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Kids Bible Blog: trust : Page P30
Ebenezer
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 7:2-13
TO CHEW ON: "Then Samuel took a stone and set it between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, 'Thus far has the Lord helped us.'” 1 Samuel 7:12
God’s predictions for Eli’s family soon came true. The next time the Israelites were losing against the Philistines, someone suggested they bring the ark to the battlefield to help them win. So Eli's his sons brought the ark. But the Philistines beat them anyway. On top of that they killed Eli's sons and took the ark back home with them.
The Philistines didn’t keep it long though. Because wherever they took it, sickness broke out. They soon sent it back to Israel where it was stored in a little town. But even then the Philistines didn’t stop hassling the Israelites. They were as cruel and bossy as ever.
This went on for twenty years. By now Samuel was a grown man. The people began coming to him for advice. “What can we do to defeat these Philistines?” they asked.
1. Here are some things Samuel could have told him. What did he say? (1 Samuel 7:3)A. Conscript more soldiers and build a bigger army.B. Do sword practice three hours a...
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Tags: worship trust Samuel prayer judgment idols God’s help faith craft 1 Samuel
Don’t Be Afraid
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Ezekiel 2:1-10
TO CHEW ON: " And you, son of man, do not be afraid of them or their words. Do not be afraid, though briers and thorns are all around you and you live among scorpions. Do not be afraid of what they say or be terrified by them, though they are a rebellious people." Ezekiel 2:6
As Ezekiel lay on the ground, a voice came from the bright vision of God. It was talking to him. “Stand up,” God said.
Ezekiel stood and God continued. “I am sending you to be a prophet to the people of Israel. They are rebellious, stubborn and obstinate. They may or may not listen.”
Ezekiel had wanted to be a priest. Now God was giving him a different job – the job of being a prophet. But it sounded hard and dangerous.
Then I looked, and I saw a hand stretched out to me. In it was a scroll... On both sides of it were written words of lament and mourning and woe." Ezekiel 2:9
Before Ezekiel had a chance to argue with God about how hard this job was going to be, God encouraged him. Three times God said to Ezekiel, “Do not be afraid....
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Tags: trust prophecy memory verse fear faith Ezekiel courage
Come Thirsty
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Isaiah 55:1-7
TO CHEW ON: "Come all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come buy and eat!" Isaiah 55:1
Have you ever been very, very thirsty? What did you want more than anything?
Thirst is our body’s way of telling us we need water. In fact we would eventually die if we didn’t get the water we needed.
In today’s reading, though, when Isaiah invites thirsty people to come to water, he isn’t talking about physical thirst. He’s talking about a thirst in our hearts. Perhaps you have felt such a thirst. It might come as a fear in the night - wondering what would happen to you if you died. It might come as a need for love, praise, popularity or excitement. It might come as a desire to do something big and important in your life.
When that thirst comes, you could try to satisfy it with a variety of drinks. You could work hard at school to get the best marks so that people will praise you. You could dress in the latest clothes so that you will fit in with the cool crowd and be popular. You could work at sports...
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Tags: trust Judah Isaiah God’s care friendship
Cistern Rescue
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Jeremiah 38:7-13
TO CHEW ON: “My lord the king, these men have acted wickedly in all they have done to Jeremiah the prophet. They have thrown him into a cistern, where he will starve to death when there is no longer any bread in the city.” Jeremiah 38:9
As he sank ever deeper in the filthy mud, Jeremiah wondered, is this it? Will I die here? He had done and said what God had told him to. But his message was so unpopular, King Zedekiah’s officials had put him in prison and then thrown him into this wet cistern.
But that wasn’t the end for Jeremiah. Ebed-Melech, an official in the palace, heard what had happened. He knew that it was not fair. He went to the king about it.
“These men have been most wicked in the way they treated Jeremiah,” he said. “They’ve put him in a cistern and he’ll starve to death.”...
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Tags: trust persecution Judah Jeremiah God’s help
Caught
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Samuel 18:1-14
TO CHEW ON: "Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule went under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s head got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair while the mule he was riding kept on going." 2 Samuel 18:9
David was on the run from his son Absalom. David thought of all the things Absalom had on his side – the army, many of the people, even the wisest counselor Ahithophel. “God, please spoil Ahithophel’s advice,” David prayed.
Down the road David met his friend Hushai. He was also known as a wise man. “I’m coming with you,” Hushai told David.
But seeing Hushai gave David an idea. “Why don’t you help me another way?” he said. “I’d really like it if you went to Absalom and pretended you were going to be on his side. Then when Ahithophel tells Absalom what to do, you can suggest something that isn’t as wise.”
Hushai did as David asked. When Ahithophel told Absalom he should go after David right away, Hushai said, “No, that’s not a good idea.” Then he suggested they wait till his army gathered.
When Absalom...
