Main Idea: God uses whatever means necessary to get our attention and show us what He needs us to do.
Aim: The ‘Balaam and Balak’ Childrens Lesson on Numbers 22:21-41 aims to help children to understand the importance of listening and obeying God.
Suggested Schedule: (90 mins)
- Welcome (5 mins)
- Game 1(5mins)
- Review Big Verse (5 mins)
- Set the Scene: Bible story/skit and review questions (10-15 mins)
- Object Lesson 1 talk (5mins)
- Game 2 (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 2 talk (5 mins)
- Game 3 (5 mins)
- Object Lesson 3 talk (10 mins)
- Hook a duck Game (5 mins)
- Sense How You Feel – activity (10 – 25 mins)
- Seek God – prayer (5 mins)
Setting the Stage: This series is all about strange stories in the Old Testament which illustrate how God does crazy and unexpected things! If you have the space, then you could create your own circus backdrop or have a talent slot in your program where the children and leaders can show any circus skills or crazy talents that they have.
Supplies:
- Donkey picture
- Blue tack
- Blindfold
- Pen
- Hula hoops
- Music
- Talking dog clip
- Whistle
- Megaphone
- Horn
- Sponge
- Sieve
- Flour
- Bowl
- Funnel
- Jug of water
- 1-litre clear plastic bottle
- Sachet of ketchup
- Hook a duck set (or use our printed ducks)
- Pintables: Tail on the donkey pdf, Hook a duck PDF, Ticket craft PDF, speech bubbles PDF
- Ticket Wallet (to be used throughout the different lessons)
- Coloring pens
- Playdough or clay
- Lego or construction toys
- Prayer tent materials – cushions, bibles, fairy lights, cross, candles etc
- All PowerPoint games with some way of showing them (i.e. laptop and screen)
SONG and BIBLE STORY VIDEO IDEAS available via our dedicated Pinterest Board.
GAME IDEAS:
GAME 1: PIN THE TAIL ON THE DONKEY – 5 MINS
Description: Team Game.
Supplies: Print out the donkey and tail picture (Donkey/Tails), blindfold, blue tack, pen.
Details: (regular/widescreen) Place blue tack on the end of the donkey tail and hang the donkey pic-ture on the wall. Ask the children to form a line and blindfold the first child in the queue. Give them the donkey tail and gently spin them around three times. Point the child in the direction of the donkey and ask them to place the tail on the donkey. Mark the spot where they place the tail with their name. Once every child has had a turn the team with the donkey tail closest to the correct position wins.
GAME 2: FREEZE DANCING – 5 MINS
Description: Group Game.
Supplies: Hula hoops, dance music
Details: (regular/widescreen) Place the hula hoops on the ground and have the children circle them as the music plays. Every time the music stops, the children have to stand inside one of the rings. The child left standing outside of a ring is out. Every time a child is removed from the game, remove one of the rings. The game continues until only one child is left standing in a ring.
GAME 3: CIRCUS QUIZ – 10 MINS
Description: PowerPoint Game
Supplies: No supplies needed
Details: (Keynote/PowerPoint) Leader reads out the circus multiple choice questions. See how many fun facts about the circus children can get right.
• What is the name of the place where the circus happens (a big top, a tent , a marquee).
• What is the name of the person who introduces the acts (Circus man, Ring mas-ter, The Leader)
• Which of these is a famous America Circus owner (Andrew Lloyd Weber, PT Barnum, Roald Dahl)
• What is the name of the artist who walks on a string with a pole (Acrobat, spinner, tightrope walker)
• What is the name of the bike with one wheel? (A monowheel, A unicycle, A cir-cus bike
BIG VERSE: But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise. He chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 1 Corinthians 1:27
(regular/widescreen/social media image) Download the Bible cards here.
SET THE SCENE: 10-15 MINS
Description: Bible story and questions
Supplies: Bible, clip of talking dog (see Pinterest board) Theo, the talking poodle – BBC Archive
Details: You may want to have some of the children act out the story at the same time as you read the passage.
Say: Have you ever seen a talking animal? Their answer should be no! Explain that some people have managed to train their pet dog to talk, then show the clip of Theo the talking poodle.
Well in our lesson today we’re going to hear a donkey talking! The story is all about a prophet called Balaam and his talking donkey is in Numbers 22. Balak, a leader of the Moabites, asked Balaam to come and make the Israelites leave their land, but God wanted Balaam to go to the Israelites and give them a mes-sage from Him instead. Let’s see what happens to Balaam.
Read Numbers 22:21-41 How would you react if your pet started talking to you? Isn’t it weird that Balaam didn’t say “What!! you can talk!” or anything like that? He was so focused on how angry he felt, he did not even stop to wonder how his donkey was speak-ing!
Three times the donkey saw the Angel of the Lord and all three times Balaam beat the donkey. He wanted to continue down the path but the donkey would not go. God wanted Balaam to stop and listen to his direction but instead Bal-aam tried to do things his own way and ended up beating his donkey, even though the donkey was trying to save him. God was using the donkey to get Ba-laam’s attention and change Balaam’s plans.
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
- How did Balaam disobey God’s instructions?
- How did Balaam obey God’s instructions?
- What did God do to help Balaam obey?
- How do you think Balaam felt when he heard his donkey talking?
- Do you think he realized he was talking to the donkey?
