, express your joy and pleasure of teaching your students to their parents? From time to time, it is refreshing, heartening, and encouraging to the parents to hear those precious words, "I enjoy having __student's name_ in Bible class! Your child is so __adjective__, __adjective__, and __adjective__. I appreciate your efforts in seeing that  __student's name_ is in Bible class on time with their Bible in hand."  It does not take many heart-felt, sincere words to encourage a parent. Five minutes of your time each week can build up Bible class attendance and motivate a parent. It never hurts expressing good words (Proverbs 16:24). Take the time this week to speak to a parent about the good things their child is doing in Bible class. You will be surprised how you will feel when you do!

Extra Helps #8 - Celebrating The Search Box

Surely, you agree that from time to time it is good to learn something new, something that will make our everyday life easier. It may not even be the latest invention, but it is something new to us. I, personally, have discovered the benefits of an apple slicer recently. Yes, some may consider this kitchen tool frivolous and unnecessary, but finding it on sale and having the task of cutting an apple every day for the past two or three years intrigued me. Now, three weeks later, I wonder why I had never been tempted to purchase a tool like this before! I have learned something new, I have found something to make my life easier, and, unlike most things in this life, it was relatively inexpensive. I am convinced that my apple slicer has made life easier.

I offer to my blogging friends that same kind of sudden and profound realization that there is something that can make your life easier on this blog. I gently and kindly suggest the idea of the SEARCH BOX. The search box is offered to you as a convenient, efficient, and quick way to find the information that you are searching for on the blog. The search box is not the latest invention, but it is simple to use, will make your blogging life easier, and it is free! 

Finding the box on the webpage may be the hardest part of this process. Here is a picture of the blogging screen. (Tried to print screen it, but it did not work. Hopefully, this will be sufficient.) See if you can locate the search box.

Yes! That is it on the right side of the screen in blue. It is that long white box. You found it! Whew! That was the hard part! Now, simply type a word in the box, such as a Bible character's name or a word associated with the story you need and 'enter.'  In a matter of seconds, you will have information! Songs work in this same manner, as well as bulletin boards, and visual aids. Technology is simply amazing! Hope this information has been helpful to at least one friend out there. May we all continue to search the scriptures daily (Acts 17:11).

Lesson - Can Iron Float?

VERSES:   2 Kings 6:1-7

MEMORY VERSE:    2 Kings 6:6   "...and the iron did swim."

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

PRAYER:   Thank God for giving us the Bible, the book tells us everything we need in this life.

SPECIAL SONG:  Jesus Taught By Parables And Miracles (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog),  The B-I-B-L-E (see February - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #2 on this blog).

VISUAL AID:   Experiment:  Can iron float without God's help?
Materials needed: something made of iron, a few floating items, a small tub of water, whiteboard or chalkboard, dry erase marker or chalk.

• Introduce the question: Can iron float?
• Write on the board "Can iron float without God's help?
• On the board, make two columns. At the top of one column, write: "FLOAT" and the other column "SINK."
• Before the experiment, pass around the objects under consideration for sinking or floating.
• Ask students which items they think will float or sink.
• One at a time, place items, one by one into tub of water.
• Make notes on the board after each item is tried.
• When experiment is finished and the board is completed, discuss what conclusions can be made.
• Explain how iron will float ONLY with God's intervention or help. This is called a miracle.

LESSON POINTS:

• The prophets said to Elisha one day that where they were living was too small. They wanted to build a larger place. They asked if they could go and build by the Jordan River. They would take wood and build a place where they would have more room. Elisha told them to go and do it. When it was suggested that perhaps Elisha could come, too, he agreed and went with them.
• When they arrived by the river, they began cutting down trees and cutting the wood into beams that they could use to build a building. Suddenly, someone cried out, "Oh no, Elisha! The ax head has fallen into the water! It was not even mine! I borrowed it!" Elisha asked, "Where did it fall?"  The man pointed to where the ax head fell into the water. Elisha cut down a stick and threw it in the water and up came the ax head, floating in the water!
• An ax head is made out of iron. We have found out on our own by doing the experiment that iron does not float, does it? No! Iron sinks! Iron is very heavy, isn't it?  How did Elisha make that ax head float? Elisha performed a miracle from God. God was behind that miracle and it proved that Elisha was a man of God.
• Do we perform miracles today, right now? No. We have something better now that can prove if someone is speaking the words of God. How would we know if someone was speaking the words that God wanted them to say? That's right! We would look in the Bible! The Bible is all we need today (2 Timothy 3:16, 17).

