Unit 7: Judges OT7.2 Deborah and Barak Lesson · commander of King Jabin’s army was Sisera who lived in Harosheth haggoyim. Sisera had 900 iron chariots. Sisera and his warriors

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OT7.2 Deborah and Barak ©Beverly Wilson 2018

Unit 7: Judges OT7.2 Deborah and Barak Lesson

Scripture: Judges 4-5

Lesson Goal: The book of Judges tells about the time after Joshua led the people of Israel into

the Promised Land. During this time God used judges to be the leaders of his people. In this lesson we will learn about the fourth judge of Israel—a woman named Deborah--and Barak who was the commander of Israel’s army.

Introduction: This lesson about the first Judges of Israel is found in the book of Judges. Judges is in the second group of books in the Old Testament called the historical books. These books begin with Joshua and go through Esther. Let’s say the Old Testament Books of history together—Joshua, Judges, Ruth, I Samuel, 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, 2 Kings, I Chronicles, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther. Attention Getter: “Blue Prints” Have you ever seen an architect’s blueprint drawing for a house? The drawing is a plan for how to build a house. It is a lot of white lines on a dark blue paper. The blue print gives very specific directions to the builder about how to construct the foundation, put up the walls, and build the roof. It even has the places marked for all the plumbing and lights. Blue prints are very important to know what the future house will look like. Did you know that God has a plan for us? Yes, He does. His plan is to bring about His glory and good for us. It is plan that is “drawn out” or explained in the Bible. We can see an example of how God’s plan works for His people in the book of Judges. God used the judges to deliver His people from their enemies. The judges were part of God’s plan to show His people that they needed a Deliverer. Through Israel God would send His Son Jesus as our Savior. He would bring us the gift of salvation. In this lesson we will study the fourth judge of Israel—Deborah. God used her and Barak the commander of Israel’s army to free Israel from their enemies. Opening Prayer: “Dear Father in heaven, thank you for this lesson about Deborah and Barak who were faithful followers of You. They listened to your voice and did what you commanded. Help us to follow their examples of trusting in you. Help us to be good leaders in our homes and at school. Give us opportunities to be good examples to our friends as well as to our families. We want to encourage others and be patient with one another. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.”

Memory Verse: The memory verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:14 “And we urge you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/KgGP-2S7TNk The children of Israel were now living in the Promised Land. Under Joshua’s leadership they had conquered most of the enemies of the land. But God had told them to destroy all the Canaanites people because they worshipped false idol gods. God knew that these people would cause Israel a lot of trouble if they were not killed. Before his death Joshua had warned the people of Israel to teach their children about all the mighty deeds that God had done to bring them into the land. He wanted them to remember that obeying God was necessary in order to have God’s blessing.

While Joshua was the leader, the people of Israel were mostly obedient to God and followed after His commandments. They obeyed the Lord and broke down the altars of the false gods and destroyed the wicked Canaanites but then they stopped! But after Joshua’s death they started making treaties with the wicked people. They did not finish driving out the wicked Canaanites even though Moses

https://youtu.be/KgGP-2S7TNk

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and Joshua had warned them against this idea. Just as God had warned, their children began to make friends and even began to marry these idol-worshipping people! The Israelites began to forget about God and all He had done for Israel. Their children were even rebellious toward God. They fell into a cycle of sin that can be marked with an A-B-C-D-E pattern.

A- Abandon God. First the Israelites began to do evil things. They forgot who God was and how He

had brought them out of Egypt. They began to worship the false god Baal and this made God very angry.

Next they were caught in B-Bondage. Their enemies were the Moabites, Ammonites, and Amalekites who were nomadic tribes. These people possessed great military skill and had horses and chariots. They would raid the land of Israel and take their crops and herds.

When the people of Israel were suffering from the invading armies they would C-Cry out to God for help. They would repent of their sin and ask God to save them from their enemies.

God would hear their cry for help and would send a D-Deliverer. The Deliverer was a man or woman whom God would choose to be the Judge or Leader. The Spirit of God would come upon him and he would lead an attack against their enemies. God would then deliver the people of Israel out of bondage.