- Can God help you so that only good things come out of your mouth?
SPOT THE SIMPLE MEANING:
1) GOD WANTS TO GET OUR ATTENTION – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 1
Supplies: Whistle, Megaphone, horn.
Details: Have all the objects in front of you. Use a whistle to get everyone’s at-tention.
Say: Now I have lots of different objects here which are used to get people’s at-tention. I used a whistle to get your attention. Often whistles are used in sports games by the referee to get the players attention. Mega phones are used if you need to communicate to large crowds of people in one place. Now, when I am in my car I can use my horn to get another cars attention! As we read in our bible story today God made a donkey talk to get Balaam’s attention! There are also other stories in the bible where God did strange things to get someone’s at-tention – can you think of any (e.g Burning bush, angels). Now, as we see in lots of these examples, if God wants to get someone’s attention then He must have something important to say!
2)- WE NEED TO LISTEN! – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 2
Supplies: Funnel, Sieve, flour and a sponge, water, bowl, Jug
Details: Place some water in a jug. Have the funnel, sieve, flour and sponge on a table.
Say: So when God has our attention He wants us to listen! Now there are three different ways that we can listen and these objects will help us work out which way we listen. (Hold up the funnel). Now this is a funnel but watch how the water goes right through (pour water into the funnel with the bowl underneath). The funnel is empty now. So that can be like us when we listen to God. We hear what he says but then forget pretty quickly! (Hold up the sieve). So here we have a sieve. Sieve’s are great for getting rid of lumps when sieving flour (sieve some flour showing the lumps). When we listen to God sometimes we are like this sieve and just want to listen to the parts that we want to hear. (Hold up the sponge). Now my last object is a sponge. Sponges are great at soaking things up. (put the sponge in the bowl of water). Look what happens when I put this sponge in the water. The sponge absorbs it all. That’s what we need to do when we listen to God. He wants us to not only listen, but soak up everything he has to say and keep hold of it just like this sponge is holding onto the water.
3) DO WHAT GOD SAYS – 5 MINS
Description: Object Lesson 3
Supplies: clear 1 litre plastic bottle, water, sachet of sauce such as ketchup
Details: Fill the bottle with water and then add the sachet so that it is floating. Add more water so that the bottle is full. Place the cap on tightly. As you squeeze the bottle the sachet will start to sink. When you stop squeezing it should float.
Say: God doesn’t just want us to listen. He also wants us to do what He says. We need to be obedient to what he tells us to do just like this sachet of ketchup! (al-low time for the children to react!) Let me show you!
SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES: HOOK A DUCK GAME – 10 MINS
Description: Team or individual game
Supplies: Hook-a-duck set, bibles.
Details: (Keynote/PowerPoint) Write the following scriptures references on the bottom (or back) of the ducks. Make sure that you have enough ducks for either each group or individ-uals. Invite the children to come to the hook a duck stall and hook a duck. In their groups ask them to find the scripture in a bible and read it to the group.
Hook a duck bible verses:
• Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own un-derstanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your path.
• Deuteronomy 4: 36 He let you hear his voice from heaven so he could instruct you.
• Proverbs 8:32 Now then, my children, listen to me; blessed are those who keep my ways.
• John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
• Psalm 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
• James 1: 22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
Then discuss the questions below.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- How does God speak to us today?
- Do you find it hard to listen? Why might that be?
- How can we encourage each other to listen to God?
- Has God ever given you a picture or word for someone else?
SENSE HOW YOU FEEL – 10 MINS EACH OR IN TANDEM/ROTATION
Encourage the children to think about the questions above as they do one of the activities:
Description: Craft.
Supplies: Pens, Donkey and Balaam PDF on circus ticket, wallet (each week a circus ticket craft can be placed in the wallet)
Details: Color and decorate the sheet and then place ticket in the wallet until next week.
Description: Moulding activity.
Supplies: Playdough or clay.
Details: Mould the donkey speaking to Balaam.
Description: Building activity.
Supplies: Lego or construction toys.
Details: Build a scene from the bible where God got someone’s attention.
Description: Sensory activity.
Supplies: Create a prayer tent space using cushions, lights, a cross and tent if you have one. Have some quiet music playing.
Details: Encourage the children to spend some time listening to God. Have some scriptures around to help focus them. Allow time to draw or write anything that they have heard.
Description: Activity Booklets.
Supplies: 5-7s and 8-11s booklets (included in download), markers.
Details: Fill in or color the 5-7s (PDF) and 8-11s (PDF) booklets.
SEEK GOD: 5 MINS
Description: Prayer/Encounter activity
Supplies: soft worship music, speech bubbles pdf, pens
Details: Ask the children to stand. Play some quiet music in the background
Balaam thought that he could take matters into his own hands, but God remin-ded him to stop and listen for His direction. God wants to get our attention right now. Let’s spend some time listening to God – maybe He has a word for you or for someone in this room? (invite the children to write what they heard onto the speech bubbles).
Remember God wants your attention this week. How are you going to pay at-tention this week to God? Let me challenge you to read your Bible and listen very carefully to what God has to say to you.
Dear God, thank you that you are here and that you speak to us. Help us to lis-ten to you this week and give us the boldness and courage to do what you ask. AMEN
ZOOM FRIENDLY LESSON:
CIRCUS SINGLED OUT GAME (Keynote/PowerPoint)