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Busy Behind the Scenes
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Joshua 2:1-14
TO CHEW ON: “'I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you." Joshua 2:9
After Moses died, Joshua became Israel’s leader. “Get the people ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I’m giving you,” God said to him. “Tell them if they do everything I say, I will help them.”
Forty years before the Israelites had been at the same place. Then they refused to trust God. What would they do this time?
“Pack up!” Joshua told the people. “We’ll be leaving soon.”
Secretly he sent two spies to look over Canaan. “Pay special attention to the city of Jericho,” he told them.
When the men got to Jericho, someone saw them and went to the king. “Get those spies!” the king commanded his servants.
The spies hid in the home of a woman named Rahab. “The people are scared to death of you,” she said.
Why? (Joshua 2:10).How do you think this made the spies feel?
Picture from CC-Art.com The spies hiding under flax on the roof of Rahab's house
Later Rahab helped the spies escape from...
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Building Faith Muscles
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Jude 17 - 25
TO CHEW ON: "In the last time there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires...But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit." Jude 18b, 20
Have you ever met a scoffer? That’s someone who mocks or jeers you for who you are, what you are doing, or what you believe in. How many of these Bible scoffers can you name? (Need help? See the names of Bible scoffers and references below.)
1. “Am I a dog that you come at me with sticks...Come here and I’ll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field.” ____________
2. “He saved others but he cannot safe himself. He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross and we’ll believe in him.” _______________
3. “What they are building – if even a fox climbed upon it, he would break down their wall of stones.” _________________
4. “What is this babbler trying to say?” ________________...
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Tags: trust testing persecution Jude faith
Brick Brouhaha
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Exodus 5:1-23
TO CHEW ON: "Moses returned to the Lord and said, 'Why, Lord, have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.'" Genesis 5:22,23
Moses hurried back to Egypt after God talked to him from the burning bush. Sure enough, on his way he met Aaron, just as God had said. When they got back to Egypt, they called a meeting of the Israelite leaders. Moses told them what God wanted him to do and showed them the signs God had given him. The leaders were overjoyed and worshiped God. Now they would no longer be slaves.
NOT!
For when Moses and Aaron talked to Pharaoh, he laughed at them. “Who is the Lord that I should obey him and let Israel go?” he scoffed.
The Israelites were working for Pharaoh as slaves. They worked on his building projects. One of the things they had to do was make bricks for the Egyptian palaces, temples and pyramids.
Egyptian ruins showing brick construction
Now Pharaoh made a new rule. Instead of giving the workers...
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Amazing Flour and Oil
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 17:7-16
TO CHEW ON: "Elijah said to her, 'Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: "The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land." ' ” 1 Kings 17:13,14
After Elijah had lived by the brook for a while, he noticed a change. The hot sun was drying it up. It no longer flowed fast. Soon it was only a trickle. One day there was no water left in the brook at all.
That day God spoke to Elijah again. “Go at once to Zarephath in Sidon. A widow there will feed you.”
So Elijah walked to Zarephath. It was a hundred mile trip through scorching dessert, over rugged hills and through mountain passes. When he finally got to the Zarephath gate he was covered with dust, famished and very thirsty. “Could you please give me a drink...
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Tags: trust Israel God’s care generosity Elijah 1 Kings
A Plan of His Own
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Kings 12:25-33
TO CHEW ON: "The king made two golden calves. He said to the people, 'It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' " 1 Kings 12:28
Jeroboam went to live in Schechem and ruled Israel from there. The prophet had told him he would be a successful king if he obeyed God. Even so, Jeroboam began to be afraid. His people would go back to Jerusalem to worship. What if traveling back to Jerusalem would make them want Rehoboam as their king again?
So Jeroboam made a plan to keep that from happening. Instead of encouraging the people to worship God in the temple in Jerusalem he set up calf idols nearby – one in Dan and another in Bethel. He told the people, "Here are the gods who brought you out of Egypt." Then he chose people who weren’t in the Levi tribe to be the priests. They offered sacrifices to the golden calves.
Jeroboam also invented new festivals. At festival time, the people now went to Dan or Bethel instead of Jerusalem. In no time the people who had chosen Jeroboam as...
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Tags: worship trust prophecy memory verse Israel idols 1 Kings
A Letter and a Prayer
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 2 Chronicles 32:6-15 & 20,21
TO CHEW ON: “'Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.' And the people gained confidence from what Hezekiah the king of Judah said." 2 Chronicles 32:7,8
Sennarcherib the fierce king of Assyria had already defeated Israel. Now he had his eye on Judah. He invaded the country with his powerful army. When soldiers surrounded the walled cities near Jerusalem, Hezekiah knew that he would soon be there.
Hezekiah did all he could to get ready. He cut off the water supply to the outside the walls of Jerusalem. He made the walls stronger. But most of all, he encouraged the people. “Don’t look at Sennarcherib’s strong army,” he said to them. “Instead, look at our big God.”
