Balaam's Talking Donkey
TOPICS:
Guidance, Obedience
OPENING MUSIC:
OPENING MUSIC:
Angela Zoltek will lead the opening music
Thematic music idea:
sang to the tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"The Lord will guide you always
The Lord will guide me too
The Lord will guide you always
The Lord will guide me too
The Lord will guide you always
Whatever you will do.
STORY TIME:
Balaam and his donkey.
Numbers 22:23-35
A long time ago, even before baby Jesus came to live with us on earth, there was a man named Balaam. Can you say Balaam? (Have the children practice saying the name, pronounced BAY-lm) several times.) Balaam once was a good prophet of God, but now he was not following God’s Will. Instead, he did whatever he wanted, even when God said, “NO Balaam!” The king of Moab wanted Balaam to come and send a curse on their enemies. But the enemies of Moab happened to be God’s chosen people, the Israelites. So of course God said, “NO Balaam, don’t go!” But Balaam didn’t listen. Eventually, he decided to go to Moab and do what the king wanted.
Numbers 22: 23-35 (Paraphrased)
Balaam got up from bed very early in the morning for his long journey. He would be traveling with the prince from Moab. “Wow what an honor!” he thought to himself, not even thinking that God may be very angry because of his disobedience. Balaam leaped up on his trusted donkey, and along with his two servants followed right behind the prince.
Everything was great. Balaam had a big smile on his face. Then suddenly, his donkey saw an angel of the Lord with a sharp sword right there in the middle of the path, blocking the way. So instead of going straight ahead, she ran into a nearby field to avoid being hurt by the sword. But Balaam didn’t see anything. He was so upset that his donkey would do such a thing. "How embarrassing!" he thought.
”You bad donkey,” Balaam yelled as he beat her with a stick. Finally, he was able to get the sore donkey back onto the path.
After going a little farther, they came to a narrow passage with steep walls of rock on both sides. The donkey once again saw the angel of the Lord blocking the way, so she moved as close to the wall as possible to avoid being hurt by the sword. But as she did, Balaam’s foot was crushed against the rocks, and he became very angry again.
”You dumb donkey!” Balaam yelled, as he beat her several more times with a stick.
A little farther along the way, the angel of the Lord appeared yet again. Balaam still couldn’t see the angel, but the donkey could. There was no way to turn this time. The donkey thought to herself, “What can I do now? I can’t go left, I can’t go right, and I can’t even back up.” She did the only thing possible, and sat down right there on the path.
“What a stupid donkey!” Balaam cried out as he beat her even harder than before.
Suddenly, the donkey turned to Balaam, and opened her mouth and said, “Hey! What did I do to you that you should beat me three times with a stick?”
For some reason, Balaam wasn’t impressed when he heard his donkey speak. He only answered, “You made me look like a fool, not following the path, and crushing me against the wall, then sitting down like a stubborn old mule. If I only had a sword, I’d stick it in you right now.”
“Why are you saying this?” the donkey replied. “Haven’t I been faithful to you all these years? Have I ever tried to harm you or make you look foolish?”
Just then, Balaam saw the angel of the Lord standing there in the road. He fell to his knees and put his face very low to the ground to show his respect.
Then the angel of the Lord spoke to Balaam, “Why are you beating your donkey? She saw me in the path, and didn’t come near because she knew I would strike you with my sword. You asked me before if you could go to Moab, and I said, 'NO Balaam!' But you went anyway. You asked for my guidance, and I tried to guide you to do the right thing, but you did not listen.”
Then Balaam realized he had sinned against the Lord. He would continue on his journey with the prince after all, but God would not let him curse His people. The Word of the Lord was final, "NO Balaam!"
Discussion Questions:
1. Did God want Balaam to go to Moab? (No.)2. But did Balaam obey God? (No.)3. What did the donkey see on the road to Moab? (An angel of the Lord with a sword.)
4. How did Balaam treat his donkey? (Bad, he beat her with a stick three times.)
5. Why wasn’t Balaam able to see the angel of the Lord at first? (Although God tried to guide Balaam to do the right thing, Balaam did not listen, instead he chose to disobey God.)
6. Should we ever do anything the Lord doesn't want us to do? (No) Why?
Activity: Robot Walk
Have the children get together in pairs. One child will be the robot, and the other will stand behind and be the commander of the robot. Instead of speaking, however, the commander will tell the robot which way to go by touch. The robot must pay close attention to know what to do.
Give the following simple instructions to everyone.
When the commander presses the robot's left shoulder, the robot must go left.
When the commander presses the robot's right shoulder, the robot must go right.
When the commander presses the middle of the robot's back, the robot must go straight ahead.
When the commander does not press anything, the robot must stop.
Have the commanders guide their robots around the room for few minutes, then switch and let the robots be the commanders for a while.
What you will say:
Ask the children:
Did you have fun being guided around the room?
Would it have been easier if the commanders were able to tell you what to do?
Were you able to know which way to go even without words?
We may not be able to hear God's actual voice, but He can still be our guide. When we choose to follow him, He will guide us by touching our hearts.
The Doxology
Praise God from whom all blessings flow,
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, you heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
SNACK: Animal Crackers (preferably the donkeys) and Twizzlers (Balaam's stick)
Optional Activity: Caterpillar Chase
First, have the children form two teams. The children of each team will grab the waist of the child in front of them to form a long caterpillar. The head of each caterpillar leads the others behind him or her around the room while everyone stays connected. If the caterpillar becomes disconnected, they must stop and regroup before continuing. The head of each caterpillar then tries to catch the tail of the other caterpillar. If the head tags the tail child, he or she will sit down, and the caterpillars continue to chase each other while avoiding any children sitting on the floor. Play continues until only the heads are chasing each other, or until one caterpillar is completely gone, then regroup and play again. SUMMARY:
LORD'S PRAYER:
CLOSING SONGS
The children learn the Lord's prayer
CLOSING SONGS
TAKE HOME SHEET:
Click HERE to view or download the Take Home Sheet
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