OT8.2 Samuel Listens to God Lesson › wzukusers › user... · We have to make sure our hearts do...

1

OT8.2 Samuel Listens to God ©Beverly Wilson 2018

Unit 8: Samuel and King Saul OT8.2 Samuel Listens to God Lesson

Scripture: I Samuel 2-3

Lesson Goal: Samuel was the child whom Hannah promised to give back to God to serve in the

tabernacle. As a young child Samuel learned to listen and obey God. In this lesson we will learn how we too should listen and obey Him.

Introduction: The story of the Samuel is found in 1 Samuel which is the ninth book in the Old Testament. 1 Samuel is in the second group of books in the Old Testament called the historical books. These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther. Let's say these books--Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, 1 Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah and Esther.

Attention Getter: “Earphones”

Have you ever worn earphones to listen to music on an Ipod? These earphones give you a much better quality of sound so you can listen to all the musical instruments just as they are played. Other earphones can cancel out noise. This boy is wearing earphones to a car race where the sound is so loud that it would hurt your eardrums if you did not protect them. Most earphones are wireless and can transmit sound over short distances. That means you can enjoy watching shows on your ipod, tablet or kindle without having to plug in all kinds of wires! Being able to hear and listen is an important sense that God has given to us! Did you know that we need to learn to listen to God? In this lesson we will learn how the boy Samuel learned to listen to what God said and how he obeyed Him.

Opening Prayer: Father, thank You that you haven’t left us to wonder what to do to live a life that is pleasing to You. Thank You that You have given us Your word and that You speak to us every time we read it. Lord, we want to be ready to hear to Your voice. We want to be just like Samuel who said, “Here I am” when You called his name. We want to have our ears tuned to hear Your voice. Then we want to be willing to do whatever You ask of us. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen.

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/xpDpNiHgs0c Elkanah and his wife Hannah lived during the time of the judges. Hannah was very sad because she had not been able to have children. One year when Elkanah and Hannah had traveled to Shiloh to celebrate the festival and worship God, Hannah had gone to the tabernacle to pray. She asked God to give her a son. She told God that if He would give her a son that she would bring him to serve God in the Tabernacle.

God answered Hannah’s prayer and a baby was born to Hannah and Elkanah. Samuel was the baby who was born to Hannah. For two or three years Hannah kept young Samuel with her and he grew and grew. When Samuel was old enough Hannah took him to the Tabernacle to live with Eli, the priest. But she didn’t forget Samuel. She loved Samuel very much but Hannah kept her promise to God to give Samuel back to him in order for him to serve in the tabernacle.

Every year his parents Elkanah and Hannah would travel from Ramah to visit him. They would bring a sacrificial offering and worship in the tabernacle. Samuel’s mother Hannah would bring him a new coat. She made each coat special to show that she loved him. Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife and

https://youtu.be/xpDpNiHgs0c

2


asked God to give them other children to take the place of Samuel who had been given to the Lord. The Lord gave Hannah three sons and two daughters.

Young Samuel grew up serving God at the Tabernacle. He spent his days helping Eli the priest take care of the tabernacle making sure there was oil for the lamps and wood for the fire. He probably swept and dusted and polished everything around the tabernacle. He opened the tabernacle doors in the morning and closed them at night. He learned how the sacrifices were to be offered. Samuel loved these jobs and especially the stories that Eli told. Eli told Samuel all the stories of how God had dealt with His people of Israel. Samuel grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man as he joyfully served the Lord in the tabernacle.

Eli the priest was very old now and growing blind. His two sons Hophni and Phinehas were priests also but they had no respect for God or Eli. Whenever anyone offered a sacrifice, Eli’s sons would send over a servant with a three pronged fork to take some of the meat. They were stealing offerings that people were making for the repentance of their sins. God saw their contempt for His offerings as a serious matter. They also abused their position by misbehaving with the women who assisted at the entrance of the Tabernacle.

Eli warned them, ‘I have been hearing bad reports about the wicked things you are doing. You must stop, my sons! If someone sins against another person God can mediate for the guilty party. But if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede?” But Eli’s sons wouldn’t listen to their father.

One day a prophet came to Eli and warned him about his and his sons’ evil deeds. He gave Eli this message from the Lord. “You and your sons have not honored Me. Therefore your family will no longer be the high priests. Every member of your family will die. Both of your sons will die on the same day. Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me.”

