Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 6 Lesson 39 Job

PRIMARY 6 LESSON 39: JOB



CLASSROOM PREP

Post on the board:

How do you typically respond when something bad happens to you?

How might you respond if something bad happened to you and you had done nothing to deserve it?

OPENING
(Show a pencil) -- this part is graphite, which is a form of carbon!
What do you think the value of the graphite is in this pencil?

(Show a diamond ring) - diamonds are formed when carbon is subjected to great heat and pressure
Why are diamonds valuable? (they are the hardest natural substance, can be used for cutting and grinding, jewelry)

What do you think the value of this diamond is?

The graphite in this pencil and this diamond are made from the same substance (carbon)

But the diamond is much more valuable - why? What happened to it?

Heat and pressure that the carbon has to go through is what makes it more valuable

Same as with us - we can become strong like diamonds if we remain faithful to Heavenly Father through the “heat” and “pressure” of our trials

LESSON
So let’s think about those questions up on the board.

How do you typically respond etc.? (give time to answer)

The book of Job tells about a man who experienced severe trials and afflictions.

Today we’re going to learn about a man - and his name is Job (write it on the board)

Raise your hand if you’ve heard of him.

What do you know about him? (see what they know, it might be a lot and that’s okay)

Job had a very very difficult life with a lot of challenges and trials.

And we’re going to learn about what happened to him and what his response was to his trials.

So it says in verse 1 that there was a man who lived in the land of Uz and his name was Job.

How is he described in verse 1? (point out that “perfect” doesn’t mean without sin, but that he was faithful in keeping the commandments of God)

And in verse 2, who was in his family?

In verse 3 it says that he had a lot of animals! 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, and so on.

In fact it verse 3 it says he was what? (the greatest of all the men of the east)

So he had a lot - he was very blessed.

In verse 5, Job was described as a man who offered burnt offerings - he had faith!

Because what it says is that those burnt offerings were done why? “It may be that my sons have sinned”

So he was offering them in case his sons had sinned and cursed God in their hearts.

He wanted to be sure he and his family were right with the Lord.

(Explain that verses 6-12 is a poetic rendition of a conversation between the Lord and Satan.)

The Lord doesn’t make agreements or bargains with Satan.

These verses emphasize Satan’s role as our adversary, but the Lord has full power over Satan.

Satan thought Job was only righteous because of what he had.

The Lord said Job was righteous.

Satan was allowed to afflict all that Job had, but not allowed to take Job’s life)

*thoughts from the Seminary Old Testament manual

So in verse 13, one day Job’s sons and daughters were essentially having a meal together.

vs 14-15 A messenger came with some bad news! His oxen and asses were taken! The servants killed!

vs 16 Another messenger - fire fell from heaven and his sheep and servants are killed!

vs 17 Another messenger - Camels and servants killed!

vs 18-19 Another messenger - his sons and daughters were killed

Wow, what do you think you would do?

What feelings would you have if you experienced these losses?

What did Job do? (vs 20-21 → worshipped, showed humility and faith, did not curse God)

How is Job demonstrating faith in God?

What principle can we learn from Job’s example? (we can choose to have faith in God even in the midst of our trials)

Job 2
Again Satan comes to the Lord, in a poetic rendition, to discuss Job.

The Lord says that Job has been afflicted but “still he holdeth fast his integrity” (vs 3)

Satan recommends in verse 5 what? To “touch his bone and his flesh” and insists Job will turn from God as a result.

Uh-oh, are we a little worried for poor Job?

So verse 7 what happens? (sore boils)

Do you know what boils are? (a very painful skin infection that becomes red and swollen)

A potsherd is broken pottery and he was trying to scrape off the diseased skin (vs 8)

What does his wife say? (vs 9)

But what is his response? (vs 10, calls her foolish and points out that the Lord brings good but also evil is part of life)

So let’s skip to chapter 19 and see where Job’s at with his thinking.

Vs 13-19 My friends and family and servants want nothing to do with me and I’m ignored, my wife doesn’t want to be around me, young children don’t want to be around me, “and they whom I loved are turned against me” (vs 19)

His face was so disfigured from the boils that no one recognized him.

His breath and body odor was so bad that no one wanted to be around him!

He sought to live outside the city where outcasts and lepers lived.

He was in pain all the time!

Even his body is hard for him (vs 20)

And yet in verse 25, he still proclaims “I know that my redeemer liveth”

What can we do to show faith in God during our trials?

Is there someone you admire for choosing to have faith in God during trials?

So his friends also turned against him

You know how sometimes you look to your friends for support or understanding?

Like, hey friend, I’m really having a hard time with something that happened to me.

What if your friend was like, “Well, it’s your fault that happened because of how you live your life.”

How would that make you feel?

Job had that happen to him - a friend named Eliphaz came to him and said haven’t you sinned a lot?

Aren’t you really wicked? And then he lists things he thinks Job had done to bring this upon himself.

He accuses him of not giving water or food to the hungry, sending widows away empty, taken clothing etc.

And therefore he has been punished.

But we know trials and difficulties come upon the righteous as well.

Well, let’s skip to chapter 42.

In verse 6, Job says that he is recognizing he is weak and can sin and he has limitations as we all do.

The Lord speaks to Job’s friends who hadn’t been very nice to Job (vs 7).

He tells them to repent and to go to Job and the Lord says Job will pray for them.

The Lord blesses Job with twice as much as he had before (vs 10-13)

Job lived the rest of his life very happily and with his family!




DISCUSSION

(Post a list of what Job had before and what he had after)

What would be the hardest for you to lose from this list?

And why?

How has Job's responses to his trials inspired you? What about the next time you're faced with a hard trial - will you remember Job?





VIDEO: THE WILL OF GOD

This is a great video from Elder Christofferson’s talk regarding a currant bush.

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-01-014-the-will-of-god?category=topics/faith&lang=eng


POST-VIDEO DISCUSSION

What were some of the feelings of the currant bush? (how could you do this to me?)

What did the gardener tell the bush? He knew the true potential of the bush and knew how to help it fulfill its potential

How was Elder Brown’s experience with rejection like the bush? (how could you do this to me?)

What was the reply? (I am the gardener here, I know what I want you to do)




ACTIVITY/DISCUSSION TWENTY QUESTIONS FROM MANUAL AND HEATHER STORY



TESTIMONY/TAKE HOME

The trials in my life may not feel really good when I’m going through them, and sometimes they last a really long time.

And sometimes it’s only after the hardest part of the trial is over that I can even focus on what blessings might be attached, what lessons I may have learned, what character growth may have been happening. I try hard to find those blessings during the trial! And I try to stay as faithful as I can so I can feel the Spirit and know the peace that comes through knowing that Christ is not only in charge but that he loves us!

Take home idea

Fun fake jewels or something else related to the opening discussion to take home.

Include one of the scriptures that stood out to you, such as "I know that my redeemer liveth" or something else



LIST TO PRINT IF NEEDED
JOB BEFORE

7 SONS
3 DAUGHTERS
7,000 SHEEP
3,000 CAMELS
500 YOKE OF OXEN
500 DONKEYS

JOB AFTER

7 SONS
3 DAUGHTERS
14,000 SHEEP
6,000 CAMELS
1,000 YOKE OF OXEN
1,000 DONKEYS

Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 6 Lesson 37 Josiah and Ezra Read the Scriptures To People

PRIMARY 6 LESSON 37 JOSIAH AND EZRA READ THE SCRIPTURES TO THE PEOPLE

CLASSROOM PREP
Post up on the board a piece of paper that says - “Why might it be hard to read the scriptures?”

OPENING
So let’s say it’s the first day of school and your teacher has told you that you cannot take any notes or write down anything that you’re learning, okay?
And now let’s say it’s a few weeks into school and your teacher tells you that he’s going to give you a test! A test on everything he’s taught you since the first day.

How would you feel? (nervous, unprepared, scared, confused)
You might think, wait a second - we weren’t allowed to write anything down. 

How are we supposed to do well on a test when we have no notes, no information, nothing to go off of?

So why is it important to write things down? (discuss for a short while - the act of writing down helps us remember, some people can’t learn as well through hearing but need to see words written down, we can review things later, we can find patterns in information in order to group them into chunks to remember)

It’s easy to forget things that we aren’t reminded of on a regular basis.
If something’s important, we should study it and review it continually so we don’t forget it.
(hold up the New Testament) The scriptures contains Heavenly Father’s words!
We need regular study in order to remember, and to keep his commandments. 

LESSON
So today we’re going to learn about a few different spiritual leaders.

And what ties them all together is that they loved the scriptures, God’s law, and they wanted their people to know it.

First we’re going to learn about Josiah.
It says in 2 Kings 22 that Josiah was eight when he began his reign in Jerusalem!
His father was actually wicked who was killed by his servants when Josiah was 8.
He inherited the throne at that age and was a righteous king.
He did that which was right in the sight of the Lord.

Let’s go to verse 3 of 2 Kings 22.
It has been 18 years now in the reign of King Josiah.
In verse 4 it says what? (he wants a high priest to get the silver and pay workers, essentially, for their work.
In verse 8, what did the high priest find when he went to get the silver? (book of law)
In verse 10 it says that the book of law is then read to King Josiah.
So this is a book of law that had been essentially lost.

Do you think the people had been reading the law and following the law if it had been deeply hidden away?
Would you know a book really well if it had been in the back of a closet in your house for 10 or more years?
Probably not, right?

