There once was a little girl named Sally. Sally loved Oreos. She loved to dip Oreos in milk. She loved to twist Oreos open and lick off the creme filling. She even loved to eat Oreos plain without twisting them or dunking them in milk.
One day, Sally and her mom were walking through the grocery store. Sally just happened to notice the Oreos as she passed the cookies in the cookie aisle. When she saw the Oreos, she ran over to them in excitement. She had found Oreos!
She ran back to her mom, who was busy looking at the grocery list, and she pointed to the Oreos and asked her mom, "Mom, can we get the Oreos?"
Her mom thought about it for a minute, then she turned to Sally and said, "No, Sally. We can't get Oreos today."
Sally looked really hard at the Oreos. She imagined how much fun it would have been to have dunked those Oreos in the milk. She imagined how much fun it would have been to twist those Oreos and lick off the creme filling. She even imagined how good those Oreos tasted. Oh, she loved Oreos so much. And as she was remembering how good the Oreos tasted, she also remembered the fifth commandment: "Honor thy father and thy mother."
She looked at the Oreos. Then she looked back at her mom. Then she looked back at the Oreos. Then she looked back at her mom and said, "Okay, mom." She obeyed her mom. They walked off to a different aisle to pick up the bread and head home.
Questions to ask:
What did Sally do right?
Answer: She obeyed her mom.
What commandment did Sally obey when she obeyed her mom?
Answer: She honored her father and her mother.
What is the special blessing that God gives to those who honor their father and their mother?
Answer: Longer life and more prosperity.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
The Story of Nabal: David's Request Scorned
In explaining how Nabal rejected David's request, we as teachers must make certain things very clear to the children.
First, Nabal was a very wealthy man who was evil in his doings (1 Sam. 25:3). He is described by the Scriptures as a bad man, and we are given one example of his wickedness.
Second, David and his men worked very hard to protect Nabal's flocks. They were like a wall to the flocks; they didn't let any enemy through. Nabal lost no sheep because David and his men had labored endlessly for his flocks. An employer was supposed to pay his employees. David had the status of an employee.
Third, when Nabal refused David's request for food,
First, Nabal was a very wealthy man who was evil in his doings (1 Sam. 25:3). He is described by the Scriptures as a bad man, and we are given one example of his wickedness.
Second, David and his men worked very hard to protect Nabal's flocks. They were like a wall to the flocks; they didn't let any enemy through. Nabal lost no sheep because David and his men had labored endlessly for his flocks. An employer was supposed to pay his employees. David had the status of an employee.
Third, when Nabal refused David's request for food,
The Story of Nabal: Summary
While David and his men hid from Saul in a certain valley, they took it upon themselves to protect some flocks of a very wealthy man named Nabal. They were like a wall to these flocks. They protected the shepherds from harm and never harmed the shepherds themselves. They never stole sheep out of the flocks for themselves, and they kept anyone else from stealing sheep from those flocks.
When sheepshearing time came, David sent ten young men to Nabal to ask politely if they might receive some of the feast. When Nabal heard the request of these young men, he treated them and David disrespectfully. He refused to give them any of the feast.
David's servants went back to David, and they told David what Nabal had said. David became very angry with Nabal, and he told his men to gird their swords. David felt that he and his men had labored so hard to protect Nabal's flocks in vain. They had received no payment for their services, not even gratitude. They were going to go to war against Nabal.
Nabal's wife, Abigail, was a very wise woman. She had not been around when Nabal received David's servants, so she did not know that Nabal had treated them rudely. A servant went and told Abigail about Nabal's rudeness to David's servants. The servant then told Abigail how David's men had protected them the whole time they were in that valley. Nabal had turned away some very good protectors without payment.
Abigail understood how awful Nabal had been to David and his men. And she knew that David was on his way to kill Nabal and all his maleservants. So, Abigail quickly grabbed bread, wine, corn, raisins, figs, and sheep, and she put them in baskets on donkeys to take to David.
As David and his men were on their way to Nabal, David was remembering how he and his men had labored so hard in vain for Nabal. Right then, Abigail met them in the road. She immediately got down on her hands and knees and begged David to accept the food that she was bringing as payment and to spare Nabal and his men.
