During the lesson, the information for you to know is written in regular type, and what we suggest speaking or reading aloud to children is in bold. All resources for this lesson, including the Teacher Guide, Student Page, Family Connection Card, and other resources can be downloaded in a ZIP file by clicking on the following link:
In some lessons you will find "resource articles." These are articles written by experts from around the world to help equip you for your work with children and adolescents. Share them with parents or guardians if you consider it appropriate.
He who is the Glory of Israel does not lie or change his mind; for he is not a human being, that he should change his mind.
1 Samuel 15:29
Broken promises, lies, betrayals, bribes, corruption. It seems like our world is full of people with no integrity. For many communities, this is the normal way things work. It can be hard to trust others to act with integrity when you have been wounded.
Read the verse above again. God does not lie. He does not change His mind. He consistently, always acts with integrity because He defines it. Because God is the Promise-Maker and the Promise-Keeper, you can trust Him!
Spend a few minutes worshipping our wonderful God who is faithful, reliable, truthful, and fully trustworthy. Pray for the children you teach, that they would come to know Him as well.
Some families may be upset with these lessons on integrity if they have not lived lives of integrity. They may not know that they can live any other way. Just as the children are learning to live with integrity, you can gently encourage their families whenever you see them act with integrity.
Teacher Tip: If possible, email or text the Family Connection Card to the families of your students.
Give the children a high five hand clap as they enter your class today.
We will start today’s class with a fun activity where we have to rely on our friends. Everyone stand in a circle and hold hands.
Tell the children they will each call out a number, either 1 or 2. Start by pointing to a child in the circle to call out the number 1. The next child calls out the number 2. The third child calls out a number 1. The fourth child calls number 2. Continue around the circle until everyone is either a 1 or a 2.
Tell the children who are number 1s to slowly lean forward, keeping their bodies stiff like a board. They should not bend at the waist. The number 2s will slowly lean backward at the same time, also keeping their bodies stiff. Remind them not to let go of the hands they are holding. Encourage them to lean as far forward or backward as possible without letting go. They should hold this position for a few seconds. Then tell them to relax for a moment, but not let go of hands. Then do the activity again but have the children reverse the direction they lean. After a few seconds have the children sit down.
Children might answer that they needed each other to be able to do the activity.
Some people might say you are too young to be able to help others. But our activity just showed that even though you are young, you can help and support each other. You showed that you can choose to be trustworthy even though you are young. You are not too young to have integrity!
I will tell you about a man in the Bible who began following God when he was young like you.This man’s name is Samuel. His mother had prayed for God to give her a child and the Lord answered her prayer. She had a baby boy named Samuel. She loved him very much, but she had decided that she would give Samuel back to God to serve Him. So when Samuel was very young, she took him to the priest and gave Samuel to him so Samuel could serve God.
Samuel grew up helping the priest in the temple. One night, Samuel heard a voice calling to him. He asked the priest what he wanted. But the priest had not called Samuel. After Samuel heard this voice calling him 3 times, the priest told him the voice was God’s. Samuel first heard God’s voice when he was young, perhaps about 12 years old. From that time on, Samuel served God.
Later he became the judge of Israel, the nation of people who had a special relationship with God. The judges led the people and helped them hear from God. All of his life, Samuel was trustworthy in all that he said and did.
When Samuel was an older man, the people of Israel asked for a king to lead them. He knew that this was not God’s best for them. Samuel prayed and God said to give them a king. Now Samuel was an old man. He wanted to be sure he had lived with integrity all his life. Listen to part of the conversation Samuel had with the people.
Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”
“You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”
Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.”
“He is witness,” they said.
1 Samuel 12:1–5
Allow children to answer. Share the following if they do not mention it: He asked them to say something if he had ever lied, cheated, or stolen from anyone.
From the time Samuel was very young, he had lived with integrity. He had lived a consistent life where his words and his actions matched each other. He wanted to be sure before he died that he had always honoured God. Even now as children, you can choose to live with integrity.
This is our fourth lesson about integrity. Remember that integrity is more than just outward actions. Maybe you do not cheat. That is good. Maybe you read your Bible. That is good. But pleasing God is more than what you do or do not do. It means you try to live in a way that pleases Jesus each day. It means that you ask for the Holy Spirit to help you. It means that who you are on the outside is the same as who you are on the inside.
It is time to review.
Read Micah 6:8 from your Bible and show the optional Memory Verse poster if you are using it.
[God] has showed you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8
Optional: If you are using the Student Pages, allow the children to complete the memory verse activity on the page.
Let’s learn some actions to go with this verse to help us memorize what God asks of us.
Show the children the follow actions:
Act justly—raise arms to the side with fists
Love mercy—place hands over heart
Walk humbly before God—walk in place with head bowed
Allow the children to practice saying the verse a few more times. Remind them that it is through the Holy Spirit’s power that they can live lives that truly honour God in all that they say and do.
Optional Supplies:
Give each child 3 pieces of string or yarn. He will go to 3 other children and tie a piece of string or yarn on each one of them. He can tie it around a button or on a wrist—anywhere string can be tied. As he ties on the string, the 2 children will say the verse together.
End of Option
When the children have finished, bring them together. Bless them with words based on 1 Timothy 4:12:
Blessing: Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young. Instead, may you be an example of integrity in what you say and in how you live, in how you love and in what you believe. You can show others how to have integrity.
Continue to share this song with your children to celebrate how great God is!
Life on Life ©2020 David C Cook. Reproducible for home or classroom use only. All other uses require written permission from David C Cook [email protected]. All rights reserved.