So in verse 11 it says what? (King Josiah read the book of law and rent/tore his clothes to show deep sorrow!)
He was quite distressed!
Why? Let’s read vs 13 (our fathers haven’t hearkened unto the words of the book)

Let’s go to 2 Kings 23.
What would a good king do if he found this book of law? (share it with his people)
He’s upset so it sounds like his people are probably doing bad things, so it makes sense he’d want to share it.

Let’s read in vs. 2 what he did! (read all the words of the book to all the people)
They didn’t just hear it and read it, but they wanted to put their faith into action.
They wanted to make a covenant.

In vs. 3 it says that Josiah stood by a pillar and made a covenant before the Lord.
What was the covenant? (to walk after the Lord, to keep his commandments etc.)
And the people stood to the covenant!
Furthermore, what happened to the false idols they worshipped for Baal? (vs 4)

Now we’re going to learn a little about a man named Ezra, he was a high priest and a scribe.
Nehemiah 8:1
It says the people gathered themselves together into the street
And what did Ezra bring out? (vs 1 - the book of the law of Moses)
Why did he do this? (vs 2 - so all that could hear with understanding)
It says in vs 5 that he opened the book of law and all the people stood up!
Why do you think they did this? (they were excited, they had faith, they had reverence for it)
What did they do in vs 6? (have someone read it)
And in vs 9 at the end of the verse, how did they respond to the words of the law? (all the people wept)
What did Ezra say to them at the end of vs 10? (neither be ye sorry for the joy of the Lord is your strength)
What’s so great here is that they are eager to hear the word of the Lord!
They are spiritually moved!
And at the end of vs 12 it says that they were able to be joyful because they had understood the words that were declared unto them.

POST-LESSON DISCUSSION
How do you feel when you read the scriptures?
How can we develop the excitement for the scriptures?

Let’s look at the question on the board - why might it be hard to read the scriptures?

What’s hard for you? (write their answers on a list on the board but also add the column “ways to overcome these difficulties” with an additional piece of paper that you’ve brought)

(Spend time writing their answers on the board under the columns)
(Maybe they don’t understand the words, don’t like reading, find it boring, their family doesn’t want to read, they don’t have time, too much homework)
(Possible helps could be to set aside time each day individually or as a family that’s most likely to work, try for once a week first rather than jump into daily, watch the illustrated scripture story first so it’s more easily understood, pray for understand, read less at a time, read with a sibling if parents don’t want to, make it a goal to read every day for a week and see if more understanding comes, give it enough days that it can become a habit) 

ACTIVITY OPTIONS
1/ Post up the scripture Psalms 19:8 and discuss it - the scriptures/laws/words of the Lord are right and our heart rejoices. The commandment of the Lord is pure and enlightens our eyes.
Circle “right” and “rejoicing” and “pure” and “enlightening.”
Then post up verse 10 - more desired than gold and finer than gold! Sweeter than honey!
Bring in a jar of honey and give everyone a small popsicle stick or straw (toothpick could poke them) and have them taste the honey (check for allergies first!).

2/ Charades activity from the manual is a good one!

3/ Review activity from the manual about the year so far! This is a great opportunity to review, however not all prophets are covered so you could add them in (Isaac for example)

4/ Remaining time could be spent memorizing Isaiah 40:8

TESTIMONY/TAKE HOME
One reason I love teaching the Old Testament is because of how awesome these stories are and how inspiring the prophets/leaders are that we can learn from. There have been times in my life when I haven’t read the scriptures as often, and there have been times when I’ve read them daily - not just read them but studied them.

You might think not reading the scriptures could be an opportunity to get more things done, have free time, read other books instead, etc. But I’ve found that reading the scriptures allows me to focus on what’s important, to use my time wisely, to have the Spirit with me, to feel uplifted, to be reminded of the love God has for all of us, and guess what - I still can still have time to read other books and do other things!

Take home idea:
Something related to honey (edible or bee imagery, etc) and the Psalms 19:8, 10 scripture from the lesson, or the words from Search, Ponder, and Pray, or Isaiah 40:8

Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 6 Lesson 34 Elijah and the False Prophets of Baal

PRIMARY 6 LESSON 34 ELIJAH AND THE FALSE PROPHETS OF BAAL

(source: lds.org)

CLASSROOM PREP

Post up part of Matthew 6:24

“No man can serve two masters.”

Post up part of Matthew 12:30

“He that is not with me is against me.”

Post up part of Joshua 24:15"Choose you this day whom ye will serve...but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Post the gospel artwork for this lesson:

http://media.ldscdn.org/images/media-library/gospel-art/old-testament/elijah-priests-baal-82854-print.jpg

Post up this question:

What do we worship today, perhaps without even realizing we are doing so?

OPENING DISCUSSION
Show this and discuss it:
https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/mormonad-two-masters-1118199?lang=eng

LESSON
So let’s recap what we’ve learned so far about Elijah.

