God’s invisible army
key words
biblical reference
2 Kings 6:8-23
lesson objective
That the children know that God is always with them.
memory verse
“Great is our Lord and mighty in power, his understanding has no limit” (Psalm 147:5, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Elementary children are aware that there are people in the world who do not treat others well. They know that injustices are committed, and they are disturbed by situations that are beyond their control. Through this lesson, they will have the assurance that God controls everything that exists, although sometimes there is pain and injustice. Help them understand that God cares for those who trust him. When the Christian trusts God, he/ she can feel God’s care and protection, even when others do not seem to care. This does not mean that the believer never experiences discouragement, but faith will help in those difficult times. Although it is sometimes difficult to perceive the presence of God, it comforts us to know that he is always with us.
biblical commentary
The Israelites and the Syrians often waged battles on their borders. The Syrians attacked the Israelites with lightning offensives and fled. However, the Israelites did not remain passive. Through the prophet Elisha, God helped his people by informing him of what the enemy army planned to do. The king of Syria came to suspect that there was a spy in his army who carried information to the king of Israel, but one of his servants said to him, “The prophet Elisha is in Israel, and he tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your most secret chamber” (v. 12).
The king of Syria, full of anger, sent troops to capture the prophet Elisha who was in Dothan. Seeing that the Syrian army had surrounded them, Elisha was not disturbed, demonstrating his confidence in God’s power. His servant, on the other hand, was worried and fearful, as is the case when we trust in man and not in God.
In the biblical passage, we see that Elisha did not pray for God to rescue them. He knew that he did not need to ask because God was in control of the situation. Rather, he prayed that God would open his servant’s eyes so he could see that there were more on their side than those who were against them. The miracle happened immediately, and when his spiritual eyes opened, he noticed that the mountain was full of people on horseback and chariots of fire around them.
While looking with fear and distrust, he seemed to see no hope. But when he saw everything with the eyes of faith, victory was assured. Nowadays, the world affirms that it is necessary to “see to believe”, but in everything related to God, we must first “believe to see.”
introduce the lesson
Invisible message
Before the session, prepare the following message for each of your children. On white paper write with a white crayon (or wax pencil): “I love you and I am always with you! God.”
Give your children the notes with the invisible message and a marker.
Tell them: “Sometimes we feel alone and think that our enemies are stronger than we are. But not everything is always, as it seems. Use the markers to color the note and you will find a secret message.”
Allow your children to do the activity and read the message they discovered.
We can trust in God even when situations are very difficult. In today’s Bible story, you will learn about someone who trusted God in the midst of terrible danger.
teach the lesson
The invisible army of God
The king of Syria was at war against the king of Israel. Together with their officers, they organized secret plans for the battle. “We will hide in this place, and when the Israelites come, we will attack them,” said the king.
Although the plans were secret, God knew them and warned the prophet Elisha. Then Elisha warned the king of Israel: “Be careful because the Syrians have planned a trap against you!”
The prophet told the king the exact place where the Syrians planned to attack. He was right!
Time after time, Elisha warned the king, and thus the Hebrew army was prepared and successful. One day the king of Syria shouted angrily, “Why does the king of Israel always know where we are going to attack? Surely there is a spy among us!”
Then he gathered all his officers and asked them, “Which one of you is on the side of the king of Israel? Who is the spy?”
“None of us is a spy,” said one of his officers. The prophet Elisha is the one who tells the king of Israel everything you say in secret.
“Go and find out where that man is!” the king ordered. “I will send men to capture him.”
After a while, they told the king that Elisha lived in Dothan, so he sent chariots, horses and a large army. It was still night when they arrived at that place.
The next morning, Elisha’s servant got up early and saw that the enemy army was surrounding the city.
“What will we do now?” he asked Elisha.
“Do not be afraid,” the prophet answered. “There are more who are with us than those who are with them.”
Elisha’s servant did not understand what his master was telling him. All he saw was the Syrian army surrounding the city and ready to attack them.
Elisha prayed, saying, “God, I beg you to open his eyes so that he sees.” Then God opened the eyes of the servant, who saw that in the hills between the Syrians and Dothan, there was a multitude of soldiers mounted on horses and chariots of fire.
When the enemies advanced towards Elisha, he prayed to the Lord saying, “I pray you will strike them with blindness.”
Instantly God made all the Syrian soldiers go blind, as Elisha had requested. Then the prophet came to them and said, “This is not the way or the city that you seek. Follow me and I will take you to the man you are looking for.”
The soldiers were blind and confused, so they followed Elisha to Samaria, the capital of the kingdom of Israel. After they entered the city, Elisha prayed again and said, “Lord, open their eyes so that they may see.”
When God opened their eyes, they realized that they were in the city of Samaria. They were prisoners of the Israelites because Elisha had captured them!
“Elisha, should I kill them?” asked the king of Israel.
“No, do not kill them!” replied the prophet. “Would you kill a prisoner of war? Give them food and water. In this way they will recover their strength and will be able to return to where their king is.”
The king of Israel prepared a great banquet for the Syrians, and when they had finished eating and drinking, sent them back to their country. After that day, the armies of Syria did not attack the territory of Israel again.
connect the lesson
An invisible army
Student Activity Sheet #187-A and #187-B must be printed back to back. Hand out the activity sheets and ask the children to cut out the figure, following the solid line, to detach the figure of Elisha and his servant. Then, fold this figure along the dotted line and glue the base so that it remains standing.
Allow time for your children to cut the stage following the perpendicular line. Then, bend one of the triangles backwards and another forward, so that the part of the army remains standing.
Encourage them to use their finished work to tell the Bible story they learned today.
practice the memory verse
Ask the children to open their Bibles to Psalm 147:5. Give an opportunity for girls to read it first, then the guys, then those who have black shoes, and so on, naming different groups. Look for other fun ways to do the reading that will help them review the memory verse.
wrap-up
Pray
Let the group express their prayer requests, and intercede for each other.
Encourage
Sing praises to God in gratitude for His constant love and protection. Then, distribute the craft that they made.
Invite
Tell the children some interesting things about the next session and encourage them to attend. Do not forget to visit or call those who did not attend the meeting or those who are sick.
* 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.™
* 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.™