Daniel in the King’s Court
Daniel 1
August 23, 2015
The children will understand:
· The story of Daniel in the king’s court.
· That Daniel would not compromise on his belief in God.
· That they must know when they can and cannot compromise.
Craft
Supplies:
chenille sticks
Each child will need two chenille sticks. The children will BEND the chenille sticks into something that represents Jesus. They may BEND the chenille sticks to form a Bible, a cross, a church, a hand, etc.. Some of the children will volunteer to share their creations.
There are some things in life we can “bend” on, and there are other things in life that we absolutely cannot “bend” on. We’re going to meet a young man today named Daniel. Daniel bent on many issues, but he absolutely would not bend on his faith in God! You’ll see what I mean.
Bible Account
Supplies:
large cards
Beforehand, make some large response cards that say:
· More, more, more!
· Oh no!
· How sad!
· I promise
· No way!
· Wow!
· Way to go!
· The end.
Put the cards in front of you. When you hold up a card, the kids have to respond with what is on the card, but they also need a motion to go along with it. So, as you practice saying what is on the cards, also practice what they are going to do. (“Oh no” could be holding their hands up against their cheeks. “How sad” could be pulling the corners of their mouth down with their index fingers.) Tell the story below and hold up the cards when indicated.
There once was a powerful king whose name was Nebuchadnezzar. He ruled the mighty empire of Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar looked around at the cities that did not belong to him and he wanted to conquer them. His kingdom wasn’t large enough. (More, more, more!) He wanted to conquer more lands. (More, more, more!) One of the places he had his eye on was the city of Jerusalem. He sent his mighty army to Jerusalem to fight the people there. The people of Jerusalem fought their hardest to protect their city but they were no match against Nebuchadnezzar’s men. Jerusalem was defeated. (How sad.) After the battle, the soldiers went through the belongings of the people of Jerusalem and took what they wanted. The people cried as they watched the things they treasured being carted off to a foreign land. The soldiers didn’t care if they upset the people of Jerusalem, so they took some of the beautiful articles that had been in the temple. (Oh, no!)
Nebuchadnezzar also ordered his soldiers to look for young men who were healthy and smart, who would make good servants in his palace. One of the young men taken captive was Daniel. Just one look and you could tell that Daniel was strong. And, speaking to him for just a moment you could tell he was intelligent … just the kind of young man the king was looking for. So, the soldiers took Daniel away. Daniel would never sleep in his own bed again. His mom would never fix him his favorite meal again. He would never again sit on the temple steps and listen to the elders talk. Several of Daniel’s friends—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—were also taken captive. How they would miss their homes. (How sad!)
Now, someone had to oversee these young prisoners. Nebuchadnezzar appointed one of his chief officials to train them and make sure they were taken care of properly. Each young man was given a certain amount of food and wine each day … straight from the king’s table. This troubled Daniel. The rules that God had given Daniel and his people said that they should not eat these kinds of food. Daniel promised himself and God that he would not disobey these rules. (I promise!) For three years, yes three years, they were taught the Babylonian language. Their clothes were changed so they looked like the Babylonians. The king even had their hair cut so it would look like the Babylonians. Daniel and his friends read things written by the Babylonians. The king tried to make Daniel and his friends as much like the Babylonians as he could.
Daniel went to the chief official and pleaded with him. “Please let me eat and drink the food that I am permitted to eat and drink.” The official listened to Daniel but was afraid that if Daniel did not eat what he was given he would become weak. This would make the king very angry. The official couldn’t take the chance of getting in trouble with the king. (No way!) Daniel talked with him, though, and convinced him to do a test. He convinced the official to give Daniel a chance to prove he could stay healthy on vegetables, grain, and water. Ten days … that’s all … just 10 days … and then the official could check Daniel to see how he was doing. (Wow!) The guard couldn’t believe it! After 10 days Daniel didn’t just look fine, he looked better than any of the other men. (Wow!) Daniel had lots of energy. (Wow!) His cheeks were rosy. (Wow!) He had not lost any weight. (Wow!) Daniel’s diet must be all right. (Wow!) In fact, it must be better than what was coming from the king’s table. It didn’t take the official long to change the orders for Daniel’s diet. Only vegetables, grain, and water for Daniel, just like he had requested. (Way to go!)
God was pleased with the way Daniel had obeyed Him and trusted Him. God gave Daniel great wisdom and knowledge. When the king had trouble figuring out what to do, he called on Daniel. When the king had strange dreams, he called Daniel to help him understand what they meant. God blessed Daniel, even when his circumstances were strange and scary, because Daniel refused to compromise his beliefs in God. (The end)
Game
Supplies:
white board
dry erase markers
The leader will write 10 dashes ( ______) on the white board. The dashes represent the letters in the word “compromise.” The leader will call on different children to guess a letter that might be in the word puzzle. If the child guesses correctly, the leader will write the letter on the correct dash. If the child does not guess correctly, the child must answer a question pertaining to the Bible account. If the children fill in all the dashes before all of the Bible account questions are answered, the leader will call on volunteers to finish answering them.
Questions and Answers
· Who was the king over the city of Babylon?
(Nebuchadnezzar)
· Why was Daniel taken captive?
(The king of Babylon captured Jerusalem and wanted the strong young men to be his slaves.)
· What were the young men who were taken captive taught for three years?
(Babylonian language and literature)
· Who were Daniel’s three closest friends?
(Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego)
· What did Daniel refuse to do while in the king’s court?
(eat unclean foods)
· How long did the official test Daniel and the food he wanted to eat?