"Older Student" Tips:

• Definition of miracle:  In the Bible, the most common word used for 'miracle' is 'wonder.' Nature in itself is a wonder, but there are many miracles that are written down in the Bible that are not ordinary happenings in nature, such as the Red Sea opening up and people walking through the sea on dry land, all the plagues that Moses performed in Egypt before Pharaoh, Daniel and his friends surviving in a den of lions, and so on. These were definitely miracles.
• Miracles have always had a purpose. Miracles were used in the Old and New Testaments to prove that certain men were sent by God (Hebrews 2:1-4). Miracles were credentials. How would a police officer prove he was a police officer? He would show his badge. How would a member of the press prove that they were a member of the press? They would show their press pass or press card. That is how miracles worked in Bible times. Just because someone said they were from God did not make it true, so they would perform a miracle, something that was impossible to do under normal circumstances, like walk on water, feed 5,000 people with only two fish and five loaves of bread, raise someone to life that had been dead four days, to prove that God had sent them. Elisha performed miracles because he was a man of God, a prophet. He could only perform a miracle with God's help because God was the One behind the miracle who had and has the power to do all things.
• Can people perform miracles today? Sometimes we read in magazines or hear someone say that a miracle has happened, usually it something that everyone cannot see, such as someone's liver being healed or something that was hidden and could not be seen or proven. God's miracles were always events that could be tested and found true.
• When did miracles cease or stop? Miracles ceased when the Bible was completed. There are many verses that could be read, such as 1 Corinthians 13:8-13, James 1:25. Ephesians 4:7-15, and 1 Corinthians 12:28-31, that show us that we do not need miracles today because there is no need for them. The Bible is all we need today.

ACTIVITY:   The Floating Ax Head
Material needed:  9" x 12" yellow construction paper, 4" x 6" dark blue construction paper, scrap of red paper, tiny stick, crayons, marker, glue, scissors.

1. Hand out yellow paper.
2. Hand out blue paper.
3. Tear top edge and round corner to make water.
4. Glue water into one corner of yellow paper.
5. Hand out red scrap of paper.
6. Cut into an ax head.
7. Color black on one edge of red ax head.
8. Glue in water.
9. Close by ax head, glue tiny stick that Elisha the in the water.
10. Draw Elisha and the man who lost the ax head looking into the water. The man who lost the ax head should have the handle in his hand.
11. Draw lots of trees already cut down and a few still standing with their leaves still on the trunks.
12. Write "The Floating Ax Head" and "2 Kings 6:1-7" at the top of the paper.

Lesson - Naaman: The Rest Of The Story

VERSES:   2 Kings 5:19-27

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings 5:27   "...the leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee..."

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

PRAYER:   May we always be honest with God, with others, and with ourselves.

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

VISUAL AID:   Make a large Activity (see below).

LESSON POINTS:

• Last time we talked about how Elisha told Naaman to dip in the Jordan River seven times and his terrible disease called leprosy would go away. Did Naaman do what Elisha told him to do? YES! Did Naaman's leprosy go away? YES! Was Naaman thankful? YES! What had Naaman brought to Elisha as payment for takng his leprosy away? Presents of ten talents of silver, 6,000 pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothing. Elisha had refused Naaman's presents, but as Naaman started back on his journey home, Elisha's servant, Gehazi, got greedy.  Gehazi had heard the conversation between Naaman and Elisha concerning the presents, and Gehazi ran after Naaman. When Naaman saw Gehazi running after his chariot, he stopped and got down from his chariot and went to meet Gehazi. Gehazi said that Elisha had sent him and that there were two men coming to visit and it would be just fine if Naaman gave them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing. Is that true? NO! It was a lie!
• But Naaman was very thankful and very generous and said to take two talents of silver and the clothing and Gehazi accepted it all. Did Elisha send Genhazi? No! Naaman's servants helped carry them for Gehazi and when they got to the tower, Gehazi stored everything in the house and let the servants go back to Naaman, and then they journeyed on to their home.
• Gehazi probably thought no one knew what he had done, but when Gehazi went into the house and stood by Elisha, Elisha asked him where he had gone. Gehazi lied again and said that he had gone nowhere. Elisha told Gehazi that when the man in the chariot turned to meet Gehazi that Elisha's heart went with him. Elisha asked him if now was a time to receive money and clothes? Then, because of Gehazi's greed, lies, and wickedness, the leprosy that Naaman had been cleansed of went to Gehazi. Gehazi was covered with leprosy that was white as snow and he never got rid of it for the rest of life. How sad that a good story about Naaman ended with a sad story about Gehazi!

