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Showing posts with label Primary (6-7 yrs) - I. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Primary (6-7 yrs) - I. Show all posts

Saturday, May 25, 2024

King Hezekiah is Healed, Primary - I, Lesson - 20

PRIMARY

AGE: 6 - 7 YEARS

STANDARD (GRADE): I & II

Permission is granted only for free distribution among Sunday School children.

No part of this document can be modified, sold or used for any commercial purpose.

LESSON – 20

KING HEZEKIAH IS HEALED

Click this link to get the other Primary lessons 

There was a king called Hezekiah who ruled over the Kingdom of Judah. He was a righteous king. He loved God and obeyed His commandments. One time King Hezekiah became very ill. Prophet Isaiah lived in Israel at that time. While King Hezekiah was sick, God sent prophet Isaiah to him with a message. King Hezekiah was disappointed when he heard the message. Prophet Isaiah told King Hezekiah to make arrangements to hand over his responsibilities and set his house in order because he was not going to live long. King Hezekiah decided to ask God for help!

As soon as Prophet Isaiah left, King Hezekiah turned his face towards the wall and cried. He began to pray to God and pleaded with him to remember all the righteous things he had done for God. God listened to King Hezekiah’s prayers. 

 

God told Prophet Isaiah to go back to Hezekiah and tell him that He had heard his prayers and would heal him. In three days, King Hezekiah would be better enough to go to the Temple of God. God revealed through his prophet that He would add fifteen more years to King Hezekiah’s life. Prophet Isaiah did just as God told him to do. He went to King Hezekiah and told him what God said. Prophet Isaiah also instructed King Hezekiah’s servants to apply a lump of pressed figs on the boils causing his illness.  

Fig Fruits

King Hezekiah wanted a sign from the Lord that he would go to the Temple in three days and would live for fifteen more years. Prophet Isaiah asked him whether the shadow on the sundial of Ahaz should go forward ten degrees or go back ten degrees as a sign of his miraculous healing. King Hezekiah said it should go back ten degrees.

Do you know a long time ago people did not have watches or clocks to mark time? They would tell time by the shadows the sun would make as it moved across the sky! An instrument called sundial was used for this purpose. The sun cast a shadow on the dial and as the shadow moved with the declining sun, it would show the passing of time. Normally the shadow would move forward as the day progressed. But God’s sign to Hezekiah was to make the shadow cast by the sun move backwards by ten degrees. 

A Sundial

As King Hezekiah watched, a miracle happened! The shadow from the sun falling on the sundial retreated and moved backwards by ten degrees. King Hezekiah knew God would make him well, since it happened just as Prophet Isaiah told him. King Hezekiah’s servants applied a lump of pressed figs on the boils on his body as advised by Prophet Isaiah. 

King Hezekiah was healed from his illness and lived fifteen more years. King Hezekiah was thankful to God for his delivery. King Hezekiah composed a beautiful song of praise to be sung in the Temple of God with stringed instruments after recovering from his illness (Isaiah 38:20)

Holy Bible Reference: II Kings 20, Isaiah 38

Memory verse: Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved, for You are my praise. (Jeremiah 17:14)

Teacher’s notes:

Even though, it is generally considered that the shadow went backwards in the sundial of Ahaz, there is an alternative explanation given by Bible scholars. The Hebrew word for sundial given in the Holy Bible is “maalah”, which is used to denote "steps" or "stairs" in the Old Testament. Jerusalem was built on a hilly region with two deep valleys. There were steps that descended eastward down the slope, with the Palace buildings on the top. This made the shadow of the Palace roof to fall upon the topmost step, and thereafter the shadow would move down the stairs to the end, as the day progressed. That is the shadow that had gone down ten of the steps (or 'degrees') and turned backward, which was given as a sign to King Hezekiah. According to historian Josephus (Antiquities, Book X, Chapter 2), the shadow had gone down ten steps of the staircase and then returned. 

 Click this link to learn how to organize VBS / Retreats


ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Answer the following questions:

1. Which Kingdom did King Hezekiah rule over?

   ......................................................................................

2. Who came to visit King Hezekiah when he was ill?

   .......................................................................................

3. How many years did God add to King Hezekiah’s life?

   ........................................................................................