At last the people would have a time of E-ease or peace in the land. The Judge whom God had raised up would lead the people of Israel in worship of Him and God would give them peace in the land of Israel for many years. After the death of the judge the people would begin to be influenced again by the false worship of the Canaanite people.

They would again A- Abandon God and find themselves in B-Bondage. Only then would they C-Cry out to God for help. God would raise up another D-Deliverer and then they would again live in E- ease. This cycle of events would go around and around because the people wanted to do what they thought was right in their own eyes. This cycle did not happen just once but over and over for about 300 years! The book of Judges tells about these sad times for God’s people.

The book of Judges tells about twelve different judges that God sent to deliver His people. The first judge was Othniel a Spirit Filled Judge who ruled over Israel for 40 years. He was Caleb’s nephew and a great warrior. The second judge was Ehud a left-handed man who killed King Eglon and defeated the Moabites. He ruled for 80 years. Next came Shamgar, a very courageous judge who killed 600 Philistines with an oxgoad. After the death of Ehud, God’s people turned to worshipping false gods again. As a result God let them be conquered by King Jabin of Hazor a Canaanite king. He was a very bad king. The commander of King Jabin’s army was Sisera who lived in Harosheth haggoyim. Sisera had 900 iron chariots. Sisera and his warriors ruthlessly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years. Then Israel cried out to God for help. Deborah the wife of Lappidoth was a prophetess who was judging Israel at that time. A prophetess is a woman who is inspired by God and speaks for him. Deborah was a wise woman who loved the Lord with all her heart. She would sit under the Palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel and the Israelites would go to her for advice and to settle their disputes by God’s laws. Deborah prayed to God about the problem of King Jabin. God gave her an answer. Deborah said, “Bring me the man called Barak!”

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So the people sent for Barak son of Abinonoam, who lived in Kedish in the region of Naphtali. Barak travelled south to meet her. Barak was a good soldier but he wasn’t as full of faith in God as Deborah. Deborah said to him, “God has a job for you.” “What does God want me to do?” asked Barak. “”This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, commands you to do.” Said Deborah, “Gather 10,0000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulum at Mount Tabor and prepare to fight Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors. Go to the Kishon River. There I will give you victory over him.” Barak was afraid. He knew that Sisera had 900 iron war chariots. For twenty long years no army had been able to defeat Sisera. Barak replied, “I will go but only if you go with me.” Deborah was disappointed. She had hoped Barak would have more faith in God. “Very Well,” Deborah replied, “I will go with you. But you won’t be the one who gets the praise. The Lord will give the victory over Sisera to a mere woman. She will kill Sisera for you!” Barak didn’t know whether to be pleased or disappointed. So Deborah went with him. Barak called together the tribes of Zebulon, and Naphtali who lived east of Lake Galilee and 10,000 warriors went with him and Deborah to Mount Tabor. While Barak was marching towards the battle, another man named Heber, a distant relative of Moses, and his wife Jael had just moved to a suitable place to live for a while. They pitched their tent under a terebinth tree in Zaanannim near Kadesh. He and Jael did not know how important their choice of where to pitch their tent would be. When Sisera heard Barak had gone up to Mount Tabor, he called for all 900 of his iron chariots and all his warriors. They marched from Harosheth haggoyim to the Kishon River. Sisera was preparing his chariots and men for battle. The two armies grew closer. Suddenly Deborah knew what God was about to do “Up!” she shouted, said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day the Lord will give you victory over Sisera. The Lord is marching ahead of you.” Barak charged into battle, and to his amazement, Sisera’s army fell easily! It had rained and the Kishon river was flooded. Barak led his 10,000 warriors down the slopes of Mount Tabor into battle. Sisera’s chariots got swept away in the River Kishon. The Bible says that “the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. “ (Judges 5: 20,21) Sisera’s warriors abandoned their chariots and began to flee on foot. Barak found himself chasing the enemy! Barak chased them all the way to Harosheth-haggoyim, killing all of Sisera’s warriors. However when Sisera the commander of the enemy soldiers saw that they were in trouble, he sneaked away from the battle. He ran as fast as he could towards Zaanannim where Heber the Kenite had pitched his tent. “Aha!” he thought, “I will hide in there!” This was the tent where Heber and Jael lived. Heber was on friendly terms with King Jabin of Hazor and he was out at the time. But Heber’s wife Jael was home and she saw Sisera coming. Jael went out to greet Sisera and said, “Do come in! Hide in my tent, sir. Don’t be afraid. You’ll be safe here in our tent!” So he went into her tent. “You look like you need a rest” said Jael. “Here lie down and I’ll put this nice, warm blanket over you!” Sisera was tired from the battle so he gratefully lay down. “I am thirsty,” said Sisera. “Could I have some water?” “Certainly!” said Jael, “even better, have a glass of milk!” Sisera gratefully drank the milk and lay his head on the pillow. He felt safe and secure. “Could you stand at the door of the tent and keep an eye out for anyone who might be following me?,” asked Sisera.

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“No problem,” said Jael. Sisera told her, “if anybody comes, say there is no one here.” Sisera sighed and closed his eyes. He began to sleep peacefully. But when Sisera had fallen asleep, Jael quietly crept up to him with a hammer and tent peg in her hand. She drove the tent peg right through the side of his head and killed him. How Jael hated Sisera and all of Israel’s enemies! Just then Barak and some soldiers came running up to the tent. They were looking for Sisera, Jael went out to meet him. “Hey, come see the man you are looking for,” she said. Barak followed her into the tent and there was Sisera lying there dead with a peg in his head! “Well done,” said Bark, but he was disappointed because it was a woman who had caught Sisera and not him. From that time on Israel became stronger and stronger until they destroyed King Jabin and lived in freedom. Deborah went back to her palm tree and continued to be a prophetess and a judge over Israel for God. Deborah wrote a victory song which she and Barak sang in celebration which is recorded for us in Judges 5. The song proclaimed the greatness of God in giving them victory over their enemies. They sang, "The stars in their courses fought against Sisera," and "The river of Kishon swept them away." Deborah was the only woman judge of Israel but she shows us what God can do when people are willing to trust in Him and let God be in control. There was peace in the land for the next 40 years. God is the judge of all the earth. When He wishes to accomplish something, He can call all of nature to his command. He might use a river, a mountain, the stars—anything at all can be of service to our great God. It pleases him to use the most powerful forces of His creation but it also pleases Him to use the weak things of the earth. It might be a left-handed judge, a farmer with an oxgoad, or a humble woman to show His greatness. Deborah was a brave, wise, good woman who loved and worshipped God. She listened to God and His Word and so people came to her for counsel and good judgment. She was honored and respected for her willingness to be used by God. She helped Barak and others to trust and obey God, too. Our memory verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:14 “And we urge you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” In this verse God is commanding us to help others just like Deborah did. We can encourage others by reminding them that God loves them and will always be with them. Let’s say our verse again together. 1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” In Hebrews 11:32 Barak is named as one of the heroes of faith, “who through faith conquered kingdoms…whose weaknesses was turned to strength and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.” Just like Barak we too can experience victory through faith in Jesus Christ. Barak was able to overcome his weakness by faith in God’s power. God has a job for us to do and by trusting in Him we too can have a great victory! Let’s pray: “Dear Father in heaven, thank you for this lesson about Deborah and Barak who were faithful followers of You. They listened to your voice and did what you commanded. Help us to follow their examples of trusting in you. Help us to be good leaders in our homes and at school. Give us

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opportunities to be good examples to our friends as well as to our families. We want to encourage others and be patient with one another. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.” Remember be willing to follow God’s plan for your life!

Review Questions: “Help! I’m Stuck” Procedure: Divide the children into two teams and have each team choose someone to be “stuck” to the wall (with his back, head, hands, and feet against it.) If a child answers a question correctly, he can help the stuck person on his team get unstuck by pulling one part of his body away from the wall (for example, his hand.) If a question is answered incorrectly, no team gets a point but the other team may guess the answer. Each team can answer a maximum of six questions correctly which would unstick the head, back, and both of the hands and feet of their stuck person.

1. What did the children of Israel kept continuing to do to sin against the Lord? (They turned their backs on the only true God and started to worship the false gods of the Canaanites.)

2. What is the “cycle of sin” that is found in the book of Judges? ( A- Abandon God and find themselves in B-Bondage. Only then would they C-Cry out to God for help. God would raise up another D-Deliverer and then they would again live in E- ease or peace.)