His interactions with the widow - what do you remember? (she showed great faith, he showed faith in following what the Lord wanted him to do, he used the Priesthood faithfully, Ahab and Jezebel, Baal, etc)

So today is part two about Elijah from our manual!

Let’s turn to 1 Kings 18.

Remember - was Ahab a good leader or not? (no!)

No, under the leadership of Ahab and his wife Jezebel, most people had chosen wickedness and were worshipping false gods.

The drought Elijah brought upon the land was because of their wickedness.

Many prophets had been killed by Jezebel, but Elijah had survived.

Elijah tells a man named Obadiah, a governor of Ahab, to tell Ahab that Elijah wants to meet with him.

:14 Go tell thy Lord (Ahab), Behold, Elijah is here.

So then what? (verse 16)
And what happens when Ahab saw Elijah? (verse 17)
Ahab asks Elijah, are you the troublemaker of the Israelites? (likely referring to the drought)

Elijah says no, I have not troubled Israel...who does he says has troubled Israel?

:18 thou and thy father’s house

And why? (ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and thou hast followed Baalim)

So here we have the meeting of two people -- Ahab and Elijah.
How are they different? (one worships Baal and one worships God)
Do you foresee some sort of showdown about to happen? (yes)

Let’s see what Elijah says to Ahab.

:19 Gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel and the prophets of Baal.
How many prophets? (Baal 450 and of the groves 400 = 850)

:20 Ahab does this

And what does Elijah say to them? (verse 21)
(Reference scriptures on the board)

:22 I am a prophet of God but Baal has 450 prophets!
So then Elijah has a plan. What is it? (verse 23)

To get some meat prepared to be cooked on a fire - he will do this and the prophets of Baal should do this.
But no fire shall be put under.

Then what in verse 24? (they will each call upon their respective God/gods and the one that answers by fire is the true God)
So who is excited to hear what happens?
But what do you know in your heart will happen?

:26 The prophets of Baal did according to plan and they called upon Baal from morning until noon.

What happened? (no voice, no answer - they also leapt upon their altar and it broke!)

What does Elijah do?

:27 At noon, Elijah mocked them - maybe their god is talking, pursuing, in a journey, or sleeping

How did the prophets of Baal react? (crying, cutting themselves!)

:29 They kept waiting from noon until evening but still no voice or answer.
:30-:35 (read all of these in a row, one kid at a time - perhaps draw it as they read it)
:36-:37 Elijah prays to the Lord! He wants their hearts turned back to Him.
:38 The fire came etc.
:39 The people recognized the Lord is the God rather than Baal.

1 Kings 19
So Jezebel was not there for this, but heard about it and she sought Elijah’s life.

He knew this and he went away “for his life” (verse 3)
:4 He goes and sits under a tree
:9 the Lord asks what he’s doing there?
:10 Elijah explains how he’s feeling
:11-12 The Lord speaks to him in a still small voice

POST-LESSON DISCUSSION
What have we learned from this? (The Lord’s power is greater than the power of men, and the Lord can help us know that He is the true God :source Seminary manual:)

How does the Lord speak to Elijah? (still small voice)

And how does He speak to us? (same way)

When we pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ, our answers come through the Holy Ghost, usually as a peaceful thought in our minds or a warm feeling in our hearts.

When we pray and listen for the still small voice and obey it, we are worshipping Heavenly Father.

VIDEO: DISCOVERING TRUTH

This is a wonderful video that will help us learn how to focus on truth from God, not looking for truth in other things we may worship or in false gods in our daily life.

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/discovering-truth

WORSHIPPING ACTIVITY

So let’s talk about what we worship? (ideas from the manual include money, power, popularity, celebrities, recreation, sports, tv shows, clothing)

(Have those items written on wordstrips and have other wordstrips ready and pass them out to each student, give them a minute or two to prepare a haiku, and remind them the 5-7-5 syllable rules for haikus, about the item on their wordstrip.)

For example:
Recreation’s fun
But keep the Sabbath day holy
And use time wisely

Did the Israelites know not to worship false gods?
Yes! Moses had received that as a commandment - Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

We should place Heavenly Father first in our lives and worship him.
If anything else is more important to us, it is an idol or a false god.

TESTIMONY/TAKE HOME
I am grateful that we have a loving Heavenly Father and a Savior Jesus Christ.
I’m grateful for the Holy Ghost and the still small voice by which we may know the truth of all things.
That’s how I knew this was the true Church - I prayed about it and I felt a witness through the Holy Ghost.

We may not have a false god named Baal in our life, but we are tempted by things to “worship” and I’m grateful I can think about that this week and what I perhaps “worship” over God.

