Parent Pages Week 8

Timeless Truth: Spiritual compromise can be overcome by turning back to God.
Bible Basis: Judges 2:7-8, 4 and 16

Use the Table Talk questions to start a discussion around the dinner table during the week. The Living Faith activity is designed to help your family understand how following God’s commands keep us safe. The Extra Mile will get your family to laugh as you discuss the importance of discipline.

Get the Point:
Preschool: God helps those who turn to him. I can depend on God.
Elementary: God helps those who turn to him. I can depend on God.
Middle/High School: Just like the Israelites, God calls us to be set apart. Live that way.

Table Talk
Preschool/Elementary:
• Why did God have to raise up judges such as Deborah and Samson? (Because the Israelites
weren’t following God.)
• How does this show God’s love? (God gave Israel a second chance—actually lots of chances—
to come back and follow Him. He didn’t give up on the Israelites.)
• How does God show His love to us today? (By sending His Son to die for our sins; by
forgiving the bad things we do and allowing us to have a relationship with Him.)
• God gave Samson great strength. What are some gifts God has given you?
• How can you use these gifts to help others follow God?
Middle/High School:
• When God allowed the Midianites to rule over His people and treat them badly, he raised up
Gideon to get the Israelites back on track (Judges 6-8). What kind of man was Gideon? (He
was the least important person in his weak family.)
• Gideon wasn’t popular, strong or a natural leader—he didn’t even trust God at first and made
God prove himself. What does this tell you about God?
• Gideon raised an army of 32,000 men, but only 300 went to attack the Midianites. Why?
• How would you like to be more like Gideon? Does he have any character traits that you
wouldn’t want to emulate?

Living Faith
Break your family into two teams. Gather masking tape, a package of 100 straws and several eggs. Work in teams to create a casing that will protect an egg when it’s dropped. Each team can only use tape and straws. When you’ve finished your designs, go outside and see which egg protector works best. You may need to get a ladder or chair to stand on as the eggs are dropped on a hard surface. The losing team has to clean up the mess.
Explain that the Israelites followed God as long as Joshua and the elders lived (Judges 2:7). God’s people were like the egg surrounded by the protective casing of God’s commands. The casing protects the egg. Without protection, the egg breaks. Chapter 8 of The Story shows what happened to the Israelites after they strayed from God’s commands by worshipping idols and following the world’s customs instead of God’s. God judged His people and they had to suffer the consequences of their actions.
Ask
• Could the egg survive the fall without the protection of the straw casing?
• How does God’s Word protect us?
• Why is it important to know and follow God’s commands?
• What happens to us when we decide to get outside the protection of God’s commands? (We
sin and have to suffer the consequences.)

Extra Mile
Go to godtube.com and search for Bob Smiley’s video called “Spankings.” It’s only a minute and a half long. If you want to watch more of Bob’s comedy, look for a 14 minute and seven second video that talks about being a father and other issues. When you’re done watching the videos as a family, discuss these questions about discipline.
• How is God judging the Israelites like a parent disciplining a child?
• What was God’s purpose in the judges? (To bring His people back to Him, to stop them from
sinning and to help them live a more abundant life.)
• Did God’s judgment seem harsh or loving? Was it both?
• Why did God’s children disobey so frequently? (They forgot what God had done. They
followed the world’s practices, not God’s.)
• What can your family learn from this chapter of The Story?
Write down one thing your family will do differently after studying the judges: