FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS

Trouble Times Ten

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Sometimes we learn a lot of Bible stories, but hardly give any thought as to how they might be connected. In many cases, that piece of information can help us understand the individual accounts.

For example, when Trouble Times Ten begins, the Israelites are slaves in Egypt. How did they get there? Let’s back up to the story of Abraham. You may remember that God called him out of his homeland to a new country and promised to make him a great nation, but he went many years before he even had a child of his own. Then Isaac was finally born. Abraham was going to offer him as a sacrifice on the altar as God instructed, but an angel intervened just in time. You may remember the story of Isaac’s twins, Jacob and Esau, and how Jacob conned Esau out of both his birthright and his father’s blessing. And you may remember how Jacob had a whole slew of sons —twelve, to be exact. But he liked Joseph best and gave him a coat of many colors. (Don’t doze off just yet. We’re almost there.)

You may remember that Joseph’s brothers despised him so much that they were ready to kill him, but sold him into slavery instead when the opportunity came along. Where did Joseph end up? That’s right —in Egypt. He started as a servant until he was falsely accused of a crime, then spent several years in prison. But God had given him the ability to interpret dreams, and when Pharaoh had a dream that no one else could figure out, he called on Joseph. After Joseph prepared the nation for a seven-year famine and saved the day, he was promoted and given land in Egypt. His whole family migrated from the land where God had called Abraham and established homes in Egypt where they would be safe from the famine.

Weeks became years . . . then decades . . . then centuries. The family of seventy grew and grew and grew. By the time our story takes place, there were hundreds of thousands of Israelites. The new Pharaoh had no idea who Joseph was and didn’t feel he owed the Israelites anything. In fact, he was afraid one of his enemies would strike an alliance with them to turn against Egypt. That’s when he decided to enslave them.

About four hundred years after Joseph went to Egypt, Moses came along. Trouble Times Ten recalls how Moses’ parents released him in a basket on the Nile, how he was adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter and raised as royalty, and how he killed an Egyptian while trying to protect an Israelite. Moses fled and stayed away for forty years. What the people didn’t know at the time was that God had called him back to Egypt from a burning bush (perhaps you remember that story too). It would be Moses’ task to lead God’s people out of slavery and back to the land God had promised Abraham centuries before.

As you can see, these are not random, individual stories, but a single, interconnected saga. The big story is about God’s provision and deliverance, one that continues in your relationship with Him today.

Trouble Times Ten

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If you’d like to get more out of Trouble Times Ten, consider these projects:

Trouble Times Ten

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  1. At one point in the story, Enoch asks, “How does anyone know, while he’s trying to live through it, whether the days of his life are the stuff of great stories and tales that will be told throughout all time?” Have you seen or done anything lately (either very exciting or quite ordinary) that you think you might tell your grandchildren about?
  2. Some people suggest that God is mean because He continued to intensify the Egyptian plagues each time Pharaoh refused to respond. But God would not have needed to send the plagues if Pharaoh had responded the first time Moses asked nicely. Can you recall a time when you refused to respond to a polite request, and some authority (parent, teacher, etc.) had to get a bit harsh to grab your attention?
  3. Do you have a friend or relative like Micah, who needs your special care and attention because of a disability? If so, how do you feel about trying to maintain that responsibility, especially when it limits what you get to do with your other friends?
  4. When you sense God might be prompting you to do something a little scary, how do you respond? In the story, Enoch suggested that we should be more afraid not to do as God asks than to do whatever it is that scares us. Do you agree?

Ruled Out

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Most of this story takes place while Moses is receiving God’s Law on top of Mount Sinai. Today few figures in Jewish history are as revered as Moses. But Moses’ success as a leader raises a big question: Just how did he get in that position?

Think about it. Sure, his parents risked a lot by putting him in a basket and floating him down the Nile River. And sure, anyone who is adopted by royalty has a good chance of success in life (see Exodus 2:1-10). But all that background was erased with one decision Moses made. One day he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew worker, and he killed the Egyptian. He thought he had gotten away with it, but no. Soon he had to flee into the desert (Exodus 2:11-15).

Overnight, his life changed. While a refugee from Egypt, he took a wife, had a couple of kids, and started tending the flocks of his father-in-law —a far cry from the pomp and comfort of the royal palace. No doubt he’d resigned himself to remaining a country bumpkin for the rest of his life. But that’s when he had his encounter with God at the burning bush. Again his life changed with one decision.