Take home ideas along with a scripture or the words to The Still Small Voice songbook song
- Something related to hearts turning or to serving God
- Something reminding them to worship only God throughout the week
- Something related to music to reference the Mormon Ad
- Caramels to reference Mt. Carmel (it's a stretch, yes) but beware if any kids have braces and can't eat that

Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 6 Lesson 33 Elijah Uses the Priesthood

PRIMARY 6 LESSON 33 ELIJAH USES THE PRIESTHOOD

CLASSROOM PREP

Quotation on the board about Priesthood - for example this one by President Ballard:
“The same priesthood power that created worlds, galaxies, and the universe can and should be part of our lives to succor, strengthen, and bless our families, our friends, and our neighbors.”

Write on the board:

What are some choices the Lord and His prophets have asked you to make that require you to exercise faith? (from the Seminary manual)

OPENING ACTIVITY

(Find an object lesson regarding static electricity - either involving a comb and hair or a balloon and hair and then picking something up - a lot of versions of this online!)

(Some good info on static electricity to share here:

https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/cub_electricity_lesson01_activity1)

(Talk about the unseen powers of the static electricity)

The power of God also cannot be seen, but we often see its effects!

We’re going to be learning about a prophet of God and his use of the greatest power on earth, the priesthood of God.

LESSON - I plan to have a visitor come in and do a reader's theater with me where I narrate and they act out. I will have them dress as Elijah (fake beard and brown long robe) and I will probably have a fake raven, I might have a lady come in as the widow etc. These stories are very visual! The main goal is to be reverent.

So our lesson today starts with the reign of a man named Ahab, he began his reign over Israel.
It says in 1 Kings 16:30 that he did evil in the sight of the Lord - uh-oh!
:31 He took to wife a woman named Jezebel and who does it say they served? (Baal)
Would this please the Lord? (no!)
What does it say in verse 33 that makes Ahab especially bad? (did more to provoke the Lord to anger more than all the kings of Israel before him!)

1 Kings 17 Who are we introduced to in verse 1? (Elijah)
What did he say to Ahab? (As the Lord liveth, there shall not be dew nor rain these years)
What is that called? (a drought)
In verse 3, the Lord tells him to get away and hide.
:4 And he is supposed to drink of the brook and have the ravens feed him.
Did he listen? (verse 5, yes he did)
:6 The ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning and evening.
So there’s a drought, but Elijah the prophet is okay thanks to the Lord.
:7 the brook dried up! There hadn’t been rain in the land.
:9 the Lord said to him to go to Zarephath as He has commanded a widow to “sustain thee” - what does “sustain” mean in this context? (take care of, feed, keep alive, keep strong and healthy, support, lift up)

When we “sustain” someone in Sacrament Meeting, like for a new calling, we are saying we will support them.
:10 So he went and who did he see and what were they doing? (widow gathering sticks)
He told her what? (please fetch me a little water in a vessel to drink)
:11 What else did he ask her? (please bring me some bread)
:12 What was her answer? (I don’t really have barely any food, we are dying of starvation)
:13 What does Elijah tell her? (don’t be afraid, just do as i’ve said)
What order does he tell her to do it in? (make cake for him first, then for herself and her son)

So the widow is being asked to show faith here - do you see how?
She would be tempted to eat it first or give it to her son first, but he is asking her to show faith and give it to him first.
:14 He is promising her what? (your food/oil will not go away until the Lord ends the drought)
:15 Did she show her faith? (yes)
And was his promise fulfilled? (yes, they ate many days)
:17 What happened to the son? (sick, so sick there was no breath left in him)
:18 How did the widow respond? (Why have you come to me? Am I being punished by my son dying?)

Do you ever feel like you're trying so hard in your life, but you still have challenges that you have to experience? Here's a situation where someone acted in faith but she was still struck with tragedy in her home.
:19 Elijah told her to give her so to him and he went separate from her and laid him down
:20 What did he ask the Lord? (if the Lord has brought evil upon the widow by her son dying?)
:21 He stretches himself upon the boy three times and cries unto the Lord, asking for him to live
:22 A miracle happens!
:23 He brings the boy to his mother to show her that he lives
:24 the widow tells Elijah that now she knows he is a man of God and the word of the Lord is truth

POST-LESSON DISCUSSION

What we see here in this part of the Old Testament is that Ahab and Jezebel brought back the worship of false idols - when else do we remember the Israelites worshipping false gods? (the golden calf with Moses)

How do you think the widow felt when she was asked to take the flour and oil she had left and make a cake for Elijah first? What do you think you would have done?

Her example of faith can inspire us to live the same way - how can we develop the faith in Jesus Christ that we need to follow Him and the words of our prophets?