3. In this lesson what judge did God call when the people finally called out to him for help? (God sent Deborah to be a judge over them.)

4. What is a judge? (Someone like an umpire in a baseball game; she settled people’s differences and arguments.)

5. Judges also calls Deborah a prophetess. What is a prophetess? (A woman who is called by God to tell you what God’s will is. A prophetess encourages people to obey God.)

6. What was the tree called that she sat under? (It was called the Palm Tree of Deborah.) 7. What makes you think that Deborah was highly respected? (People came to her for

advice.)

8. Why do you think that God gave Deborah His battle plans rather than speaking directly to Barak? (Deborah spent time with God listening to His voice and doing what He commanded; He had confidence in her; she was God’s chosen messenger.)

9. What did God tell Deborah to tell Barak? (She told him to call up 10,0000 warriors from the tribes of Naphtali and Zebulum at Mount Tabor and prepare to fight Sisera, the commander of Jabin’s army, along with his chariots and warriors. She told him to go to the Kishon River and God would give him victory.)

10. When Deborah told Barak that God wanted him to go into battle, what did Barak say? (He wouldn’t go into battle without her.)

11. Because Barak did not enough faith to go into battle without her, what did Deborah say was going to happen? (Barak would win the battle but he would not get the praise for killing Sisera the commander of the enemy. Sisera would be killed by a woman.)

12. Why do you think the army was so willing to follow Deborah, a woman, into battle? (Deborah listened carefully to God’s instructions and had total confidence in God’s ability to give victory.)

13. What happened on the day of the battle? God caused Sisera’s chariots to get swept away in the River Kishon. The Bible says that “the stars in their courses fought against Sisera. Barak just had to chase the fleeing army and kill them.)

14. When Sisera saw what was happening to his army, what did he do? (He got scared and began to flee on foot. He ran to a tent owned by Heber and Jael to hide.)

15. What did Jael do when she saw Sisera coming toward their tent? (She invited him in, gave a bed to rest upon, milk to drink and promised to stand guard at the door. But when Sisera was asleep she took a tent peg and a hammer and used them to kill him.)

16. What did Deborah do after the victory to express her love to God? (She composed and sang a beautiful victory song. Barak joined her in the song of praise for God’s great power in helping them.)

17. Who was honored by being the Faith Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11? What description is given? (Barak is named as one of the heroes of faith, “who through faith conquered

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kingdoms, whose weaknesses was turned to strength and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies.”)

18. How could you be a good leader in your home, in school, or here at church? (First of all you need to be a good follower of Jesus. Then look for opportunities to be a good example in all that you think, say and do.)

19. What is the memory verse? (1 Thessalonians 5:14 “And we urge you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Word Path” The memory verse is 1 Thessalonians 5:14 And we urge you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” Have students locate the verse in scripture and read together orally several times. Say: “In this verse God is commanding us to help others just like Deborah did. We can encourage others by reminding them that God loves them and will always be with them. Let’s say our verse again together.” Preparation: You will need Bibles, 12 X18 inch sheets of construction paper, black marker. Print each word of the verse 1 Thessalonians 5:14 on a separate sheet of the construction paper. Have children put the papers in verse order on the floor. Ask the following questions. Say: “Let’s read our verse together aloud. What does this verse tell us to do? (Warn the idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, and be patient with everyone.) What are some ways we can help each other in our class to obey God? (Don’t distract others when they are trying to listen; share materials) How can we help people at home or school to trust and obey God? (Remind others that God is with them.) Procedure: Each child is to take a turn to tell a way he or she can help someone trust and obey God and then they get to lead the others along the path. Child does a motion for others to follow such as (flapping arms like a bird; jumping like a frog, walking on tiptoes, hopping like a rabbit, etc.) as all the children say the words of the verse aloud. After several children have taken a turn to be leaders, scramble the path so several of the words of the verse are no longer in order. OR you can turn the construction paper page over so the word that is written on it is no longer visible. Before leading the others on the path, the child must find the new correct word order path or say the missing word aloud as they move along the path.

Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Handprint Memory Verse Cards” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need colored cardstock sheet for each child; washable tempera or poster paint, strip of magnetic tape, and black marking pens. Procedure: Distribute one sheet of colored cardstock for each student. Put washable hand paint on each child’s hand and let them make their handprints on the piece of colored cardstock. Let the hand prints dry. Provide sink, hand soap, and paper towels for children to wash their hands. When poster paint is dry have students write the memory verse 1 Thessalonians 5:14 “And we urge you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone” across the top or bottom of the painted handprints using the black markers. Give each student a strip of magnetic tape to adhere to the back of their memory verse cards. Say: “In our lesson Deborah helped people to love and serve the Lord. We too can use our hands to help others serve the Lord.”

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Group Learning Activity: “God Says” (Grades K-4) Purpose: To help students learn that we can trust God when He gives a command to obey Say: “Deborah trusted and obeyed God even when she did not know what would happen. We too should remember that we can trust God when He gives us a command to obey. Today we are going to play a game like Simon Says to help us remember to obey God.” Procedure: Choose someone in the group to be Deborah the leader. That person will give instructions to her friends by saying, “God says to pat your head.” The other children will act it out because she said, “God says…” If the leader only says “High five a friend,” then the other children should not act it out because the leader did not say, “God says….” Any child that performs that action without the words, “God says” is out of the game. Continue until only one child remains. Repeat as time allows, selecting a new child to give the action commands. Ask the children to think of actions that God gives us in the Bible. Examples would be be kind, obey parents, love others, love God the most, be patient, etc. Say: “Why is it important to obey God?” Allow students to share their thoughts. Remind children that believers are called to be like Christ, who obeyed everyone of God’s commands. When we obey God we are showing we love Him.

Group Learning Activity: “Blind Trust” (Grades K-5) Purpose: Create an obstacle course to help students learn that we can trust God when He gives us a command to obey. Preparation: Create an obstacle course with cones, large plastic hoops, rope, chairs, blindfolds. Have the obstacle course weave through the cones, hop in and out of hoops, laying on the ground, pur rope on top of the chairs a short distance apart to crawl under. Say: “Deborah trusted and obeyed God even when she did know what would happen. Today we are going to go through an obstacle course game to help us remember that we can trust God when He gives us a command to obey.” Procedure: Form pairs of children. Tell the children that they are going to go through an obstacle course with their partner. However, one person will wear a blindfold and the other person will give directions to help make it through the course. The person wearing the blindfold should listen carefully to the directions of his/her partner. The one who is leading the partner with the blindfold through the course should try to give good clear directions. What else should the leader and the blindfolded partner do? (Take your time and be patient with one another.) How did it feel to be the person wearing the blindfold? How did it feel being the person giving the directions? Select a few students to respond. Say: “The person wearing the blindfold had to listen and obey the person giving the directions even though they could not see where they were going. In the same way, we should trust God when He gives us a command to obey even though we cannot see where me might be going or what might happen next.”

Group Learning Activity: “Keys to Obeying God” Bible Study (Grades 3-5) Purpose: To help students learn how to obey God biblically. Preparation: You will need Bibles, pencils, paper, and spiritual notebooks. Print the template below with the four keys—one copy for each student. These sheets can be completed and placed in the student’s spiritual journal. Say: “In this lesson we saw how Deborah obeyed God when He gave her a message or command. Today we are going to see how God wants us to respond

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when He gives us a command. I am going to give you a sheet with four key outlines. We are going to read some scriptures and then write on each key an important way we should respond to God.” Procedure: Have students locate the following scriptures and discuss the principles being taught in each one:

Read Deuteronomy 10:12-13 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good?” Write obey God “completely” on key.

Read Joshua 24:15 “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Write obey God “immediately” on key.

Read 2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Write obey God “cheerfully”.

Read Galatians 6:9 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Write obey God “faithfully” on key.

Place completed obedience keys in spiritual notebook. Write a summary of what it means to obey God in journal.