Eli remembered this warning but did nothing to stop his sons’ bad behavior. Eli was guilty of honoring his sons above God by letting them continue in their sinful ways. So the Lord was going to punish them all.

Meanwhile, Samuel grew taller and in favor with the Lord and with the people. One night after finishing all his work for the day, Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle near the Ark of God. Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!”

Thinking that Eli must have called to him, Samuel got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?” “I didn’t call you.” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.

Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel.”

Again obediently Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me? “I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”

Samuel did not know that God was calling his name as the Lord had never spoken to him before. The Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call?”

Eli realized that it was the Lord who was calling to Samuel. So he said, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.

The Lord came and called as before, “Samuel, Samuel!”

Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening,” The Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing and carry out all my threats against Eli and his family that I warned him about.

“Judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God and he hasn’t disciplined them.” Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him.

Eli called Samuel and insisted he tell him everything God had said. So Samuel told Eli everything. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let Him do what He thinks best.”

The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up and he let none of his words fail. God continued to give His messages to Samuel and Samuel was faithful tell the people of Israel all that the Lord had said. The people listened to Samuel and recognized that he was God’s chosen prophet.

3


For all of his life Samuel obeyed God because he had learned to obey when he was just a child. Did you notice that Samuel got up every time that he heard his name called? He got up three times and ran to see what Eli wanted. That shows that Samuel was a very obedient child. No wonder God used him as a great servant and prophet for many years.

God is still looking for people who are quick to obey. By being obedient to your parents you are preparing yourself to be a good servant to God someday.

In this lesson God was speaking to Samuel! Imagine how excited Samuel must have been. It is an exciting thing to hear God’s voice. In Samuel’s day, God did not speak to his people very often. Remember, this was during the period of time when the judges ruled the children of Israel. In those days, the people did not have a strong leader, so they did not have strong faith in God. And because the people did not believe and obey God, God stopped speaking to them.

We have to make sure our hearts do not get so hard that we won’t listen to God’s word. God only speaks to those who are listening. It is important to take time to listen to God.

We hear His voice through reading the Bible. Start by reading a few verses. Then stay quiet for a few minutes and think about what you have read. If you want to “hear” what God is saying to you, you must get alone and think quietly and deeply about what you are reading.

We can pray and ask God to send His Holy Spirit to us to help us understand His Word. When you take time to listen to God, He While you are reading the Bible, ask yourself these three questions: What does this passage of Scripture say? What does it mean? What is God saying to me? You may not understand everything you read, but the more you read and think about what you are reading, the more God will open His word to you.

will help you understand what He wants you to know.

God’s word is like a love letter written to us personally by the Lord Himself. If you got a letter from someone, you would read it as soon as you got it, right? God loves you and wants you to hear His voice. He wants to speak to you. He wants to encourage you and help you live your life in a way that is pleasing to Him.

Samuel was the same age as many of you when God spoke to him and he went on to be a great prophet and leader of God’s people. You don’t need to wait until you’re older to serve God. You just need to be willing to listen and obey.

So, it is very important for you to pay attention to what He is saying to you and then to do whatever it is that He is telling you to do. Samuel listened to God and obeyed him. God wants you to do the same thing each and every day.

Remember listen to God and obey Him!

Review Questions: “Golf Tee Bowling” Preparation: You will need 20 golf tees, 4 marbles, masking tape, table, scissors, envelopes, paper and pencil.

Procedure: Create bowling lanes by placing several layers of tape on top of one another on the table. Arrange the golf tees to resemble bowing pin configurations: (4, 3, 2, 1)

Say: “If you answer one of the following review questions correctly, then you can have a turn at rolling the marble down the bowling lane like a bowling ball. You get two chances to knock down as many pins as you can. You earn the number of points based on the amount of tees you knock down. (If students are familiar with how to score bowling points you can have 12 frames and use strikes and spares to calculate the points.) The winner is the student who scores the most bowling pins or scores the highest.

1. What was Hannah unable to have? (She was unable to have a baby.) 2. What did Hannah ask the Lord in prayer? (She asked the Lord for a son and promised to give

him back to the Lord to serve him.)

4


3. In what way did Hannah show Samuel that she remembered and loved him? (She took him a robe that she had made every year.)