What we can learn from this is that before we can receive the Lord's promised blessings, we must first act in faith. Why is this important? (from the Seminary manual)

REVIEW GAME

Game to review how all the previous prophets in the lesson so far used the Priesthood.Adam

Enoch

Noah

Abraham

Isaac

Jacob

Joseph

Moses

Joshua

Gideon

Samuel

David

Solomon

Rehoboam

Have papers for them to pull out of a hat or a bowl with a different prophet name from the above list.

Already have prepared the answers for each one about how they used the Priesthood but have the student try to think and the class can help.

PRIESTHOOD GAME (FROM SUGARDOODLE)

Have the following items and ask them how they relate to Priesthood blessings:

Receiving a name and a blessing - any type of baby item
Being baptized - eight birthday candles tied together
Receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost - small "gift" box
Receiving a blessing when sick - consecrated oil
Partaking of the sacrament - slice of bread
Serving a mission - missionary tag
Being married in the temple - a ring

TESTIMONY/TAKE HOME

The Priesthood is a huge blessing in our lives - we may not always think about it or realize it, but when we ponder the ways it blesses our life it can be overwhelming! When you need comfort, when you are sick, when you are being baptized or set apart for a calling, blessed as a baby, etc. The Priesthood is the unseen power of God!

Take home ideas:
Something related to a raven, cake/bread, etc. and a scripture (perhaps 1 Kings 17:24) to accompany, or a quotation about the Priesthood like the above one by President Ballard.

Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 6 Lesson 31 The Wisdom of King Solomon

PRIMARY 6 LESSON 31 THE WISDOM OF KING SOLOMON

CLASSROOM PREP
Write on the board:
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.

Have an image of an owl up too.

Post up:
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” - Proverbs 3:5–6

OPENING ACTIVITY OPTION ONE - WISE / NOT WISE
(Hand out papers or index cards with WISE on one and NOT WISE on the other.

Read out these situations and have them raise up the WISE paper or the NOT WISE paper.)

Wearing a helmet when you ride your bike.
Always chewing your food.
Listening to your parents.
Never tying your shoes.
Spending all of your money and save nothing.
Being kind to others.
Only eating candy all day.
Reading the scriptures.
Ignoring a new kid in class.
Refusing to spread a rumor about someone.
Apologizing when you’ve hurt someone’s feelings.

OPENING ACTIVITY OPTION TWO - OWLS

Today we are going to be talking about knowledge, wisdom, and an understanding heart.

There are many references in Church magazines and popular culture about how owls are symbols for wisdom.

So just for fun, we're going to hear some fun facts about owls:

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/animals/owl.html

LESSON

The reason we're talking about wisdom etc. is because we're going to learn about someone new today -- King Solomon!
Have you heard of him?
He's thought of as someone who was very wise.

(Go through the lesson)

1 Kings 1

:39 David has gotten old at this point, and he anoints his son Solomon as the next king!
...and all the people said God, save King Solomon.
:40 the people were happy! ...the people…rejoiced with great joy

1 Kings 2

:1 David knew he was going to die
:2 he told Solomon to be strong
:3 walk in the ways of the Lord, keep the commandments, etc. (read this scripture)
:10 David died
:12 Solomon becomes King!

1 Kings 3

:3 Solomon loved the Lord and followed his father David’s example etc.
:5 The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream and God said Ask what I shall give thee
:6 Solomon said the Lord showed his father great mercy and gave him, David, a son (Solomon, himself)
:7 Solomon is speaking very humbly, comparing himself to a child and needing guidance
:8 He feels humbled by how many people he is serving
:9 He wants an understanding heart to judge the Israelites, to know good from bad
:10 The Lord was pleased by this!
:11-13 Because he asked for this, and not to live long or for money, or to kill his enemies, he is blessed with wisdom and an understanding heart AND riches and honor!
:14 AND he will live long!
:15 Solomon showed gratitude by offering burnt offerings

2 Chronicles 1
:7 God appeared to Solomon again and said again “Ask what I shall give thee.”
:10 He wants wisdom and knowledge so he can judge his people
:11 Again because he didn’t ask for other things, he’s blessed with wisdom and knowledge AND riches and wealth and honor

Now here we see his wisdom and knowledge and understanding heart in action

1 Kings 3 16-28
(Read this out loud, possibly act it out, or draw the elements on the board as you read it so they understand)

1 Kings 4:29 Solomon had wisdom and an understanding heart

Another great thing King Solomon does is he has a temple built! Thought of as the first temple.

POST-LESSON DISCUSSION
What did Solomon accomplish because the Lord blessed him with wisdom and understanding?
He received permission from the Lord to build a temple in Jerusalem.
He used the finest materials that had been collected by David.

Now unfortunately, Solomon eventually turned away from God and used his riches and wisdom for his own glory.
He was persuaded to worship idols.

