9-1-1€¦ · Egypt. In this lesson we will look at several different psalms found in Book 2. The...

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OT10.3 Psalms—Part 2: God’s Help ©Beverly Wilson 2020

Unit 10: Books of Poetry OT10.3 Psalms Part 2: God’s Help

Scripture: Psalm 42-72

Lesson Goal: The book of Psalms is a collection of songs and prayers used to praise and worship God. This lesson is about the second group of poems written mostly by King David and the sons of Korah.

Introduction: Psalms is the longest book in the Bible and has 150 chapters. It can be divided into five parts or books. These parts are Book 1: Creation-Psalm 1-41; Book 2: God's Help-Psalm 42-72; Book 3: Temple Songs-Psalm 73-89; Book 4: God's Plan to Obey-Psalm 90-106; and Book 5: Praising God and His Word-Psalm 107-150. Many of the chapters in this section go along with another Old Testament book Exodus.

Attention Getter: “9-1-1” Have you ever dialed 9-1-1 or another emergency number and heard the following: "You've reached 9-1-1, what is your emergency? The operator will then ask you for some information so he can send whatever emergency services you need. If you have ever had to use this, you are thankful for it. They might send the fire truck, the ambulance or a police car! And sometimes all of them come.

A Jewish person living during the time when the Psalms were written had to face many dangerous situations without the help of 9-1-1 or other emergency services like we have today. Many times enemy nations would come and fight their people and try to make them their slaves. So what did they do when they were in trouble?

The nation of Israel had a better system than 9-1-1. They were instantly connected to help even without a cell phone. They called on God. In this lesson we are going to study the second book in Psalms. Many of these Psalms talk about God’s Help when we are in trouble.

Opening Prayer: “Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for the promise to always help us in times of trouble. You are greater and more powerful than anything that can happen to us. We know that we are not able to trust our own strength or ability. Only You can deliver us from all evil. Thank you for loving us and giving us what is best! Help us to never be afraid or discouraged. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”

Memory Verse: The memory verse is Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength; an ever present help in trouble.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/SSxpMAVFnHY The book of Psalms is about the nation of Israel and their special relationship with God. The book is written as a series of poems or songs that were sung in the tabernacle and temple. In the Old Testament the Jewish people showed their love, worship, confession, and faith in God by singing songs of praise. These psalms were mostly written by King David and were often played on the harp. Even though each book talks about the Jewish people there are many lessons for us to learn. Many of the words to these songs are still sung today in our worship services. The melody and instruments may have changed but they still have an important message to us! Psalms is the longest book in the Bible. It has 150 chapters. So we are going to divide this book into 5 parts! The parts are Book 1: Creation and Sin (Psalm 1-41); Book 2: God's Help (Psalm 42-72) ; Book 3

https://youtu.be/SSxpMAVFnHY

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Temple Songs (Psalm 73-89); Book 4: God's Plan to Obey (Psalm 90-106); and Book 5 Praising God (Psalm 107-150). The first book of Psalms covers chapters 1-41. It speaks about creation and how God meets all of our needs. It teaches us about God’s eternal love and care for us and how we should trust him even in the day to day experiences of life. In this lesson we are going to talk about the second part of Psalms; Book 2: God’s Help Psalms 42-72. More than half of these psalms were written by King David and talk about how Israel survived against their enemies. Others who wrote the psalms in Book 2 were Asaph and Solomon and the sons of Korah. King David appointed the family of Korah to serve as the choir leaders and they continued to work as the temple musicians for hundreds of years. Just like the first part of Psalms was like the book of Genesis; the second part of Psalms is like the second book in the Bible: Exodus. It talks about the struggles that the nation of Israel had after they left Egypt. In this lesson we will look at several different psalms found in Book 2. The first is Psalm 46. Psalm 46 says “God is our refuge and strength; an ever present help in trouble.” This verse reminds us that God is the source of help in times of trouble. It was written to celebrate Israel’s deliverance from a great enemy. The Sons of Korah wrote this song and it may have been written during the days of King Hezekiah when the Assyrian army surrounded the city of Jerusalem and God gave them victory. Hezekiah was only 25 years old when he became King of Judah and reigned from the city of Jerusalem. He trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel and was determined to obey God and live by His commandments. There was no one like him among all the Kings of Judah and the Lord was with him. During the early days of his reign King Hezekiah ordered that altars to false gods be smashed to pieces. He even broke up the bronze snake that Moses had made because the people were worshipping that too. He then led a rebellion against the King of Assyria and did not serve him. During this time the Assyrians captured the northern kingdom of Samaria and took many captives back to Assyria. This defeat happened just as God had warned them because they did not forsake idol worship. But the land of Judah was faithful to God during King Hezekiah’s reign so they were preserved. However ten years later the Assyrians returned to invade the kingdom of Judah ruled by King Hezekiah. City after city fell to the powerful Assyrian army led by King Sennacherib. At first King Hezekiah tried to pay tribute money to King Sennacherib to keep him from attacking Jerusalem. Hezekiah gave him all the silver and gold in the treasuries of the royal palace and the temple. But that plan failed. King Sennacherib and his Assyrian army surrounded the city of Jerusalem anyway! They called out the leaders of the city and threatened them. They demanded that the people surrender. The Assyrians made fun of God and said he was weak like the idol gods of the people they had captured. The situation looked hopeless for Judah because King Sennacherib and his army of Assyrians were so strong. When King Hezekiah received the letter demanding surrender brought to him by the messengers, he immediately went up to the temple of the Lord and tore his clothes and put on sack cloth. He began to plead with God to save Judah. He spread out the message from the Assyrians before the Lord and prayed, “O Lord God of Israel, who sit on the throne of heaven, you rule over all the kingdoms of the earth. Give ear, O Lord, and hear, open your eyes, O Lord, and see that King Sennacherib is insulting you!” O Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone O Lord are God.”

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King Hezekiah was trusting God to protect Israel. He then sent for Isaiah the prophet who had a message from the Lord. Isaiah said, “The king of Assyria will not enter the city or siege it. The Lord will defend Jerusalem and save it.” King Hezekiah had faith that God would save the nation. Just as Isaiah had prophesized that night the angel of the Lord went through the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 men! When the people got up the next morning there were dead bodies everywhere. King Sennacherib was so shocked that he broke camp and withdrew back to his home in Nineveh! God had miraculously saved Judah! What an amazing victory! The people of Jerusalem were so grateful to God for their deliverance from this great foe! They praised God for His amazing power to provide refuge, security, and peace. God had not failed to rescue those who love Him. No wonder this song of praise was written by the sons of Korah! Listen to the words of Psalm 46.God is our refuge and strength an ever present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea Though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.” This verse tells us of God’s promise of protection not only to Jewish people but to all people who know God. Many people remember the awful attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. Thousands of innocent people died that day. Many people felt like the world was facing the end when they saw cities crumbling before their eyes. But the Bible is clear we do not have to be consumed by fear. God is our refuge even in the face of total destruction. Psalm 46 ends with a familiar verse. “Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. “The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.”This psalm says that we can have peace even in the midst of a terrible storm of trouble because God is on our side! Many songs have been written using the words of Psalm 46. This psalm reminds us that we may face many battles and wars in life but God will protect those who trust in Him! The book of Psalms is full of Jewish history that tells how God's enemies often attacked and almost destroyed God's people. But as difficult as those times were for the nation of Israel, God always showed His love and protection. Another well known song in Book 2 of Psalms is Psalm 52. It was written by King David and tells about the time that King David was betrayed by a man he trusted. Doeg the Edomite killed some priests of God and was bragging about his evil deed. King David wrote this song in response to Doeg’s evil deeds. Listen to what he says in Psalm 52: 1, 3, 5 “Why do you boast of evil, you mighty man? You who are a disgrace in the eyes of God? “You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.” “Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin.” Then King David contrasted himself to this evil man. He said, “But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God. I trust in God’s unfailing love forever and ever. I will praise you forever; For what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of my mine enemies.” In these verses David is comparing himself to a green olive tree. Now this may sound strange to you but olives were very important to Jewish people. They used olives as food, olive oil for cooking, and they used the oil in their lamps. To say that he like a green olive tree is like saying," I am growing in my love for God and I am useful to Him." In spite of all that King David had suffered he knew that God was always with him. He was happy to share His joy with others. Did you know that you too can have joy even when you are going through hard times? Do you know that God cares about you and wants only what is best for you? We can trust in Him!

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Another time King David was in a battle and he said this prayer found in Psalm 70. Psalm 70: 1, 5 "Hasten O God to save me; O Lord come quickly to help me...Yet I am poor and needy come quickly to me O God. You are my help and my deliverer; O Lord do not delay." Another time David was being mocked, insulted, humiliated and gossiped about. Here is his cry for help. Psalm 69: 16-17 "Answer me O Lord out of the goodness of your love; in your great mercy turn to me, Do not hide your face from your servant; answer me quickly for I am in trouble." Did you hear the words that David used to describe God? God is loving and kind. God is compassionate and good. God cares about His children and is already aware that you need His help. He wants to help you and answer your prayers. He is much better than a 9-1-1 operator because He knows exactly what you need and when you need it. At the end of his life another psalmist wrote Psalm 71. He was remembering that God had given him a lifetime of blessings. Listen to Psalm 71: 1-3 In you O Lord I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Rescue me and deliver me in your righteousness; turn your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge to which I can always go; give the command to save me; for you are my rock and my fortress. This verse is saying that God is like a rock that we can cling to if we were drowning. He will save us and help us! The psalmist continues with Psalm 71: 17-18 says "Since my youth O God you have taught me and to this day I declare your marvelous deeds. Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O god, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come." These verses are saying that we should tell everyone--the young. the old, the middle-aged, fathers, mothers, and teens--everyone that God is faithful! We can depend on Him! Many times rescue workers willingly risk their own lives to help others. Sometimes when huge disasters strike like hurricanes, floods, or fires where many people are affected, certain people may be forgotten. But that is NOT true for God. He does not forget anyone! The last psalm in Book 2 is Psalm 72. Psalm 72: 12-13 says "For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help, He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death." God is concerned about everyone who is in trouble. He cares for the poor and the needy. Even if the world forgets about them God never does. Book 2 of Psalm teaches us that God is ready to help us if we will only ask Him! Our memory verse is Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength; an ever present help in trouble.” This verse means that God will not fail to rescue those who love Him. Let’s say our verse again together. Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength; an ever present help in trouble.” Let’s pray. “Dear Father in heaven, Thank you for the promise to always help us in times of trouble. You are greater and more powerful than anything that can happen to us. We know that we are not able to trust our own strength or ability. Only You can deliver us from all evil. Thank you for loving us and giving us what is best! Help us to never be afraid or discouraged. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Remember God is our Refuge and Strength.

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Review Questions: “Paper Clip Draw” Preparation: You will need a box of colored vinyl paper clips and a draw string bag. Place about 20-25 colored paper clips in a bag, making sure that you have lots of two colors such as red and blue. Procedure: Divide the class into two teams and give them the color names of the paper clips such as red and blue. To determine which team goes first, ask the first question to the whole group. The child who raises his hand first and correctly answers the question gets to pull a paper clip out of the bag. If the red team member pulls out a red paper clip, then the red team gets 500 points. But if he pulls out a blue one, the blue team gets 500 points. No points are given for the other colors. Alternate turns to answer the review questions between the two teams. The team with the most points after all the questions have been asked is the winning team. Optional: You can place 1 or 2 green clips in the bag and they can become the “Zonk” clips. That is, if a team member draws a green clip then they lose all their points! 1. How many chapters or songs are in the book of Psalms? (Psalms is the longest book in the Bible and

has 150 chapters. 2. How is the book of Psalms divided by theme? (Psalms can be divided into five parts or books. These

parts are Book 1: Creation; Book 2: God's Help; Book 3: Temple Songs; Book 4: God's Plan to Obey; and Book 5: Praising God and His Word.

3. How is calling on God’s help like a 9-1-1 call? (You can ask God for help in a crisis and He will answer.)

4. What does God call himself in Psalm 46:1? (God is our refuge and strength.) 5. What event in Jewish history is Psalm 46 thought to be connected? (It is believed that it was written

by the sons of Korah about the victory that God gave the Israelites against their enemies the Assyrians when God killed 185,000 soldiers in one night and saved Judah from being invaded.)

6. What did King Hezekiah do that showed he truly loved God and wanted to serve Him? (King Hezekiah tore down the idols and the serpent that Moses had made because the people were worshipping false gods.)

7. What did God allow to happen to the nation of Israel to the north because of their idol worship? (God allowed them to be invaded by the Assyrians and carried off into captivity.)

8. When the Assyrians returned to invade Judah some ten years later, what did King Hezekiah attempt to do first to protect the land? (King Hezekiah paid tribute to King Sennacherib by giving him all the gold and silver in the temple and in his palace.)

9. Did the plan to prevent King Sennacherib and his Assyrian army work to protect Judah from an invasion by the Assyrians? (No, King Hezekiah made a mistake by letting the Assyrians know that he had gold and silver in the temple and his palace. King Sennacherib only came on to surround the city of Jerusalem and demand their surrender.)

10. What did King Hezekiah do when he heard the demands of the Assyrians? (He earnestly prayed to God and sought His help in defeating the enemy. He called Isaiah the prophet and asked him if God had given him a special message about the situation.)

11. What did Isaiah prophesize about the coming threat of the Assyrians? (Isaiah said that the Lord had promised that the king of Assyria would not enter the city or siege it. Instead the Lord would defend Jerusalem himself.)

12. How did God defend the Israelites from invasion by the Assyrians into the city of Jerusalem? (God sent his angel of death to fight the Assyrian soldiers one night and the angel killed 185,000 of the Syrian soldiers in one night!)

13. Why did King Sennacherib leave the camp of the Assyrian army and return to his home city? (He was so shocked that so many of his men died in one night. He was spooked about all the deaths –most of his army---that he just decided to return home!)

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14. Who wrote Psalm 46? (Psalm 46 was written by the sons of Korah and probably in celebration for the defeat of the Assyrian army when God killed185,000 soldiers in one night.)

15. Why did King David write Psalm 52? (It was written to tell about the time that King David was betrayed by Doeg the Edomite when he killed some priests of God and then bragged about his evil deed.)

16. How did King David portray himself In Psalm 52? (He said that he was like an olive tree that was flourishing in the house of God.)

17. In Psalm 70 what did King David ask God to give him in a battle? (He asked God to come quickly and help him. He asked God to be his deliverer!”)

18. How did King David describe God in Psalm 69:16-17? (He said that God was loving, kind, compassionate, and good. He said that God cared about his children and was already aware of what we needed.)

19. What did the psalmist say about the end of his life in Psalm 71? (The author of the psalm said that God had saved him and was his rock and fortress throughout all of his life. He said that God is like a rock with whom we can cling.)

20. What does God say in Psalm 72 that is a comfort to those who love Him? (He said that God is always ready to help us in trouble and is more powerful than any other god!)

21. What is the memory verse? (Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength; an ever present help in trouble.”)

22. What lessons can we learn from these Psalms? (God is our refuge and strength. He desires to help us in times of trouble. He is greater and more powerful than any problem that we may face. He will deliver us from evil.”)

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “God is Our Refuge and Strength” (Grades K-5) Say: “Our memory verse is Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength; an ever present help in trouble.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read together aloud several times. Say: “This verse tells us that God is like a strong rock that we can cling to if we were drowning. He will save us and help us! This verse tells about God and His people. A "refuge" is a safe place to hide. God is our safe place. He can give us strength. He is always with us, no matter where we are or what kind of trouble we may be facing. He can always give us help when we are in trouble. We can always call on Him. Say: “This is the key verse that inspired Martin Luther to write his great hymn of the Christian faith, "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God." We can trust in God's strength to accomplish all that we need. With a single word He will one day defeat all evil and bring His people to heaven forever! Amen!” Say: “God is not temporary help. He is always with us and will provide strength in any situation. We can depend on Him. That is a great promise! It’s not easy to keep going through the hard times in your life.” Obtain a CD or DVD of a song that uses Psalm 46:1-2 as the lyrics. Several songs have been written with this verse. Check albums with scripture choruses. Sing the song several times. Use hand motions for "God" (point upward); "refuge" (hit fist into hand or form into a rock); "strength" (raise arm like a wrestler); "will not" (shake head no); "fear" (put fingers around eyes like you are afraid). Have students improvise other motions to fit the words.

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Group Learning Activity: “Safe in the Storm” Game (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need a Bible, index cards, markers, empty 2 liter plastic water or soda bottle, and soft sponge ball. Say: “Our lesson was about Psalm 46. In this psalm God promises to be our shelter in the storm. In order to have Him as our Protector and Savior we must come to Him in faith. We must trust our lives to God and Jesus. They desire that we will come to them. Today we are going to play a game that will help us learn how to trust Him in our everyday lives.” Procedure: On separate index cards print a variety of places your students might go (home, school, park, grocery store, woods, lake, beach, soccer field, pool, amusement park, city, shopping mall, grocery store, library, etc.) Students sit in a large circle on the floor. Place the plastic bottle upright in the center of the circle. Ask a volunteer to select a card you have prepared from the basket. The volunteer tells a time a kid his or her age might be afraid or worried in that place. The volunteer then chooses another student to tell a way Jesus might someone in that situation. After the class successfully answers a way that Jesus could help us, then the volunteer is to stand guard over the bottle with their feet or hands. The children sitting in the circle then take turns throwing the sponge ball attempting to knock the bottle over. Remind the students they must remain seated during the game in order for their throw to count. The student who successfully knocks the bottle over takes the volunteer's place in the center of the circle. Repeat the process with the new student selecting a card, telling a situation, and guarding the bottle.

Group Learning Activity: “Refuge” Dice Game (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need a copy of the dice pattern below printed on card stock for each child. You will also need scissors, glue, and scotch tape. Say: “Our memory verse for this lesson is Psalm 46:1. Today we are going to play a dice game that will help us memorize our verse.” Procedure: Distribute the copies of the dice pattern printed on card stock to each child. Demonstrate how to cut the pattern out on the dotted lines. Have students cut out the dice and write their name on the backside. Show students how to fold along the lines of each square. Form a cube making sure the words are visible. Fold in the blank squares first and tape them together. Continue to fold in the sides until you have formed a cube. Tape all the sides to secure the die. The name of the child will be inside the cube. Directions for playing the game: Divide the students into groups of 2-3 players. Players take turns rolling their die until they have rolled all six words, writing them down as they go. To solve the puzzle, students are to arrange the words to form a sentence about God. The first one to roll all six words and form the correct sentence wins the game! After playing the game several times as time allows, have students locate Psalm 46: 1 and Colossians 3:3 in their Bibles.

Psalm 46:1. “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble”

Colossians 3:3 “your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

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After the game, ask players to define the word refuge. Point out that just as their names are now hidden inside their cubes, so it is for all those who have trusted in Jesus Christ. We are hidden with Christ in God, he is our refuge, our protection! Ask the players how they might trust God this week to be their refuge and strength.

Group Learning Activity: (Grades 3-5) Preparation: Each student will need a Bible and a spiritual notebook. Say: “Have you ever been afraid or in trouble? (Teacher, allow responses, but do not force a child to speak.) Everyone faces trouble, and everyone is afraid sometimes. When we are in trouble, we need someone to help us. We may cry out for a parent or a friend—for someone we trust. It is very hard if we are all alone in a time of trouble. Today we are going to look up some scriptures that tell us how God wants to help us in those difficult times.” Assign the following scriptures to locate and read aloud. Discuss the accompanying principles of application of how to overcome fear.

2 Timothy 1:7 “For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” It is often frightening when we stand up for what God wants us to do and others are making fun of us. The Apostle Paul often was persecuted and rejected for speaking boldly about Jesus. We should not allow people to intimidate us because then we will not be effective for God. The power of the Holy Spirit can help us overcome our fear of what others might say or do to us so that we can continue to do God’s work. I John 4:18 “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” How can we overcome fear? First, we must remind ourselves of God’s love for us! If we focus on His immeasurable love for us, the we can all Him to love others through us. His love will quiet our fears and give us confidence to love others. Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God.I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Why should we not fear? (1) God is with us and will never leave us. His presence brings comfort. (2) God has established a relationship with us (I am your God). We are His children and He is our Father. (3) God gives us assurance that He will give us strength, help, and victory over sin and death! God will help us do what we could not do alone! Psalm 56: 3-4,11 “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?....in God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?” We do not have to be afraid when we trust God. He will take care of every need that we may encounter. How much harm can people do to us. They can inflict pain, suffering, and death but no person can rob us of our souls or our future in heaven. We should trust God who controls this life and the next!