4. How did God bless Hannah for dedicating Samuel to Him? (He gave her three more sons and two daughters.)

5. Why was hearing the Lord speak a rarity in those days? (This was the period of the judges when they didn’t have a strong leader so they did not have a strong faith in God. They didn’t believe and obey God so He stopped speaking to them.)

6. What problem did Eli have with his sons? (They were priests and they were stealing the offerings and the sacrifices that the people were offering for the repentance of sins. They were offending God by misbehaving with the women who served in the temple.)

7. What did the prophet who came to see Eli tell him? (The prophet warned Eli the Priest that because he had not disciplined his sons that they would lose the right to become the priests of Israel. The prophet said that both of his sons would die on the same day. He told Eli that God would raise up a new priest who would serve Him.)

8. What jobs did young Samuel do in the tabernacle? (He spent his days helping Eli the priest take care of the tabernacle making sure there was oil for the lamps and wood for the fire. He probably swept and dusted and polished everything around the tabernacle. He opened the tabernacle doors in the morning and closed them at night.

9. What things did Eli teach Samuel? (Samuel learned how the sacrifices were to be offered. He learned the stories that Eli told about the people of Israel and how God had spoken to them.

10. How does the Bible say that Samuel grew? (Samuel grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.)

11. What happened one night when Samuel was sleeping by the Ark of the Covenant? (God spoke to him three times.)

12. Who did Samuel think was calling to him at first? (He thought it was Eli the priest so he got up three times and went to find out what he wanted.)

13. How did Eli tell Samuel to answer the call of God? (“Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.”) 14. What message did God give to Samuel? (He told him that the warning the prophet had given

to Eli the priest would happen because Eli had not disciplined his sons.) 15. What did Eli say when Samuel told him the message from God? (Let God do as He wills.) 16. How do we hear the words of God today? (We hear God’s message to us by reading and

obeying the Word of God.) 17. What three questions should be ask while we are reading God’s Word? (What does this

passage of Scripture say? What does it mean? What is God saying to me?) 18. What is the memory verse? (Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for

this pleases the Lord.) 19. Why is obeying our parents important to our relationship to God? (By obeying our parents we

learn to obey God.)

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Dominoes Verse Cards” Say: Our memory verse is Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.” Have students locate the verse in scripture. Read the verse several times together.

Say: “This verse means that we are to be obedient to our parents which will teach us to be obedient to God. God loves us and wants us to be obedient to Him. Let’s say our verse again together God loves you. He promises to hear our prayers and give us what’s really best for us. He will give us help in time of need.”

Preparation: You will need 12 3” X 5” index cards. Draw a line on each card dividing it in half. Write one of the following words on each half of the 3” X 5” cards. Colossians / 3:20 /“Children, / obey /your / parents/ in /everything/, for /this /pleases/ the Lord.” The cards are now dominoes. This game is ideally played with 3 or 4 students. If you have more students, group them into 3 or 4 students and give each group a set of 12 cards. Be sure to use different words on each side of the domino and be

Colossians 3:20

5


careful to include all the words in the verse at least twice.

Procedure: Give each group of 3 or 4 students a set of Domino Verse Cards. Shuffle the dominos and give each child 3 dominoes. Whoever has the first word lays it down. The play continues to the left. If a player cannot place the correct domino down that would continue the verse, he may say pass. The whole team wins if the dominos are laid in order so the verse can be repeated correctly.

Group Learning Activity: “Name that Sound” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need several different kinds of noise makers such as a bell, toy animals that make noises, hammer and wood, small bouncing ball, musical instruments, drinking glass and spoon.) You can also download different sounds from the internet and play these sound bites Different sounds might include a door closing, knocking, animals’ sounds, water or ocean sounds, crowd noises, etc. The more variety you have in sounds the more fun this activity becomes. Procedure: Have students cover their eyes while you assemble the noisemakers to make sounds, one at a time for children to identify. After all the sounds are identified, ask the children to make other sounds so others can guess what they are. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Samuel learned to listen for God’s voice. He had to pay attention to hear what God was saying. When Samuel grew up, God made him a prophet in Israel. He was an important leader because he listened and paid attention to whatever God said. Samuel did his best to follow God in every way. He is a great example to us of paying attention to God’s voice.

