Week 676 · about 45 minutes
Proverbs 12
Proverbs 12 · Memory verse Proverbs 12:20
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Queues the lesson plan, this story’s coloring page (Proverbs 12), the matching word search and answer key (Proverbs 12 word search), the memory-verse tracer, and a parent slip.
Five-minute object lesson
Prop: a cup of water
Hold a cup of water. Read Proverbs 12 in about four minutes, stopping at Proverbs 12:20: “Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but joy comes to the promoters of peace.” Ask, “What does this prop have to do with Proverbs 12?” Let two children answer, then say the memory verse together.
Story script
Proverbs 12 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.” 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, “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but he who is wise listens to counsel.” Proverbs 12 opens with these words: “Whoever loves correction loves knowledge, but he who hates reproof is stupid.” The line to keep is Proverbs 12:20: “Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but joy comes to the promoters of peace.” Carry the word “deceit” from that verse into the rest of the day.
The line worth learning out loud is Proverbs 12:20: “Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but joy comes to the promoters of peace.” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.
What happens first in Proverbs 12? Then try this: Read “Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but joy comes to the promoters of peace.” 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 Proverbs 12. Every time you freeze, a child says one word from Proverbs 12:20. The last child says the whole verse.
Craft
On a US Letter sheet, draw one picture from Proverbs 12 and write Proverbs 12:20 under it. Send it home as tonight’s reminder, not as a decoration contest.
Memory verse
Proverbs 12:20
“Deceit is in the heart of those who plot evil, but joy comes to the promoters of peace.”
Take-home prayer
Father, thank you for Proverbs 12. Help us remember Proverbs 12:20 when we wake up, and teach us to notice you in an ordinary night. Amen.