4. How many steps did King Hezekiah want the shadow to go back?

   .......................................................................................

5. Prophet Isaiah told King Hezekiah’s servants to apply a lump of which fruit?

   .......................................................................................

Match the following:

1. Hezekiah                      -              Time

2. Isaiah                           -               Pressed figs

3. Ahaz                             -              King

4. Hezekiah’s servants  -              Prophet                  

5. Shadow                        -               Sundial



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Monday, January 15, 2024

Prophet Elisha Makes The Axe to Float, Primary - I, Lesson - 19

PRIMARY

AGE: 6 - 7 YEARS

STANDARD (GRADE): I & II

Permission is granted only for free distribution among Sunday School children.

No part of this document can be modified, sold or used for any commercial purpose.

LESSON – 19

PROPHET ELISHA MAKES THE AXE TO FLOAT 

Click this link to get the other Primary lessons 

Prophet Elisha was one of the greatest prophets of Israel. He was the successor of Prophet Elijah (about whom we learnt in the previous lesson), which means he became the prophet of Israel after Prophet Elijah was taken to heaven. Elisha met Prophet Elijah when he was a young man ploughing his father’s field. Prophet Elijah placed his mantle on Elisha’s shoulders, indicating to him to follow him. The mantle is a long cape extending to the floor worn over the outer garments. Elisha accepted the call and left his family and farm to follow Prophet Elijah.

When Elijah’s prophetic work was finished, a chariot and horses of fire appeared and Prophet Elijah was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind. Prophet Elijah’s prophetic gifts were passed on to Elisha to continue the work. 

There were a group of young prophets who lived together with an older prophet as their leader. After Prophet Elijah was taken up to heaven, Prophet Elisha became their leader. They lived together in quarters. Soon their numbers started to increase and their quarters in Samaria became very small for them. The young prophets decided to build new quarters for them and requested Prophet Elisha to accompany them to Jordan. Prophet Elisha agreed and went with them to Jordan.

The young prophets went to a place near River Jordan, where they could find huge trees to cut and make their homes. It so happened that the iron head of an axe used by one of the young prophets to cut down a tree, fell into the waters of the Jordan River. The young prophet was greatly distressed. The young prophet did not have an axe of his own, hence he had borrowed an axe from his neighbour. It was a borrowed item; it should be used with care and should be returned once the task is completed. But unfortunately, the axe head had fallen into the waters and sank to the bottom of the river. 

Prophet Elisha, the leader of the young prophets, who had accompanied them was there. The young prophet came to Prophet Elisha and told him what had happened. Prophet Elisha asked him to show the place where the axe head fell. 

He cut a branch from a tree, and threw it into the water, and the next moment something wonderful happened - the wooden stick slowly sank to the bottom, and the iron axe head came to the surface. 

An axe head is made out of iron. Iron does not float on water. Iron is very heavy and it sinks. Wood is light and it floats on water. But Prophet Elisha performed a miracle to help the young prophet who was troubled after losing his borrowed axe head. The young prophet was relieved to see his axe head float on water and he retrieved his axe head from the Jordan River. 

Bible Reference: II Kings 6: 1 - 7

Memory Verse: Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, When it is in the power of your hand to do so. (Proverbs 3:27 NKJV)

 Click this link to learn how to organize VBS / Retreats

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Answer the following questions:

1. What did Prophet Elijah place on Elisha’s shoulders?

    ......................................................................................

2. Who became the leader of the young prophets?

    ......................................................................................

3. Why did the young prophets cut trees near the Jordan river?

   .......................................................................................

4. Where did the axe head fall?

    ......................................................................................

5. What came to the surface of the water when Prophet Elijah threw a wooden stick inside the river?

   .......................................................................................

Answer Yes (    ) or No (    )

1. Elisha refused to follow Prophet Elijah (     )

2. Prophet Elijah was taken upto heaven in a whirlwind (  )

3. The young prophets cut the trees near the Jordan River (     )

4. The young prophet had his own axe (     )

5. Prophet Elisha threw his mantle to make the axe float (   )




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Wednesday, October 11, 2023

Prophet Elijah Fed During Famine, Primary - I, Lesson - 18

PRIMARY

AGE: 6 - 7 YEARS

STANDARD (GRADE): I & II

Permission is granted only for free distribution among Sunday School children.

No part of this document can be modified, sold or used for any commercial purpose.

LESSON – 18

PROPHET ELIJAH FED DURING FAMINE 

Click this link to get the other Primary lessons 

There was a king called Ahab who ruled Israel. King Ahab did not follow the commandments of God. He disobeyed God and his reign brought terrible times for the Israelites. His wife was Jezebel and she was a wicked queen. They worshipped false gods and built altars and places of worship to Baal and other gods. Jezebel tried to kill the prophets of the God of Israel.

There was a man of God in Israel named Elijah who did not like the things that King Ahab and Queen Jezebel did. Elijah was a prophet of God. He was a from a small place called Tishbe. A prophet is someone who has a special message from God. God would give the message to the prophet and he had to convey it to the people. Once, God sent Prophet Elijah to King Ahab to warn him. Prophet Elijah told King Ahab that because of all the evil things he was doing, there would be no dew or rain for several years in Israel until he gave the word for rain.

We know that plants are a major source of food for both humans and animals. Adequate rainfall is very important for the proper growth of crops. Drought is a period of dryness that happens when there is no rainfall or low levels of rainfall. If there is no rain even for one year, people will not be able to raise crops. This will lead to lack of food called as famine. People as well as cattle, sheep and other animals would die of starvation if there are no plants to provide food.

In this case during Ahab’s reign, there was no rain for three and a half years. Rains stopped and there was a severe drought just as Prophet Elijah had told them. The rivers dried up and the land was parched. Because Elijah had told Ahab and Jezebel that there would not be any rain until he gave the word, they thought he was responsible for the drought. They hated Elijah and wanted to harm him.

But God sent Prophet Elijah to a safe place. God told Prophet Elijah to go to a brook named Kerith located on the eastern side of the Jordan River. A brook is a natural freshwater stream smaller than a river. Prophet Elijah lived in a cave near the brook. He had enough water to drink. God even arranged for some birds to bring him food every day. Every morning and evening ravens brought him bread and meat to eat. (Ravens are birds that are black in colour and look similar to crows, but they are larger than crows and they are a completely different species) (1). After some time, the Kerith brook dried.

God told Elijah to go to a city called Zarephath and that he had instructed a woman there to feed him. Prophet Elijah went to the city of Zarephath and found a woman collecting sticks for firewood. He asked the woman for a drink of water. The woman turned around to get him some water. Prophet Elijah asked the woman if she would bring him a small bread also.

The woman told him that she only had a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jar, just enough to make one last meal for herself and her son. She had come there to gather some firewood to cook their last meal, after that, they would not have anything left to eat and they would die.

Prophet Elijah told the woman not to be afraid. He told her to go ahead and cook her meal, but asked her to make a small bread for him before that. Because God had sent him to her with a special message that, as long as the drought lasted, she would have enough oil and flour to make bread for him and for her family. There will always be flour and olive oil left in her containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again in Israel.

The woman did not doubt the word of the Prophet. She went ahead and made a bread for Prophet Elijah and brought it to him. Then she made a meal for her son and for herself and miraculously she had enough flour and oil. Then the miracle continued and she had enough to make more bread the next day, and the next, as long as the drought lasted. There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through his Prophet Elijah. Even though there was no rainfall and there was a severe famine throughout the land, God provided for his prophet, Elijah, and the poor widow and her son who were willing to share their last meal with the Prophet. 

Reference:

(1)         Raven. The Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature. James Strong and John McClintock; Harper and Brothers; New York; 1880.

Bible Reference: I Kings 17: 1 - 16

Memory Verse: The eyes of all look expectantly to You,
And You give them their food in due season (Psalm 145:15). 

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Answer the following questions:

1. Who was the wicked queen who wanted to harm Prophet Elijah?

    ......................................................................................

2. What is the name of the brook where God sent Prophet Elijah?

    ......................................................................................

3. What did the ravens bring for Prophet Elijah?

   .......................................................................................

4. What was the Zarephath woman collecting?

    ......................................................................................

5. What was left in the bottom of the jar at the Zarephath woman’s house?

   .......................................................................................

