JUNIOR Course Teachers Guide

DIGGING DITCHES ground 11Kings 2: 19- 25; 3: 1- 27 vi. The men of Jericho could have questioned Elisha, but they did not, but LESSON 309 brought him the salt JUNIOR Course – Teachers’ Guide vii. He put the salt into the spring from which the water supply came and the MEMORY VERSE (SENIOR): “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there water became fit to use any thing too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32:27) viii. From that time on the land prospered with an abundant supply of fresh water LESSON SUMMARY ix. Under ordinary circumstance, no amount of salt in the water would have MAIN THEME: purified it When God gives power for service, He expects that power to be used for His glory x. God had worked through Elisha, when the people obeyed Elisha’s and to help others command BEHAVIOURAL OBJECTIVE: xi. God is looking for obedience in the hearts of His people ( Isaiah 1: 19) At the end of the lesson, the students will know that: (The teacher should ask a member of the class to mention other incidents in - It is good to obey God the Bible where God performed a miracle due to obedience) - Young people must respect their elders POINT 2: Jesus Is Pleased When Young People Respect Their Elders - All things are possible with God if we trust Him Analysis: i. Elisha had made the people of Jericho happy, and they did not need him LEARNING POINTS anymore, so he left for Bethel i. It Is Good To Obey God xii. On his way he was met by a group of children who made fun of him ii. Jesus Is Pleased When Young People Respect Their Elders because he was bald-headed iii. God Will Not Bless The Association Of A Christian With A Sinner xiii. That was a very disrespectful thing to do even if they did not know he was a iv. God Will Always Hear The Prayer Of The Repentant man of God v. All Things Are Possible With God If We Have Faith in Him xiv. They should still have respected him as an older person (Read Leviticus 19: TEACHER’S ENTRY BEHAVIOUR: 32; 1 Peter 3: 8) The teacher should introduce this lesson by letting the students know that it is a xv. Jesus is pleased with us when we have respect for the wishes of others and continuation of last week’s lesson. Elisha having received a double portion of treat them as we would like to be treated Elijah’s power was expected to work for God. The same goes for every child of God xvi. Elisha asked God to punish these ill-mannered children, and out of the woods came two bears which killed 42 POINT 1: God is Looking for Obedience in Our Hearts xvii. This was not just a lesson to teach children to respect older people, but also Analysis: to show that judgment will come upon all who dishonour the people of God i. In Jericho, where Elisha was staying the water supply had become polluted xviii.We may never see any bears come out of the woods to destroy those who i. Man cannot live without water, so the city was in a desperate circumstance ridicule the Christians, but final judgment will be just as severe if they do ii. Here was Elisha’s opportunity to be helpful, and the men of the city seemed not repent to realise that he could help iii. They came and told him that Jericho was a beautiful city in which to live, POINT 3: God Will Not Bless the Association of a Christian with a Sinner but could not without water Analysis: iv. Elisha called for a pot of salt, but what could he do with it i. Israel was now been ruled by King Jehoram, the son of the wicked king v. People die from drinking too much salt water, and salt water will ruin the Ahab xix. He was not as wicked as his father had been, but neither was he a good Page 1 of 3 king (Teacher should ask the class members if anyone has an experience of an xx. He had destroyed the idols of Baal but had not taken away the golden association with the unsaved, to tell the class how it ended) calves which Israel worshiped POINT 4: God Will Always Hear the Prayer of the Repentant xxi. Elisha would have been glad to help him clean up the land and turn all Analysis: Israel back to worshiping the true God, but Jehoram did not ask him i. Jehoshaphat had strayed from the right path, but he knew where to turn xxii. The king of Moab had been paying tribute to the king of Israel and when he when he was in trouble - prophet of the true God saw an opportunity he thought he could break away from the bondage xl. When someone told him about Elisha he said, the word of the Lord was xxiii. Jehoram however was not going to let all those riches slip from him, so he with him decided to go to battle to keep Moab in bondage xli. He recognised the true prophet in Israel, and was willing to listen to his xxiv. Because the armies of Israel were not strong enough to fight alone, advice Jehoram asked Jehoshaphat, king of Judah to come and help him xlii. However, when Elisha was called he told Jehoram to call the false prophets xxv. Jehoshaphat was a good king, and though his people were related to the of his parents people of Israel he had no right to compromise