Group Learning Activity: “Listen Up!” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need a bag to hold several objects. Collect various objects and place them in the bag for the game. Objects could include eyeglasses, small ball, dominoes, jacks, pencil, crayon, toy animal, etc. Say: “We learned in this lesson that listening is very important. It was important that Samuel was listening as God spoke to him. We are going to play a game to practice our listening skills.” Procedure: Form pairs and instruct students that at your signal a pair of students will come forward and one person will be blindfolded. The other person will select an object out of the bag and begin describing it to the blindfolded person. The person that is blindfolded will then try to guess what the object is. Continue playing until everyone has had the chance to describe and guess. Say: “It is important that we listen to God if we want to follow Him and be used to lead others. God wants faithful leaders and followers. One way to be faithful is to listen and obey—even when we don’t understand what God is doing or why.”

Group Learning Activity: “Draw What You Hear!” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Collect some pictures to use for this activity. The pictures can be Bible stories, artwork, or pictures of objects from magazines. You will also need drawing paper, and colored markers. Say: “We are going to do a listening activity that will challenge you and leave you with a lovely or interesting piece of art.” Procedure: Form pairs of children and have students sit with their backs to each other. Give one person in each pair a picture and the other person a piece of drawing paper and colored markers. Instruct the one with the picture to describe it in detail to the other person who will draw it as they listen. After they finish, switch places with different pictures and do it again. Then let everyone reveal their real pictures and their interpretations with the class.

6


Say: “Did you feel that this activity was hard or easy? How important was the description that your partner gave to you in order for you to complete the activity? What did you have to listen for in order to draw the picture? How did your picture differ from the original? Our lesson today was about Samuel and how he listened to God and obeyed Him. Samuel listened carefully to God’s instructions so He would give an accurate message to Eli the priest and to the people of Israel. God wants us to be faithful leaders and followers. To be a faithful leader and follower you must listen to God and then obey what He says. Sometimes we might not understand what God is doing. When we listen and obey God, we are trusting Him.”

Group Learning Activity: Bible Study:” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: To understand that God wants us to read His Word. Preparation: You will need Bibles, pencils, and spiritual journals. Procedure: Look up the following scriptures to learn about the benefits of reading and obeying the Bible: Say: “While you are reading the Bible, ask yourself these three questions: What does this passage of Scripture say? What does it mean? What is God saying to me? You may not understand everything you read, but the more you read and think about what you are reading, the more God will open His word to you.”

Deuteronomy 31:12 “Assemble the people—men, women and children, and the foreigners residing in your towns—so they can listen and learn to fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of this law.” God has commanded us to read His Word. We cannot be good followers of Him if we do not know what He has said. Everyone is to listen and obey God.

Isaiah 40:8 “The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” Other things in life will pass away but not the Word of God. The Bible is God’s eternal truth which will last forever. It is good to focus on things that last forever and don’t pass away.

Psalm 119: 11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Knowing the truth of God will help us resist doing that which is wrong. God’s Spirit uses the Word of God to cause us to know what is right and wrong. God’s Word helps us to know the consequences of sin and helps us to avoid those sins.

Psalm 119: 41-48 “May your unfailing love come to me, Lord, your salvation, according to your promise; then I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word. Never take your word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, forever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts. I will speak of your statutes before kings and will not be put to shame, for I delight in your commands because I love them. I reach out for your commands, which I love, that I may meditate on your decrees” Knowing and obeying God’s Word allows us to know God’s love and forgiveness and gives us salvation. Salvation is freedom from the penalty of sin.

Proverbs 19:20 “Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise.” This verse tells us to listen to advice and accept instruction. We can learn about God’s instruction by listening to Bible stories, reading Bible verses, talking to our parents or teachers about God, listening to Christian music or praying. If we listen to God’s Word and obey it we will be “wise.”

John 10:27 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” This verse compares listening to God to that of sheep listening and following the shepherd. Just like the shepherd Jesus knows us individually by name. If we belong to Him and are His children we will listen and follow His voice. If we listen and follow Him He will guide us, protect us, and encourage us.

Say: “How many of you have wondered about how to hear God speak? Will God speak to me in a loud booming voice? Is that how I’ll know God is speaking to me? God speaks to us in a lot of different ways. In the Bible we see that God spoke to people out loud. He spoke to people by giving

7


someone else a message to give them. He spoke to people by giving them instructions to follow. God spoke to people through prayer. God spoke to people through Scripture. God spoke to people through Jesus. He spoke through the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t just speak in one way. That is why it is important for us to spend time reading our Bible, praying, and learning from other Christians. As we learn more about God and who He is, we can understand when He speaks to us.” Summarize the following points from the lesson: Samuel heard a word from God because he followed these steps:

Be available: when He heard God’s voice he immediately answered: “Here I am”…even though he initially thought it was Eli. He was ready.

