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Boaz was the owner of the field where Ruth gathered grain. He was also a relative of Naomi’s late husband. When Boaz took notice of Ruth and treated her with kindness, Naomi knew that he would be a good husband to Ruth. She instructed Ruth to follow the wise custom of lying at the foot of Boaz’s bed to show that she wished to marry him. Boaz also followed tradition by gaining the permission of another relative of Naomi’s who had the right to marry Ruth. Boaz and Ruth married, and when they had a son, Naomi took care of him like her own grandchild.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Ruth 2-4

Outline:

1. Ruth meets Boaz. (Ruth chapter 2)
2. Naomi’s plan for Ruth. (Ruth chapter 3)
3. Boaz marries Ruth. (Ruth chapter 4)

Tips for teaching children:

• Provide materials so that children can draw a picture of their family. Teachers should remember that this is the child’s perspective. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and children have no control over the situations. In all cases, affirm the child and remind them that God loves them and the people in their family.
• Lead the children in reflection and  “wondering questions.” The children may also have their own questions.
  • I wonder why Naomi thought that Boaz would be a good husband for Ruth?
  • I wonder how Naomi helped Ruth take care of her baby?
  • What would happen if someone new joined my family?

Tips for teaching adults:

• Come prepared to give examples of disasters that resulted from people trying to cut costs or take shortcuts. For example, the ship Titanic sank on 14 April 1912 after hitting an iceberg. Over 1,500 people. Lifeboats were cut from 64 to 20—the legal minimum—to maintain the ship's aesthetics and maximise deck space
• Ask the class when they did the right thing even though it was difficult or came at a cost.
• Read Ruth chapters 2-4 and ask the class to describe Boaz’s character. They should pay attention to what is said about him, what he says, and what he does.
• Pray that God may help you be loyal, faithful and have a heart to do the right thing.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Ruth and Boaz

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

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Naomi’s husband and two sons died while they were all living in the foreign country of Moab. She told her two daughters-in-law to go back to their own parents. Naomi wanted to return to her relatives in her original homeland of Judah. One daughter-in-law did what Naomi said, but the other (Ruth) travelled with Naomi to take care of her. Ruth worked hard in the fields to support Naomi.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Ruth 1:1-2:13

Outline:

1. Naomi returns to Bethlehem after living ten years in Moab. Her husband and sons have died, but she is accompanied by her daughter-in-law, Ruth. (Ruth 1:1-22)
2. Ruth works hard in the fields and earns the respect and protection of the owner. (Ruth 2:1-13)

Tips for teaching children:

• Many children come from non-traditional families, so use this opportunity to talk about how God understands and loves people no matter what their family situation is. Naomi and Ruth had suffered many losses and did not have support around them. Even so, they loved each other and helped each other.
• If possible, bring barley or a barley product to class for the children to experience. Malt is made from barley, so children could eat malt-flavoured candy.

Tips for teaching adults:

• I suggest using the outline above to divide up the reading.  Alternatively, you can assign readers to read the following sections aloud: 
  • Ruth 1:1-5
  • Ruth 1:6-18
  • Ruth 1:19-22
  • Ruth 2:1-7
  • Ruth 2:8-13
• Focus on Ruth’s character.  Invite class members to call out the aspects of Ruth’s character that emerge from the story. Choose someone to write these on the whiteboard or chalkboard, as they are called out.  Encourage the class members to focus on her actions, words and description.
• Follow up by writing on the white/chalkboard names of people in the class (or people they know) that have this character. For example, “loyalty” is one aspect of Ruth’s character. Ask the class, “Who do you know that is a loyal person or who demonstrates the character trait of loyalty. 
• Pray and thank God for these people, who possess these godly character traits.
• Another thing we see from the story is how Boaz began caring for Naomi & Ruth, two people who were vulnerable.  Commit as a class to encourage someone the class knows who is vulnerable, such as an older person in a care facility or a widow living alone.  Some ideas might be:
  • Visit them regularly.
  • Pray with and for them.
  • Remember them with a gift on their birthday and holidays.
  • Collect money to pay for a bill.