"Older Student" Tips:

• Definition of 'greed': a selfish desire for something that a person will go to great lengths to get, even stealing, lying, cheating, and evil things.
• Greed caused Gehazi to lie, to deceive, and to steal. A person would think that being around Elisha, the prophet of God, and seeing all the wonderful things that God did through Elisha, that Gehazi would not have sinned like he did. He should have known better!

ACTIVITY:   The Leprosy of Gehazi
Materials needed:  9" x 12" white construction paper, 9" x 12" red construction paper, marker, scissors, crayons, stapler, staples.

1. Hand out white paper.
2. Fold paper in half.
3. Fold paper again in thirds.
4. Cut paper on lines to create six sequencing cards.
5. Card #1--Draw a picture of Naaman dipping in the Jordan River. Label Naaman and the Jordan River. Write "Dipped 7 times", and "No more leprosy." Set aside.
6. Card #2--Draw a picture of Elisha. Write "Refused Naaman's presents" and label Elisha. Set aside.
7. Card #3--Draw a picture of Naaman outside of the chariot giving Gehazi two set of clothes and two talents of silver. Write "Give a talent of silver and two sets of clothes" and label Naaman, Gehazi, the clothes, the silver and the chariot. Set aside.
8. Card #4--Draw a picture of Gehazi taking the clothes and silver and storing it in the house. Write "Gehazi stored everything in the house." Set aside.
9. Card #5--Draw a picture of Elisha saying "Where did you go, Gehazi?" and label Elisha. Set aside.
10. Card #6--Draw a picture of Gehazi with his skin white. Write "Because of Gehazi's lies and greed, Naaman's leprosy covered Gehazi." , label Gehazi, and write "white as snow" close by Gehazi.
11. Color all cards, remembering to leave Gehazi's skin WHITE on the last card.
12. Hand out red paper.
13. Fold red paper in half.
14. Staple right and left edges.
15. On one side write "Sequencing Cards" and "Naaman and Gehazi" and "2 Kings 5:20-27."
16. Allow time for the students to practice putting the cards in the proper sequence or order.

Lesson - Naaman, The Leper

VERSES:  2 Kings 5:1-19

MEMORY VERSE:   2 Kings 5:11  "But Naaman was wroth (angry), and went away, and said, Behold, I thought..."

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

PRAYER:   Pray that we will not have any preconceived ideas like Naaman had when it comes to obeying God. May we take God's Word for Truth and not add to it or subtract from it. Let us have the kind of heart that can change to God's Way and not stay in our own way.

SPECIAL SONG:   The Books of the Old Testament (see March - Songs That We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog.)

VISUAL AID:   TV Box.  See February - Visual Aid #1. Draw pictures of this story in sequence on a roll of paper. The instructions and advice on February - Visual Aid #1 should help.

LESSON POINTS:

• In Bible times, there was a disease that some people were afflicted with that was called leprosy. It was a dreaded disease because there was no cure for it like in most countries today. If a person got leprosy in 2014, they would take some medicine and get better, but not in Bible times. People never recovered from leprosy back then and, sometimes, not on purpose, but accidentally, they would touch someone or maybe their clothes would touch another person, and the other person would get leprosy, too. It was a very bad disease. 
• There was an important man named Naaman. He was a captain for a great many soldiers in the King of Syria's army. He was a mighty man of valor just like Gideon and his brave 300 (see June - Lesson - Gideon and His Brave 300 on this blog for reference). Naaman had something wrong with him and he was greatly upset by his disease. Naaman had leprosy!
• The Syrians had gone out and fought battles and brought back captives or people from other lands who the Syrians made servants. One of these servants was a young girl  from the land of Israel and the young girl said to her mistress or the one over her, "If only my master would go and see the prophet of the LORD that is in Samaria! He would make my master well from his leprosy." One of the other servants went in and told his master what the young girl from the land of Israel had said. Soon, the king of Syria heard what the young girl had said and told Naaman to go and he would send a letter to the King of Israel.
• Naaman went with a few of his servants and also with precious presents, like silver and gold and clothing to give to Elisha, the prophet of God. Naaman took the letter and gave it to the King of Israel to read. The letter said that the king of Syria was sending Naaman, his servant, to Israel to be healed of his leprosy. When the King of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked if he was God who knew how to heal leprosy because he did not! He thought that maybe the king of Syria was trying quarrel with him or pick a fight.
• But when Elisha heard that the King of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king of Israel to send Naaman to him because he wanted Naaman to know that there was a prophet in Israel. So, off Naaman went to see Elisha. He traveled in his chariot and his horses and then he stood at Elisha's door of his house, waiting. But Elisha did not come to the door, he sent a messenger to tell Naaman to go and wash in the Jordan River seven times and he would be completely healed.
• Now you would think that Naaman would be happy and rush to the Jordan River to wash himself seven times, but he was not happy. Instead, Naaman was angry!! Naaman went away in a rage and said, "I THOUGHT he would surely come to talk to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God and clap his hands together and cure the leper! He was angry because Elisha had not chosen a cleaner river! Naaman thought that two other rivers in Damascus were better to wash in, so Naaman went away from ELisha's house extremely upset!
• But Naaman had good servants. His wise servants asked Naaman if Elisha had asked Naaman to do something very difficult or better than just washing in a river, would not have Naaman done it? This made Naaman think, and Naaman changed his mind. He went down to the Jordan River and dipped not one time, not two times, not three times, not four times, not five times, not six times, but seven times and do you know what happened?? Let's read in 2 Kings 2:14 and see what God said happened. (Read verse). What happened to Naaman? His skin became like a little child's and he was clean!! Have you ever felt the skin of a young child? It is so soft and that was just like Naaman's skin! 
• Naaman was so happy that he went back to Elisha's house and tried to give him the presents he had brought for him, but Elisha would not take them. Naaman started back on his journey.

"Older Student" Tips:  

• Leprosy is such a terrible, contagious disease of the skin. You can catch it through coughing and sneezing. They say that the flesh or skin is discolored and has lumps. Sometimes it causes deformities and damages the nerve endings. When lepers can't feel their fingers and toes, sometimes it causes problems like being burned without knowing it and they can be damaged. Leprosy can cause blindness and make people crippled. Leprosy still exists in over 100 countries today. It is a terrible disease to get. No wonder Naaman was trying so desperately to find someone who could help him. The young girl truly helped her master, didn't she?
• Sometimes we think we have all the answers, don't we? Naaman thought he had a better idea. He wanted Elisha to come out of his house and do something special to him, but Elisha chose not to do anything but send the message out to Naaman. If Naaman had not listened to his wise servants and went to wash in a river in Damascus, would Naaman have been healed? No! If Naaman would have dipped three times or six times in the Jordan River, would he have been healed? No! Naaman had to obey, didn't he? And that meant doing it God' way--seven times in the Jordan River! We need to do things God's way, too, don't we? Just because we think we have a better idea, the outcome might not be what we want because we did not follow the instructions completely. We need to listen to God and do what He says.

ACTIVITY:   "Naaman Dips Seven Times In The Jordan River"
Materials needed:  9" x 12" light blue construction paper, 9" x 12" dark blue construction paper, 4" x 6" piece of white construction paper, gold fastener, glue, scissors, crayons and markers.

1. Hand out light blue paper.
2. Hand out dark blue paper.
3. Fold dark blue paper in half, length-wise.
4. Tear off folded edge of dark blue paper.
5. Glue one piece of dark blue paper to bottom edge of light blue paper.
6. Poke a hole through dark blue and light blue paper towards the middle of the light blue paper. This is where Naaman will be placed.
7. Hand out white paper.
8. Draw Naaman.
9. Color Naaman.
10. Cut out Naaman.
11. Poke a fastener through Naaman and through hole that was made in paper.
12. Turn paper over.
13. Bend out fastener. (Students really like to do this part!)
14. Turn paper over.
15. Make sure Naaman can turn this around.
16. Come down an inch or so, and glue second piece of blue paper on top of other blue paper at left and right sides only.
17. Write "Naaman Dips Seven Times In The Jordan River" and "2 Kings 5".
18. Decorate with trees and dirt on other side of blue water, if desired.
19. Naaman can be "dipped" seven times ov er and over again because he moves!
20. Stress how many times Naaman had to dip before his skin was cleansed of leprosy.