Match the best answer

1.   Elijah                                  - Widow 

2.  Kerith                                 - Bread and Meat 

3.  Zarephath                          - Brook 

4.  Ravens                                - Tishbe 

5.  Ahab                                   - Brook



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Sunday, July 30, 2023

Queen of Sheba visits King Solomon, Primary - I, Lesson - 17

PRIMARY

AGE: 6 - 7 YEARS

STANDARD (GRADE): I & II

Permission is granted only for free distribution among Sunday School children.

No part of this document can be modified, sold or used for any commercial purpose.

LESSON – 17

QUEEN OF SHEBA VISITS KING SOLOMON

Solomon was the son of King David. He succeeded King David as the King of Israel. As soon as he became King, Solomon went to the Tabernacle of God set up in a place called Gibeon to thank and worship God. The Tabernacle of God was a special tent where the Israelites went to offer sacrifices and worship God in the olden days. That night while King Solomon was sleeping, God appeared to him in a dream and told him to ask whatever he wanted and that would be given to him. King Solomon knew what he needed. He asked God for wisdom to judge God’s people fairly, because he was young. God was very happy with King Solomon’s request for wisdom. God gave Solomon wisdom and knowledge and also the things he didn't ask God for too, like great wealth, riches and honour.

Solomon’s father, King David wanted to build a Temple for God at Jerusalem. But God told him that his son Solomon should build it. So, when Solomon became the king, Solomon built this magnificent Temple of God at Jerusalem with very expensive materials. King Solomon was prosperous and wise than all the other kings of the earth. He wrote many of the wise sayings in the Book of Proverbs. He wrote more than a thousand songs. He also taught about trees, animals, birds, reptiles and fishes. All the kings of the earth wanted to meet King Solomon to hear the wisdom God had given him. Everyone who came brought gift articles of silver and gold, and robes, weapons and spices, horses and mules, things that were considered very precious in the ancient days.

There was a faraway land called the land of Sheba, and the queen who ruled Sheba heard of King Solomon's fame and his wisdom. She wanted to have an audience with King Solomon and to test his wisdom with some hard questions. She arrived at Jerusalem with a very great camel caravan carrying spices, large quantities of gold, and precious stones. A camel caravan is a series of camels carrying travellers and goods on a long journey especially across the desert. 

She came to Solomon and asked many difficult questions. King Solomon answered all her questions and nothing was too hard for the king to explain to her. 

The Queen of Sheba said to the King that before she came, she did not believe what had been told her in her own land of his wisdom and greatness, but now she saw that everything that was told about King Solomon’s wisdom and the splendour of his kingdom is true. She also realized that not even the half of it had been made known to her. She exclaimed “Happy are those who are always before you to hear your wisdom! Blessed be the Lord thy God, who has set thee on the throne of Israel!"

The Queen of Sheba gave the King lots of gold, large quantities of spices, and precious stones. In the ancient days spices such as black pepper, cardamom, cloves etc. were found in only certain parts of the world. So, they were rare and considered precious. The precious stones were used as beautiful decorative ornaments, religious symbols, and good-luck charms. They were also used for barter. Barter is the method by which goods were bought and sold through exchanging for other goods and not with the use of money. King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for, besides what he had given her out of his royal treasury. Then, after a memorable visit, the Queen and her caravan went back to the land of Sheba. 

Bible Reference: I Kings 10, II Chronicles 9

Memory Verse: Happy is the man who finds wisdom,
And the man who gains understanding; (Proverbs 3:13)

  

ASSESSMENT ACTIVITIES

Answer the following questions:

1. What did King Solomon ask God for?

    ......................................................................................

2. Who built the Temple of God at Jerusalem?

    ......................................................................................

3. Why did the Queen of Sheba want an audience with King Solomon?

   .......................................................................................

4. Write about any two special things Queen of Sheba saw in Jerusalem?

    ......................................................................................

5. What did the Queen of Sheba give King Solomon?

   .......................................................................................

State True or False


1.  As soon as he became King, Solomon went to visit a faraway land. (     )

2. King David wrote many of the wise sayings in the Book of Proverbs. (     )

3. King Solomon could not answer all the questions of Queen of Sheba (     )

4. The Queen of Sheba did not believe what had been told about King Solomon before she came to visit. (     )

5. King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba all she desired and asked for. (    )




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