YEA Lesson Library
A Time to Fight
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches that, just as the Israelites sometimes had to fight, the student also will face adversity. He should, therefore, look for ways to encourage others who are facing trouble.
Scriptures
Exodus 17:8-16
Exodus 33:19
Deuteronomy 25:17-19
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Isaiah 54:8-10
Romans 9:14-16
Romans 11:22
Romans 11:22-23
Words to Know
SEVERITY - strict in judgment, discipline, or government; rigorous in restraint, punishment, or requirement
The Lesson
Do you remember that Lesson Two showed there is a time for everything? It says in Ecclesiastes 3, “There is a right time for everything: A time to be born, a time to die... A time for war; A time for peace."
Have you ever heard of Tommy Franks? He's one of the great men of our time. He grew up in Midland, Texas. After graduating from high school, he attended the University of Texas in Austin. Between the girls, the beer, and the hours he spent lollygagging around the DU house instead of studying, he ended up with a 0.5- six hours of “D”s or “F”s in only a 12-hour course load. He dropped out of college and joined the army as an enlisted soldier. His college years showed a real lack of discipline. Deep inside, he was a good man, but that goodness was yet to emerge.
Tommy Franks' military service experience included being an Artillery officer in Vietnam, a reform-minded Cold War commander, a shrewd tactician during Operation Desert Storm, and the senior American military officer at CENTCOM. He is probably best remembered as the Commander in Chief of the United States Central Command from July 2000 through July 2003. General Tommy Franks made history by leading the American and Coalition forces to victory in Afghanistan and Iraq - the decisive battles that launched the war on terrorism. General Franks knows well that there is A Time to Fight. He knew that if we don't fight the terrorists on their soil, we'll have to fight them on ours. I think you would agree that it's better done on theirs than ours.
Throughout man's history there have been wars. "The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, 'Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.’
"So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning.
"When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up - one on one side, one on the other - so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
"Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.’
"Moses built an altar and called it The LORD is my Banner. He said, 'For hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD. The LORD will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation'" (Exodus 17:8-16 NIV Study Bible).
The battle with Amalek was the first attempt, outside of Egypt, to interfere with Israel's march to Canaan. As a result, God commanded that Amalekites be exterminated. "You must never forget what the people of Amalek did to you as you came from Egypt. Remember that they fought with you and struck down those who were faint and weary and lagging behind, with no respect or fear of God. Therefore, when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies in the Promised Land, you are utterly to destroy the name of Amalek from under heaven. Never forget this" (Deuteronomy 25:17-19 TLB).
God was not going to tolerate the Amalekites striking down the faint and weary people that He provided for and loved so much. He felt the only solution for people who would do such a low thing was to utterly destroy them.
What should you learn from this lesson? The first thing is to make sure you respect and fear God. The second thing is that we should be careful how we treat less fortunate people who are faint and weary - God will notice.
The third lesson is that it takes team effort to do God's work. We have to hold up one another’s hands when the going gets rough and our friends are tired. There came a point when Moses no longer had the energy to stand up and pray and hold up his hands. Yet the Amalekites began to win when he dropped his hands. So Aaron and Hur had to assist by holding up his hands. How do we hold up the hands of our friends? We pray for them when the going gets rough. We encourage and help them. Friends should always be ready to help a friend.
The fourth lesson is that God is loving and merciful, but we should never forget both the goodness and the severity of God as it says in your memory verse in Romans 11: 22. "Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is very hard on those who disobey, but very good to you if you continue to love and trust him. But if you don't, you too will be cut off" (TLB).
Student Prayer
Loving and Merciful God,
Thank you for taking notice when the Amalekites struck down the faint and weary Israelites. Your mercy extends to those who show mercy. Help me to always remember this and be careful to be merciful as you are.
In Jesus' name I pray.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday - Exodus 17:8-16
Monday- Deuteronomy 25:17-19
Tuesday - Romans 11:22-23
Wednesday - Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Thursday - Isaiah 54:8-10
Friday - Romans 9:14-16
Saturday - Exodus 33:19
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Tell the story of the Amalekites attacking the tired, weary Israelites who lagged behind.
2. Give four lessons they have learned from this story.
3. Plan a field trip to hold up the hands of the tired, weary and lagging.
4. Explain that God is both merciful and severe.
Topics & Themes
Battle
Consequences of Sin
Encouragement
God’s Judgment
God’s Mercy
Helping Others
Joshua
Moses
Remember
Trusting God
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, songbook, butcher paper, markers, prize, map
How to Teach This Lesson
After opening the class with prayer, explain to your class that they will again teach this class by drawing sections of the Bible story. The team that draws the best section will get a prize. When they complete this story of Israel leaving Egypt and arriving at Mount Sinai, all of the sections will be displayed for the church to see. Divide the class into six sections, appoint a team leader for each one, and have them pick assignments. Give the class about 25 to 30 minutes to draw. When time is up, have students return to their chairs. Vote on the best section and give the prize.
Debrief - How did you feel about drawing a battle? In what ways was your assignment to team-draw your scene like or unlike what you were drawing? How do you think it helped to have a team? How do you think it helped Moses to have Hur and Aaron on top of the hill with him? What was the hardest part of your assignment? What did you learn from this assignment?
Wiping out the Amalekites - How did you feel about God telling Israel to completely wipe out the Amalekites? How do you feel about the reasons He gave for doing this? What lessons can we learn from this? What or who have you always considered God to be like? How do you feel about God being both loving and merciful, and stern? How can there be mercy if there is no justice or consequence?
Application - What four things have you learned from this lesson? If God told Israel to completely wipe out the Amalekites because of the way they treated the tired, weary, lagging behind Israelites, then what is our responsibility to this group, to our church, or to our community?
Field trip - Lead the class in organizing a field trip to a nursing home, or to visit a very elderly or feeble person in your church. Discuss ways and things they can do to "hold up their hands" and make their day better than it would have been.
Teacher-Directed Activity
Go over the students' Activity in their book. There may be things that can be incorporated into your field trip to hold up the hands of the tired and weary.
REACH Activity
Memory Verse Spotlight: Romans 11:22
Look up the words “goodness” and “severity.” Write down the Greek words and their meaning. Were they what you expected they would be? Then find three other Scriptures where these words are used.
Where in the World? Amalekites
Do you know where the Amalekites came from? Who were they? Where did they live? Why were they fighting against the Israelites? Add Rephidim to the map in your Bible notebook along with some notes.
They Did What Back Then? Holding up Moses’ hands
This is a fascinating story! As long as Moses held up the staff of God in his hands (Exodus 17:9), Joshua was able to defeat the Amalekites. But when Moses’ hands became tired and he lowered his arms, the Amalekites gained the upper hand. Aaron and Hur had Moses sit on a rock. Then they stood on either side of Moses, holding up his arms as he held the staff of God. Joshua prevailed. Moses built an altar to worship God for the victory and called the altar “The Lord is My Banner.”
What is a banner? On the battlefield, it can be chaotic and soldiers can become disoriented. It was common to have someone holding the banner, standard, or flag of your country so you knew which way to fight.
Think about this. Which way should you fight in this world? God’s way. He is our standard. He is the focus for the way we should go. He is the banner we wave, the flag under which we march forward. His banner identifies us as belonging to Him and tells everyone what we believe.
Think about this topic. Flesh out the implications a little more in your Bible notebook.
Making It Mine: Strengthened His Hand
Look up 1 Samuel 23:16 in several different translations to get a feel for exactly what it was Jonathan did. (You can always use a Bible app like https://biblehub.com/1_samuel/23-16.htm)
Read Isaiah 35:3-4. Thinking about this verse, how Aaron and Hur supported Moses’ arms, and how Jonathan strengthened David, how can you apply this concept to your own life? Hebrews 10:25 gives one New Testament example of how you can strengthen the people around you. Do not discount how encouraging it is for the church family to have every person come to church each week.
Talk about this with your family. Write about this in your Bible notebook.
Worldview Collisions: Battle
One worldview says that Christians should always be peaceful and allow God to fight their battles for them.
Another worldview says that sometimes God calls us to fight. Psalm 18:34 says that it was God who trained David’s hands for war.
What scriptures can you find that talk about fighting, battles, war or peace, standing still, relying on God? What do you think? What is your worldview? And what do you do with all of the verses which support the other side? Talk about this with your family and then write about it in your Bible notebook.
Questions
As you’re working through the YEA lesson, Daily Devotionals, doing the activity, or reading the Bible, be sure to write down any questions you have. That way you’ll remember to ask someone. Also remember to share the really interesting things you’re learning with family and friends.
Song
“We Are His Hands" is on page nine of The Group Songbook.
Closing Prayer
Ask the students to form a circle and join hands. Let each student tell one thing they learned from today's lesson. Repeats are okay. Lead in prayer asking that God will direct and bless each student as they try to hold up the hand of the tired and weary.
Printable Pages