Be quick to respond: he ran to Eli when he heard someone calling him. He didn’t just lie there. He got up and responded.

Listen: Eli instructed him: “if He calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak Lord, for Your servant is listening.” Samuel first listened to Eli’s instruction. In listening to Eli, Samuel was listening to God. He heard the warning God wanted Samuel to deliver.

Continually seek as you grow in the Lord: As Samuel grew, the Lord was with him (1 Samuel 3:19). He didn’t stop seeking the Lord as he matured.

Do not let His words fail: When he received a word from the Lord, first about the fate of Eli and his sons and later about the prophecy regarding Israel, Samuel shared God’s word. He didn’t keep it to himself he shared the Word of the Lord with others. He did not let it fail.

Students are to record what they have learned about the benefits of reading and obeying God’s Word in their spiritual journals.

Group Learning Activity: “Listening Game” (Grades K-3) Preparation: Make a masking tape line across one end of the room as a starting point for the game. Procedure: The teacher or leader will stand near one wall of the room and have the children line up on the masking tape line on the opposite wall. Say: “As I read the following story, listen for the word “lead.”It’s the word that’s in the saying, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.” When I say “lead,” take two giant steps toward me. The person to touch the wall behind me will get a prize. But remember you can only move when you hear the word “lead.” If you move at the wrong time, take two steps backward. Listen carefully!” (Teacher is to read the following story, drawing out the underlined words to make the students anxious to move.) “Once there was a boy named Lee who love to rake leaves. Lee would rake the leaves into a huge pile, lean his rake against the tree and leap into the pile. Sometimes Lee would even lead his dog, Levi, on his leash, walking around the neighborhood and picking up leaves. Then he’d lead Levi to the baseball park, where he would show off his treasures. Well Lee’s love of leaves caught on. Before long, all the kids in Little League were collecting, raking, and at least, jumping into piles of leaves. Lee would lead his friends on great expeditions into the forest, where they would see who could find the biggest leaf. Lee was always in the lead!” (Teacher should reward the child who touched the wall first or came the closest with a treat. Then toss handfuls of wrapped candies in the air saying you think they all deserve a treat. Then gather the children in a circle and ask the following.) Say” “What were you thinking as you listened to the story?” (Students did not want to move on the wrong word.) Why were you so excited to move ahead? (Students wanted to win by getting to the

8


wall.) How were you like Samuel in this game? (Students were listening carefully.) How can you show God that you’re ready to listen to Him and obey?” (I can read God’s Word carefully and pray asking God how I can know what He wants me to do.) Say: “Samuel was the same age as many of you when God spoke to him, and he went on to be a great prophet and leader of God’s people. You don’t need to wait until you’re older to serve God—you just need to be willing to listen. I believe that God can do great things through you just as he did through Samuel.”

Group Learning Activity: “Samuel Grew” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need pictures of a baby boy, toddler or preschooler, a boy in elementary school, a teenager an adult man, and an older grandfather. You can print out a copy of the stages of life chart below if desired. Procedure: Show the pictures of the stages of life as you make comments about each stage of life. Say: “Let’s name the stages of life. When someone is first born, he is called a ___? (Pretend to rock a baby in your arms.) (Display baby picture.) A baby is right. What can a baby do? (A baby can eat and sleep.) “He grows a year or two and is called what? (a toddler or preschooler.) What can a toddler do? (walk and begin to talk) .) (Display toddler picture.) “When he grows to be 8-10 years old, we call him what? (A child or a kid.) .) (Display child picture.) What things can kids do? (Play games, ride bikes, go to school, learn to read and write.) “He grows to be a 13-19 year old and he is called a ___? (a teenager) .) (Display picture of a teenager.) What do teenagers do? (Go to school, play ball or games, drive a car, work part time jobs.) When he is older, he is called a ___? (grown-up, adult, man) What can adults do? (work a job, drive cars, etc.) .) (Display picture of adult working.) When he is even older, what is a person called? (senior adult, senior citizen.) (Display picture of senior adult.)

Say: “God planned for people to grow. Samuel grew the way God had planned. The Bible says that Samuel grew “in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man as he joyfully served the Lord in the tabernacle.” God wants us to obey Him and grow in our knowledge of him at every stage of life.”

Have students locate and read 1 Samuel 2:26 and discuss the three areas in which Samuel grew: (1) in stature (physical), (2) with man (social), and (3) with God (spiritual). Using a piece of chart paper draw three columns and title the columns: (1) stature, (2) man, and (3) God. Ask students to list actions they can take to grow in each of the three areas. Sample actions: eat vegetables, exercise, be kind, love your neighbor, read the Bible, go to church, pray. Ask students to name actions that would not help them grow in each of the three areas. Say: “How did God use Samuel? (God used Samuel to share His plan with the nation of Israel.) How can God use us to share His plan with others? What did Jesus show the world? (Jesus showed the world what God is like, and He told people to turn away from their sin.)

9


Group Learning Activity: “Songs about Samuel” (Grades K-1) Purpose: To review the main points of the lesson through singing songs to familiar rhymes Procedure: Sing the following songs to the familiar rhymes indicated: "Samuel the Boy" by Nancy Foss

(Sung to I'm a little Teapot) Samuel's a boy short and stout. Watch him grow inside and out. When he gets all grown up, look about Praise the lord and give a shout. (Shout)

“Samuel Grew Inside & Out” by Theresa Bostick

(to the tune of “I Will Make You Fishers Of Men”) Sam - u - el grew inside and out (begin by squatting and stand all the way up--pull hands into chest and move them out) Inside and out (pull hands into chest and move them out) Inside and out (pull hands into chest and move them out) Sam - u- el grew inside and out (begin by squatting and stand all the way up--pull hands into chest and move them out) He learned to please God (touch temple with finger, as if thinking and then to God) I am growing inside and out (begin by squatting and stand all the way up--pull hands into chest and move them out) Inside and out (pull hands into chest and move them out) Inside and out (pull hands into chest and move them out) I am growing inside and out (begin by squatting and stand all the way up--pull hands into chest and move them out) Learning to please God (touch temple with finger, as if thinking and then to God)

Group Learning Game: “Samuel Sleeping” (Grades K-2) Purpose: To illustrate the story of God talking to Samuel as he slept in the tabernacle. Preparation: You will need a pillow. Say: “What are some of the things you do to get ready for bed? In our Bible lesson a boy named Samuel was asleep in his bed. He heard someone calling his name. It was the Lord! Samuel listened to the Lord and obeyed what he said to do. Today we are going to play a game that illustrates this story.” Procedure: Have students form a circle and sit on the floor. Pick one child to be Samuel. Say: “As Samuel was sleeping, he heard a voice calling his name. Our Samuel will lay down and pretend to go to sleep. Then I will point to one of you, and the person I point to will softly call, “Come here, Samuel.” Have the child playing Samuel lay down in the middle of the circle and pretend to go to sleep with his or her head on the pillow and his or her eyes closed. When the child closes his or her eyes, pick one child in the circle to say, “Come here, Samuel.” Samuel will then “wake up” and walk over to whoever he or she thinks was talking, and say, “I am here.” If Samuel guesses correctly, the two children trade places. If the guess was incorrect, the person who called says, “Go back to bed.” Then Samuel can try again. Play until everyone has had a chance to be Samuel.

10


Say: “The Bible says to “Come and listen to the words of the Lord.” (Joshua 3:9) When do you hear stories from the Bible? At home? At church? Who reads or tells you Bible stories? Listening to God’s Word and obeying Him are ways to show that we love the Lord.” Pray briefly, thanking God for the Bible and asking for His help to obey it.