David agreed to spare Nabal and his men. David took the gift from Abigail, and he complimented her on her wisdom. She had solved two wrongs: Nabal's folly and David's folly.
Abigail went back home and the next morning told Nabal what a great danger he had been in. God punished Nabal ten days later by killing him. When David heard that Abigail was a widow, he asked her to marry him, and a little while later they were married.
When sheepshearing time came, David sent ten young men to Nabal to ask politely if they might receive some of the feast. When Nabal heard the request of these young men, he treated them and David disrespectfully. He refused to give them any of the feast.
David's servants went back to David, and they told David what Nabal had said. David became very angry with Nabal, and he told his men to gird their swords. David felt that he and his men had labored so hard to protect Nabal's flocks in vain. They had received no payment for their services, not even gratitude. They were going to go to war against Nabal.
Nabal's wife, Abigail, was a very wise woman. She had not been around when Nabal received David's servants, so she did not know that Nabal had treated them rudely. A servant went and told Abigail about Nabal's rudeness to David's servants. The servant then told Abigail how David's men had protected them the whole time they were in that valley. Nabal had turned away some very good protectors without payment.
Abigail understood how awful Nabal had been to David and his men. And she knew that David was on his way to kill Nabal and all his maleservants. So, Abigail quickly grabbed bread, wine, corn, raisins, figs, and sheep, and she put them in baskets on donkeys to take to David.
As David and his men were on their way to Nabal, David was remembering how he and his men had labored so hard in vain for Nabal. Right then, Abigail met them in the road. She immediately got down on her hands and knees and begged David to accept the food that she was bringing as payment and to spare Nabal and his men.
David agreed to spare Nabal and his men. David took the gift from Abigail, and he complimented her on her wisdom. She had solved two wrongs: Nabal's folly and David's folly.
Abigail went back home and the next morning told Nabal what a great danger he had been in. God punished Nabal ten days later by killing him. When David heard that Abigail was a widow, he asked her to marry him, and a little while later they were married.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
"Johnny Did It Too" Example
Let's say that Johnny and Tyler are told by their teacher to sit down in the circle. Their teacher allows Johnny and Tyler to pick one toy to play with. The only thing their teacher tells them to do is to stay sitting down on the ground. After much deciding, Johnny and Tyler pick out the box of Legos and begin to build a tower. After a little while the tower gets to be very big, so Johnny stands up. Then Tyler sees that Johnny is standing up, and the teacher hasn't seen him yet. Tyler knows that he is not supposed to stand up, but Johnny hasn't gotten in trouble yet. What should Tyler do?
The First Commandment
The first commandment states: "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me." God speaks this commandment to His people. The main meaning of this verse is that God's people are not to obey anyone else before obeying God. God comes first in life. He is the first one we obey.
When teaching children about the first commandment, we need to make it very clear that they are not to obey anyone else before God. They are supposed to obey their parents and their teachers because of the fifth commandment, but they are not supposed to obey their friends.
When children get into trouble, the first thing they try to do is switch the blame away from themselves. If someone else was doing the same thing, the first thing they will say is: "But Johnny was doing it too!" At this point what they are saying is that they are not putting God first. Instead, they were being bad because Johnny was being bad; they were putting Johnny ahead of God. When they sinned, God wasn't first, Johnny was.
This is a good example to tell the children when they are trying to learn to put God first. We must not let ourselves be led astray by the sinners around us. We must not try to please other people; we must try to please God. God comes first. We should listen to others, but only when they are pointing to the Scriptures and saying, "God hath said."
When teaching children about the first commandment, we need to make it very clear that they are not to obey anyone else before God. They are supposed to obey their parents and their teachers because of the fifth commandment, but they are not supposed to obey their friends.
When children get into trouble, the first thing they try to do is switch the blame away from themselves. If someone else was doing the same thing, the first thing they will say is: "But Johnny was doing it too!" At this point what they are saying is that they are not putting God first. Instead, they were being bad because Johnny was being bad; they were putting Johnny ahead of God. When they sinned, God wasn't first, Johnny was.
