Printer Friendly Version in MS Word: Family Blueprint #41

Family Blueprint Week #41

(Paper towels, black markers and cups of water show us how Gideon sought signs to obey God’s Word.)

The Lord gave us the blueprint of His Word to architect our family on Jesus Christ.

Going through the Bible with your family…

Weekly Scripture:
Judges 6:36-40

Story:
“Gideon’s Fleece”

Application:
Believing and then seeing. We need to first obey and then see the results. We are not to seek signs only confirmation.

Summary:
God sent the Angel of the Lord to Gideon to tell him that God would use him to save His people from their enemy. Gideon didn’t believe God could use somebody like him, so he tested God by putting a fleece out on the ground overnight. He asked God to wet the fleece and leave the ground dry. This did come to pass, but then Gideon wanted more proof. This time he put out the wool fleece again wanting the fleece to remain dry, but the ground to be wet. Once again, God performed the miracle.

Focus:
That the children will learn God desires for us to obey first through faith and then see what He is doing in our lives.

Finding Christ:
In Judges 6 we have the Angel of the Lord which appears to be a preincarnate visitation of Christ. In verse 22 Gideon fears that He has seen the Angel of the Lord face to face, that he might die, and the Lord comforts him by extending Gideon His peace. Thus Gideon names the place Yahweh-Shalom which means the Lord is Peace! Jesus tells us in the New Testament that He is our peace (Eph. 2:14 ).

Live the Lesson:
You will need to try this experiment by yourself to make sure you have markers and paper towels that will work properly for this illusion.

Take absorbent paper towels and cut them into squares just a little taller than your coffee cups. You will need two types of black markers: one permanent black marker and one non-permanent black marker (such as crayola or roseart). Keep them both in your kitchen drawer. Put a little water in the bottom of two coffee cups, not enough to touch the black line or this will flop, only a little.

Have your family sit around the table and tell them you are going to do what Gideon did in a strange sort of way. Tell them you bought ice cream today, because you feel they should eat ice cream. But you want to make sure, so you are seeking a sign. Tell them you don't have any fleece so you have a different idea. First take out the permanent marker and draw a line across the middle of one of the paper towel squares. All you want to emphasize to your children is that it is a BLACK marker. Now tell them you just cannot believe they should eat ice cream tonight. If you are supposed to eat ice cream for dessert then you want the entire paper towel to become wet, but the black line to just remain a narrow black line. Put it in the cup and sure enough this will be the result. The kids will cheer because they get ice cream.

Tell them you are still not sure. Draw another black line across the middle of paper towel square, but this time use the non-permanent marker. Again only emphasize you are using BLACK marker. Tell them this time you want the paper towel to become wet, but you want the black line to expand and become colorful if they are supposed to eat ice cream tonight. They should be stressing out that this will not happen and may even become whiners. Tell them Gideon wanted signs two times to confirm what he was to do and you are simply seeking the same.

As they sit around the table sweating it out, they will be shocked to see the marker line expand and show colors as it bleeds up to the top. They will be very excited and cheering and you can smile as you serve them ice cream. While eating ice cream explain to your children that once again this was just a fun illusion to help them remember the lesson. Then explain to them how we are not to seek signs from God, but to act in faith. However, it is not wrong to ask God to confirm His will to us through however He chooses and always through His Word as well.

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Memory Verse:
“We walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Corinthians 5:7

Prayer:
Dear Lord, please help us to walk by faith and not seek after signs. However teach us to find confirmation through Your Word and others you place in our path.

Living the Life:
This week discuss with your children the times in your life you have had to walk by faith and did not see the results until you obeyed. Also share with them how to find confirmation if they heard the voice of God.

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