with the sinful king of Israel xliii. Jehoram had worshiped idols when all was going well and had completely xxvi. He did, and said to Jehoram: ignored the true God “I will go up: I am as thou art, my people as thy people, and my horses as xliv. Now he knew those idols could not save him, and he had to turn to God thy horses” xlv. We are thankful that God is merciful and will hear prayers from even such xxvii. Jehoshaphat was going into partnership with a sinner, and God people if they come in repentance would not bless him xlvi. It is however much better if we are friends of God before troubles comes so xxviii. It was decided to go through the wilderness of Edom on their way that we can pray with confidence when we suddenly need His help to Moab so that they could get the help of Edom’s king xlvii.We have the promise that He will take care of His own, and will never go xxix. They thought they were strong and nothing could stop them, as the three back on His Word kings led their armies towards Moab xlviii. Jehoram pleaded with Elisha to pray for him, for he knew now that xxx. But God could stop them without God’s help they would soon all be dead men xxxi. After seven days of marching those armies came to a place where there was no water POINT 5: All Things Are Possible With God If We Have Faith in Him xxxii. Since neither man nor animal could live without water, the three Analysis: kings and their armies were faced with difficult problem i. This was the message from God: xxxiii. How helpless is man without God’s help! “Make this valley full of ditches….”(11 Kings 3:16, 17) xxxiv. The king of Israel cried out: “Alas! That the LORD hath called these xlix. There was going to be water, lots of water, but they would have to work for three kings together, to deliver them into the hand of Moab!” it. They would have to dig the ditches xxxv. But God had not called those kings together, they had called l. Digging ditches was hard work, especially when they were famishing for themselves water xxxvi. God does not call His people to unite with sinners li. They must either dig or die xxxvii. Jehoram had planned this whole campaign himself without asking lii. God did not need their help in sending them water, but He knew it was God’s advice, or even talking with Elisha good for them to do something xxxviii. Now that he was in trouble, he blamed God liii. And He wanted to see if they would be obedient to His command xxxix. How often it happens that a person insists on having his own way, liv. Usually before it rains we feel the wind blowing the clouds our way; Or and when he gets into difficulties he wants to blame someone else—even even if we do not feel it, we can see the clouds moving God! lv. Sometimes the wind blows water along the ground from a lake or river Page 2 of 3 lvi. But God was not going to use any wind this time CONCLUSION: lvii. The water would just flow into the ditches, with seemingly no help i. It is always good to obey God lviii. God said, “This is but a light thing in the sight of the LORD” lxxvii. Young people must respect their elders lix. The God who made the water could surely direct some of it into the barren lxxviii. All things are possible with God if we trust Him desert lx. This was only a little thing with God, but it meant the difference between life and death to the armies of the three nations lxi. At another time God said, “Is there anything too hard for me?” (Jeremiah 32: 27) lxii. Is there anything that God cannot do? lxiii. When we pray to Him, do we tell Him our problems with that confidence that we know God can do anything? lxiv. When we ask Him to heal our bodies, do we remember that with Him it is just a little thing? Example: Job i. Think how God answered the prayer of Job lxv. It was because Job believed the promises of God ( Job 42: 2) Further Analysis: i. God knows what we think, when no one else does lxvi. If God can do that, is there anything that He cannot do? lxvii.The water flowed into the ditches, just as God has said it would lxviii. When the sun came up and shone upon the water, the Moabites thought it was blood lxix. They thought that there had been trouble in the camp of Israel, and that the soldiers had killed one another lxx. They thought they could just go in and help themselves to everything the Israelites had left lxxi. What a surprise they had when they got to the camp of the Israelites and found the soldiers all bristling for battle and ready to fight lxxii. The Moabites turned and ran, with the Israelites right behind them and chased the Moabites back to their country, destroying their land lxxiii. When the king of Moab saw his country in ruins he still tried to go against the king of Edom with a small army, but he could gain no foothold lxxiv. Such was Israel’s victory when they called upon God to help them lxxv. Alone they were helpless and ready to die, but with God they could conquer and utterly destroy their foe lxxvi. Let us remember that we can, with God on our side, overcome every power of Satan