This is a good example to tell the children when they are trying to learn to put God first. We must not let ourselves be led astray by the sinners around us. We must not try to please other people; we must try to please God. God comes first. We should listen to others, but only when they are pointing to the Scriptures and saying, "God hath said."
Monday, May 5, 2008
Losing the Truth
Children do not understand much about stories. Most people realize this fact, so they simplify stories -- especially Bible stories -- when they tell them to children. Simplifying stories can be good so that children stay entertained, but we must be careful not to simplify the truth out of a story.
There are some Bible stories which we are very used to dumbing down and dumbing out the truth of the story just because we do not accept the Bible's interpretation for things.
For example, the story of Abraham is a story that we like to dumb out the truth. When he lies about his wife and says she is his sister, we inevitably assume that this comes from his lack of faith. We would never guess that it comes from his wisdom. But, what does the Bible say that he feared? He feared the lust of the kings of the lands he was visiting. And, in both cases, Sara was taken from him because of the lust of those kings. Perhaps Abraham was not such a fool as we think he was. Just in case you think that most of us are getting the story right according to the Scriptures when we say that Abraham lacked faith, think about this: when was the last time you heard a pastor preach this passage and mention that God punishes men who lust? Isn't that closer to the meaning of the passage? Doesn't the Bible show Abraham and Sara protected by God, and the wicked kings punished for their uncontrollable lust?
But, too often, we dumb down passages and lose the truth. That is one thing we must never do when teaching children the Bible.
There are some Bible stories which we are very used to dumbing down and dumbing out the truth of the story just because we do not accept the Bible's interpretation for things.
For example, the story of Abraham is a story that we like to dumb out the truth. When he lies about his wife and says she is his sister, we inevitably assume that this comes from his lack of faith. We would never guess that it comes from his wisdom. But, what does the Bible say that he feared? He feared the lust of the kings of the lands he was visiting. And, in both cases, Sara was taken from him because of the lust of those kings. Perhaps Abraham was not such a fool as we think he was. Just in case you think that most of us are getting the story right according to the Scriptures when we say that Abraham lacked faith, think about this: when was the last time you heard a pastor preach this passage and mention that God punishes men who lust? Isn't that closer to the meaning of the passage? Doesn't the Bible show Abraham and Sara protected by God, and the wicked kings punished for their uncontrollable lust?
But, too often, we dumb down passages and lose the truth. That is one thing we must never do when teaching children the Bible.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Teaching Little Children the Bible
Teaching little children about the Bible and God's commandments is one of the most important things that anyone can do. Children do not come into the world understanding what is right and wrong. They must be taught what God has said, and they must be taught how Christ has redeemed His people. There is no greater story in the world to tell children than the story of what God has done in the history of the world. Too few people -- even in America -- actually know what God has done in the world. They might know a little about Jesus Christ, but most of what they know would not come from the Scriptures; it would come from movies like The Passion of the Christ.
Teaching children these things from a young age is one of the best ways to insure that the next generation does not learn about God through movies. Some adults do not think that children can learn about what God has done in the world because they cannot comprehend it yet. To a certain extent they are right, but it is also astounding what children can understand. You must certainly make things simpler for the children, and you must give them examples that they understand. But if you do both of those things, you can actually teach them quite a lot about the Scriptures.
This blog is devoted to helping parents, teachers, and pastors as they seek to teach children about God and the Bible. I will slowly, but surely, make my way through different sections of the Bible, and I will give a children's commentary of what happens in the Bible. I hope that this blog will help you as you pray for your children and teach them about God.
Teaching children these things from a young age is one of the best ways to insure that the next generation does not learn about God through movies. Some adults do not think that children can learn about what God has done in the world because they cannot comprehend it yet. To a certain extent they are right, but it is also astounding what children can understand. You must certainly make things simpler for the children, and you must give them examples that they understand. But if you do both of those things, you can actually teach them quite a lot about the Scriptures.
This blog is devoted to helping parents, teachers, and pastors as they seek to teach children about God and the Bible. I will slowly, but surely, make my way through different sections of the Bible, and I will give a children's commentary of what happens in the Bible. I hope that this blog will help you as you pray for your children and teach them about God.
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