Free teaching instructions are available from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Ruth and Naomi

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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Many Philistines gathered in a temple to celebrate and worship their God. They brought Samson out of prison, put him in front of everyone, and made fun of him. He asked a servant to lead him to a place between two pillars. By this time, Samson’s hair had grown long again. Samson used to be proud and thought he was strong by his own strength. Now he knew he had only ever had strength because God gave it to him. So, Samson asked God for strength to do one more thing. Samson pushed the pillars apart, and the whole temple collapsed, killing the Philistines and Samson.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 16:21-31

Outline:

1. Over 3,000 Philistines gather in a temple to praise their god, Dagon, and force the blinded Samson to perform for them. (Judges 16:21-27)
2. Samson prays to God for strength to crash the temple down on the Philistines and himself. (Judges 16:28-31)

Tips for teaching children:

• To begin the class, let children take turns wearing a blindfold and finding their way through a simple obstacle course of chairs.
• Build a temple out of building blocks and knock it down.
• Guide the children in drawing pictures as you tell the story. Instructions for Draw and Tell here.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Bring one or two Jenga Blocks sets to the class.  Divide the class into four groups and play one or two games of Jenga.  How far did the winning team get before the tower fell? Applaud the winner or winning team.
• Take the Jenga Blocks and construct a ‘temple.’  Choose someone to play Samson.  Read the story choosing three readers: a narrator, the crowd, and a Samson.  And when verse 30 is being read, have the person playing Samson to collapse the temple.  This will make the reading more dramatic and memorable.
• Samson prayed, “Lord remember me” and make me strong one more time.”  Pass around some note cards and ask the class to write down what they hope their final act in life will say about their faith.  Collect these and read them to the class.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: The Death of Samson

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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Although the Lord chose Samson, Samson did not always choose God! He fell in love with a Philistine woman named Delilah, who did not believe in God. The Philistine rulers paid Delilah to find the secret of Samson’s strength. Delilah begged Samson to tell her his secret and finally revealed that his strength was in his long hair. Delilah told the Philistine leaders, and they cut Samson’s hair, made him blind, and put him in prison to do hard work.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 16:4-22

Outline:

1. Samson succumbs to Delilah’s begging and reveals the source of his strength. (Judges 16:4-17)
2. Delilah turns Samson over to the Philistines for silver and they capture him. (Judges 16:18-22)

 Tips for teaching children:

• Use a balloon to illustrate the concept of peer pressure. Blow up the balloon, but do not tie it. Explain that this balloon is like us. We might be able to say no the first time someone pressures us, but when they pressure us repeatedly, we can’t take the pressure and give in. Example: One of your friends says a swear word (blow up the balloon a little more), then another friend swears when they lose at sport (blow it up some more), then your friends begin to swear at the park (blow it up some more). When the balloon finally bursts, explain that we can take the pressure for a while, but if we keep hanging around friends who swear, then we finally can’t stand the pressure, and we swear. 
• Research online to find images of individuals with exceptionally long hair. Show them to the children.
• Invite a volunteer to have their hair cut during class.
• Roll a ball of play dough and add features to form a head. Children can roll strands of play-dough “hair strands”. They can cut it and then repeat.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Have the class read the story.  You could choose four readers: one reader as narrator, one as Delilah, one as the Philistines and the fourth as Samson.
• Ask the men in the class if they have photos of themselves with long hair.  Why did you have long hair?  When did you cut it?  Why?
• Not everyone in your life has your best interests at heart.  Draw on a whiteboard/chalkboard two columns: the first column is “characteristics of a healthy relationship and 2nd column is “characteristics of unhealthy or toxic relationships.  Let the class come up with characteristics for both columns, and then discuss what makes these characteristics good or bad for relationships.
• Pray that each class member will develop characteristics that lead to healthy relationships.