Craft Learning Activity: “Story Objects” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need Bibles, large sheet of paper, pencils, construction paper, scissors, white paper, and glue. Say: “Today we are going to retell the story of Deborah and Barak by making picture reminders of our story. What objects reminds you to this lesson story?” (Palm tree, chariot, rain cloud, horse, chariot, sword, music note, tent.) List objects on the white board or on a large sheet of paper. Procedure: Have each student in your class choose an object from the list that you have written from the class discussion. Each child is to draw an outline of their object on construction paper. To make the objects more interesting, demonstrate how to divide the drawing into six to ten pieces. (See sketch below.) Have children cut out their object along the lines and arrange the pieces on white paper leaving space between the pieces. The children then are to glue each piece of their object to the white paper, making sure they leave space between the pieces. Ask the following questions as they work, “Read our memory verse aloud; 1 Thessalonians 5:14 “And we urge you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” This verse tells us ways to obey God. How can a kid your age obey this verse? (Encourage others to be obedient to their parents by doing their chores without complaining; encourage a friend to tell the truth; be patient with a younger brother or sister; and help someone who has a hard job to do.) Say: “Deborah helped Barak obey God when Barak was afraid. When are some times it might be hard for kids your age to trust and obey God? We can ask for God to help and pray for each other.” Pray briefly with children.

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Children should arrange the completed objects in the order of the story events and take turns retelling the story.

Craft Learning Activity: “Finger Puppets” (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need copies of the finger puppet templates below printed on heavy drawing paper or light weight poster paper, markers, scissors, large paper bags, tape Procedure: Distribute copies of the finger puppet templates below to children. Each child is to draw his or her face and the face of a friend on the two blank puppets. Children are to cut out puppets. Lead the children to think of a story in which they may help someone else obey god. Ask the questions below to help children as they think of stories: Say: “Let’s say our memory verse together. What did Deborah do to help or encourage Barak? When can you follow Deborah’s example and help others to love and obey God? When can you help someone obey God at a park? At a swimming pool? When can children show patience toward a younger child or friend? When can they show patience toward an older person? What could you say or do to encourage someone who is afraid?” Procedure: Group children into pairs or trios. Each group is to decorate a paper bag, drawing scenes on the front and back of the bag to represent locations children want to use in their story. Children in each group are to choose the appropriate finger puppets to use in acting out their story. To make a puppet, child overlaps the ends of the puppet and tapes the ends together, forming a ring that loosely fits around two fingers. Groups take turns using puppets to act out their stories for the class. Note: If children are not used to thinking of stories and acting them out, help them think of a very simple story with minimum of dialogue. Talk over the story in enough detail so that children feel sure of what to do. If a child hesitates when acting out a story, ask a question to help him remember the action of the story or think of what to do next.

Craft Learning Activity: “Deborah’s Palm Tree” (Grades 3-5) Purpose: Students will make a large room decoration paper palm tree to help them remember the lesson of Deborah’s Palm. Preparation: You will need cardboard tubes, brown wrapping paper, green construction paper, rubber bands, stapler, scissors, duck tape and a container with pebbles or sand. Procedure: You will need cardboard tubes to make a paper palm tree. The extra long king that comes with wrapping paper work the best but you can also tape together shorter tubes, such as paper towel tubes or even toilet paper tubes. Put enough of the cardboard tubes together end to end to make the truck of the palm tree. Tape the ends of the cardboard tubes together with duck tape. Tear pieces of brown paper wide enough to wrap around the tubes with the edges overlapping slightly. You may want to cut apart grocery bags to help make your paper palm tree a “green” project by reusing materials. Then squeeze the pieces of brown paper to wrinkle them. The wrinkled brown paper will give it a more real look. Wrap the pieces of brown paper around the tubes, holding them in place with rubber bands and overlapping them slightly so that the cardboard tubes are completely covered. The

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rubber bands also do double duty as the rings on the tree trunk. Peel back the brown paper at random points to get the look of peeling bark. Cut about eight large leaf shapes from green construction paper. Fold the leaves in half lengthwise. Crease the leaves and then unfold them. Cut deep slits in the sides of the leaves to make them look like palm fronds, without cutting all the way through the leaves. Take four of the eight leaves and face them in different directions and staple the leaves together at the base. Repeat with the other four leaves. Place the two stapled leaf sections in the top of the trunk and secure them by squeezing a balled up piece of brown paper between them so they don’t fall out. Unfold and spread the leaves so they fall in different directions around the trunk. To make the paper palm tree stand up, fill a bucket or large plant container with sand or pebbles. Insert the bottom of the cardboard trunk into the container. Say: God used Deborah, Barak, and Jael to help the people of Israel win battles against Canaan. God also used people to help us and teach us about Jesus. God sent His Son Jesus to do what is very good for us: to save us from sin. When their enemies attacked Israel, God sent judges to help His people. The judge Deborah told Barak what God wanted him to do. Deborah judged Israel for many years. She sat under a Palm Tree and people came to her to ask for advice in how to obey God and follow His will. This Palm Tree helps us remember how God used Deborah to serve others,”

