VERSES: Judges 13:1-25
MEMORY VERSE: Judges 13:24 "And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson; and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: 2 Peter. Write "2 Peter" on small slips of paper and hand out to students as they leave the classroom.
PRAYER: May we always obey the LORD and do as He says. Thank God for the Bible that tells us what pleases Him and what does not.
SPECIAL SONG: God Raised up Fifteen Judges (see Lesson - Deborah, A Female Prophet on this blog). Gideon (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #4 on this blog).
VISUAL AID: A large Activity (see Activity below)
- The children of Israel had forgotten God again and had been under bondage to the Philistines for forty years when the LORD raised up another judge.
- There was a man named Manoah and his wife who did not have any children, but they wanted a baby very badly. One day an angel of the LORD appeared to Manoah's wife and told her that she was going to have a baby, but there three things that she could not do: 1) She could not drink wine or any strong drink, 2) no razor could touch his head, and 3) she could not eat anything 'unclean'. Do you remember what an 'unclean' animal was? That's right! A pig, a lizard, a buzzard, etc. Her sweet little baby was going to be a Nazarite to God from his birth to his death. The baby would not drink any wine or beer or any strong drink and he would not eat any unclean animal his whole life! The angel told her one more thing about her baby: He would deliver the nation of Israel out of slavery from the Philistines.
- When the wife told her husband about the meeting and how she was told that she was going to have a baby, Manoah prayed to the LORD and asked that the angel be sent back to him again to teach him how to raise the child. God listened and granted the request that the angel appear again. When the angel came again, the woman was sitting in a field, but Manoah was not with her. She ran to get her husband and Manoah came to talk to what he thought was a man. He did not know that the angel was an angel. Manoah asked how they should train this child. The angel repeated what he had told the woman: 1) She could not drink anything that came off the vine or strong drink, 2) no razor could touch his head, and 3) she could not eat anything unclean. Manoah asked if he would stay and eat with them, but the angel said that he could not, adding that Manoah could offer an offering to the LORD if he wanted. When Manoah asked the angel his name, the angel said that his name was a secret. As Manoah offered a sacrifice on a rock, the angel did something special. As the flame from the offering went up towards heaven, the angel went up into the flame and disappeared. Manoah and his wife saw what happened and knew that he was an angel.
- A little later, just like the angel of the LORD said, a baby boy was born and they named him Samson. As the child grew, the LORD blessed him.
- Judges 13:25 says that the Spirit of the LORD stirred within Samson at times. Samson was going to be a judge who would deliver the nation of Israel from the Philistines.
- Talk about the things a Nazarite could not do.
- Manoah asked the angel how they should raise a child. Is this a good question to ask? (Manoah shows what a good example of a father he is, asking this question.)
Materials needed: 9" x 12" orange construction paper, 6" x 6' purple construction paper, 6" x 6" pink construction paper, 1/2" x 4" blue construction paper, 1" x 3" white paper, 3" x 6" red construction paper, scrap of green paper, scrap of brown paper, glue, scissors, black marker or crayon.
- Hand out orange paper to each student. Set aside.
- Hand out purple paper and cut out 8 or 9 circles.
- Glue circles to one side of paper, forming a cluster of grapes.
- Cut a leaf out of green paper.
- Glue leaf to grapes.
- Cut a small branch out of the brown paper.
- Glue brown branch to cluster of grapes (see picture).
- On other side of orange paper, glue blue paper. This is a razor handle.
- Glue white paper to resemble a contemporary razor that the students would recognize.
- Cut one 3" circle, one 1" circle, and one tiny circle out of the pink paper.
- Glue largest circle on orange paper.
- Glue middle circle INSIDE largest pink circle.
- Glue smallest circle INSIDE middle circle.
- Draw two "w"s for hooves on pig.
- Draw two "v"s on top of middle pink circle for ears.
- Draw two dots on middle circle for eyes.
- Draw two dots on tiny pink circle for nostrils.
- Draw squiggle for tail.
- Cut red paper into six skinny strips.
- Glue two strips on each picture in an "x." (Symbolic for 'NO").
- Write SAMSON - A Nazarite to the LORD" and "Judges 13:5" at the top of the orange paper.