Background Scripture (read 2-3 times during the week)
Story Summary
The Samson story is a very popular Bible story, but it is actually very complex and fraught with land mines when teaching it to children! The Egermeier's Bible Story Book does a very nice job of telling this story in a safe and age-relevant way. Below is a summary that you can use to guide your teaching of the story if you do not have the Egermeier's Bible.
The story of Samson is set within the period of the Judges when the Israelites were in their all-too-familiar pattern of disobedience, then oppression by an enemy, Israel crying out to God, God sending someone to deliver them, and then starting the cycle again. This time, the Israelites were being oppressed by the Philistines, and God sent Samson to deliver Israel.
An angel told Samson's mother and father, from the tribe of Dan, that they would have a son who would deliver Israel from the Philistines. The angel gave his parents special instructions. Samson was to never drink wine and they were to never cut his hair (this was called the Nazarite vow - see Numbers 6:1-21). This would be a sign to others that Samson belonged to God. Samson grew and became very strong.
Samson's First Battle With the Philistines
Samson became very angry with the Philistines (you can read the backstory on that in Judges 14), and decided to take it out on them by burning their fields. He did this in a most creative way, by tying 300 foxes (or jackals) together two-by-two by the tail, and then tying a lit torch to their tails and setting the very angry foxes free in the grain fields of the Philistines. The Philistines didn't like that a bit, so they killed Samson's wife and her father in retaliation. Samson then fought back and killed many Philistines and went to live in a cave in the tribe of Judah. The Philistines pursued him and came to the men of Judah to fight them. Rather than fighting the Philistines, though, they turned Samson over to the Philistines! God gave Samson strength to escape from the Philistines and kill over 1,000 of them in battle with the jawbone of a donkey.
Samson and Delilah
Samson then fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The Philistines found out about this, and were desperate to get even with Samson. So, they convinced Delilah to try and figure out what made Samson so strong. She asked Samson, "What is the secret of your strength?" Samson tricked her 3 times with false answers: 1) if you tie me up with leather straps (or animal tendons, depending on the translation), I can be controlled 2) if you tie me up with new ropes that have never been used 3) if you braid my hair into cloth on a loom. None of those worked, of course, because Samson was lying to her.
But Delilah kept pestering him and giving him a guilt trip ("If you really loved me, you would tell me..."). Finally, Samson told her that the secret to his strength was that he had never used a razor on his hair. So, this time when the Philistines came to attack Samson, he was unable to fight them off. They gouged out his eyes, put him in bronze chains and carried him away.
Because of all the battles Samson had won, the Philistines were so angry that they held a big party to celebrate the capture of Samson. They paraded him in front of 3,000 Philistines who were partying. Samson asked the guard who was watching him to put him against the pillars of the temple. When he did, Samson asked God for strength one last time, and he pulled the pillars of the temple down on himself and everyone at the party. Samson had won one last victory.
My Notes
What You Will Need
Supplies
- ropes
- leather straps (for telling the story of Samson and Delilah)
Video Options
From Crossroads Kids Club
From Saddleback Kids
From Kids on the Move
Resource Sheet
This coloring sheet depicts Samson tearing down the Philistine temple.
1 Warm Up get your kids talking and engaged
Ask the children, have you ever gotten angry at your brother or sister or friend and done something to them to get back at them or get even?
Today, we are going to learn about a man in the Bible named Samson who had that same problem.
2 Teach the Story teach a holistic story
Read story from a Children's storybook Bible for younger children.
For older children, read story from an age-appropriate Children's storybook Bible or tell the story yourself.
There are elements in this story that are very difficult to understand, even for adults. We read the narrative of the Samson story, but there isn't much in there to tell us whether God condoned all of Samson's actions. He seems to break a lot of the Law of Moses in this story, but then at times it says he was filled with the Spirit of God before he attacked the Philistines.
There seems to be two things that we can take from this story:
- God used Samson to punish the Philistines.
- Samson did not have control over his temper or his love life.
So, be sensitive to the age of your children as you are teaching the lesson. You can leave out certain details if you think it is too much for them (e.g. the Philistines gouging out Samson's eyes). But above all, we have to honor the fact that God decided to dedicate 4 chapters of his Bible to this story, so it is there for a reason.
3 Bible Mastery give them basic Bible skills
Scripture for Kids to Read Aloud Judges 13:2-5, Judges 15:3-5, Judges 16:4-6, Judges 16:15-22
4 Comprehension Questions make sure they understand the story
First, ask the children if they have any questions about the story. What to do if you don't know the answer?
- Who was Samson?
- One of the judges of Israel
- What nation was oppressing the Israelites this time?
- The Philistines
- What two things did the angel ask Samson's parents to not allow for Samson?
- The angel told Samson's mother not to drink wine during her pregnancy. Samson himself was to be a Nazirite — set apart for God — and was never to cut his hair.
- How did Samson burn down the Philistine grain fields?
- Tying foxes together by the tails and then tying torches to their tails
- What did the Philistines do in retaliation?
- Killed Samson's wife and her father
- What did Samson do in retaliation to that?
- Killed 1,000 Philistines with a donkey's jawbone
- Who did Samson fall in love with next?
- Delilah
- What did the Philistines bribe her to do?
- Figure out what made Samson so strong
- What did she finally figure out was the source of his strength?
- That his hair wasn't cut
- What did the Philistines do to Samson once they finally caught him?
- Poked his eyes out and chained him up
- How did Samson win his final battle?
- He pulled down the pillars to the temple where the Philistines were partying
5 Faith Questions open up a conversation about faith and the gospel; close with prayer
- Again, we have a story that is centered on God's judgment - this time of the Philistines. Samson was not a perfect person. He made a lot of mistakes. But God still used him as an instrument to accomplish his purposes.
- Will you allow God to use you?
6 Memory Verse hide God's Word in their heart
How Strong Are You?
- Have students take turns lifting different sizes of weights.
- Samson was given great strength to accomplish God's plan to rescue the Israelites from the Philistines.
Samson Grass Head
- If you have a sample, you can cut "Samson's" grass hair during the lesson.
- Draw a face on the small plastic cup.
- Add dirt and grass seed.
- Water grass seed.
- Encourage students to place their Samson head in sunlight.
- They can cut Samson's hair as it grows.
Two Truths and a Lie
- Samson did not want to tell Delilah what gave him his strength.
- Have each student say 3 things about themselves.
- Two things should be true.
- The other should be something made up.
- The class guesses which is not true.
Fox Tail Relay
- Before the race, create 4 loops of ribbon by tying the ends together (about 6-8' of ribbon for each loop)
- Line up children at a starting line, with a cone at the other end of the room or area
- Place a ribbon loop around two children on each team.
- When you say “go,” they have to run to the cone, around it, and back without separating or dropping the ribbon on the floor.
- While each team is going, get the next pair of children ready for each team by placing a ribbon loop around them.
- The first team to finish wins!
Riddles
- What has hands but cannot clap? (A clock)
- What has a head and a tail but no body? (A coin)
- What gets wetter the more it dries? (A towel)
- I have a single eye, but I cannot see. What am I? (A needle)
- What belongs to you, but everyone else uses it more than you do? (Your name)
- What animal is excellent at baseball? (A bat)
- What goes up but never comes down? (Your age)
- What has to be broken before you can use it? (An egg)
- I’m tall when I’m young, and I’m short when I’m old. What am I? (A candle)
Samson's Hair
- Attach yarn to face to make hair.
Block Pillars
- Build pillars with the chosen supplies
- Take turns knocking down the pillars
Hair Headband
- Make paper strips taped together to fit around each child's head.
- Attach long pieces of brown or black yarn to make long strips of hair.
Rock Paper Scissors- Samson Lion Delilah
Play the game Rock Paper Scissors, but using Samson Lion Delilah
- Samson: Put your arms up to show big muscles
- Lion: Make lion claws
- Delilah: Make cutting motion (She cut Samson's hair)
Samson beats the lion
The Lion beats Delilah
Delilah beats Samson
Honey If You Love Me, You'll Smile
- Have the kids sit in a circle and choose one student to be “it” to start with.
- If you are “it,” you choose a student sitting in the circle, approach them and say, “Honey, if you love me, you'll smile.”
- If the person sitting in the circle smiles, they are now “it.”
- If they can keep a straight face, “it” has to move on to the next student and try again.
Samson Riddle Decoder
Riddles:
- I have hands but cannot clap.
- I get wetter the more I dry.
- The more you take the more you leave behind.
- I am tall when young and short when old.
- What must be broken before you can use it?
Answers:
- CLOCK
- TOWEL
- FOOTSTEPS
- CANDLE
- EGG