(10 days)
· What was the result of the 10-day food test?
(Daniel looked healthier than the young men who ate the king’s food.)
· What gifts did God bless Daniel with?
(knowledge, understanding, and Daniel could understand dreams)
· King Nebuchadnezzar could change Daniel’s home, language, and name, but what couldn’t he change?
(Daniel’s belief in God)
Puppets
Supplies:
two puppets
#1: Did you see that long word on the white board? (puppet sounds the word out incorrectly) Com - Promise.
#2: I believe it’s pronounced compromise, but I do see the word promise in it! Do you know what that word means?
#1: I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but I have no idea what that word means.
#2: Maybe it has something to do with making a promise. Yeah, I think it’s when two people come together and agree on something.
#1: Can you give me an example of a compromise?
#2: Okay, what’s your favorite type of sandwich to eat?
#1: Is it already lunchtime?
#2: No, just work with me here. I’m trying to give you an example of compromise.
#1: Ooohh, my favorite sandwich is a melted ham and cheese sandwich! Mmmmmm, I can practically taste it now.
#2: Well, my favorite sandwich is leftover meatloaf and cheese sandwich. Now that, my friend, is a good sandwich.
#1: Eeewww, I hate meatloaf!
#2: Well, I love it! But I also like melted ham and cheese sandwiches. If I were going to cook lunch for you, which I’m not, I would make a compromise and make hot ham and cheese sandwiches for both of us.
#1: So, you would change to agree with mine?
#2: Yeah! That’s making a compromise. I don’t like ham and cheese melts as much as leftover meatloaf and cheese sandwiches, but what’s the big deal? I still like ham and cheese.
#1: Wow, you’re so kind!
#2: Remember, I said that I was just giving you an example. I’m not actually going to feed you!
#1: I think I get it. It’s ALWAYS good to compromise!
#2: Wait a minute! I didn’t say that!
#1: But, it was so nice of you to agree to ham and cheese!
#2: Yeah, but ham and cheese is not that big of a deal! Sometimes, compromising IS a big deal!
#1: Like when? When I would actually be forced to eat meatloaf?
#2: No! Like when compromising is wrong. Eating meatloaf is not a
sin.
#1: It should be!
#2: Seriously, if you asked me to do something that I know is a sin, then I CANNOT compromise!
#1: My elevator isn’t moving all the way to the top, if you know what I mean … I need an example.
#2: Let’s say we were disagreeing about which movie to go see at the theatre. You wanted to see a movie rated PG-13, and I wanted to watch an animated movie that was rated G. I know that your movie is rated PG-13, because there are things in that movie that I should not be watching. I will not agree—or compromise—with you because it would be wrong for me to go to the movie with you!
#1: PG-13! My mom would kill me if I went to that movie! What was the name of the movie, anyways?
#2: (frustrated) I don’t know! There is no movie! That was just an example! Never mind! You’ll never understand!
#1: Never understand what? That it’s okay to compromise on some things, but it’s not okay to compromise on things that are wrong?
#2: (shocked and confused) Uuhh … yeah. That’s exactly it.
#1: Oh! Okay! Well, now you’ve completely made me hungry, so I'm going to go make myself a sandwich! Are you willing to compromise and eat a grilled cheese with me? Cuz that’s all that we have in the fridge.
#2: Sounds good! Now that’s a compromise I can make!
Activity
table
counter bell
copy of game show cards
Beforehand, make a copy onto card stock of the game show cards at the end of the lesson. Then, cut these apart for use by the game show host.
The children are going to play “To Compromise, or Not to Compromise? – That Is the Question!” The leader will be the game show host and will stand behind a small table with a counter bell positioned in the middle of it. This game will be played similarly to the opening question in the television game show “Family Feud.” Two volunteers will face each other, standing on opposite sides of the table. The leader will read an example from an index card, and the first child to ring the bell will tell the leader if it would be safe to compromise in that situation or if it would not be safe to compromise in that particular situation. A child may not ring the bell until the entire question has been read. If the child who rings the bell first gives the wrong answer, then the other child can answer correctly. After each question is answered correctly, the child should give a reason why it would, or wouldn’t, be okay to compromise in that particular situation. After each face-off, choose two new kids to play.
Well done, kids! Thank you for playing “To Compromise, or Not to Compromise – That Is the Question!”
Message
Supplies:
PowerPoint slides
(show slide #2) When we CAN compromise.
We CAN compromise when the compromise is not sinful. It was not a sin against God for Daniel to learn a different language. People can praise the Lord in any language! It was not a sin against God when Daniel’s name was changed. Our names change when we get married or when someone gives us a new nickname, and that’s not sinful. The Lord knows every hair on our heads, no matter what our names are! It was not a sin against God for Daniel to change locations. How many of you have ever moved? We move from house to house, town to town, state to state, and sometimes to a different country. Has anyone ever lived in another country? That’s not sinful. The Lord can use us to minister to others no matter where we live!
(show slide #3) When we CAN’T compromise.
We absolutely CANNOT compromise if the compromise causes us, or others, to sin! If the compromise hurts you or someone else, you cannot choose to compromise. Daniel knew it was a sin against God to eat unclean food. The food in today’s Bible account may have been offered to false idols, or the food may have been pork, which was considered unclean by Jewish laws. No matter the reason, Daniel chose not to compromise, because he knew the compromise would have been a sin against God! It would have been disobedience against God. God had specifically told His people certain rules for what they could eat and what they couldn’t. Daniel did not want to disobey God’s rules.
(show slide #4) What if I don’t know?