Say: “The good news is that we who have trusted Jesus are never alone. God is always with us. He is with us in good times, and He is with us in times of trouble. Our memory verse tells us, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble" (Psalm 46:1). A hiding place or refuge, a strength, help—that is what God is for us wherever we are, whenever we are in trouble. Because of this, we do not need to be afraid, no matter what we are facing. Conclude in a prayer of thanks for God’s protection, strength in times of difficulty, and forgiveness when we sin.

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Group Learning Activity: “Hiding Place” Object Lesson (Grades K-4) Preparation: You will need a large refrigerator box, a knife, a marker, or a sheet and two chairs, a cardboard sign that reads “God”, a CD with scary noises like a T-Rex sound or a thunderbolt sound. Procedure: Set the refrigerator box in your teaching area. Cut a door opening at the front of the box, large enough for you or a child to get inside. Hang the “God” sign above the door. If using a sheet, make a tent (like the kind kids like to make in the living room) and hang the “God” sign over the opening. Say: “Oh, look everyone! I’ve got something awesome here. Who has ever built a tent in the living room or made a place to hide from a box? Me too! Did you know the Bible calls this a refuge? It’s like home base. When you are playing tag, if the players make it to home base, they are safe, right. That’s what a refuge is, a home base! God says He is a home base for those who trust Him.” “Let’s read our memory verse again together then we will take turns taking refuge with God. Ready? (Read Psalm 46: 1 together.) Now I want you to line up in a straight line. One at a time, we will take shelter in God. When you hear a scary sound, you go run and hide, okay?” (Play the track over and over until everyone has a had a chance to hide for a few seconds.) Say: “We can always find shelter with God. Whenever you feel afraid or want to hide, you can depend on God. Whisper to Him, “Lord I am afraid. Please be my refuge like your Word says.” You’ll feel Him close!”

Group Learning Activity: “Need Help” Math Problem (Grades 1-5) Preparation: You will need a calculator. Say: “I thought that today we might have a little math lesson. Since I know that most of you have already started to school, I know that you have studied math. I am going to give you a problem and if you know the answer, raise your hand.” 1 + 1 = ___ (call on someone to answer) “Great, here's another one.” 2 + 2 = ___ (call on someone to answer) “Oh, these are too easy. Try this one!” 2 x 2 = ___ (call on someone to answer) “That's great! You guys are smart!” 3 x 4 = ___ (call on someone to answer) “Good job! Now here's another one.” 27 x 9 = ___ (probably no hands will go up) (Choose a division problem for older children.) Say: “Well, I guess you need a little help with that one! (Take out your calculator) Let's see, 27 x 9 = 243. That was a pretty difficult problem, so we had to have a little help from the calculator. There is nothing wrong with that. We all need help sometimes.” Say: “Every day we face problems in our life. Some of them are easy problems like "What shall I wear to school today?" or "Should I have Fruit Loops or Apple Jacks for breakfast?" But sooner or later, we will have a problem that we just don't know how to solve. We will need help. Isn't it good to know that God is always there to help us solve those problems? The Bible tells us that God is always there to help us in times of trouble. All we have to do is pray and He will give us the answer.” Conclude in prayer: “Lord, thank you for helping us in time of trouble. Help us to remember that we can always turn to you in times of trouble. Amen.”

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Craft Learning Activity: “Castle Refuge Craft” Preparation: You will need a cardboard box that is approx. 9” x 11”; 4 toilet paper rolls; piece of heavyweight paper; glue gun; scissors; Exacto knife; pencil; craft paint in brown, gray, blue; paint brushes; and string. This craft can be made a group project.

Say: “In this lesson we learned Psalm 46:1 “God is our refuge and strength.” This psalm was the inspiration for Martin Luther to write the hymn, “A Mighty Fortress is our God.” The hymn was written when the plague hit his hometown. Martin fell ill and recovered before his pregnant wife contracted the disease. Their little girl Elizabeth was born, but died before her first birthday. Think of the pain that the Luthers must have suffered, and yet they celebrated the truth that God is our mighty fortress–no matter what we suffer in this life.”

Procedure: Read the following Bible passages that talk about how God is our strong fortress and refuge: 2 Samuel 22:1-3; Psalm 18:1-3; Psalm 31: 1-5, and Psalm 91. Read the lyrics to the hymn and see how they reflect these passages of scripture.

