LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS
In Judges 13, the Israelites had once again turned away from God and were suffering under the oppression of the Philistines as a consequence. God, in His faithfulness and mercy, chose to raise up a new deliverer for His people. Rather than raising up a military commander, He set apart a man from before birth who would be uniquely equipped with supernatural strength. An angel appeared to a woman who had not been able to have children, telling her that God had heard her longing and that she would soon carry a son. This son was to be consecrated to God under what was known as the Nazarite Vow, a sacred promise that required him to never cut his hair, never consume wine or strong drink, and never touch a dead body. Even the mother was to observe these same restrictions during her pregnancy. The angel made clear that this child would begin the work of freeing Israel from Philistine control.
When Manoah, the woman’s husband, asked for the angel to return and give them more instruction, God heard that prayer and sent the angel again. This was significant because the Nazarite Vow was a serious and demanding commitment, and both parents needed to understand the weight of the promise they were making on their son’s behalf. After Manoah offered a sacrifice, the angel ascended in the flames of the altar, confirming the divine nature of this encounter. The couple named their son Samson, and they raised him according to the vow. As Samson grew, God’s Spirit came upon him, giving him extraordinary strength that became well known throughout the land. Though Samson would face many personal struggles and did not always make wise choices, God continued to work through him to fulfill the promise He had made to deliver Israel. This story reminds us that God always keeps His promises, even when He works through imperfect people.
OPENING ACTIVITY 6:00-6:15 | Life Size Drawings
Items Needed
- Butcher Paper
- Permanent Markers
- Markers
Make life-sized drawings of your students by having them lie on a large sheet of butcher paper. Draw an outline of their bodies. Have them fill in the features, hair, and clothing to match their own. Tell them that God made each of us different. Some of us are taller. Some of us have brown hair. Some of us have blue eyes, etc. In today’s story we are going to learn about a baby boy that God made extra special.
BIBLE STORY 6:15-6:25
Question 1: Where is this story found in the Bible? Judges
Question 2: Is Judges in the Old Testament or the New Testament? Old Testament!
Today’s Bible story is about a man named Samson. [Can you say “Samson”?] [Wait for response.] Samson was the strongest man in the whole world, and God made him that way on purpose!
But first, we have to go back to the very beginning before Samson was even born.
There was a mom and a dad. The mom’s name we do not know, but the dad’s name was Manoah. [Can you say “Manoah”?] [Wait for response.] Manoah and his wife wanted a baby SO badly. They prayed and prayed and prayed. [Let’s all pray together real quick. Fold your hands and close your eyes. Lord, please give us a baby. Amen!]
One day, an angel came to visit the mom! The angel said, “Good news! You are going to have a baby boy!” [Can you say “baby boy”?] [Wait for response.] The angel also had some very important instructions. [Put one finger up like you are about to say something important.] The angel said, “This baby is going to be very special to God. You must make a promise. A very big promise.”
[Whisper:] “This baby must never, ever, EVER cut his hair.”
The angel also said the baby must not drink any wine and he must stay away from some foods, too. This special promise was called the Nazarite Vow. [Can you say “Nazarite”?] [Wait for response.] Very good! It is a big word, but it just means he was set apart as extra special for God.
[Stand up and flex your muscles!] Now, as Samson grew up, he was SUPER strong. [Can everyone show me their muscles?] God gave him amazing, incredible, unbelievable strength!
One day, Samson was walking along and a great big lion came running at him. Roar! [Make a lion roar!] [Wait for kids to roar.] But do you know what happened? Because God was with Samson, Samson was strong enough to fight that lion.
Samson grew up and got into some trouble, too. He did not always make the best choices. But one very important thing he did was keep his promise to God. He never cut his hair.
Because he kept his promise, God gave him incredible strength. Samson was so strong that one time some enemies tried to trap him inside a city by locking the big, heavy gates. Samson just walked up, picked up those whole giant gates, and carried them away to the top of a hill!
God used Samson to protect His people, and God did exactly what He promised He would do. He gave Manoah and his wife a baby. He gave Samson special strength. God always keeps His promises, and we can trust Him.
Just like Samson kept his promise to God, we want to be promise keepers too. When we make a promise, we should keep it because that is what God does for us.
Theological Questions:
- Who gave Samson his amazing strength? (God did!)
- Why did the angel give Samson’s parents special instructions before he was born? (Because God had a special plan for Samson’s life.)
Life Application Questions:
- Have you ever made a promise to someone? Did you keep it?
- Can you think of a time when God kept a promise in the Bible?
