In this session on Old Testament heroes of the Bible, we are going to hear about a man named Elisha. Elisha was the prophet who took over from Elijah. He gave people messages from God. In this story, the King of Aram (now called Syria) was at war with Israel. He wanted to destroy Israel and got his army ready to attack them. God told Elisha all about his plan and Elisha went to warn the King of Israel. Let’s see what happened:
Story Video:
Time to Think and Pray
Questions
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When Elisha asked God to open the servant’s eyes, what did he see?
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Why did they not need to be afraid?
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What did Elisha pray for God to do to the King of Aram’s soldiers?
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Instead of killing the soldiers, what did the King of Israel give them?
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What does this show about How God wants us to treat people?
The King of Aram assembled his army and planned to set up camp nearby, ready to attack Israel. God told Elisha about the plan and he warned the King of Israel about it. When the King of Aram heard that the King of Israel knew about his plan, he was angry and sent his soldiers to capture Elisha! But Elisha wasn’t afraid. He knew that God was taking care of him. When Elisha’s servant saw the soldiers he was terrified! But Elisha told him not to be afraid. Elisha prayed for God to open his servant’s eyes to see what God was doing to keep them safe. When he opened his eyes, the servant saw the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire! God’s army of angels! It was an amazing sight! When the Aram army came closer, Elisha prayed that God would make the soldiers blind so they could not see. God did this and Elisha was able to lead the soldiers right to the King of Israel! When the King saw them, he asked Elisha if he should have them killed, but Elisha said, 'No'. He told the king that he should give them food and drink and send them home instead!. So the king gave them a feast and sent them home, and they did not attack him again.
God protected Elisha and his servant, and stopped the army from attacking Israel. And even though the soldiers came to capture Elisha and hurt the people of Israel, Elisha and the King treated them to a feast and let them go home! This is exactly how God wants us to treat other people, even those we don’t get on with. He wants us to show God’s love to everyone!
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you that we never need to be scared because you are always with us, taking care of us. Please help us to treat other people with love and kindness, even those who treat us badly. Help us to show your love to everyone we meet. Amen.
This Week's Song: All Through History
Chariot of Fire
You will need: Colouring pens or pencils; scissors; a glue stick; and a copy of the printable template.
Colour the template and cut out the images. Follow the instructions on craftingthewordofgod to create your chariot of fire.
Craft by https://craftingthewordofgod.com
Soldier Helmet
You will need: Colouring pens OR poster paints; scissors; glue; decorations such as sequins, glitter, gems etc (optional); and a copy of the printable template.
Print a template on white card. There are two to choose from: a plain one to decorate yourself or a patterned one. Colour or paint your chosen template and follow the instructions on firstpalette to make your soldier helmet!
Craft by https://www.firstpalette.com
