Daniel and a Reputation for Humility

Topics: Humility, Joy, Reputation, Selfishness

After completing this lesson, children will see that when we are humble and honor God instead of acting selfish and proud, He will reward us with many blessings. It will be as clear as the writing on the wall.

AS KIDS ARRIVE ( 15 minutes ) Boastful or Humble (Activity) See Below Once everyone has arrived and is finished with this activity, ask if the kids can think of any other situations where we can act in a humble way. OPENING PRAYER AND PRAISES ( 5 minutes )

MEMORY WORK ( 6 minutes ) "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." James 4:10 NIV Play the "hangman" game with this short verse. After one of the kids is able to say the verse correctly, have everyone look it up in their own Bibles.

SCRIPTURE READING AND DISCUSSION ( 15 minutes ) Introduction: Sometime after Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego survived the fiery furnace, king Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing vision. Daniel was able to interpret the vision for the king. Daniel said the king would live like a wild animal for many years, until he would give up his sinful life and acknowledge that God was Lord of all. It happened just as Daniel said, but finally the king did change his ways. In fact, he even said "Now I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble." (Dan. 4:37)

But sometime afterwards, his son, Belshazzar became king. King Belshazzar did not honor God, nor humble himself. Instead, he did his best to fight against the Lord. Then, a message came to him in a strange way. Let's read to find out what that message said.

Daniel 5:1-30 Read the passage to the children as they follow along in their own Bible. (Enchanters, astrologers and diviners: Magicians and people who told the future using tricks and stars.)

Discussion Questions: 1. What gods did king Belshazzar and his nobles praise? (gods of gold and silver)

2. While they were drinking, what did they see writing on the walls? (fingers of a human hand)

3. Why did the king ask Daniel to come to him? (he hoped Daniel could tell him what the writing meant)

4. Why was the sin of Belshazzar even greater than his father? see verse 22,23 (although he knew the truth, he chose not to humble himself, and even fought against the Lord)

5. How did Daniel describe the things that the king was praising? (they couldn't see or hear or understand)

6. What did the writing on the wall say? (the king's reign is at an end and his kingdom will be given away)

CLASS EXERCISES (20 minutes) The Humble and the Proud (Activity) See Below

ALTERNATE CLASS EXERCISE (15 minutes) Humble Thyself in the Sight of the Lord (Song) Sing this popular chorus with girls echoing the boys. (Boys) Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, (Girls) Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, (Boys) Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, (Girls) Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord, (Boys) And He, (Girls) And He, (Boys) Will lift, (Girls) Will lift, (Both) You up, higher and higher, (Boys) And He, (Girls) And He, (Boys) Will lift, (Girls) Will lift, (Both) You up! repeat several times

APPLICATION ( 2 minutes) If you have extra time, have each child write down their own short prayer. Their prayer should be one of humility like the tax collector, not boastful or proud like the Pharisee. Have them write down what they could say that would be pleasing to God.

We have learned now that a reputation is built by doing something over and over. To have a reputation for being humble, we must constantly honor and give thanks to God for all things. There will be many times in our life that we will have more than someone else, have a newer toy than the kid down the street, or get a better grade than our friend, but we must never look down on someone else because they are less fortunate. Likewise, we should never think that whatever it is we have is because of something we did. All good things come from God, and He alone is worthy of our praise.

NEXT WEEK Ever hear of shark repellent? How about man-eating lion repellent. Come back next week to see if there is such a thing.

CLOSING PRAYER ( 2 minutes) Further info? Click Here

TAKE HOME PAGE Give one copy to each child at the end of the class to take home. Below

Read the following situations. Did the child acted in a boastful or a humble way.

1. Jimmy came running home from school. He got an "A+" on today's quiz. He thanked his mom for encouraging him to study the night before.

Was Jimmy boastful or humble? ______

2. Tammy looked around at the other girls in her classroom. None of them had as nice a dress as she did. She couldn't wait for someone to notice. Was Tammy boastful or humble? ______

3. Carl knew his parents were wealthy. He always got a large allowance. But all of his friends said Carl didn't act rich, instead he was very generous.

Was Carl boastful or humble? ______

4. Liz was doing great in school, was captain of her soccer team, and had many friends. She didn't need to worry about Jesus right now in her life.

Was Liz boastful or humble? ______

5. As James entered his friend's house, he noticed how old and dirty everything looked. He laughed and said, "Our furniture looks much nicer than yours."

Was James boastful or humble? ______

6. Justin saw the mess his younger sister made. There was mud all over the floor. He knew his mom would clean it up, but he decided to do it himself before she noticed.

Was Justin boastful or humble? ______

The Humble and the Proud by Craig Using the parable about the Tax Collector and the Pharisee, this activity will help show the difference between being humble and being boastful or proud. Materials: Topics: Plain paper Pride, Praise, Humility Pencils, markers or crayonsopcorn

Duration: Target Age: Approximately 20 minutes Grades 1 2 3 4 5 6

Preparation: None

What you will do during class: Have the kids follow along in their Bibles as you read the parable about the Tax Collector and the Pharisee in Luke 18:10-14. Have the kids review the story as they draw a picture to show the difference between the two men. Allow about 10 minutes to complete the picture. Then, have each child give his/her picture to the person on the right. Then have each child tell the class what they like (good things) about the picture they are holding.

The Parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee "Two men went up to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men-robbers, evildoers, adulterers-or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:10-14

Additional Questions: 1. Did you find one character easier to draw than the other one, if so which one and why? 2. How did you feel when your classmate explained what they liked about your picture? 3. Were there any pictures you did not think were as nice as yours? How did that make you feel? 4. If you had to choose to be one of the people in your picture, which one would you choose? Why would you choose this character? 5. Where does our ability to draw well come from?

When we boast about what we have, or look down on someone who is less fortunate, we are telling God that He is not important, and that we think we can do things on our own. This is so far from the truth. All good things come from God, buy ourselves we are nothing. Therefore, we must live a humble life before God, and admit that without him we are lost. To avoid being proud, we must acknowledge and thank him for all He has given us. When we do this, God will exalt us, and remember that God knows what is in our heart.

Sunday School Take Home Page To parents: This page is to let you know what your child learned today in Sunday School. Included is this week's memory verse and a suggested activity to reinforce the lesson. Being involved and interacting with your child can be very rewarding for both of you.

What we learned:

Today in Sunday school we learned that a reputation is built by doing something over and over. To have a reputation for being humble, we must constantly honor and give thanks to God for all things. There will be many times in our life that we will have more than someone else, have a newer toy than the kid down the street, or get a better grade than our friend, but we must never look down on someone else because they are less fortunate. Likewise, we should never think that whatever it is we have is because of something we did. All good things come from God, and He alone is worthy of our praise.

Memory Verse:

"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" James 4:10 NIV

Memorize this verse with your child. Discuss what it means to humble ourselves before the Lord.

Suggested Parent/Child Activity:

Read Proverbs 16:18 with your child. Discuss the difference between having a disdainfully proud or arrogant attitude verses taking joy in a job well done, realizing that God sets the ground work for all that we may ever hope to accomplish. We should joyfully thank God for all that He allows us to complete, rather than pridefully take credit for ourselves.

Daily Prayer:

Father God, let us humbly submit ourselves to you. Help us realize that you are the potter and we are the clay. Do not let us think more highly of ourselves than we should, rather let us rejoice in the gifts and talents you have given us. May we use these gifts to honor you. Amen