Scripture: I Kings 4,7,9,11 and 2 Chronicles 8
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn God blessed Solomon in many ways, just like He blesses us in many ways.
- Students will learn God gave Solomon amazing wisdom and riches which Solomon could have used to serve God. God also gives us different gifts to use in His service.
- Students will learn Solomon eventually became distracted by the things his wealth, power and fame gave him. We too, can become distracted by things in the world and begin making poor choices.
- Students will learn how distractions can lead to bad choices.
Guiding Question: How are bad choices a product of distractions?
Materials: paper, markers, pens
Procedure: Review the story of Solomon’s Kingdom from the scripture above. Bring in toy catalogs and ads for things your students might want. Begin telling students of all of the amazing riches and power of Solomon. Periodically say “Don’t let me forget to tell you the very important lesson King Solomon learned, that you need to know, too.” As you reach the end of describing Solomon’s riches say “Oh, that reminds me of the coolest thing I want to buy!” Distract students by encouraging them to talk about all of the things they want to buy, etc. After a few minutes when they appear distracted, stop and say “I feel like there was something important I wanted to tell you.” Students may or may not recall what you had said earlier. Even if they recall they would probably admit they may not have remembered if you hadn’t said something about it.
Share with students the bad choices King Solomon made as he became more distracted by his wealth, his wives, etc. Point out how easy it is to get distracted when our focus is on stuff rather than God. Have students brainstorm ways Solomon could have avoided being distracted and disobeying God. What things can distract us from God today? Would any of the strategies Solomon used work for them today? If not, have them think of some strategies that would help them stay focused on God. Have them draw some of the things that distract them from God and ways they plan to overcome those distractions in the future.
Additional Questions: How can students display consequences of negative choices?
Supplementary Activity: Have the students work in pairs or groups to create a video. The video should show a student or students being distracted by something that leads them to make a bad choice. At the end of the video, the students can talk about how a better choice would have led to a better outcome.