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Drama, Storytelling, and Science Lessons, Ideas, Activities, and Resources for Teaching About Samuel in Sunday School.

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Key Words:
I Samuel 1-3,  Bible lessons for "Samuel"
Bible lessons about Samuel -with Drama, puppets, scripts, skits, acting, newsroom, etc.
Bible lessons and ideas about Samuel  -with science experiments, demonstrations, object lessons, magic tricks, presentations, etc.
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Last edited by Luanne Payne
Original Post

The Story of Samuel

Drama/ Puppets Workshop

Summary of Lesson Activities:

Uses a script to tell the story.

Memory Verse:

Samuel 3:9


Leader Preparation:

  • Read the scripture ahead of time.
  • Gather the materials.

Materials List:

  • Copies of the script.
  • Any props or costumes you wish to use.


Presentation

Opening- Welcome and Lesson Introduction:

Welcome the children and their guide to the workshop, introduce yourself, and open in prayer. Please try to start and end on time, and focus your attention on the children.

Guides do the attendance, and they can help with the workshop activities and the discussion questions. They should help the students with journaling and with the closing prayer circle.

Review the memory verse, I Samuel 3: 9, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.”

Also review the BONUS verse, James 1:22, “Do not merely listen to the word…Do what it says.”

Dig-Main Content and Reflection:

The drama itself will contain the Bible story this time, but before choosing parts for the characters in the drama, give the students a brief overview of the story, emphasizing the fact that this is the story of how young Samuel first heard from God and got to really know God’s voice.

The drama could be done as a walk-through drama, a puppet show, or using other drama techniques, such as, "Pose the Characters"  ...in which the actors are frozen until their "posers" move the actors arms and legs to new positions (If you've ever seen the improvisation show "Who's Line Is It Anyway" you know what I mean).

Drama: Samuel Responds to God’s Call

Characters: Narrator, Hannah, a prophet of God, Samuel, Eli, God’s voice, Eli’s two sons (optional)

Scene I: Hannah Prays for a Baby

As the scene opens, Hannah is crying. She gets up and walks up to the front of the tabernacle where she kneels down and prays tearfully. She continues to silently say the words of her prayer. As she prays, Eli walks up to her and asks a gruff question:
ELI: “What are you doing here? Have you had too much wine?”
HANNAH: “No, I had nothing. I am just very sad because I want a baby! I have been praying.”
ELI: “May God grant you your request. Go in peace.”
(Hannah gets up and walks toward home with a smile on her face because she knows God has answered her prayer.)

Scene II: Hannah Gives Her Son Samuel to God

Hannah walks to the front door of the tabernacle with little Samuel holding her hand. They walk up to the prayer place and kneel down together to worship the LORD. Then Hannah smiles and places Samuel’s hand in Eli’s hand. She speaks to Eli and Samuel:
HANNAH: “This is the son God gave me in answer to my prayer. He is given to God’s service all the days of his life. You may teach him to serve God in the tabernacle.”
ELI: “Come, son, I will show you where to go. You can help with the daily duties. My eyes can barely see anymore. I am thankful for your help.”
NARRATOR: Samuel continued to grow bigger, and to grow in favor with God and with men. His mother, Hannah, always prayed for him, and when she visited him each year she always brought him a new robe for his service in the tabernacle.

Scene III: A Prophet of God Speaks to Eli

The Prophet walks up to Eli who is sitting in his seat near the door of the tabernacle. He tells Eli:
PROPHET: “Eli, I have a message for you from the LORD.”
ELI: “What is it?”
PROPHET: “God has seen the bad and sinful things your sons are doing. You must stop them or God will punish them. God will have a new and faithful priest instead.”
ELI: (He listens and looks worried and alarmed. He walks off the stage to go talk to his sons. If you have any actors playing the part of Eli’s sons, have Eli go over to them and shake his finger angrily at them.)

Scene IV: Samuel Hears God and Obeys

As the scene opens, Eli is lying on his bed in one part of the tabernacle, and Samuel is on his bed in another place in the tabernacle.
NARRATOR: In those days the word of the LORD was rare and there were not many visions. Samuel continued to minister before the LORD under Eli’s direction, but Samuel did not yet know the LORD. One night after Samuel had lain down on his bed he heard a voice:
GOD’S VOICE: “Samuel!”
SAMUEL: (Gets up and walks quickly to Eli) “Here I am. You called me?”
ELI: “I did not call you. Go back and lie down.”
GOD’S VOICE: “Samuel!”
SAMUEL: (Gets up and walks quickly to Eli) “Here I am. You called me.”
ELI: “No, I did not call you. Go back and lie down.”
GOD’S VOICE: “Samuel!”
SAMUEL: (Gets up and walks to Eli again) “I am here. You called me.”
ELI: “God is calling you, not I. Go lie down, and when He calls, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’”
GOD’S VOICE: “Samuel! Samuel!”
SAMUEL: “Speak, for your servant is listening!”
GOD’S VOICE: “I am about to do something that will make everyone’s ears tingle. I will carry out my judgment against Eli and his family because Eli has not stopped his sons from doing wrong.”
(sunrise) NARRATOR: Morning comes and both Eli and Samuel get up. Samuel opens the front doors of the tabernacle, and Eli has a question for Samuel:
ELI: “Samuel.”
SAMUEL: “Here I am.”
ELI: “Tell me what God said to you.”
SAMUEL: (He looks somewhat afraid of what he about to tell Eli) “God said He will carry out the judgment against you and your family.”
ELI: (sadly) “He is the LORD; let him do whatever is good.”
NARRATOR: The LORD did everything He said He would do to Eli and his sons. The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and people listened carefully to his advice. Everybody loved and respected Samuel, the man of God.

Discussion Questions:

  1. Remember how Jacob heard God speak to him in his dream of the stairway to heaven, and then think about how Samuel heard God speak. Besides the fact that Jacob was outdoors “camping” and Samuel was inside the tabernacle, what was different about the way God spoke to Samuel compared to God speaking to Jacob? ANS: God spoke to Jacob in a dream, but it seems that Samuel was awake and audibly heard God calling his name before he heard what God said.
  2. What was different about what Samuel heard from God compared to what Jacob heard from God? ANS: Samuel heard that God would carry out judgment against Eli and his sons, but Jacob heard God’s promise to watch over him and be with him.
  3. What was the same about both Jacob and Samuel hearing from God? ANS: For both it was the first time each had really heard from God. It was the time they got to really begin KNOWING God.

Journal question: Have you started to know God and follow Him.? Have you asked God to forgive your sins because you believe Jesus took the punishment for your sins on the cross? Tell about how you’ve been knowing God in your journal, or (for youngers) draw a picture of you listening to God.

Closing:
Close with a circle of prayer, inviting the children to return for another workshop next week and to bring their Bible and a friend.




A lesson posted by rotation.org member "Learner".

A representative of Rotation.org reformatted this post to improve readability.

Last edited by Luanne Payne

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