OBJECT LESSON

ITEMS NEEDED:

M&M’s

Who can tell me what these candies are?

Choose one kid to answer. When they do, give them some candy. Do this with each of the questions in this lesson.

What colors do M&M’s come in?

What kind of candy is inside the shells?

What other kinds of M&M’s are there besides plain chocolate?

What you all just showed me is your knowledge. You know what M&M’s are, what colors they come in, and what flavors. But knowledge is not the same as wisdom. Let’s try a few more questions.

Can you eat M&M’s at every meal?

Should you eat just M&M’s for lunch?

Why wouldn’t you want to eat candy all the time?

Wisdom isn’t knowing facts; it’s knowing how to make wise choices. You can’t eat candy all the time because it’s not good for you. It’s important to be wise, and to eat candy in moderation so we do not make ourselves unhealthy.

The wiser we are, the more good choices we make. There’s no one who can make you wiser than the Lord. God is the source of all wisdom, and when we seek his wisdom in making decisions, he will never steer us in the wrong direction!

Lesson

What is wisdom? There are two kinds of wisdom, man’s wisdom and God’s wisdom. Men would think that wisdom is being smart and getting a good education and having a successful life. God’s wisdom is knowing God and what His Word tells us how to live a life that pleases Him. Having God’s wisdom brings true peace and satisfaction.

King David knew that his son Solomon would be Israel’s next king. Before he died David instructed Solomon what he should do as he reigned as king. 1 Chronicles 28:9 “And you my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever.”

Let’s turn in our Bibles to 1 Kings 3. After King David died his son Solomon became king over Israel. “Solomon showed his love for the LORD by walking according to the statues of his father David…” (1Kings 3:3a)

It is a gift to have family members who teach us to love and obey God. Just as Solomon heard what his father taught him, more importantly he showed his love for God by obeying what his Dad taught him about God. John 14:21

Let’s read 1 Kings 3:4 to find out how many burnt offerings Solomon offered to God. (1000) That night while Solomon was sleeping, God spoke to him in a dream. Read 1 Kings 3:5 to see what God said.

Choose volunteers to read 1 Kings 3:6-9. Solomon recognized that the job to be king over God’s people would require God’s wisdom.

Solomon’s response to the question pleased God (1Kings 3:10). Why do you think this request pleased God? (Solomon’s focus was on being the kind of king that could lead God’s people and not focused on being famous or important. His focus was God-centered and not self-centered.) What would Solomon’s answer have been if he was focused on himself? (Allow responses. To be a powerful king conquering all the lands, lots of money etc.)

Can you give an example of a God-centered prayer for a kid your age? Allow students to respond. If they are quiet you can share an example to give them an idea. (Lord, help me to love the student in our class who is always mean. Help me to show kindness to him/her even though I don’t feel like it.) What is an example of a self-centered prayer? (Lord, would you cause the mean student’s family to move away so we don’t have to see him/her again.)

God was pleased because Solomon knew that in order to be the kind of king that could lead God’s people he could only do it with God’s wisdom.

You and I will most likely never be a king as Solomon was. However, as a believer the work Jesus has called us to do is just as important. We need wisdom to live a life that pleases God so we can lead others to Jesus. Jesus says that believers can only do God’s work with His power. (John 15:5) Picture what Jesus is saying as we think about a tree. The source of life for the branches of a tree is the sap that runs through the tree. A branch is only able to live if it is connected to the tree. When the branch is connected to the tree, leaves sprout and later fruit will grow from the branches. This is a picture of what a believer needs to do in order for God’s power to work in and through our lives. We have to stay close to Jesus because He is our life source. We need to pray daily and stay in His Word so we can hear His voice and obey His instructions. Can a branch continue to live if it is broken off from the tree? (No) A believer who tries to live the Christian life in his/her own power is like a branch that breaks off a tree and tries to produce leaves and fruit. This happens when believers try to live their lives without praying and obeying God’s voice. The result is that he/she won’t see God’s power and won’t see others coming to Jesus to be saved.

God not only gave Solomon what he asked for but let’s find out what else God gave him. Read 1 Kings 3:13-14. Solomon asked God for wisdom and he received it and other blessings as well.

1 Kings 3:16-28 In the next verses we get to see an example that shows us how God answered Solomon’s prayer to have wisdom.

Two women came to Solomon with a very big problem. They both lived in the same house and both had infant sons. In the night one of the women rolled over on her baby while she slept and the baby died. She got out of bed and carried her son into the room of the other woman with a baby son. As the other woman slept, the woman with the dead son took the living son and replaced him with her dead son. When the woman woke up and looked at the dead baby she knew this was not her son. The other woman would not give her son back and said it was her baby.

As Solomon looked at the two women he needed wisdom to solve this problem. Let’s read how he decided to fix their problem in 1 Kings 3:24-25. Solomon knew the love that mother’s have for their children and a normal mother would do anything they could to protect their child.

Read verse 26 to see how the mothers respond to this very strange command about this living baby. Solomon knew that the mother who wanted to spare her son’s life was the true mother and commanded that the child be returned to her.

1 Kings 3:28 “When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.”

The same wisdom that God gave Solomon is available to anyone who asks. (Memory Verse) If we ask God for wisdom and we look for His answers in the Bible we can make wise decisions and help others to see Jesus in our lives.

Close in prayer.

Review Questions:

1. How did Solomon show that he loved God? (Obeyed His commands)

2. Who spoke to Solomon in a dream? (God)

3. What did God ask Solomon? (Ask for whatever you want me to give you)

4. How did Solomon respond to God’s request? (He asked for wisdom to lead God’s people)

5. What extra things did God give Solomon along with wisdom? (Riches/honor)

6. How did Solomon solve the problem with the two women? (He said he would cut the baby in two knowing the true mother would want to protect her son)

7. True or False The people of Israel were amazed by Solomon’s natural intelligence? (False they saw that he had wisdom from God)

Directions

• Give the kids a piece of construction paper and have them trace their handprint on the paper

• Let them cut their handprint out two times

• Let them decorate their hands

• Next they will make cards and put things to pray for on each card. The first card should say "wisdom like King Solomon" and the rest can be specific to their lives and needs

• Let the kids punch a hole on their hands and prayer requests and tie them together to take home.

**Connection** when everyone is done have the kids sit in a circle and share any request they wish to share and pray over them as a group

Directions (Click here for step by step directions with pictures)

• Cut the shape of a treasure chest out of brown construction paper

• Fold it down and draw the black lines/lock and decorate your treasure chest.

• on the inside, you can put colors to represent jewels and then the word "WISDOM"

Directions (Click here for step by step directions with pictures)

Teacher Preparation: Draw and pre-cut a body one per child.

Step 1. Remind children that when Samuel first anointed David as king, David was still a shepherd boy. Using the brown construction paper, guide kids in decorating one side of the body like a shepherd boy.

Step 2. Remind kids that God chose David because he had a heart that pleased God, not because he looked good. Explain that God also saw not just what David was as a shepherd boy, but what David could become as a great king. Instruct students to flip David over decorate the other side as David the King using the purple robe made out of construction paper and adding a crown.

Musical Chairs

Grab the black chairs out of the closet (so that they are lighter to move around) and have the kids play musical chairs!

David, David, Goliath

This is Duck, Duck, Goose.... instead use the words "David, David, Goliath" for the game.

Cup stack races

Keep a stack of cheap plastic cups in your bag to pull out for a quick game. Two children can race each other in making the highest or biggest pyramid of upside-down cups in one minute.