It was at the burning bush where God spelled out the plan He had for Moses (Exodus 3–4). That’s where Moses learned he’d been chosen to deliver the Israelites. He was told in advance that Pharaoh would not listen to him —but he was supposed to go ask that his people leave, anyway. At the burning bush God also showed Moses he could throw his staff on the ground and have it become a snake. (He also could give himself leprosy, but apparently never needed to demonstrate that sign.) Moses learned that when Israel left Egypt, the Egyptians would actually give them silver, gold, and clothing. And God promised that after Moses had led his people out of Israel they would all worship Him on that very same mountain (Exodus 3:12).

Even though Moses was reluctant to step up and become the leader of the people, God answered his every concern. Moses decided to respond, accepting his calling and returning to Egypt. It must have helped to know everything God had told him in advance. After Moses connected with God, it didn’t matter that Pharaoh wouldn’t listen to him at first. It didn’t matter that the people grew resentful and impatient. He knew what he had to do, and he did it.

By the time this story takes place, the Israelites had witnessed the plagues on Egypt, their official release from slavery, crossing the Red Sea, being miraculously fed every day while on the move, receiving water from a solid rock, and an underdog battle victory over a powerful enemy. God’s presence was with them —literally —through a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. God’s promise to Moses was fulfilled as they gathered together to worship on the mountain. They should never have doubted God or Moses.

However . . . Moses and God told the people to abide by a few simple rules, and the people didn’t want to. That’s where complications arose, as you discover in this story. The people created headaches for Moses, but worse, they severed the relationship between themselves and God. That was a real problem.

Ruled Out

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You might want to dig a little deeper into the background of Ruled Out by doing one or more of these projects:

Ruled Out

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  1. Who in this story are you most like: Ethan, Leah, or Melki? Why?
  2. When you know your friends are watching you, are you more likely to follow rules or break rules? When you know your parents are watching you, are you more likely to follow rules or break rules? Why do people your age sometimes have different responses to these two questions? What does that suggest about them?
  3. Have you ever had to move away from a place where you liked to live? If so, what were your regrets? What were the positive results of the move?
  4. It’s natural to resist rules sometimes. But what would happen if, say, everyone decided to ignore traffic rules? How about rules for basketball? Or rules for building skyscrapers? What’s the problem with everyone doing what he or she wants to do?

Galen and Goliath

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By the time David faced off with Goliath, the Israelites had experienced a long and turbulent history with the Philistines. Even way back when Moses led Israel out of Egypt and Joshua took them into the Promised Land, the Philistines were already there to give them trouble (Joshua 13:1-3).

You might remember the story of Samson and how the Philistines were in control of Israel at the time. They could do little to control Samson, of course, until he fell in love with Delilah. So they hired her to get close to the strongman and betray him. Yet even in his dying efforts, Samson took out thousands of Philistines (Judges 13–16).

The Philistines weren’t finished with Israel. When Eli was priest and had begun to take care of the young Samuel, the Philistines again went to war with Israel. In the battle, they stole the Ark of the Covenant and killed both of Eli’s sons. When Eli heard the tragic news, he fell over backward, broke his neck, and died (1 Samuel 4:1-18). But God did not allow the Ark to remain in Philistine possession for long. He sent a plague among their people, and they gladly returned it to Israel (1 Samuel 5–6). (By the way, this passage contains a fascinating story about what happened when the Ark of God was placed in the same temple with the Philistine god, Dagon.)

As Samuel grew he had his own confrontation with the Philistines, but Samuel realized that the problem was a spiritual one. He had the people rid themselves of other gods, confess their sins, and pray for deliverance. The Philistines were approaching, ready for another war, but God sent loud thunder that rattled them so much that the Israelites had no trouble defeating them (1 Samuel 7). And we are told, “Throughout Samuel’s lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines” (verse 13).

At that point in history, the people demanded a king in spite of Samuel’s objections. Saul was chosen and took over leadership of the nation. Samuel died soon thereafter, and it turned out that Saul didn’t have sufficient faith and courage to lead. Before long the Philistines were a problem again. Saul (and even more, his son Jonathan) had some success against them (1 Samuel 14). But in contrast to the peace that Samuel had achieved, “All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines” (1 Samuel 14:52).

