LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In 1 Samuel 1:1-20, we meet a man named Elkanah who had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not, and this made Hannah sad. Peninnah would sometimes tease Hannah about not having a baby, which made Hannah feel even worse. Every year Elkanah took his family to Shiloh to worship God
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Ruth 2:1, we meet Ruth, a widow from Moab who has moved to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law, Naomi, also a widow. With no husband to provide for her, Ruth goes out to the barley fields to pick up the leftover grain the harvesters leave behind, a practice available to the poor under God’s law. She
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS The book of Ruth takes place during the time of the Judges, when God’s people often struggled to follow Him. A famine caused Naomi, her husband Elimelech, and their two sons to leave Bethlehem and move to the country of Moab in search of food. While living there, Naomi’s husband died. Later, both of her sons
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Acts 4:32–5:11, we see the early church at both its best and one also at one of its lowest moments. The believers in Jerusalem were united in heart, sharing generously so that no one among them went without. Many sold land or houses and gave the proceeds to the apostles, including a man named Joseph
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Acts 3:1-4:22, Peter and John are on their way into the temple to pray when a man who has never been able to walk calls out to them for money at the gate. Rather than giving him a coin, Peter tells the man to look at him, then heals him in the name of Jesus
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Acts 2:42-47, we see what happened right after the Holy Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost. Thousands of people had traveled to Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks, and after Peter preached about Jesus, about 3,000 of them believed and were baptized. These new believers didn’t scatter and go their own way. Instead, they
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Judges 16:21-31, we find Samson at the lowest point of his life. After breaking his vow to God and losing his strength when Delilah cut his hair, the Philistines captured him, gouged out his eyes, and forced him into slave labor grinding grain in Gaza, a job usually reserved for women, meant to humiliate a
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Judges 16:4-22, we meet Samson at a low point in his walk with God. Despite being chosen and gifted by the Lord with incredible strength, Samson repeatedly let his heart be pulled toward people who did not love God, and this time it was a Philistine woman named Delilah. The Philistine rulers bribed Delilah to
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Genesis 13:2–18, we see Abram and his nephew Lot growing prosperous with flocks and servants, but their blessings lead to strife among their herdsmen. To keep peace, Abram graciously allows Lot to choose the land first. Lot picks the lush Jordan Valley, settling near the sinful city of Sodom, while Abram remains in Canaan. Though
LESSON OVERVIEW FOR ADULTS In Acts 1:12-2:1, following the ascension of Jesus into heaven, the eleven remaining apostles gathered together in Jerusalem just as Jesus had instructed them. They were joined by Mary, the mother of Jesus, other women, and the brothers of Jesus, totaling about 120 believers all praying together in an upper room. During this time, Peter addressed
