Respect the rights of others
key words
biblical reference
Exodus 20:13, 15-17; 1 Kings 21:1-20
memory verse
“Obey the Lord your God and follow his commands and decrees that I give you today” (Deuteronomy 27:10, NIV*).
lesson objective
To help children understand that lying, stealing and murder start with bad thoughts.
prepare yourself to teach
Exodus 20:13, 15-17. The Ten Commandments are the laws that God gave the Israelites to govern the behavior of his people.
These prohibit certain acts that result from wrong thoughts: murder, adultery, theft, and lying. God knows that rebellion begins in the minds of people, and that most of the time results in fatal consequences.
Like other codes of law of the ancient Middle East, the Ten Commandments not only condemn bad actions, but also evil thoughts.
1 Kings 21:1-20. King Ahab and his wife Jezebel had broken the commandments of the Lord and lived in constant sin. Today’s story tells about a tragic chain of events that began when King Ahab began to wish for the vineyard of a citizen named Naboth.
The vineyard of Naboth of Jezreel was next to the palace of King Ahab. The king wanted the property for himself and went to ask Naboth for it, offering Naboth another vineyard worth more money or whatever price the vineyard was worth. However, Naboth refused the proposal because the land was the inheritance he had received from his parents. He knew that if he sold it, he would be breaking the laws concerning inherited land.
The sad and angry king returned to his palace, lay down on his bed, and would not eat any food. When his wife Jezebel heard why her husband was upset, she decided to plan the death of Naboth. She asked false witnesses to accuse Naboth of blasphemy and breaking the commandments of God.
The elders and rulers of the city, on the testimony of the two wicked men, found Naboth guilty and executed him according to the law: he was sentenced to death by stoning on the outskirts of the city.
Once King Ahab heard what had happened to Naboth, he went to take possession of the vineyard.
adaptation
Today’s advertisements try to convince us that we need everything that we see advertised and that we really want the new items that they offer us. Your children are easy targets for this kind of mental control.
Some people think that using certain products makes them more popular or more fun to be with. This can cause them to be frustrated when they do not possess everything they think they “need.”
Children need to understand that evil actions usually start with wrong thoughts. Help them understand what it means to be greedy, and that they can resist bad thoughts and dishonest actions. Often, breaking one commandment means breaking others. It is a cycle in which there is no end. Help your children to be able to recognize when their thoughts can cause them problems.
introduce the lesson
The secret sin
Lead a reflective discussion with your children and ask the following questions: “Do you think that you can break the law of God without performing an action? How do you think people do that?” (Allow time for them to respond.)
Guide the discussion to help your children understand that we do not necessarily have to do bad things, but sometimes bad actions come from bad thoughts. Sin begins in our minds.
Emphasize the idea that people generally think before they act, and God warns his children that bad thoughts can lead them to do bad things.
teach the lesson
Write in big letters on the blackboard or on a large paper the word “greed.” Ask your children if they know the meaning of this word and give them time to give their answers.
Tell them that greed is wanting more of something than what is needed, perhaps because we see someone else has more of it than we do, or perhaps we think theirs is better than ours. Greed makes us feel angry or unhappy that we do not have it. Greed makes people feel jealous and angry.
The Bible story today is about greed. Tell them to pay close attention and look for the point in which greed enters into the heart of today’s character.
Create a small skit based on today’s story based on Exodus 20:13, 15-17 and 1 Kings 21:1-20. Write a script for the four main characters: Ahab, Naboth, Jezebel, and Elijah.
You will need four volunteers to help you by playing these characters, or if you have puppets available, you could use them to tell the story to your children.
Give your volunteers the script that corresponds to their character ahead of time and ask them to study it during the week, so that on the day of class they are familiar with it and can concentrate on their voice tones to make the skit more interesting.
Create an environment that feels like you are engaged in the drama. When the performance is finished, explain any questions your children may have and explain how it applies to our daily lives.
connect the lesson
Naboth’s vineyard
Give your children Student Activity Sheet #114-A, and let them number the pictures in the order that they took place in the Bible story.
Give a brief review of what they learned and go to the bottom of the worksheet.
Be a superstar!
Help your children cut out the strip of stars from Student Activity Sheet #114-B and provide them with glue.
Read the sentences on the worksheet out loud as children listen carefully, and have them glue a star in the white space next to each story that talks about a person who obeys the commandments of God.
practice the memory verse
In a container place several pieces of paper containing the following instructions:
Say the verse while jumping.
Say the verse while crying.
Say the verse by shouting it.
Say the verse while making a funny face.
Say the verse while laughing.
Put the container in the middle of the room and have each of your children take a piece of paper. Have them take turns saying the verse while doing whatever their paper says.
Briefly review the unit that ends today, highlighting the truthfulness of God’s commandments and the importance of following them.
wrap-up
Pray
Invite prayer requests and pray for your children. Remember, during this unit, we are asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit to give opportunities to present the plan of salvation to your children, and to give the invitation to children who have not made the decision to accept Christ as their Savior. Ask: “Would you like Jesus to be your Savior and best Friend and would you like to begin to live as a child of God?”
It is as easy as A-B-C!
A: Admit that I have sinned and I need God to forgive me and to help me change.
B: Believe that God loves me and sent his only Son, Jesus, so I can be forgiven.
C: Receive Jesus as my Savior and claim my new identity as a child of God.
Encourage
Remind your children that we must respect the property of others and encourage them to be grateful to God for the blessings he gives us.
Invite
Invite the group to come to the next session and to come with friends. If possible, give a short introduction to the next unit to help create interest.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™