Send us a text

Although the Lord chose Samson, Samson did not always choose God! He fell in love with a Philistine woman named Delilah, who did not believe in God. The Philistine rulers paid Delilah to find the secret of Samson’s strength. Delilah begged Samson to tell her his secret and finally revealed that his strength was in his long hair. Delilah told the Philistine leaders, and they cut Samson’s hair, made him blind, and put him in prison to do hard work.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 16:4-22

Outline:

1. Samson succumbs to Delilah’s begging and reveals the source of his strength. (Judges 16:4-17)
2. Delilah turns Samson over to the Philistines for silver and they capture him. (Judges 16:18-22)

Tips for teaching children:

• Use a balloon to illustrate the concept of peer pressure. Blow up the balloon, but do not tie it. Explain that this balloon is like us. We might be able to say no the first time someone pressures us, but when they pressure us repeatedly, we can’t take the pressure and give in. Example: One of your friends says a swear word (blow up the balloon a little more), then another friend swears when they lose at sport (blow it up some more), then your friends begin to swear at the park (blow it up some more). When the balloon finally bursts, explain that we can take the pressure for a while, but if we keep hanging around friends who swear, then we finally can’t stand the pressure, and we swear.
• Research online to find images of individuals with exceptionally long hair. Show them to the children.
• Invite a volunteer to have their hair cut during class.
• Roll a ball of play dough and add features to form a head. Children can roll strands of play-dough “hair strands”. They can cut it and then repeat.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Have the class read the story. You could choose four readers: one reader as narrator, one as Delilah, one as the Philistines and the fourth as Samson.
• Ask the men in the class if they have photos of themselves with long hair. Why did you have long hair? When did you cut it? Why?
• Not everyone in your life has your best interests at heart. Draw on a whiteboard/chalkboard two columns: the first column is “characteristics of a healthy relationship and 2nd column is “characteristics of unhealthy or toxic relationships. Let the class come up with characteristics for both columns, and then discuss what makes these characteristics good or bad for relationships.
• Pray that each class member will develop characteristics that lead to healthy relationships.

Full teaching instructions are free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Samson and Delilah

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

Send us a text

The Israelites drifted away from the Lord again, and the Philistines began to harass and hurt them. The Lord blessed a childless couple with the birth of a son named Samson. The Lord told Samson’s parents that Samson was to live by a vow (promise) never to cut his hair or drink any alcohol. He would be a Judge of Israel and have special strength from God. Samson kept the vow, and as he grew up, his strength became well-known throughout the land.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 13-15

Outline:

1. The birth of Samson (Judges 13:1-24)

2. Samson marries a Philistine woman (Judges 14:1-20)

3. Samson begins fighting the Philistines (Judges 15:1-20)

Tips for teaching children:

• Since the story is about a strong Samson, at the beginning of class, have the children do some arm wrestling. Pair them up evenly according to their relative strength.
• Another thing to do at the beginning of class is to let the children eat a spoonful of honey and tell them that in the story today, there will be some honey.
• For a review activity, you can hand out paper and ask the children to draw and colour one of the scenes from the story. When they are finished, have the other children guess which part of the story this is. Additionally, you could have them retell that part of the story.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Divide the class up into three groups. Tell each group to read Judges 13-15. Give them a set of questions to answer after they read the text. You can find a set of review questions on the Missions Bible Class website. Here’s the link: https://missionbibleclass.org/old-testament/part2/judges-and-ruth/birth-of-samson/ Give each group about 20 minutes to read the text and answer the questions.
• After this bring the groups together asking for answers to each question. As a teacher, you can decide how each group is to give their answers to the questions.
• To conclude, lead a discussion on what they learned about God in these chapters and what they learned about Samson. Help the group consider the following:
  • Do you ever struggle with some of the things Samson struggled with?
  • How have you handled these struggles?
  • Give people time to formulate their answers.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: The Birth of Samson

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

Send us a text

Gideon gathered 32,000 Israelites to fight the huge Midianite army of 135,000 men. The Lord commanded Gideon to reduce his army to only 300 men. Gideon and his small army surrounded the Midianite camp at night and, at a signal, smashed jars, blew trumpets, and yelled. Torches were in all of the jars, so the Midianites became totally confused by the noise and light display. In their confusion, they began to fight and kill each other. As they fled, Gideon ordered all Israelites to attack. Gideon did things God’s way, and his small army won a seemingly impossible battle.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 7

Outline:

1. God pares down the Israelite army. (Judges 7:1-8)
2. Gideon and his servant scope out the enemy camp. (Judges 7:9-18)
3. God caused Gideon’s army to miraculously defeat the enemy. (Judges 7:19-25)

Tips for teaching children:

• The dream that the Midianite soldier had about a giant loaf of bread rolling into the camp and destroying a tent will sound humorous to children. A fun activity would be to set up little tents with cloth and a stick. Then let the children aim for them and bowl them over with a ball.
• Fill a shallow dish with water and place it on the floor. Children can drink from it and mimic Gideon’s soldiers in the story.
• A simple craft would be broken pieces of pottery with a small tea light sitting on it. Write “remember Gideon” on it.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Begin with the following question: “Have you ever felt inadequate or outnumbered in a situation?” How did you handle it?
• This story can be read in the class. Choose three readers to read the three parts to the outline in the notes above. Or choose six readers to read and divide chapter 7 into verses as follows:
  • 1-3
  • 4-8
  • 9-14
  • 15-18
  • 19-23
  • 24-25
• The following questions could be used for reflection and discussion. Ask as many questions as time allows.
  • How did fear play a role in the story—for both Gideon and the Midianites?
  • What does this story reveal about God's power and human weakness?
  • What role did obedience play in Gideon’s success?
  • When have you felt outnumbered or overwhelmed and had to rely on God's strength?
  • How can we support one another when we feel hesitant or fearful like Gideon?
  • Where in your life might God be asking you to trust Him more and yourself less?
• End the class with prayer, praying for trust in God even when life doesn’t make sense; pray that God may use you to do his will and to rely on God’s strength, not yours.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Gideon and the Midianites

Scriptures quoted from the International Children’s Bible®, copyright ©1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Tommy Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org