Craft Learning Activity: “Sisera’s Chariots” (Grades K-5) Purpose: To make a model of Sisera’s chariots and to be reminded that God’s power in battle is far greater than any of man’s inventions. Say: “Sisera’s men used iron chariots. These chariots were powerful when men went to battle with one another. However, when Sisera tried to used them against God’s people of Israel, they did not work well. God knew that His people would win because He was going to intervene by sending a rain storm and flooding the River. Today we are going to make chariots and see how they worked.” Preparation: Print the chariot template below on cardstock. Back with additional layer of cereal box carboard to make even sturdier. The reins can be replaced with ribbon. Procedure: Give each student a printed copy of the chariot template. Help students reinforce the back of chariot parts and cut out on the outline. Once all the parts are backed onto cardboard attach the base of the chariot by gluing the foldable tabs onto it. Remember the bigger tab is there to allow the chariot to stand. Don’t fold it. The wheels can be glued to the outside. When the glue is dry the chariot should look complete. If you wish you can add a cushion or character inside. The wheels are directly glued onto this model so it doesn’t roll. Glue the wheels with the center roughly aligning with the corner of the chariot. The card horse is made simply by folding the large shape along the middle joint. A little glue inside the head will help the creature stand upright. Take the reins and glue them onto the side of the head. Bend the paper over at the loose end and slip onto the rim of the chariot. This may take some trial and error to get looking correct. Embellish and color the design as you choose.

Alternative: The chariot can be made from an individual yogurt pot. Using a hole punch a straw is threaded down through the cut down pot

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to make an axle for the wheels. Toy wheels are then attached. You can use cardboard circles or buttons for wheels. A small toy horse can be used to pull the chariot. Use big chunky craft sticks as the reins. The reins are pushed through the pot by making more holes using the hole punch.

Craft Learning Activity: “Judges Timeline” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need one copy of each of the first judges—Deborah, Gideon and Tola-- for each of the students; scissors, glue, crayons, and colored markers. Procedure: Have students color each of the pictures of the Judges of Israel using crayons or colored markers. When finished, have students cut along the outside edge making sure to leave a flap along the right side of the picture. Attach the first three judge pictures together in a long horizontal timeline using the flap edge for gluing on the next picture in the timeline. These pictures should be attached to the previous lesson’s timeline. When finished, be sure to collect the time line for students to add the other judges in the following sessions.

Life Application Challenge: “Who Can I Help?” Procedure: Sit with children in a circle. Say: “In today’s Bible lesson Deborah helped Barak to obey God. We can help one another obey God, too. Let’s see if you can guess who I can help to obey God.” (Describe one child in the group.) “I can help someone wearing sandals and a green shirt to obey God. Guess who that person is.” (Children identify the child. Ask one of the children in the circle, “Who can you help?” (Let child answer by identifying something someone or several people are wearing. (Someone wearing a blue shirt.” “Someone wearing green socks.”) Other children guess who the child is referring to. Repeat several times, asking a different child to give clues each time. Close by praying for the individual students in your class to obey God this week. (Older children may tell a riddle of someone who is not present such as a family member or friend and then the class members may try to solve the mystery by guessing who the student will help this week. Be sure the student tells how they will help the “mystery person” to obey God.)

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Deborah and Barak

Thessalonians 5:14 “And we urge you brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the

timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.”

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Keys to Obeying God

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Documents

Unit 7: Judges OT7.2 Deborah and Barak Lesson · commander of King Jabin’s army was Sisera who lived in Harosheth haggoyim. Sisera had 900 iron chariots. Sisera and his warriors