We hope that your family is continuing to journey through God’s Word this year and hope that you are taking advantage of the “What’s in the Bible?” videos to further enhance your learning! We’ve just finished making our way through the “Kingdom Era” of the Old Testament, a time full of adventure, scandal, great victory and crushing defeats (Check out this helpful Old Testament Timeline to see where this section of the story fits). Through it all, God is in control, weaving the tapestry of His story to rescue humanity.
Plan a family movie night or four to learn from the faithfulness of our God through the establishment, advancement, erosion and exile of the Kingdom of Israel.
Family Guide for Volume 5, Episode 1: The People Want a King
- What is a prophet? What is his job? (A prophet is a messenger from God. His job is to tell the people of God what God says) Who did God choose to be His prophet? (Samuel)
- Why did the Israelites ask Samuel to give them a king? (They were fighting many enemies, but especially the Philistines and they wanted a king who would lead them to fight their enemies) Who was the first king of Israel? (Saul) How did he do at his job? (He did OK at first, but then he decided to try to impress people with all of his strength and riches instead of being obedient to God. God took the crown away from him because of his disobedience)
- Have you ever asked for something just because “everyone else” had it? How did that work out for you?
- Who did God pick to be the king after Saul? (God chose David to be king after Saul because he was a godly man from a godly family) What did God give that man after he was anointed to be king? (He gave him the Holy Spirit who gave him the power to be strong and courageous)
- After David was anointed king, he didn’t become king right away and had to run away from Saul for at least 8 years! Why didn’t David just kill Saul? What did David believe about God that made him act the way he did even when Saul was unkind and hateful towards David? (David believed that God was in control and trusted that God would deal with Saul at the right time in the right way. He trusted that God would keep his promise to make him king at just the right time.)
- PUT IT INTO ACTION: What would you do if you were king for a day? Write down everyone’s answers and then discuss whether or not those things would benefit other people or if that would be God’s best plan. End by praying together that your family will use the opportunities God gives you to be a blessing to others around them!
Family Guide for Volume 5, Episode 2: Kings Make Mistakes, Too
- What is the promise that God made to David in 2 Samuel 7 called? (The Davidic Covenant) What was that promise? (God told David that one of his descendants would rule over God’s people forever.)
- David sinned against God by stealing another man’s wife and having her husband killed! What did David do when he realized that He had sinned against God? (David repented and asked for forgiveness. He asked God to give him a clean heart and to give him the strength to not sin again) How is this different from how Saul and Solomon responded when they sinned? (Saul made excuses and blamed other people. Solomon acted like what he did was not wrong, like he knew better than God.)
- Read Psalm 51 as a family. Write down some of the things you see in this chapter that we should pray or do when we realize that we have sinned against God.
- Read Proverbs 28:13. What does this verse tell us we will get when we confess our sin? (We will receive mercy) Work on memorizing this verse as a family. Write out the verse on a piece of paper, then cut the piece of paper into a puzzle and practice putting it together. Time each other to see who can put it together the fastest.
- Who was the next king of Israel after David? (Solomon) What did Solomon ask God for when he was given the chance to ask for anything from God? (He asked for wisdom, the ability to make good decisions)
- What would you have asked God for if you had the same chance that Solomon had? Talk about it and what those things would result in.
Family Guide for Volume 6, Episode 1: The Big Split
- Who were the first 3 kings of Israel? (Saul, David, Solomon) How did they handle things differently when they sinned against God? (Saul made excuses, David confessed and repented, Solomon acted like his sin wasn’t a big deal) Whose example should we follow?
- What were some of the ways that Solomon sinned against God? (worshipping idols, collecting too much money, horses, and wives) What were the consequences of Solomon’s sin? (The Kingdom of Israel split in two! Solomon’s son Jeroboam ruled over the 10 tribes in the north, Israel, and his son Rehoboam ruled over the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.)
- How did Jeroboam do at being king? Did he make any mistakes? What were they? (Jeroboam didn’t want the people to go to Jerusalem to worship God, so he disobeyed God, built places of worship in the north, and made golden cows for the people to worship)
- Were there any good kings in the north? (NO!) What did God do about this? (He sent prophets to the people of Israel) What were the names of the two prophets that God sent to Israel? (Elijah and Elisha)
- ACT IT OUT: Read 1 Kings 18:20-40 together as a family. Find creative, fun ways to act out the story as a family. If you have a small family, use stuffed animals or toys as the characters for the story. And may we recommend using fake fire?? Be sure to wrap up the story by reaffirming what the prophets of Baal learned, that the Lord, He is God!
Family Guide for Volume 6, Episode 2: The End of Israel
- How many kings did we learn about in this episode? (39 kings . . . listen to Cpt. Pete’s song) What was it that determined whether they were good kings or bad kings? (If they followed God, they were good. If they followed other gods, they were bad).
- What were the names of the two prophets that God used to help the bad kings realize they needed God? (Elijah and Elisha)
- What are the books of 1 & 2 Chronicles about? (they repeat the story of Israel for a different people at a different time) What does the book of 1 Chronicles tell the story of? (It’s the story from Adam up to King David) What about the book of 2 Chronicles? (It tells the story of King Solomon through ALL the kings of Judah)
- What did God tell the people would happen if they ignored His Word and His way? (That their enemies would defeat them and take them away from the Promised Land) What were the names of the nations that took the people of Israel away? (Assyria and Babylon)
- What is the name of the prophet that God sent at this time? (Isaiah) What was the important message that God had Isaiah deliver to His people? (He told them that God was going to send the Messiah, the anointed One) What did Isaiah say that the Messiah would be or do? (He said that he would be the King of Israel once again and that His name would be Emmanuel, which means “God is with us!”)
- PUT IT INTO ACTION: We all, like the people of Israel and Judah, are tempted to ignore God’s Word and His ways and we all need people like Isaiah who will remind us of God’s love and His perfect way. Think about who some of those people are in your lives (i.e. community group members, small group leaders/teachers at church, friends, etc.). As a family, draw pictures and/or write notes to some of these people, thanking them for helping you to follow God with all your heart. Be creative! End by thanking God for those people and asking God to help your family be that person to others!
As usual, be sure to check out these tips for planning your “Family Journey Time”. If you need help with how to access or purchase the videos, click here and/or come see us at the Kids Welcome Desk on Sunday! For more resources including coloring pages and family activities, check out the “What’s in the Bible?” website!