Deborah trusts in God

All Activity Sheets

key words

help trust obey

biblical reference

Judges 4—5

lesson objective

To help the children learn to trust in God and obey him even if it is difficult.

memory verse

“My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121:2, NIV*).

prepare yourself to teach

Many children of this age often worry. If they do not have a real problem, they worry about something that could happen: “What if a thief goes into my house? What if I fall in front of my friends and they laugh at me?”

The story of Deborah will help your children develop their trust in God. We should not be afraid, because God is in control of all situations. He does not ask us to be perfect, only that we have confidence and obey him.

Your children need to be constantly encouraged, reminded that God loves them. When they learn to put their trust in God, he helps them to be brave. They may not always feel prepared to face difficult situations, as Barak was also afraid to go to battle without Deborah. However, they can trust that God will help them and give them courage in all circumstances.

biblical commentary

Judges 4-5. The book of Judges tells us about the history of Israel, from the death of Joshua until the reign of Saul.

During that time, the people of God were governed by judges. Debora, the fourth of the twelve judges mentioned in this book, stands out as the only prophetess to whom reference is made in the story.

The story we read in the book of Judges is cyclical, because events repeat themselves: Israel falls into idolatry and disobedience; God allows Israel to be attacked by neighboring nations; the people cry out for divine help; and God, in his mercy, helps the Israelites and rescues them.

The Canaanites had oppressed Israel for 20 years when God chose Deborah and

Barak to fight against them. God chose those servants and gave victory to the Hebrews, humiliating Sisera and his army.

introduce the lesson

Who runs our church?

For this activity, you will need white paper, and crayons or colored pencils or markers.

Hand out the materials and ask your group:

“What is a leader?” (A person who is in charge and responsible for a group, someone who makes decisions, an example that others must follow, someone with authority and influence, etc.).

“Who is the leader of our church?” (They may mention the pastor or the Sunday School teacher).

“Do you think that in our church there are leaders who are women?” (Mention some of them.)

Ask your children to draw the women leaders of their local church, and in each drawing, write a phrase that mentions the name of the person and the role she plays.

As you work, remind the students: “God uses all who are faithful and obey him, no matter how big, strong or intelligent they may be. He does not care if they are men or women, boys or girls, what he really wants are willing hearts to serve him even in the midst of difficulties.”

teach the lesson

A special visit

Invite a woman from your church to visit your group and talk about her ministry and its functions. Explain to your guest that your group is studying the theme of “Women of faith and courage.” Ask her to talk a little about her Christian experience. If you wish, provide the study material in advance and allow her to tell the story.

Deborah is brave

It had been many years since the day when Jochebed left the baby Moses inside a basket on the Nile River. Moses grew up and became a strong man, and helped the people of God to leave the land of Egypt. After Moses died, Joshua, his assistant, led the Israelites to Canaan, the land God had promised them.

The people of God had lived in Canaan for many years. For a time they obeyed God, and enjoyed prosperity in their new land. But unfortunately, later they began to disobey him again and again. Finally, God decided to punish them. For this, he allowed the king of an enemy people to attack them.

Sisera, the captain of that king’s army, had 900 iron chariots, nine hundred! The Israelites did not have iron or chariots. Sisera was cruel to the Israelites and treated them like slaves. Then once again, the Israelites cried out to God for help.

The Israelites went to speak with Deborah, a judge and prophetess, to intervene in this problem. Maybe she could help them deal with the situation. Deborah listened to the people and said, “Please, bring Barak.”

When Barak arrived, Deborah said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, wants you to take 10,000 men to Mount Tabor. You must lead the army. I will get Sisera to go with his chariots and troops to the stream of Kishon. You and your 10 thousand men will fight against them.”

But, Barak was afraid and said, “Deborah, I cannot go alone. I need you to go with me.”

“Very good,” Debora said. “I will go with you, but this is not what God commanded, since you insist that I go with you, the glory of the battle will not be yours. The Lord will deliver Sisera into the hands of a woman.”

Deborah and Barak gathered 10 thousand Israelites and went to Mount Tabor. When Sisera heard that they were going to that place, he gathered his 900 chariots and marched towards the stream of Kishon.

Then Deborah said to Barak, “Attack! Today the Lord has given Sisera into your hands. God goes before you.”

Barak and his 10,000 men descended from the mountain to the army of Sisera. But do you know what happened? God took control of the situation. When the army of Sisera began to attack; the 900 chariots had serious problems. God caused the valley of Kishon to be flooded, and the wagons were stuck in the mud!

When Sisera saw that the chariots could not advance, he got out of his chariot and ran as fast as he could. He was the only one of his entire army that could escape from Barak and the Israelite army.

Sisera ran to the tent of a woman named Jael and begged her, “Hide me!”

When Barak found Sisera in Jael’s tent, he was dead.

That day God helped, the Israelites win the battle against the Canaanites. The Israelites became an increasingly strong people.

connect the lesson

Deborah trusts in God

Distribute Student Activity Sheet #159, colored paper, scissors and glue.

Before the lesson, cut out triangles of brown paper, which will represent the mountains. You can also cut strips of blue paper to simulate the sky.

Ask the children to cut out the figures on the worksheet and paste them on a sheet or card, as if it were a stage. Then, give them time to decorate using colored paper or some other material within reach, such as colored pencils or crayons.

As they work, review the Bible story with them. Encourage them to be brave, even in difficult situations.

practice the memory verse

Download Additional Memory Verse Activities PDF

Download Suggestions for Bible Memorization PDF

On paper cards, write the words of Psalm 121:2, placing a word on each card. Repeat the verse together twice. Then, mix up the cards and give the opportunity for your children to take turns putting the words in the right order. Repeat the verse each time they order it correctly.

Keep the cards in a plastic bag for use in the next lesson.

wrap-up

Pray

Finish with a prayer, thanking God that He helps us to be brave, even when we feel afraid.

Encourage

Emphasize that we can trust in the power of God in difficult times.

Invite

Thank your children for their attendance and announce something about the next lesson to spark interest in them. Encourage them to bring friends.

* 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.™