Full teaching instructions are free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Samson and Delilah

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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The Israelites drifted away from the Lord again, and the Philistines began to harass and hurt them. The Lord blessed a childless couple with the birth of a son named Samson. The Lord told Samson’s parents that Samson was to live by a vow (promise) never to cut his hair or drink any alcohol. He would be a Judge of Israel and have special strength from God. Samson kept the vow, and as he grew up, his strength became well-known throughout the land.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 13-15

Outline:

1.           The birth of Samson (Judges 13:1-24)

2.           Samson marries a Philistine woman (Judges 14:1-20)

3.           Samson begins fighting the Philistines (Judges 15:1-20)

Tips for teaching children:

• Since the story is about a strong Samson, at the beginning of class, have the children do some arm wrestling.  Pair them up evenly according to their relative strength.  
• Another thing to do at the beginning of class is to let the children eat a spoonful of honey and tell them that in the story today, there will be some honey. 
• For a review activity, you can hand out paper and ask the children to draw and colour one of the scenes from the story.  When they are finished, have the other children guess which part of the story this is.  Additionally, you could have them retell that part of the story.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Divide the class up into three groups.  Tell each group to read Judges 13-15.  Give them a set of questions to answer after they read the text.  You can find a set of review questions on the Missions Bible Class website.  Here’s the link: https://missionbibleclass.org/old-testament/part2/judges-and-ruth/birth-of-samson/  Give each group about 20 minutes to read the text and answer the questions.
• After this bring the groups together asking for answers to each question.  As a teacher, you can decide how each group is to give their answers to the questions.
• To conclude, lead a discussion on what they learned about God in these chapters and what they learned about Samson.  Help the group consider the following:
  • Do you ever struggle with some of the things Samson struggled with? 
  • How have you handled these struggles?  
  • Give people time to formulate their answers.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  The Birth of Samson

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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Gideon gathered 32,000 Israelites to fight the huge Midianite army of 135,000 men. The Lord commanded Gideon to reduce his army to only 300 men. Gideon and his small army surrounded the Midianite camp at night and, at a signal, smashed jars, blew trumpets, and yelled. Torches were in all of the jars, so the Midianites became totally confused by the noise and light display. In their confusion, they began to fight and kill each other. As they fled, Gideon ordered all Israelites to attack. Gideon did things God’s way, and his small army won a seemingly impossible battle.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 7

Outline:

1. God pares down the Israelite army. (Judges 7:1-8)
2. Gideon and his servant scope out the enemy camp. (Judges 7:9-18)
3. God caused Gideon’s army to miraculously defeat the enemy. (Judges 7:19-25)

Tips for teaching children:

• The dream that the Midianite soldier had about a giant loaf of bread rolling into the camp and destroying a tent will sound humorous to children. A fun activity would be to set up little tents with cloth and a stick. Then let the children aim for them and bowl them over with a ball.
• Fill a shallow dish with water and place it on the floor. Children can drink from it and mimic Gideon’s soldiers in the story.
• A simple craft would be broken pieces of pottery with a small tea light sitting on it. Write “remember Gideon” on it. 

Tips for teaching adults:

• Begin with the following question: “Have you ever felt inadequate or outnumbered in a situation?” How did you handle it?
• This story can be read in the class. Choose three readers to read the three parts to the outline in the notes above.  Or choose six readers to read and divide chapter 7 into verses as follows:
  • 1-3
  • 4-8
  • 9-14
  • 15-18
  • 19-23
  • 24-25
• The following questions could be used for reflection and discussion.  Ask as many questions as time allows.  
  • How did fear play a role in the story—for both Gideon and the Midianites?
  • What does this story reveal about God's power and human weakness?
  • What role did obedience play in Gideon’s success? 
  • When have you felt outnumbered or overwhelmed and had to rely on God's strength?
  • How can we support one another when we feel hesitant or fearful like Gideon?
  • Where in your life might God be asking you to trust Him more and yourself less?
• End the class with prayer, praying for trust in God even when life doesn’t make sense; pray that God may use you to do his will and to rely on God’s strength, not yours.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Gideon and the Midianites

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

Send us Fan Mail

As Israel again drifted away from God, the Midianites began to attack and destroy crops and loot the people. While Gideon was threshing wheat in a secret location, an angel of the Lord came to him and told him to lead the Israelites in a fight against the Midianites. Gideon came from the weakest clan in Israel, so he wanted reassurance that the Lord wanted him to lead. The Lord miraculously made wool fleece wet and then dry according to Gideon’s request, so Gideon knew that he should obey God and become the new Judge of Israel. The Lord chose Gideon to lead even though Gideon’s family was not famous or strong.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 6