Group Learning Activity: “Fingerprint Match Game” (Grades K-5) Preparation: Before class make two fingerprints of each finger from one hand onto a sheet of paper. You will have two thumbprints alike, two index finger prints, etc. Leave enough space in between so that you can enlarge them for the game. Enlarge the prints on a copy machine and make into 10 squares of equal size. Procedure: Lay out the ten squares in the middle of the floor (finger print side down.) Have everyone sit in a circle and take turns picking up just two cards. If a child makes a match, they can keep the cards. After playing a couple of rounds of the matching game, allow the children to do their own fingerprints (using washable ink pads or markers) onto a sheet of paper. Next have the children compare their fingerprints with the other children. Say: “Are any two of our fingerprints alike? (No) Fingerprints are so different that we use them to identify who we are. No two are alike. It is the same with us. God has created no two of us exactly the same. He wants to use us for His purposes and plans. In our lesson we saw that God had a special plan for Samuel’s life. He was to serve God and be God’s messenger to tell others about Him. God had a special purpose for Samuel and He has a special purpose for our lives as well. God desires to use each and every one of us for His purposes. He calls us by name as He did Samuel. As He calls you, what will your response be? May we be quick to listen and quick to obey. God has great things in store. God has a special purpose for our lives.” Lead the children in a prayer of thanksgiving that the Lord has a special plan for their lives. May we be quick to listen and quick to obey. If there are any children who have not yet responded to the Gospel, give them opportunity.

Craft Learning Activity: “Target Practice” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a large sheet of white drawing paper or white poster board for each student. Each student will need a variety of round objects that are different sizes, colored markers, and a set of stickers. Round objects can include a hula hoop, round trays, pizza circles, pot lids, etc. Say: “How many of you have ever played a dart game with a target? What is the object of the game? (The goal is to hit the center of the target.) In our lesson today we learned that the goal we should set for ourselves to consistently learn to listen and obey God every day. Today we are going to make a target to help us remember to read God’s Word and to obey Him.” Procedure: Distribute the large sheet of drawing paper or white poster board and the colored markers. Have children create a target by tracing four round objects, each one inside the other and successively smaller. As they color the rings, discuss how they might hear God this week. Explain that they will take their target home and post it on a wall. Each day they can add a sticker to a ring if they have paid attention to God by reading Scripture, praying, and doing what is right. They can add the first sticker to the outer ring the first day, the second day to the next ring inside, and continue each day adding stickers until they reach the center target.

11


Craft Learning Activity: “Listening Ears Headband’ (Grades K-2) Preparation: You will need a printed copy of the template of “Listening Ears” below one for each student. Use heavy drawing paper or cardstock for the ears. Each student will also need a plastic hair headband. You will also need scissors, glue or cellophane tape, permanent marking pens, crayons or colored drawing pencils or colored markers. Procedure: Distribute a copy of the “Listening Ears” template and one plastic headband for each student. Have students color the ears with the crayons, colored pencils, or colored markers. Demonstrate to students how to cut the ears out on the outside solid lines using scissors. Glue or tape the ears to the plastic headband. Across the top of the headband have students write “I will listen to the Lord.” Say: “These ears will remind us that we need to learn to listen to God and obey His Word. Samuel was the same age as many of you when God spoke to him, and he went on to be a great prophet and leader of God’s people. You don’t need to wait until you’re older to serve God—you just need to be willing to listen. I believe that God can do great things through you just as he did through Samuel.”

Craft Learning Activity: “Samuel’s Coat Grows” (Grades K-3) Purpose: Children make a book of coats in which every time they open a page the coat gets bigger and bigger. They will enjoy seeing more and more of the background design revealed as Samuel's coats get bigger and bigger each time Hannah comes to visit him. They can also make the same craft used by the teacher in this lesson. Preparation: Each child will need sheets of construction paper, the templates of the different sized coats, colored markers or crayons, and scissors. You will need a piece of cotton fabric (8 ½” 11”) in a small pattern design or stripped fabric. This fabric will be glued to the back page. Procedure: Have students glue the large piece of fabric to a sheet of construction paper to make the back page of the book. Make three sheets of pages by using the various sizes of coat pattern templates below. Have students use their crayons or markers to draw around the coat patterns. Use only one size of coat pattern per construction paper sheet. Have students cut out the inside of the coat pattern so the inside of the coat is a hole that shows the fabric from the back cover. Fit the three coat pattern sheets on top of each other (in the correct order). Children place a large coat pattern which has the center cut out so that the design shows through the coat. They tape a smaller coat pattern with the inside cut out over the larger pattern. And then tape an even smaller coat pattern over that one. As they lift each coat pattern, the coat gets bigger and bigger revealing more and more of the design below. Cover the book with another sheet of construction paper.