All this had taken place prior to David’s one-on-one with Goliath. But even afterward, when Saul was attempting to capture or kill David, the young leader and his followers hid out in Philistine territory. Saul didn’t dare look for him there, and David even negotiated for a city where he and his men could stay. They were there for a year and four months (1 Samuel 27:1-6).

When David became king, no enemy was a match for his armies. But the Philistines were still lurking in the area. Many years later, when Hezekiah was king, he was still battling Philistines (2 Kings 18:8). Amos prophesied the ultimate demise of the Philistines (Amos 1:8), and they eventually fell to Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians.

But even today when someone is being rude and uncouth, he or she might be referred to as a “philistine.”

Galen and Goliath

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If you want to get a little more out of the story of Galen and Goliath, here are some projects you might want to try:

Galen and Goliath

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  1. Have you ever really wanted to do something, but were prevented because of some physical limitation (height, weight, health, etc.)? How did you handle your disappointment?
  2. If you were over nine feet tall, what are some things you’d want to do? Would your life be better or worse? Why?
  3. Galen’s image of the god Dagon was little more than a good-luck charm for him. Do you know anyone who thinks an object or habit will bring him or her good luck? How do you think God feels about good-luck charms? Why?
  4. What do you do when you’re around mean people who are bigger and stronger than you and are bossing you around? What can you learn from this story to inspire you the next time you’re bullied by someone? Do you think this story teaches us to strike back at bullies? Why or why not?

The Prophet’s Kid

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This story is set during one of the more depressing eras in the history of the Jewish people. When God gave Moses the Ten Commandments (many centuries before this story takes place), the first two commands on the list warned against putting other gods before the true God, and making or worshipping idols (Exodus 20:3-5).

A lot had happened since the Israelites received those laws. They’d entered the Promised Land, but failed to run out the residents as they’d been instructed. In time, they defied God and adopted many of the gods and religious practices of their neighbors. During the time of the judges God allowed enemy after enemy to overpower His people. Each time they’d repent, and God would send a judge to deliver them. But then they’d go right back to their idolatry.

After the people demanded a king, David fully trusted God and united the twelve tribes. His son, Solomon, had been faithful for a while, but then allowed his many wives to turn his heart away from the true God in pursuit of many other gods. The kingdom that David had united soon split after Solomon’s reign. The southern kingdom of Judah contained Jerusalem and the temple —a special place that most people visited several times a year. So the king of the northern kingdom, Israel, decided to create his own attraction for worshippers. He set up golden calves in two prominent cities and established shrines and priests at various other “high places” (locations where pagan peoples had held their religious rites).

The spiritual status of Israel and Judah had spiraled downward from there. Very few of the kings after Solomon had any redeemable qualities. Devotion to God was forgotten in pursuit of political power. King Ahaz was among the worst of the kings. But as the story reminds us, his son Hezekiah was one of a faithful few.

Isaiah was a steadfast prophet during this time. He had a lot to say about the idolatry of his people and how foolish it was to worship figures of wood and stone. He pointed out that a guy could cut down a tree, use half of it to heat his dinner, and then carve the other half to worship as a god (Isaiah 44:9-20). Did that make any sense? Even more telling, people had to nail down their idols to keep them from toppling over (Isaiah 41:7). What kind of power could someone expect from an object that couldn’t even stand up on its own?

Still, idol worship wasn’t just ridiculous. It was dangerous. The sacrifices to Molech described in this story are no exaggeration of what was involved with worship of that particular god. Perhaps that’s one reason we’re told to watch out for the “powers of this dark world” and the “spiritual forces of evil” that oppose God (Ephesians 6:12).

The Prophet’s Kid

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If you want to learn a little more about the time period of The Prophet’s Kid or respond to what you’ve read, here are some suggested projects to get you started:

The Prophet’s Kid

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  1. Do you have a treasured possession like Shub’s kinnor (harp)? If so, why is it special to you?
  2. Have you ever done something dangerous or stupid primarily to impress someone else? Did you accomplish your goal, or did your attempt backfire?
  3. When was the last time you had to suffer consequences for something you’d done? What did you learn from the experience?
  4. Did you ever display or express a level of faith in God that surprised even yourself? What typically prevents you from speaking up for God as much as you might want to?