One day a messenger arrived with a letter. It was from Sennarcherib. “What are you trusting in?” the letter asked. “If Hezekiah is telling you that God will save you...
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Tags: trust problems prayer miracles Isaiah God’s help angels 2 Chronicles
A Promise Kept
TODAY’S SPECIAL: I Samuel 1:20-29
TO CHEW ON: “I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” 1 Samuel 1:27,28
Have you ever made a promise that later you wished you didn’t have to keep? Perhaps you promised your brother that if he’d deliver your papers, you’d do his chores. Or you promised your parents if they gave you what you wanted, you’d never beg for things again. Or maybe you made a promise to God that if He answered your prayer, you’d do something special for Him.
Hannah had made a big promise to God. She told Him if He gave her a baby, she would give that baby back to God for his whole life.
God answered Hannah’s prayer with baby Samuel. How thrilled she was! She loved dressing him, feeding him and playing with him. But every time she looked at him, she also remembered her promise. She knew that if she kept it, she wouldn’t be keeping little Samuel. I wonder if she ever wished she could take back that promise.
The year Samuel...
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A Prayer and a Promise
TODAY’S SPECIAL: 1 Samuel 1:1-18
TO CHEW ON: “'Not so, my lord,' Hannah replied. 'I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer. I was pouring out my soul to the Lord.'” 1 Samuel 1:15
An Israelite man named Elkanah had two wives. Their names were Peninnah and Hannah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none. This made her very sad.
Whenever the family went on their yearly trip to Shiloh to worship at the temple, Elkanah would give Hannah an offering twice as big as Peninnah’s because he loved her even though she didn’t have children. Then Peninnah, jealous of Hannah's big offering, teased Hannah and reminded her that she didn’t have the one thing she wanted most - a child.
One year, when this happened again, Hannah was so distressed she couldn’t even eat. Instead she went by herself to the temple to pray. Tears flowed down her cheeks as she silently talked to God, only moving her lips. She begged for a son. She even made a promise or vow to God. If God would give her a son, she would (1 Samuel 1:11) _______________
The priest Eli was sitting in the temple watching her....
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A Can-do Attitude
TODAY’S SPECIAL: Numbers 13:26-33
TO CHEW ON: "Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, 'We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.' But the men who had gone up with him said, 'We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.'” Numbers 13:30,31
The Israelites had been traveling through the desert for a long time. Now they were near the land God had promised them. To prepare for going in and settling there, Moses sent twelve spies to explore their new home. For forty days these men went from place to place in Canaan, secretly checking out the country.
When they got back, they told of the amazing orchards and farms. They brought back grapes, dates and pomegranates to prove how rich the land was. But they also told of huge walled cities and people who looked as big and strong as giants.
Ten of the spies didn’t think they would ever be able to live there. “The cities are too protected,” they said, “and the people are too tall.”
But two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, didn’t agree. “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we certainly...
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Tags: trust storytelling promises Numbers Moses God’s plan God’s help fear faith
Questions Answered?
TODAY'S SPECIAL: Read Job 42:1-16
TO CHEW ON: “I know that you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted.... Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” Job 42:2,3
After Job and his friends had spoken, God talked. He asked Job questions.- “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4 Simplified Living Bible)- “Have you found the springs from which the seas come?” (38:16 SLB)- “Do you know where the gates of death are”? (38:18 SLB)- “Where does the light come from and how do you get there?” (38:19 SLB)- “Who gave the heart wisdom? Who gave knowledge to the mind?” (38:36 SLB)
...and on and on.
Do you know the answers to these questions? What would you have said if you were Job?
Actually, Job didn’t have much to say. “I am nothing,” he said. “How could I ever find the answers?” (Job 40:4 SLB).
By questioning Job this way God wasn’t asking him questions because He didn’t know these things. He was showing Job (and us) that as the creator of the world, He sees the big picture of beginnings and endings. He understands more than we...
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Tags: trust true/false Job God’s omniscience
Why? Why?? Why???
TODAY'S SPECIAL: Read Job 2:1-13
Job and his friends - Artist unknown
TO CHEW ON: "When Job’s three friends Eliphaz... Bildad... and Zophar... heard about all the troubles that had come upon him they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him." Job 2:11
At the next heavenly council meeting, Satan suggested that God should take His protection away from Job’s body. If he got sick, Satan was sure Job would curse God.
God gave permission. Soon Job was so ill his friends who came to comfort him hardly recognized him.
Job’s friends thought it was his fault he was sick. When Job insisted he hadn’t done anything wrong, they argued, “God always punishes sin. This sickness is your punishment for something bad you did. Confess your sin and you’ll get better.”
Finally a young friend, Elihu, spoke. He said maybe Job’s sickness wasn’t because of something bad he did. Maybe God was just trying to teach Job a lesson....
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Tags: trust problems Job friendship faith discussion
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