Say: “We are going to make a castle refuge to help us remember that God is our refuge and strength. God is like a castle that can never be moved no matter how strong the waves may be. In fact, God wants us to run to Him, in His shelter. God will protect us; He is our fortress.”

Directions for making Castle Fortress: (Numbers correspond to the pictures.)

(1) Lay your box upside down with the flaps folded outward.

(2) Cut 3 of the flaps off with the exacto knife leaving one flap connected on a long side of the box. Take the flap that you cut off from the long side and cut a piece that is 3 inches tall. Then, use the ruler and the pencil to measure and mark one inch sections across the cardboard. Then add a pencil line across the cardboard that is about ¾” below the 1 inch measurements.

(3) Use the scissors or exacto knife to cut the top of the castle wall using the 1 inch marks on the cardboard (as shown). Then, fold the cardboard piece in half. On each side of the bottom of the cardboard piece, measure 1” in and 1” up and make a cut at each side.

(4) Where the front flap meets the box, measure a 2 ¾” wide and 3 ½” tall rectangle in the center of the box. Use the exacto knife to cut this out. On the flap that is sticking out, make the same measurements so that it looks as though the drawbridge was lowered (as shown in the photos).

Use the glue gun to glue the two small end flaps to the front, top of the box and the longer piece to the top of the box (as shown).

(5) Use the glue gun to attach the toilet paper tubes to each of the four corners on top of the box.

(6) Use your paints to decorate the castle. Paint the castle grey. On the front flap, paint the drawbridge brown and the water (on either side of the drawbridge) blue.

(7) Make 4 cones from the heavyweight paper that are about 3 inches tall. (You can make a semi-circle that is 5 1/2 “along the bottom and 3” tall in the middle. Bend this in half and use the glue to secure the two straight ends together.) Use little bots of glue to secure these to the tops of the toilet paper tubes.

(8) Use two pieces of string attached to both sides of the opening and the drawbridge to look like the chains use to raise and lower it. You can cut four small squares from the extra cardboard and attach them with glue to cover the ends of the string.

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Craft Learning Activity: “Storm Scene” (Grades K-3) Say: "In this lesson we learned how God saved King Hezekiah and the nation of Judah from destruction by the Assyrians. The sons of Korah wrote a song of praise to remember this great event. In the psalm they praised God for His promise to protect and defend those who trust in Him. Today we are going to make a picture that will help us remember that we too can trust in God during the storms of life." Preparation: You will need a Bible, 1/2 inch wide aluminum foil strips; cotton balls, construction paper in dark colors, glue. Procedure: Children will make storm scenes by bending foil into lightning zigzags and stretching out cotton balls to make clouds. Children will glue lightning and clouds to paper. Demonstrate how to bend foil into zigzags. Have children color using blue and black markers the cotton ball clouds. Have children write the memory verse Psalm 46:1 on the picture. Younger children may need for you to print the verse on a label and then let them stick the label to their picture.

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Optional: Have children draw a picture of what they fear. At the upper right side of their picture have the students draw a cross with the words of the memory verse on it. Have them make dots from the cross to their picture. Encourage them to pray and ask God to help them overcome their fear. Repeat the memory verse: Psalm 46:1-2a "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear." Have students write a heading for the picture such as “Jesus Gives Peace in the Middle of the Storm.”

Life Application Challenge: “Scary Situations” Print the “scary” pictures from the page below: a mean looking man; a person climbling a cliff, a night scene, and a tornado. Show the pictures to the class one by one and ask the children to raise a hand if you think the picture show something scary. Then talk about how God could protect us if we faced the thing in the picure. Discuss fearful situations that your students face. Examples might be fear of the dark, fear of barking dogs; fear of snakes or spiders; fear of being alone; fear of being lost in a crowd; etc. Connect all of the situations to trusting God. For example: "God only gives us temptations we can bear. God is our safety rope. He in is control of all things and will not allow us to stumble. God is always with us so even at night we are not alone if we trust in God. God is our healer; we can depend on Him. Jesus is our shelter in the storm. Just like the disciples we can trust Him."

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9-1-1€¦ · Egypt. In this lesson we will look at several different psalms found in Book 2. The...

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Transcript of 9-1-1€¦ · Egypt. In this lesson we will look at several different psalms found in Book 2. The...