Scripture: Genesis 1-2
Learning Objectives:
- Students will review the story of the Israelite spies who explored Canaan and returned with the report.
- Students will learn the importance of relying on God instead of ourselves to do things.
- Students will participate in an activity to show them the importance of working together to achieve a goal.
Guiding Question: How can we trust God to help us do things that we cannot do on our own?
Materials: Masking tape for a starting line and finish line
Procedure: Divide students in half. Instruct half of the students that you are going to give them a very difficult task. Tell them that they must walk from the starting line to the finish line, but only their hands may touch the floor. This may seem impossible. Have students list all of the reasons why this is a seemingly impossible task. Then tell students that they can ask a friend for help from the other half of the class. This friend is allowed to have their feet on the ground to help them get across. They can hold the hand-walking partner’s feet “wheelbarrow” style. Tell students that they can chose to ask for help or try to get to the finish line on their own without help.
Once everyone has made it across the finish line or attempted to do so alone, discuss how the activity pertains to the story of the spies in Canaan. God seemed to give them an impossible task and it is true that they could not have defeated the Canaanites alone. However, with God’s help they could have done it if they had asked. In the activity, the person helping had more abilities accessible to help their partner get across. The person on their hands was still able to get across despite their limitations. They just needed extra assistance from someone who could do more. There are many things in life that we feel like we cannot do. However, God will not give us an opportunity without equipping us for the task. We only need to ask and trust him. When we trust Him, we need to do it His way. Even though the Israelites, said that they were sorry, they still tried to take over Canaan on their own terms. Neither the Ark of the Covenant nor Moses went with them. Even if we are sorry, obeying God is the first priority. We cannot expect to reap the rewards and only do it on our own terms. Share prayer concerns as a group and pray for each other.
Additional Questions:
- Was it easy or hard to trust your “wheelbarrow” partner? Why?
- What are some seemingly impossible situations in your life?
- How can you ask God to get you through difficult situations?
Supplemental Activity: Students can research other instances in the Bible when the people chose to rely on their own abilities rather than God. How did it work out for them? (Example: Tower of Babel) Also have them research times when God was relied upon to defeat an enemy. How did it work out? (Example: Defeating Amalekites in Exodus 17.)
Written by: Savannah Negas