The following lesson was taught to a small group of children ranging from age 5-10. The students will discover from this lesson that when we live lives that please God others will see His glory.
Bible Passage: Judges 4-5
Bible Story Title: God Delivers Israel through Deborah and Barak
Target Age Group: Ages 5-11 (K-5th Grade U.S.A.)
Target Time Frame: 60 Minutes
Original Teaching Context: Sunday School
Supply List: Bibles, Letters A,B,C,D, copies of Deborah and Barak Booklet, crayons, markers, visuals for lesson,
Learning Goal: Students will learn that God’s glory is seen in lives of people who obey His Word.
Learning Activity #1: Israel’s Cycle of Sin-Have letters A, B, C, & D on sheets of paper.
Learning Activity #2: Deborah and Barak Booklet (may be too graphic for younger kids)
Coloring Option: Book of Judges coloring sheet
Test: Review Questions
Memory Verse: “So may all Your enemies perish, O LORD! But Your friends be like the sun as he rises in His might.” Judges 5:31
Bible Lesson: God delivers Israel through Deborah and Barak
(Before doing this activity begin with prayer.)
Activity for Israel’s Cycle of Sin
We are going to be studying a passage of Scripture from the Book of Judges. Before we begin our study we are going to do an activity that shows us a continuing cycle that takes place in the Book of Judges.
God’s people had been delivered from slavery in Egypt. God’s leader for His people, Moses led the people out of Egypt and led them towards the land God had promised Abraham 400 years earlier (Genesis 15). Through Moses, God gave His people His laws and promises. God’s people promised they would do whatever He said (Exodus 24:3-8). Do you think they kept their promise? (No) They could not keep the laws and sinned against God. Because of sin it took 40 years of traveling in the wilderness before God’s people were allowed to live in the land God promised.
Before they were to move into the Promised Land, God gave His people clear instructions: Destroy the enemies living in the land. They were enemies because they did not worship the One True God and were very wicked. God’s people were not to make any peace treaties or covenants with the people living there allowing them to remain in the land. God’s people were not to marry the enemies living in the land. They were to destroy the altars where they worshiped false gods and burn their carved images in the fire. (Deuteronomy 7)
God’s people were to be holy, set apart so everyone could see God’s glory and know that He is the only True God. The instructions He gave them were to protect them from turning away from following Him and worshiping the false gods of the enemies.
When God’s people got to the Promised Land they did not drive out all the enemies as God had said. God sent an angel of the Lord and told them that because they did not keep their word to obey Him, He would use the enemies they left in the land to be thorns in their sides and their gods would be a snare (to trap or entangle) to them. (Judges 2:1-3)
God’s people served Him until Joshua and the leaders that lived after Joshua died. After all Joshua’s leaders died the people lived like they did not know the Lord. They began a cycle of sin that is all throughout the Book of Judges. We can remember the cycle by using the letters ABCD.
A-Abandon (God’s people turned away from following God and obeying His Word)
B-Bondage (God punished His people for their sin by allowing their enemies to make them their prisoners)
C-Cry (God’s people cry out to Him for help)
D-Deliver (God sends a deliverer to rescue His people)
Choose 4 students to hold a letter. Station them in a circle with the four letters in NSEW positions. (If you have only a few students tape the letters to different walls of the room and move around the room.)The remaining students will walk around the circle beginning with A. When they are at ‘A’ say “Abandon” and turn completely around facing the opposite direction. Move to the ‘B’ location and say “Bondage” and hold hands crossed up in front of you (as though hand cuffed). Move to the ‘C’ location and say “Cry” and make the motion of crying. Finally move to the “D” location and say “Deliver” and make crossed hands break free. (Go around the circle a couple of times and have students return to their seats.)
Bible Lesson:
Let’s look at our question for today:
What is the goal of God’s plan? God’s plan is to bring about His glory and our good.
God’s plan is to show His glory. To show His glory means to show how great, powerful and awesome He is. The purpose for every man woman, boy and girl is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. We glorify God (show others God’s greatness) when we live our lives to please Him.
Do we always do what pleases God? (No) Why? (We are sinful) If we are believers God disciplines us when we abandon His ways and the discipline may seem painful at the time but it is for our good so we can turn back to Him and live a life that points others to Him.