Children love this lesson because they can relate to Samuel and how he learned to do more and more things as he grew. Teachers, some children may wonder how Hannah could give her son away. It is hard to understand, but remember that she knew God would take care of him. She also visited him often and prayed for him. If you have children in your group that are adopted or who live with relatives, please reassure them of how much God loves them.

12


Craft Learning Activity: “Cup Phones” (Grades K-3) Purpose: Students will make cup phones to remind them that the Lord called to Samuel at night and Samuel listened. Preparation: You will need two disposable plastic cups per child, string (not yarn), small paper clips, and ball point pens. Procedure: Pass out two disposable plastic party cups to each student. Poke a hole in the bottom of each cup with a ball point pen. Cut a 10 foot piece of string for each student. Slip the pice of string through the bottom of each cup. Tie a paper clip to each end of the string. Pull cups away from one another slowly until there is a bit of tension on the string. Allow students to take turns talking into their “cup phones.” Play the telephone game. Whisper the memory verse to the first person and they must whisper it to the next person. Then, that person shares it with the next person etc. until the message gets to the last person who must share out loud what the verse is. Hopefully, it will be correct. Say: (While children are working on their cup phones) “We should listen to the Lord like Samuel did. Although the Lord may never to choose to speak to us audibly like He did for Samuel, he does speak to us through His word. We should “listen” to the Lord by reading the Bible.”

Craft Learning Activity: “Speak! Pillowcase” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need 1 plain white pillowcase per student, fabric markers or permanent markers, Bibles, and heavy weight paper or cardboard. Optional: You can give each student a small bean bag pillow to decorate. Procedure: Distribute a pillowcase (or beanbag) to each student and accessibility to fabric markers and permanent markers. Provide heavy weight paper or cardboard for students to slide inside the pillowcase while decorating. This will prevent bleeding through and will allow students to decorate both sides of the pillowcases. Have students locate and read the following verses: 1 Samuel 2:2 “There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God” and 1 Samuel 3:10 “The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak for your servant is listening.” Have students choose to either use Samuel’s response to God or a praise to God such as Hannah’s praise in 1 Samuel 2:2 to write on their pillowcase. Encourage students to decorate around the printed message. Say: “Let’s use our decorated pillowcase to remind us to listen to God every day. Remember that we listen to God by reading His Word and praying. God promises to listen to us and help us to understand what His will is for our lives.”

13


Life Application Activity: Prayer Say: “In this lesson we learned that we are to pay attention to God’s voice. Samuel learned to recognize God’s voice because he paid attention when God spoke to him. One of the ways we speak to God and He speaks to us is through prayer. We are going to do four activities as we pray:”

Praise: God spoke to Samuel. Lead the students in praising God for knowing their names and everything about them.

Ask: Samuel was ready to hear from God. Are we ready to listen to God? Pray with students asking that they will know God’s voice when He wants their attention.

Confess: When we don’t like the message or are busy with our own things, we sometimes choose not to pay attention to God. Give students opportunity to confess to God times they haven’t paid attention to adults or to God.

Think: It’s amazing that the God who created everything in the world wants to walk with us and be a part of our lives. Let’s thank God for caring about us and knowing what’s best for us.

Remember that no child should be forced to pray but do encourage and invite each one to join you. Challenge: Samuel listened to God’s voice. Find a quiet place and read a verse from Psalm 111 in your Bible. Close your eyes and listen. Read another verse and listen again. What is God telling you. Remember that while you may not hear God’s voice out loud you can know that God is with you and will give you thoughts through His Word.

14


Samuel Listens to God

Colossians 3:20 “Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”

15


16


17


18


19


Listening Ears Headband

20


21


22


23


24


Samuel and Eli the Priest Stick Puppets

25


Print on cardstock. Cut slots on the bed with an x-acto knife. Cut out a rectangle where the eyes will go. Cut out the three rectangles on the bed cover to make holes where the verse 1 Samuel 3:10 “Speak, for your servant is listening” will be written. Cut this whole picture out in the shape of a rectangle. Make a long strip of paper. Slide the strip of paper behind the bed slots. Draw the eyes open and write the verse in the open rectangles. Slide down and draw the eyes closed. Allow students to color the bedding and Samuel as they choose.

OT8.2 Samuel Listens to God Lesson › wzukusers › user... · We have to make sure our hearts do...

Documents

Transcript of OT8.2 Samuel Listens to God Lesson › wzukusers › user... · We have to make sure our hearts do...