Sunday School Lesson: Deborah Judges Israel

Deborah Trading Card

Print Free Bible Cards or
order pre-printed cards

From CBDDistributors

50150X: Almighty Heroes: Deborah, the Warrior

Almighty Heroes: Deborah, the Warrior
By Family Values

Kids can both read and act out important stories from the Bible! Measuring 12" tall, the Deborah the Warrior doll comes complete with warrior clothing and shield! It also includes a collectible parchment scroll with the complete story of Deborah the Warrior. Recommended for ages 6 and up.

Search CBD

Early Judges including Deborah

To Remember: God is our ruler

Vocabulary:

judge: (in lesson context) a leader God provided to free Israel from danger and keep the peace
repent: to turn back, to change your mind and behavior

Lesson

Judges 1-5"God raised up Deborah to be judge after the people had been treated harshly by King Jabin of Hazor. God spoke to Deborah under her palm tree between Bethel and Ramah. She was to send for a man named Barak in Naphtali and tell him to take ten thousand soldiers to Mount Tabor. There he would fight against King Jabin’s army..." Read the Full Lesson Text

Describe Israel's government: tribal elders and national priests. No king, no governor, just obedience to the laws of God.

Because God was Israel's ruler, he punished them when they disobeyed. He allowed other countries to rule over them.

When Israel repented and called on the Lord, He sent leaders (judges) to free them and help them remain true to God.

The judges were from different tribes in Israel. Some were prophets as well. Not all the judges were good people - sometimes they were strong political and military leaders used by God to accomplish a purpose.

Judge			Enemy	Scripture
Othniel	(Caleb's nephew)	40	Canaanites & Mesopotamians	Judges 1:11-13; 3:7-11
Ehud	(used a dagger to kill Eglon)	80	Moabites (King Eglon)	Judges 3:12-30
Shamgar	(used an oxgoad to kill 600)	?	Philistines	Judges 3:31;5:6
Deborah	(prophesied re: Barak and Jael)	40	King Jabin of Hazor	Judges 4-5
Gideon	(used 300 men with torches)	40	Mididanites	Judges 6-8
Abimelech	(Gideon's corrupt son)	3	(civil war in Israel)	Judges 8:33-9:57
Tola	(from tribe of Issachar)	23		Judges 10:1-2
Jair	(had 30 sons and 30 towns)	22		Judges 10:3-5
Jephthah	(promised his daughter's life)	6	Ammonites	Judges 11:1-12:7
Ibzan	(from Bethlehem)	7		Judges 12:8-10
Elon	(from Zebulun)	10		Judges 12:11-12
Abdon	(had 40 sons, 30 grandsons)	8		Judges 12:13-15
Samson	(strong Nazarite)	40	Philistines	Judges 13-16
Eli	(high priest)	?	Philistines	1 Samuel 1:1-4:1
Samuel	(prophet and priest, anoints kings)	?	Philistines	1 Samuel 4:1-7:17

Object Lesson: Show the class pictures of a chariot. Describe how the Israelites didn't have chariots, and went to war ontheir feet. Compare it to fighting someone in a car - how difficult it would be. But over and over, God defeated the armies with their chariots for Israel.

Craft: Bring in paper towel rolls and green & brown construction paper to make palm trees. Have the students cover the roll in brown paper. Then cut leafs of green paper, cutting fronds out (see template of palm leaf). Glue the end of the branch to the truck (roll). Now everyone has their own palm tree. Bring in a scarf for the girls to wrap around their heads to pretend to be Deborah.

Discussion: When we disobey the laws of the United States, we can be arrested, sent to jail and punished. When Israel disobeyed God's law, He (as their ruler) rightfully punished them. But He was also there to save them when they repented (turned back to him). Our law does not have a lot of ways to handle repentance (maybe time off for good behavior). But God loves us so much He sent His own son to pay for our wrongs and provide us with forgiveness.

Memory Work: Judges 5:2 "Praise ye the Lord for the avenging of Israel, when the people willingly offered themselves."

Sing: Deborah and Barak sang praise to God after the battle. Let's sing "He's got the whole world in His hands"

True or False

God appointed rulers for every tribe in Israel. F
The judges of Israel were all from the tribe of Judah. F
God used judges to rescue Israel from their enemies. T
Deborah was a prophetess, but not a judge. F
Some of the judges made terrible mistakes. T

Right or Wrong: Judges decided what was the right thing to do. We also have to decide between right and wrong. Choose between the two possibilities to decide which is right or wrong.

Question	Right	Wrong
Who or what will solve all my problems?	God	money
Who gives me the best advice?	Jesus	friends
Where's the best place to learn right from wrong?	Bible	tv shows
Who should I follow?	parents	friends
What more important in my schedule?	my chores	my tv show
Who should I treat kindly?	everyone	people who are nice to me
who should I try to be like?	Jesus	my favorite music star

Activity: Bring a puppet to class for younger groups. For older kids, make up a person their age. Tell the students that this person tends to be fearful and untrusting, like Barak. Talk about how Barak disappointed God and gave up rewarding things because of his fear. Tell the students that this person gets afraid when: 1) his friends make fun of him for being a "goody-two-shoes", 2) when he might get in trouble for being honest, 3) when he doesn't know how to handle a problem alone. Ask the students how they would advise this person to handle these situations. If they have trouble, ask them to remember: 1) Jesus loves them, 2) Jesus went through the same trials, 3) he can pray for strength, 4) he can remember God rewards the faithful, 5) and we know that God's plans are for our best - if we see them through.Review

Questions for gameboard

	linguistic questions
	What was a judge in Israel's time? a person God provided to lead Israel out of trouble Name as many judges as you can remember from today's lesson. Name as many tribes of Israel as you can remember.
	activity questions
	Locate Moab on a map. Draw a palm tree. Act out Barak asking Deborah to go to war with him.
	emotion questions
	How do you think God felt when the Israelites so quickly disobeyed him? How did the Israelites feel when they realized they had left God's ways? How did the Israelites feel when God delivered them from their enemies?
	application questions
	How does God deliver us from disobedience? through His son In what ways can we stray from God today? abandon prayer, worship, and obedience to His laws; seek after physical things How can we be like judges? be ready to do God's work, not be afraid of the enemy, and help others return to God
	fact questions
	Did Deborah lead the army of Isreal? no What did Barak insist upon? that Deborah go to battle with him How did Deborah praise God after the battle? in song
	review questions
	Why did God allow other nations to rule Israel? Israel left God How did the small armies of the judges defeat their powerful enemies? because God was with them Why didn't Barak get the glory for defeating Sisera? Sisera was killed by a woman; it's implied that Barak's fear (lack of trust in God) caused God to give that reknown to another.