CM Curriculum Pilgrims Progress W9

Bible Lesson: Rehoboam and Jeroboam
Station #1 (1 Kings 12:1-19) People Needed:

• Narrator

• Rehoboam

• Old Experienced advisors

• Young punk advisors

• Angry citizens from the North

Props

• Crown

• Bible outfits

• Golden Calf?

Story

Narrator: After King Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king. Jeroboam, who had fled from Solomon, returned from Egypt to Israel. Now, the crowning of Rehoboam as king was to take place at a place called Shechem. But once he was crowned king at Shechem (put crown on the king), the northern tribes of Israel came up to him and complained to the king.

Northern Tribes: Your father treated us badly and made life hard for us. If you will make life easier for us, we will always be your loyal subjects.

Rehoboam: Go away for three days and then come back and I’ll give you your answer.

Narrator: Well, king Rehoboam didn’t know what to do, so he went to the wise old advisors who had given good advice to his father for many years. Now, these guys were wise. They had seen everything; and they knew how to help a king run a country and keep all his people happy.

Rehoboam: Hello great advisors who have tonnes of experience and wisdom. What should I do with the Northern citizens of my country?

Old Advisors: If you will be nice to these people, tell them that you will make their lives easier and reduce their taxes; if you listen to them, then they will always be your servants.

Narrator: But Rehoboam didn’t listen to their advice. Instead, he went to some young punks that he hung out with who had no clue how to run a country, and had no experience.

Rehoboam: Hey! dudes. Like what do you think I should do?

Young Punks: Like, dude. Tell them that if they think your dad was harsh, you’ll be harsher. "If you thought Solomon whipped you with whips, I’ll whip you with scorpions!” That’ll teach them not complain, dude!

Narrator: Well, three days later the angry citizens came back to king Rehoboam for an answer. They were still angry and wanted this king to be nice to them. Instead of being nice to them, though, and taking the advice of the wise old elders, he took the advice of the young punks, and was mean to them.

Northern Tribes: Oh great king, what is your answer, will be kind to us and lower our taxes?

Rehoboam: If you thought my dad was mean to you, I’ll be meaner. If you thought he whipped you with whips, I’ll whip you with scorpions! That’ll teach you not to complain!

Narrator: Well the Northern Tribes didn’t like that at all. In anger they shouted....

Northern Tribes: We will have nothing more to do with king David’s family!

Narrator: In fact, they were so Angry that King Rehoboam had to run for his life. Because Rehoboam didn’t take the right advice, the country that his grandpa, King David, had worked so hard to bring together was divided in half. In life, sometime we think old people like our parents, teachers and pastors don’t know what they’re talking about, but usually they do. God puts adults in your life to help you make good decisions, remember to take their advice.

Memory Verse: Waging War
Station 2 is memory verse and Object Lesson 1

Prov 24:6 “For waging war you need guidance, and for victory many advisors”

Do this memory verse like a "Wheel of Fortune" style game. Cut the verse into individual letters and tape all the letters verse on the wall, white side out, and then have kids guess the letters one at a time (tape them all upside down, so then they guess the letter, just peel off the top of the paper and the paper will flip down, and the letter will then be right side up). Every letter they guess right, flip the letter around. Once they get it, give everyone a high five and review how they can apply it in their lives. Who are some people the trust that give them good advice. Share maybe a story you have of some really good advice you were given once that was good to take.

Object Lesson 1: Listen to Advice
also station 2 with memory verse

The Point: Listen to advice of adults God put in our life, because they can see things we cannot

Props: Dress shirt

Procedure: Look at this nice shirt I’m going to wear today (start putting it on, but don’t button it yet.)

Kids, when we begin our lives, it’s important that we start right. (start buttoning it up but start with the buttons in the wrong order and have one person advice you that you’re wrong) Its just like the shirt that I’m buttoning. It’s very important I get this shirt buttoned in the right order. There, how does this shirt look now, am I ready to go on a date with a pretty girl or to a graduation looking like this (allow them to point out that the shirt is buttoned wrong, but pretend not to notice, like you can’t see it).

Ohhhh, maybe my shirt is on a bit wrong, it must be easier for you to see this than for me. You’re right, this shirt does look messy like this.

You guys are right. Because I started off on the wrong button and didn’t listen to any advice at the bottom, I ended up with the wrong button on top.

That’s just like life. If we start out wrong, we may end up on the wrong road. The choices you and I make today will determine where we are tomorrow. That’s why it’s so important to follow Jesus now and get to know his voice. You are not too young to hear God’s leading in your life, and sometimes God talks to us through Christian adults he puts in our lives. These adults can give you advice on how to start your life off right and stay on the right path all the way to our real Celestial City, Heaven.!

Object Lesson 2: Leading the Blind
Props: blindfolds, items to pick up in circle

Game: Listening to the wisdom of elders/leaders/etc. Pair up kids, blindfolding one of the partners. The blindfolded person goes into a large circle to retrieve certain items, with only their partners instructions as guidance. The catch here is the partner must stay on the outside of the circle. Still seems fairly simple until all the pairs are in the middle at the same time, whose advice will the blind listen to? A variation is that you could tape two parallel lines on the floor about 10 feet apart, line up the items on one line and the blindfolded kids on the other. But do not line the child up with the item they need to get. Then their team, who is sitting or standing a distance away has to guide them across the space between the lines to the item that they are trying to retrieve. We did this because our room wasn't big enough for a large circle.

Another variation is to choose one person in the entire group to be blindfolded. Split the rest of the group into two teams. One team must guide the blind person through an obstacle course/maze using their voice, while the other team must try to lead the blind person astray by giving them wrong directions.

Discuss with the kids how important it is to trust in leaders/wise older people and not always peers who sometimes are not as wise and may pressure us into foolish situations. Review the story of Rehoboam and Christian and Hopeful’s journey this week through the Delectable Mountains, the Cliff of Error, and following the advice of the Shepherds.

Week 9 continued story

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