Prayer: Lord, thank You that You are a promise keeper. You promised Manoah and his wife a baby, and You kept that promise. Help us to trust You and to keep the promises we make, just like Samson kept his. Amen! [Everyone say Amen!]
WORSHIP IN SONG 6:25-6:35
PRAYER 6:35-6:45
Transition kids to the floor for prayer time. Have children sit in a circle. Remind them of what they just learned: God made a special promise to Samson’s family, and He kept it. Tell them that prayer is how we talk to God, and God always listens. Pray that each child would grow up to be a promise keeper, someone who means what they say and keeps their word to God and to the people in their lives. Let kids pray out loud as they feel lead.
BIBLE STORY GAME 6:45-6:55 | Strong Like Samson
Items Needed
- Large Rock (very heavy)
- Small Rock (very light)
- A cinder block
- A large watermelon
- A backpack filled with books
- A hardback Bible
- A lunchbox filled with snacks
- A feather
- A cottonball
- A balloon
Have items setup in a row. Let kids take turns seeing how many items the can lift. Remind them that God gave Samson extraordinary strength as long as he didn’t cut his hair.
BIBLE CRAFT 6:55-7:10 | Samson’s Long Hair Headband
Items Needed:
- Manilla Paper
- Precut and shape around the child’s head (staple together)
- Manilla paper for them to cut into strips for the hair.
- Glue
- Scissors
- Optional: Stickers and/or Markers
Each child receives a headband strip. They cut strips of hair from their own manilla paper to glue to their headband. Children can decorate the band with markers or stickers before the teacher staples or tapes it to fit their head. When finished, kids put their headbands on. Remind them that Samson’s long hair was a sign of his promise to God, and keeping promises is something God cares about very much.
SNACK TIME & BIBLE STORY VIDEO 7:10-7:25
Pass out snacks and allow kids time to eat snacks while the watch the Bible story video.
BONUS ACTIVITY | Chopstick Races
Before the lesson, tell the kids that sometimes we are asked to do hard things. We can always ask God to give us strength and wisdom to help us.
Items Needed
- Pencils (2 per child)
- Assortment of pom pom balls
- plates (2 per child)
Children should use pencils as chopsticks to move the pompoms from one plate to another. For a harder level, do it in 1 minute or less. See which child can move it the fastest.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Judges 13:1-5, 24-25 (ESV)
“And the people of Israel again did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, so the Lord gave them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. There was a certain man of Zorah, of the tribe of the Danites, whose name was Manoah. And his wife was barren and had no children. And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Behold, you are barren and have not borne children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Therefore be careful and drink no wine or strong drink, and eat nothing unclean, for behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. No razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb, and he shall begin to save Israel from the hand of the Philistines.’ And the woman bore a son and called his name Samson. And the young man grew, and the Lord blessed him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to stir him in Mahaneh-dan, between Zorah and Eshtaol.”
PARENT TAKE HOME SHEET
Today’s Key Takeaway Keep Your Promises
What I Learned Today Today we learned about a man named Samson who was chosen by God before he was even born. God sent an angel to tell Samson’s parents that they would have a very special baby, and God kept that promise. We also learned that Samson made a special promise to God called the Nazarite Vow, which meant he would never cut his hair, and keeping that promise was the sign of his strength coming from God.
Questions to Ask Me
Theological Questions:
- Who told Samson’s parents they would have a baby? (An angel of the Lord came and told them.)
- Where do we find the story of Samson in the Bible? (In the book of Judges, which is in the Old Testament.)
- What is the Nazarite Vow? (A special promise Samson made to God to never cut his hair, drink wine, or touch a dead body. It meant he was set apart for God.)
- Who gave Samson his incredible strength? (God gave Samson his strength.)
- Does God always keep His promises? (Yes, God always keeps every promise He makes because He is faithful and trustworthy.)
Life Application Questions:
- Can you think of a promise you have made to someone? Did you keep it? (Answers will vary. Encourage children to think of simple examples like promising to share or promising to be kind.)
- How do you think Samson’s mommy and daddy felt when the angel told them they would have a baby? (They felt very happy and surprised because they had waited a long time and God heard their prayers.)
- Why do you think it is important to keep a promise? (Because keeping promises shows people they can trust us, and it is what God does for us.)
- If you made a promise and it got hard to keep, what could you do? (Answers will vary. Guide children toward asking God to help them and trying their best to follow through.)
- God has a special plan for your life just like He did for Samson. How does that make you feel? (Answers will vary. Encourage children to share words like happy, excited, thankful, or safe.)