soloman

Solomon was David's son......I guess he had some shoes to fill.

God appeared to him in a dream and told him to ask for whatever he wanted. He told God that that he felt like a little child and really wanted the wisdom to know right from wrong. He wanted to be able to rule his people with great understanding. God was pleased that he didn't ask for riches, a long life or to harm his enemies. So He told him that not only would He grant him great wisdom, He would also give him riches and honor.

So I guess Solomon really needed this wisdom when those two prostitutes came to him with their dilemma. It seems that they lived in the same house and both had babies within days of each other. There was an unfortunate situation where one baby died. The mom of the baby who has passed switched the babies when the other mom was sleeping. So they went to Solomon and argued their case. He told his servant to cut the baby in half.........eek!.......so that they would each have a half. gulp.
The real baby's mother, full of love for her son..... pleaded to the king to not kill him and to give him to the other woman.......the other woman said "neither of us will have him......cut him in half".......ack!

So, this is when Solomon told his servant to give it to the first woman......as she truly proved this was her child.

Here is another one of Hunter's creative ornaments, the scales of justice.
......this one was the hardest to pull off (it is hard to glue and set a balancing act of sculpty clay, pipe cleaners and wood)

The Lord was pleased with Solomon's reply and was glad that he had asked for wisdom. So God replied, "Because you have asked for wisdom in governing my people and have not asked for a long life or riches for yourself or the death of your enemies~ 1 Kings 3:10-11

david

Tonight we will go further into David's life.......he was chosen by God to be king when he was a boy......before he even knew it. He knew what kind of person David was even thought most people just looked at him as a child who tended to his sheep. God's servant Samuel poured oil on his head and anointed him as the future king of Israel. He became king at age thirty......and was a great king because he listened to God throughout his reign. He protected his people like he always protected his flock.


In the past, when Saul was our king, you were the one who really led the forces of Israel. And the Lord told you, ‘You will be the shepherd of my people Israel. You will be Israel’s leader'.
~ 2 Samuel 5:2

david and goliath

Super cool "underdog" story.....boys will really stayed focused on this one. It's kinda hard to imagine Philistine giants being over nine feet tall....and how cool that a mere shepherd boy took out the most feared giant of them all. I can just picture him, this lean little spitfire stripping himself of Saul's bulky and heavy armor/helmet and having the "let me at'em" spirit.....this coming from a mom of three lean spitfire boys. I think they were definitely drawn into all the details, especially on how David off'd Goliath's head at the end. (Nev seemed to think that wasn't necessary)

Here is our slingshot....and no, that is not a jelly bean, though it does look like one. It is a nice smooth stone from Ezra's newt tank. :)

And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord’s battle, and he will give you to us!~ 1 Samuel 17:47

ruth and naomi

Tonight we will talk about Naomi and Ruth. Naomi lost her husband, and had two sons......both of whom died as well. Her two daughter-in-laws stayed with her and they grieved together. Then it was time for Naomi to go back to her hometown. She encouraged both of her daughter-in-laws to do the same and go back to their families, but Ruth refused. She wanted to stay with Naomi. She told her "Don't ask me to leave. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your friends will be my friends and your God will be my God."

So Ruth and Naomi went to Bethlehem and Ruth stayed true and loyal to Naomi. Now back then, women were not really allowed to work...... Ruth wanted to find food for them, and it was harvest time..... so she worked in the fields following behind the harvesters and picked up any barley that they had dropped. Fortunately for them, these fields were owned by Boaz who was related to Naomi's husband. He also was a man of God. He noticed Ruth and encouraged his workers to leave extra barley behind for her. Eventually he met up with Ruth, assured her she was safe and told her that she would be rewarded for taking care of Naomi.

Big happy ending.......Boaz marries Ruth and they live happily ever after (pretty sure! Still learning these storied too!)

May the LORD, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge, reward you fully.~ Ruth 2:12

rahab

This is another one of my favorite stories in The Book.......this is about how Rahab, the prostitute from Jericho, had hid Joshua's spies from the leaders of the city. She deceived the king's men who had heard that the spies had been to her home. This was a dangerous thing to do, as she would have been executed for treason if she had been found to be harboring them. But she trusted in the spies and their God. She had heard of the Mighty God of Israel and believed that He would do just as He promised. She knew that He had dried up the Red Sea for the safety of His people and completely destroyed other armies in their path. This was a mighty leap of faith.

So she struck a deal with the spies, she would hide them until dark and help them escape.......if they would promise to save her life along with her family when the city was seized. She was instructed to hang the red rope from her window so that her home would be spared by the Israelite army's destruction. And so it happened, Jericho was destroyed; Rahab and her family were spared.

Rahab and her faith were remembered throughout the New Testament as well.....

It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute did not die with all the others in her city who refused to obey God. ~Hebrews 11:31