YEA Lesson Library
Make It Count!
About This Lesson
This lesson teaches the importance of counting the days between the Wave Sheaf and Pentecost - and making them count for God. As a harvest season, we should have something to bring before Him as an offering.
Scriptures
Exodus 34:22
Leviticus 23:11-22
Deuteronomy 16:9-12
Psalm 90:12
John 4:35-36
Acts 2:1-13
1 Corinthians 15:12-23
Words to Know
VALUABLE - to have worth
POTENTIAL - the possibilities, when there's a chance something wonderful (in this case) can happen
FREEWILL - not required, you don't have to, something done because you want to
COUNT - (two meanings) 1) to number - as in 1, 2, 3; OR 2) to make the most of something, in this case, your time, abilities, and opportunities
The Lesson
My dad's birthday is on August 1st. And every year I miss it. Oh, I remember it once I turn the calendar to August! But I get busy with July and doing summer things like swimming in the pool and picking ripe tomatoes and green beans out of the garden. The last week of July, when I should be making a card to send to my dad, I'm still doing summer stuff. By the time it's August, I don't have time to get a card to him. Again. So I just call him on the phone and sing "Happy Birthday" to him. Again.
There's a holy day kind of like that. It’s Pentecost. It's found all by itself on a Sunday 50 days after the Wave Sheaf Offering during the Days of Unleavened Bread. It's an important holy day. God told His people to come before Him three times a year: the Days of Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.
But somehow, we manage to get busy doing spring things and let's-get-ready-for-summer things, and Pentecost is here before we've even had time to get ready for it.
So? What's the big deal? We'll still go to church on Pentecost. We're still celebrating the day. So what if it sneaks up on us? Well, it has to do with another name for Pentecost.
God introduced Pentecost to His people as the Feast of Weeks. This holy day comes at the end of seven weeks. And God told His people to count each day and each week. God said, "From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, count off seven full weeks. Count off fifty days up to the day after the seventh Sabbath. . .” (Leviticus 23:15-16a).
Why were they counting? What was going on during these weeks? It was the grain harvest. They were busy cutting the grain from the fields. The grain would be ground and used to make their bread for the next year - until the harvest came again. If the harvest was not good, there wouldn't be enough to eat.
When God told His people to celebrate the Feast of Weeks, He told them to count, but He also told them two other things. Leviticus 23:22 says they were not to harvest all of the grain out of the field. They were to leave some grain for the poor and the strangers to gather for food. Then, Deuteronomy 16:10 says that on Pentecost, the people were to bring a freewill offering of the same size as the blessings God has given them. If it was a great harvest, the people should bring a large freewill offering to God. If it was a poor harvest, then the freewill offering might be quite a bit less.
Did you notice that both of these things that God told His people about Pentecost had to do with the harvest of the grain? These seven weeks are all about harvest.
What did you harvest leading up to Pentecost this year? Oh, I know you probably didn't harvest grain like the Israelites did. But it's the harvest season. God gave an example for something. So what did you do with the seven weeks of harvest?
Perhaps you made a plan to talk about Jesus to someone new each week. Maybe you drew a chart to keep track of how many cards of encouragement you sent to people. Or maybe you turned off the TV and the video games and went to bed early during those seven weeks so that you could read your Bible for an extra 30 minutes. Perhaps you helped your mom make a special meal or dessert each Friday to count off the weeks. Maybe you set aside a time right after school to pray to God each afternoon about how things went at school.
Are all of these things good suggestions for the Feast of Weeks? Yes. Why? Because there's a harvest going on. Jesus told His disciples some 2000 years ago that the fields were ripe for harvest. He wasn't talking about the grain. He was talking about people's hearts turning to Him. He wants a closer relationship with people who already know Him. And He wants a relationship with those who don't know Him yet.The Feast of Weeks is a very good time to work on both of those things. With God's grace, you can tell others about Jesus. And you can do lots of things to encourage people already in the church, in your family, and even yourself. Who knows what could happen! If you make each day count as you're counting them off, the potential is great!
Then when you come before God on Pentecost, you will have something to offer Him: the fruit of your labor - for Him — over the last seven weeks.
But if you don't countdown the days and weeks, and if you don't make the days count in the harvest, there won't be much of anything to bring before God as a freewill offering.
If I forget Dad's birthday is coming again this year, that's okay. I can always call him on the phone and spend some time talking with him and sing "Happy Birthday." It's no big deal because it's just a birthday. And birthdays aren't so important.
But if I haven't made the time coming up to Pentecost valuable for God, then I'm celebrating the holy day - but missing out on how meaningful it could be to me.
So count off 50 days to Pentecost — and Make It Count!
Student Prayer
Dear Heavenly Father,
Help me to use my time wisely and to Make It Count for your glory.
In Jesus' name.
Amen.
Daily Devotions
Sunday: Leviticus 23:15-22
Monday: Deuteronomy 16:9-12
Tuesday: 1 Corinthians 15:12-23
Wednesday: John 4:35-36
Thursday: Acts 2:1-13
Friday: Exodus 34:22
Saturday: Leviticus 23:11-12
Objectives
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Tell how to determine when Pentecost is.
2. Relate what was happening, historically, leading up to Pentecost.
3. Apply the idea in their own lives of harvesting leading up to Pentecost.
4. Plan concrete examples of things to do for God's glory.
Topics & Themes
Celebrate
Counting
Harvest
Holy Days, Pentecost
Pentecost
Relationship With God
Sacrifice and Offerings to God
Wave Sheaf
Materials Needed
Bible, YEA Students' and Teacher's books, attendance and memory verse charts, stars stickers, songbook, CD and player, chart for game, index cards with questions, small prizes
Preparation
Make a game board (similar to Jeopardy) using a poster board which has been divided into five columns and six rows. Each space will be about the size of an index card. The top row will be the column categories. Row two will be ten-point questions. Row three will be 20-point questions. Row 4 will be 30-point questions. Row 5 will be 40-point questions. Row 6 will be 50-point questions. See the Pattern Page for categories and card questions. The answers are in parentheses; don't write them on the cards. Write the point value on the front of the index card. Write the question on the back. Once the question has been written on the index card, tape it in the appropriate column on the chart.The top index card in each column will have the category printed on it.
How to Teach This Lesson
Intro game: Tell the students they are going to play a game during Sabbath class today. Divide the class into two teams. Give them the rules. Make sure everyone understands before playing. Play game: see Pattern Page for categories/questions/ answers. Be prepared: this will take a while.
Debrief: Talk with students about strategy. Ask: Was it better to choose easy questions worth less? Or was it wiser to choose hard questions for the most points? If you studied your lesson and knew the answers, did it make a difference which questions you could answer? If you prepared, did you have more or less potential of winning? How does preparing for Sabbath class by doing your lesson and memory verse ahead of time, relate to this lesson? What did you like/not like about this game? Would you like to do it again sometime?
Winners: Say: In a game like this, one team wins and the other loses. But when you are serving God, making the most of every opportunity, making your time count, causes everyone to win. Have a bag of small prizes. Let the winning team choose a prize first. But also let the losing team choose. Tell them that learning the lesson and participating in activities to teach them more about God makes them all winners.
Review Questions
These are part of the game and debriefing.
Teacher-Directed Activity
Directions for Playing the Game
(See Preparation and Pattern Page for how to make the game board and for specific questions/ answers.) Divide the class into two teams. A person on the first team will select a column and point value. Pul the card off the chart. Read the question. If the person on team one answers correctly, they get the points for that question. Put the card in a pile for them. (The points will be on the back of the card. Total them up at the end of the game.) If the person on team one doesn't answer correctly, the question goes to a person on team two to answer. If that person answers correctly, he/she gets the points. Even if a team answers correctly, the other team gets a turn. Make sure each person on each team has a turn. If no one can answer the question correctly, open the question to the whole class as discussion. Talk about why an answer is incorrect. Give the proper answer and rationale.
REACH Activity
Back to the Bible: Counting the Days
Leviticus 23:15 has God’s command to count the days from Passover to Pentecost. This word “count” is çâphar. It means “to score (with a mark as a tally); to inscribe; to enumerate; to recount; to celebrate, to tell, to narrate, to make known, to praise; to be told . . . Of the 110 times that it appears in the Hebrew Old Testament, about ninety times occur in an intensive form meaning to recount.” (Source: Zodhiates’ NAS Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible, 1990.)
This definition indicates that it’s more than simply numbering the days. There’s an emphasis on recounting, telling, narrating, writing down something - what? What should we be writing down and talking about during these days leading up to Pentecost? What have you learned about God this spring? Make it a habit to memorize scripture and/or read your Bible every day, then you’ll know what to write down and remember in your Bible notebook.
Journal Jot: The Reason Why
Do you know why your family and your church family celebrate Pentecost every year? If you do, write about it in your Bible notebook. Make sure you use scripture references to explain why it’s important to keep this holy day. If you don’t know, ask your parents to explain it to you. Then write this information down, with scriptures, so that you’ll remember the next time someone asks you why you keep this holy day.
Word Study: manah
The word for “number” in Psalm 90:12 is manah. It literally means to “count, number, reckon.” It’s found in Genesis 13:16 and 2 Chronicles 5:6. It can be used when talking about counting people or things.
Write this word, its definition, and the scripture reference in your Bible notebook.
Just Toolin’ Around: Chart It
Read the “Did You Know” activity below. Sometimes it helps to chart information to help keep it straight. Make a chart of God’s Holy Days. List the different names that are associated with each holy day and the scripture references. You might also want to add a note about when in the year each holy day is celebrated along with what crops would be ready to harvest or just finished being harvested. Leave space to add more information to your chart as you learn more about God’s holy days.
Did you Know? Name It
Did you know that this holy day has three names? It’s the Feast of Weeks (Exodus 34:22). You just counted off seven weeks of days! It’s also called the Feast of Harvest (Exodus 23:16) because it’s at the end of all of the grain harvests. The New Testament calls it Pentecost (Acts 2), which means “50” or “count 50.” Which name do you use most frequently? Does it confuse you when someone calls it by one of its other names?
Stretch It Out: A Pentecost Journal
A great way to count the days to Pentecost is to keep a Pentecost journal. I have mine in a three-ring binder. At the top of the page, I write the day of the count. The next day, I start a clean page. Each year, I go back and write what happened on that day of the count for that year. It’s very interesting to see what has happened over the years! I keep it all in a 3-ring binder so that I can add extra pages when I need to. The coolest thing about doing this is seeing how God took something I was really worried about seven years ago and resolved it for my good. It’s a great way to recount God’s goodness and blessings in your life. Yes, it’s a lot of work, but it’s very much worth it.
Music Notes: Count Your Blessings
This hymn is found on page 44 of the CEM Hymnal.
This spirited tune was written by Mr. Edwin Othello Excell, who was a “highly productive soloist, music director, composer, and publisher of hymns and gospel songs.” He put together 90 songbooks! And he wrote either the music or the words to about 2000 hymns. “He was described as a big and robust man with a remarkable range of voice, and seemed happiest when leading mass choirs and audiences at large evangelistic rallies.” (Source: Near to the Heart of God, Robert Morgan, 2010, June 10th.) The text was written by Johnson Oatman, Jr., who wrote more than 5000 hymn texts! He was also a “successful business man, engaged in a shipping business and in his later years as an administrator for a large insurance company in New Jersey.” (Source: Amazing Grace, Kenneth Osbeck, 1990, pg. 350).
Wouldn’t you love to be known for your joy in praising God in song!?! Pick out your favorite lines from this hymn. Then write down as many blessings as you can think of in your Bible notebook. Don’t forget to sing this hymn.
Questions?
Remember to write down any questions that you think of as you are reading your lesson, daily devotionals, or doing the REACH activities. Plan to ask your parents or your pastor these questions.
Song
"Jesus in the Morning" is on page 89 of Kids Classics Collection.
Closing Prayer
Lead in prayer thanking God for giving us a model of counting to Pentecost. Ask for God's guidance and grace that the harvesting we do is His will and to His glory.
Printable Pages