We can learn a lot of good things from Solomon, but what can we learn from his downfall? (when God gives us a gift, use it to glorify Him and to serve others)

PROVERBS ACTIVITY

He also shared his wisdom with others!
Let’s turn to a book in the Bible called Proverbs.
What is a proverb? (a wise saying)

Most of these were written by Solomon - they can still help us today!

(Ideas to do with these:
- Follow the manual and have them take turns looking up/reading/explaining them
- Pass out one to each student and have them draw a real-life situation illustrating the proverb and take time to have them explain and share with the class
- Have the Proverbs and your own written version up on the board or laid out on the floor and have them match the versions or have them match the Proverb with the reference (if you think they can look up scriptures well)

If you have a costume crown (or can make a crown), have them wear the crown during their turn to share!)

“Hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother” (1:8).
“If sinners entice thee, consent thou not” (1:10).
“Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding” (3:13).
“Lying lips are abomination to the Lord: but they that deal truly are his delight” (12:22).
“A soft answer turneth away wrath” (15:1).
“A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance” (15:13).
“How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!” (16:16).
“Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (16:18).
“Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones” (16:24).
“He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty” (16:32).
“A merry heart doeth good like a medicine” (17:22).
“As he thinketh in his heart, so is he” (23:7).
“Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me” (24:29).
“A faithful man shall abound with blessings” (28:20).
“Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe” (29:25).

TESTIMONY

I’ve seen a lot of wisdom in our class, a lot of knowledge in our class, and a lot of understanding of others.

As we all strive to be more wise and to have an understanding heart, we will become more like our Savior.

Scripture ideas to send home:

“And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.” - 1 Kings 4:29 (something heart-shaped or sand-related)

“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths” - Proverbs 3:5–6 (something heart-shaped)

You can also send them home with a costume crown and one of the above scriptures and under the scripture mention to follow the wisdom of King Solomon.

Owl-related take-home as well would work for wisdom!

Short Attention Span Sunday School: Primary 6 Lesson 29 David and Jonathan

PRIMARY 6 LESSON 29 DAVID AND JONATHAN

CLASSROOM PREP

Write on the board:

What does it mean to be a friend?

OPENING ACTIVITY

We’re going to start off with a video, and I want you to pay attention to what they say about friendship:
https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2011-06-009-a-true-friend-tanya-and-lada?lang=eng

(Discuss after - what does it mean to be a friend? What kind of friend was Tanya? How did she show that she cared about others?)

LESSON

Today we’re going to be learning about a great example of friendship from the scriptures.

This is about David - we’ve seen him show great faith as a young boy.

This is another time in his life where he showed the love of Christ and true friendship.

(Teach the account from the scriptures and use the discussion questions at the end as needed).

So last week we learned about David and who? (Goliath)

David was taken in by King Saul and lived with him and his family.

One of King Saul’s sons was named Jonathan.

He and Jonathan became great friends - best friends!

1 Samuel 18:1 - the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Would you describe your friendships this way?

David continued to be a loyal servant to the king and he also fought with the Israelite army.

18:5 And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him and behaved himself wisely

One day there was a battle, another battle, between the Philistines and the Israelites.

The Israelite soldiers returned victorious and everyone was happy! (vs 7)

It says in verse 7 that “the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.”

Unfortunately, Saul didn’t particularly like hearing that - why not? (jealous)

He was the King, right? And he was feeling prideful. (vs 8)

Remember, he was the first king of Israel.

The Prophet Samuel had anointed him.

He was starting to love power more than he was loving obeying the commandments.

Samuel the Prophet hadn’t chosen one of Saul’s kids to be the next king, with the Lord directing him of course.No, he had chosen one of Jesse’s sons...David.

So Jonathan wouldn’t inherit the kingdom, David would.

He decided he was going to kill David!

It says in verse 10 that an “evil spirit from God came upon Saul”

“...and there was a javelin in Saul’s hand”

And in verse 11 “And Saul cast the javelin” and he wanted to kill David!

David “avoided out of his presence twice”

Thank goodness!

In verse 12 it says that Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him.

The Spirit was not with Saul!

19:1 Saul spoke with Jonathan and his servants and said that they should kill David!

But in vs 2, Jonathan told David and he tells him “take heed to thyself until the morning and abide in a secret place and hide thyself.”
Do you think this is good advice from a friend? (yes!)

He tells him in vs 3 that he, Jonathan, will go out and stand beside his father Saul and give David a heads-up about what Saul is doing.

19:4 Jonathan tells Saul, “he hath not sinned against thee” and reminds him he’s been a faithful servant!
He pointed out that David had been very loyal to him, fought in battles, protected the Israelites.

19:6 Saul listened to Jonathan and Saul promised “As the Lord liveth, he shall not be slain”

I’m sure this made Jonathan feel very relieved!

19:7 Jonathan went back to David and reassured him that he was safe now.

19:8 There was war again, and David came out from hiding and faithfully fought!