Outline:

1. Israel strays from God and calls for help when it suffers for it. (Judges 6:1-10)
2. Gideon accepts God’s call to cleanse Israel of idols. (Judges 6:11-32)
   • An angel visits Gideon. (11-24)
   • Gideon destroys idols in Israel. (25-32)
3. Using a test of wool, God confirms Gideon’s leadership in saving Israel. (Judges 6:33-40)

Tips for teaching children:

• Mix oil and water in a jar and secure it with a lid. Guide the children in shaking the jar to mix the liquids. As you watch the liquids separate, talk about how God did not want his people to try to mix idol worship with following him.
• For younger children, provide an outline of a sheepskin and guide them in gluing cotton wool or wool yarn onto it.
• Collect items made from wool to show the children.
• Remind the children of the cycle of the judges. Printable instructions for the Judges Review Wheel.

Tips for teaching adults:

• As the teacher, I would ask the class members to share stories of times when they were afraid.  Why were they afraid?  What did they do to overcome their fear?
• Group reading: Divide the class into four groups. Each group will read and discuss one of the sections of Scripture found in the outline above. 
  After all groups are finished reading, one member from each group should report back to everyone how their group would summarise their part. 
• Following the summaries, have each group ask the rest of the class questions from their section of the story.  For instance, one group could ask the other three groups, “What was the father of Gideon named?”  For these questions, everyone should first try to answer without referring to the Scripture. You may spend 15 minutes or so on these questions, depending on your available time.
• At the end of the session, choose a couple of readers to read the following verses:  Joshua 1:9 and Psalm 3.  
  End with a prayer asking God for courage to act in faith, courage to do what God has called each of us to do, and courage to be faithful.

Full teaching instructions at Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: Gideon and the Fleece

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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Deborah, the judge, held court while sitting beneath a palm tree. She was wise and helped the people solve their problems. She told Barak, commander of the army of Israel, that the Lord wanted him to fight an enemy named Sisera. Barak refused to fight unless Deborah accompanied him. She went along, and they defeated Sisera’s army. During the battle, Sisera escaped and hid in the tent of a woman named Jael. During the night, Jael killed Sisera in his sleep. After the events, Deborah and Barak composed a song about women winning the victory.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Judges 4-5

Outline:

1. Deborah, the judge, organises Barak to lead an army against the Canaanite enemies. (Judges 4:1-16)
2. Sisera, the enemy commander, is killed by a woman. (Judges 4:17-24)
3. Deborah’s song (Judges 4:17-24)

Tips for teaching children:

• Outline a picture of a palm tree and guide the children in writing or drawing facts or observations about Deborah inside the outline.
• Guide the children in writing a poem or song about God.
• Construct a visual aid to depict the cycle of the time of the judges. 
  • Safe with God
  • The people forget God
  • The people suffer
  • The people call out to God to save them
  • God sends a judge to save the people
  • And then start at the beginning again, safe with God.
    Printable instructions for the Judges Review Wheel.

Tips for teaching adults:

• You or other participants can read the following sections of Scripture. For added dramatic effect, sounds or video of a thunderstorm can be playing in the background while the poem sections of chapter 5 are being read. If using a YouTube link, such as this one, be sure to turn the sound off until the ad finishes playing at the beginning. You could also pause it until you are ready for the sound.  
  • Reader 1: Judges 4:1-24
  • Readers 1-7, reading one section of this poem each: 
    1. Judges 5:1-8
    2. Judges 5:9-13
    3. Judges 5:14-18
    4. Judges 5:19-23
    5. Judges 5:24-27
    6. Judges 5:28-30
    7. Judges 5:31
• Considering that the heroes of the story are women, list the ways women serve in the church.  Discuss what would happen if the work and ministry of the women of your congregation stopped. 
• Pray for your women of God.  Thanks God for them and how vital they are to the work of God. 

Free teaching instructions from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Deborah the Judge

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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The Lord had such confidence in Job’s faith that He allowed Satan to test him. Satan took away Job’s wealth, children, and health. Job’s wife and friends were not much help because they tried to convince him that he probably deserved the things that were happening to him. Despite his suffering, Job refused to give up his faith in the Lord. Satan was proved wrong, and in the end, the Lord blessed Job with even greater health, wealth, and family than before. Through a series of questions and revelations from the Lord, Job learned that God knows more than any human does. We may not know why things happen, but God does. We can trust Him.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Job 1-2; 16:1-5; 38-42

Outline:

1. God allows Satan to test Job (Job 1:1-2:10)
2. Job and his friends talk (Job 2:11 through chapter 37)
3. God speaks to Job (Job 38-41)
4. God reinstates Job’s life (Job 42)

Tips for teaching children:

• Discuss some of the amazing attributes of God from Job chapters 38 through 41). Provide illustrations and further study of any of these items. You could use the internet or a public library for resources.
• For artwork, have the children draw or paint pictures depicting any of the subjects in those same chapters.

Tips for teaching adults:

• This is a big and complex book.  To help orient the class to discuss the book, as a teacher, I would show the Bible Project video on the book of Job.  Here is the link. This is an excellent overview of the book that introduces some of its main ideas.  Preview the video and prepare questions that the class can wrestle with. An example of a question might be "Does God run the world on a strict principle of justice?"
• Ask the class members to share any personal experiences they have had in losing possessions and/or in losing their health.  Be sensitive to those who share.  Ask them how they dealt with their loss.  What was helpful? What wasn’t helpful? Resist the temptation to give shallow and trite responses to people's stories of suffering. A big part of this exercise is to listen rather than talk.
• Pray at the conclusion of the class time, asking God for wisdom in ministering to people who are suffering. Ask God to do his work in us and through us, even though we may be suffering. Acknowledge that our perspective is very limited, but that we trust God to work things out in the end.

Full teaching instructions are free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Job

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]

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When the Lord told the Israelites to divide the land, Caleb had a special request from Joshua. Caleb was an old man, but remembered forty-five years earlier when he was one of the twelve spies who had spied out of Canaan. Because Caleb had faith that God would help Israel conquer the land (even though the enemy seemed like giants), Moses had promised him the land. Although he was old, Caleb still believed that the Lord could help him fight the enemy. The Lord told Joshua to give the land of Hebron to Caleb. Caleb did indeed overtake the enemy and occupy Hebron.

Bible verses used in this episode:

Joshua 14:5-15; 15:13-15; and 21:43-45

Outline:

1. Caleb claims his part of the land (Joshua 14:5-15 and 15:13-15)
2. Go’d’s promises restated (Joshua 21:43-45)

Tips for teaching children:

• To begin a conversation about dividing the land, serve pizza and divide it into 12 portions before eating it. 
• Show a map of the land divided between the tribes. Many Bibles include this map in the back pages. Otherwise, a map such as this one will be helpful. https://bible-history.com/geography/map-canaan-tribal-portions 
• Invite an older Christian to visit your class and talk to the children about how they serve God.  
• Shared Craft: These older adults and the children can use paint and paper to make handprints together. 

Tips for teaching adults:

• Begin the class with any of the following questions for discussion: 
  • How hard is it to keep promises?  
  • What makes keeping promises difficult? 
  • What are some factors that prevent us from keeping our promises?
• Since the lesson is about a strong 85-year-old Caleb, follow up with these questions: 
  • Who knows some strong 80+-year-old people? 
  • What makes them strong? 
  • What keeps them going?
• One is never too old to serve the Lord.  Older people are still valuable in the work of God.  Ask the class to brainstorm ways that older people can serve the Lord. Then brainstorm ways your class can encourage older people to serve the Lord.   
• Consider making any of these ideas a project.
• Pray for the older people in your congregation.  Thank God for his faithfulness to his promises.

Full teaching instructions are free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson:  Conquering the Land & Fighting Giants

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock),  Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com 

For questions or comments email: [email protected]