Week 268 · about 45 minutes
Judges 16
Judges 16 · Memory verse Judges 16:15
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Queues the lesson plan, this story’s coloring page (Judges 16), the matching word search and answer key (Judges 16 word search), the memory-verse tracer, and a parent slip.
Five-minute object lesson
Prop: a seed
Hold a seed. Read Judges 16 in about four minutes, stopping at Judges 16:15: “She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”” Ask, “What does this prop have to do with Judges 16?” Let two children answer, then say the memory verse together.
Story script
Judges 16 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.
Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “When she pressed him daily with her words, and urged him, his soul was troubled to death.” Judges 16 opens with these words: “Samson went to Gaza, and saw there a prostitute, and went in to her.” The line to keep is Judges 16:15: “She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great…” Carry the word “love” from that verse into the rest of the day.
The line worth learning out loud is Judges 16:15: “She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.”” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.
What happens first in Judges 16? Then try this: Read “She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.
Group game
Walk the room as if you are moving through Judges 16. Every time you freeze, a child says one word from Judges 16:15. The last child says the whole verse.
Craft
On a US Letter sheet, draw one picture from Judges 16 and write Judges 16:15 under it. Send it home as tonight’s reminder, not as a decoration contest.
Memory verse
Judges 16:15
“She said to him, “How can you say, ‘I love you,’ when your heart is not with me? You have mocked me these three times, and have not told me where your great strength lies.””
Take-home prayer
Father, thank you for Judges 16. Help us remember Judges 16:15 when we wake up, and teach us to notice you in an ordinary night. Amen.