19:9 Saul was still not with the Spirit and was waiting with a javelin!!

19:10 Still sought to smite David! But David escaped again into the night.

Would you say Saul was kind of obsessed with his hatred for David at this point?

20:1 David asks Jonathan what he did?

20:2 Jonathan tells him that he is pretty sure he can protect David from Saul - that he knows Saul will not hide his intent from him, Jonathan, so Jonathan can try to stop his father.

It says in 20:16 that Jonathan and David make a covenant of friendship.

They really are true friends.

David stays in hiding but Jonathan tells him he’ll have a secret code and here’s how it would go.

20:20 He’ll shoot three arrows as if he was shooting a target.

20:21 He’ll send a boy to get the arrows and if he says “they are on this side” then David knows he is not in danger and can come out from hiding.
20:22 But if Jonathan says “the arrows are beyond thee” then David must run further away.

20:24 So David hid and waited.

20:27 Saul is asking where David is (remember he’s Jesse’s son).

20:28 Jonathan says David had left for Bethlehem.

20:31 Saul wants David and wants him to die!

20:32 Jonathan asks him - why do you want to kill him?

20:33 Saul tries to kill Jonathan with a javelin! He’s clearly blinded with hatred!

20:34 Jonathan leaves the table in anger and is sad for David.

20:35 He goes into the field as he said he would and what secret code should he say? (beyond thee)

Yes, he says “is not the arrow beyond thee?” which means David is in danger!

20:41 David comes out of hiding and they hugged.

20:42 Jonathan tells David to go and reminds them of their covenant.

So eventually Saul is told where David is hiding.

24:1 Saul takes 3,000 men to seek David!

Saul went into a cave during which time David came out of hiding!

He could have killed Saul but he spares his life.

Saul knew that was true!

24:16 Saul wept!

24:17 He tells David “thou art more righteous than I”

24:20 He knows David will be a good king because of this.

1.5 years later, the Israelites and Philistines had fought again.

But this time the Philistines had won - Saul and Jonathan had died!

David was very sad!

2 Samuel 1:11 David rent (tore) his clothes

1:12 They mourned and wept and fasted for Saul, for Jonathan, and all the people of the Lord.

2 Samuel 9:1 David asks if anyone is left that he may show kindness to Jonathan’s family.

Vs 3 he finds out Jonathan’s son who cannot walk is still alive.

David took him in (vs 7) and took care of him for the rest of his life.

He honored the covenant he’d made with Jonathan.

POST-LESSON DISCUSSION

David - good friend? (yes) why? (kept his promise, loyal, careful, considerate)
Jonathan - good friend? (yes) why? (tried to save David’s life, loyal)
Saul - what did you learn from him? (don’t give in to impulse, power can be bad, jealousy is very bad, keep the Spirit with you)

How does a true friend feel about another friend’s successes?

What promises were part of this story? (Saul promises Jonathan he wouldn’t hurt David, David and Jonathan promised they’d take care of each other’s families, etc.)

How important are promises to friendships?

What does true friendship mean? (creates a bond of love, you care about what your friend wants and not just what you want, you feel inspired to become a better person)

GETTING-TO-KNOW-YOU/TEAM-BUILDING ACTIVITY IDEAS

- There are examples in the manual (Enrichment 4)

- Have a series of fun questions and have everyone split up and interview each other and then take time to have everyone report back.
http://tomakefriends.com/ice-breaker-questions/

- Human knot - have everyone stand in a circle and reach across to hold someone else’s hand with their left hand. Then everyone connects their right hands with someone else.

- Unknot themselves by moving around without breaking the knot!
Talk about how they are all connected etc.

- Two Truths and a Lie - have everyone write down and then share three statements about themselves, one of them has to be false while the other two have to be true. Have everyone guess which ones are true and which is false.

- Shrinking blanket - bring in a big blanket and have them all stand on it. If you have a bigger class, split into two teams, one per blanket. Then fold the blanket in half and have them stand again. Keep folding it in half and keep having them try to fit everyone. The last time when it’s clearly almost impossible, just have them try to creatively all fit on for at least three seconds.

FRIENDSHIP CARDS

Have supplies for them to create cards for inactive kids in their class (to mail or deliver), for their Primary President, for an adult at church of their choosing, for someone that comes to mind that they feel prompted to reach out to, for your Bishopric, etc. You can have treats on hand to attach if delivering to someone at church.

NEED AN EXTRA IDEA WITH EXTRA TIME?

Lots of friendship stories here

https://www.lds.org/children/resources/topics/friendship?lang=eng



TESTIMONY

Without friends, life can feel really lonely! Friends can help us feel happy, and they can also cause us to feel sad. Our friendships teach us a lot about life - about forgiveness, about choices, about unconditional love, about being supportive. The Lord can lead us to people that help us grow, and we can also be that person to others.