Our inability to live without sin shows us we have a great need. What do we need? (A Savior to take away our sins) Who is the Savior who delivers us from our sin? (Jesus)
Let’s open our Bibles to Judges 4. Read Judges 4:1-4. Can you recognize any of the ABCD’s in this passage? A-The people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord. (v.1) B-The Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan. (v.2) C-The people cried out to the Lord for help. (v.3) Why did they cry out for help? (Sisera the commander of the army had 900 chariots of iron and he treated God’s people cruelly for 20 years.) D-God raised up Deborah to be the judge of His people during that time. (v.4)
Deborah the judge of God’s people spoke with Barak the commander of Israel’s army. God had told Barak, ‘Go, gather your men at Mount Tabor and take 10,000 from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulun. I will cause Sisera to come out to meet you by the river of Kishon with his army. I will give them into your hand.’ (Judges 4:6-7) Barak was willing to go as long as Deborah went with him. She said she would go but he would not receive honor in this battle because God’s victory over Sisera would come from the hands of a woman.
Barak, 10,000 soldiers, and Deborah went up Mount Tabor. When Sisera was told that Barak had gone up the mountain he gathered his 900 chariots of iron and all the men with him and went to the river Kishon.
When Sisera’s army was in place, Deborah said, “Up! For this is the day in which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. Does not the Lord go out before you?” Barak went down the mountain with his army following him.
Judges 4:15 “When Barak attacked, the Lord threw Sisera and all his chariots and warriors into a panic. Sisera leaped down from his chariot and escaped on foot.” (NLT) (And the Lord discomfited Sisera, and all his chariots, and all his host, with the edge of the sword before Barak; so that Sisera lighted down off his chariot, and fled away on his feet. KJV Strong’s definition for discomfit-to move noisily, confuse, make a noise, discomfit, break, consume, crush, destroy, trouble, vex)
Sisera ran away and came to a woman’s tent. Her name was Jael. She told him not to be afraid and allowed him to stay in her tent. She covered him with a blanket and when he asked for water to drink she gave milk. He asked her to stay outside her tent and tell anyone who asks that no one is there.
Sisera was exhausted from the battle and fell sound asleep. Jael went back into the tent (use discretion on whether or not to say how she ended his life) and nailed a tent peg into his head, ending his life.
Barak had been chasing Sisera and came to the tent where Jael was. She said to him, “Come, and I will show you the man whom you are seeking.” He went inside and saw that Sisera was dead.
On that day God delivered His people from their enemies. He even allowed His people to destroy Jabin the king of Canaan.
In Chapter 5 Deborah and Barak sing a praise song of God’s deliverance from their enemies. By praising God they are glorifying Him. Praise of God gives Him the honor and credit of delivering and destroying their enemies.
As we close let’s think about how this true story from the Bible can help us to glorify God with our life. First, are you a believer? Have you put your faith in Jesus who delivers us from sin and gives us eternal life? If so, are you living a life that allows others to see and know that God is the One True God?
We have not been asked to destroy a group of people living in our land. We have been told to put off our old self (the nature that sins against God) and put on the new self (the life that is created after the likeness of God). (Ephesians 4:22-32) We have to put to death the sin that pops up in our life or it will begin to control us. (We put our sin to death when we immediately repent and confess to God and ask Him to help us not sin like that again.) If you tell one lie and do not repent and continue to tell lies you will begin to speak lies all the time. God is truth and if we are to show others His glory, being known as a liar will not point others to Him.
If you have never put your faith in Jesus as the only way to have your sins forgiven, today you can be delivered from your sins and the consequences (Romans 6:23). If you would like to know more about how to put your faith in Jesus talk with us after we close in prayer.
(Close in prayer)
Review Questions:
1. What are the ABCD’s of Judges? (Abandon, Bondage, Cry, Deliver)
2. What is the goal of God’s plan? (God’s plan is to bring about His glory and our good.)
3. Why did God allow Jabin the king of Canaan to rule over His people? (They abandoned Him and did what was evil in His sight)
4. Who treated Israel cruelly? (Sisera the commander)
5. How long did Sisera treat Israel cruelly? (20 years)
6. Who was Israel’s judge at this time? (Deborah)
7. What did God command Barak to do? (Gather 10,000 men, go up Mount Tabor)
8. Why would a woman receive honor from defeating Sisera? (Barak would only go if Deborah went with him)
9. How did Sisera die? (Jael nailed a tent peg into his head while sleeping in a tent)
10. Who rescued Israel from their enemies? (The Lord)
Don’t miss our other free Bible lessons related to this one: