Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Welcome back, everyone! Today is the second lesson of our Superbook adventure, “Elisha and the Syrians.” Do any of you like to be treated unkindly?

No, we don’t want people to be unkind to us. Today, we will learn about showing kindness and mercy to others. God showed kindness and mercy to us when He sent His Son Jesus to die for us. Let’s stand and worship Jesus today with our music video called Celebrate Your Victory!

Play Video 11: (Song) Celebrate Your Victory! (3.5 minutes)

Be sure to preview the song so you can sing along and do the motions with the children.

Celebrate Your Victory

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

When someone does something mean to you, what is usually the first thing you want to do? Get even; pay them back.

Do you think that’s what God wants us to do? No.

We receive mercy and kindness from God every day, even when we don’t deserve it! That is how He wants us to respond to others—even when they don’t deserve it. When we show mercy and kindness to others, we bring glory and honor to God.

That’s why our SuperTruth for today is: “I will show mercy and kindness to all people.” Let’s say it together.

Introduce Condensed Bible Story (1 minute)

If all children watched the Bible story video in the previous lesson, you may skip it here and go straight to the Bible Background Video.

If you were here last time, what did Joy want to do when a girl posted an embarrassing video of her? She wanted to post an embarrassing video of that girl.

That’s when Superbook whisked her away, along with Chris and Gizmo. Where did they land? By the Jordan River.

What special technology did Gizmo use by the Jordan River? Sonar.

For those who haven’t seen our Superbook video yet, we are going to watch a short version of “Elisha and the Syrians.” If you have already seen it, notice all the ways that Elisha showed kindness to others.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (10.5 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to meet the prophet Elisha after his master, Elijah, has been taken up to heaven. Witness how the Syrians try to capture Elisha—and what he does after trapping their army inside an Israelite city! The children discover that mercy can accomplish much more than revenge.

Discussion (2 minutes)

What are some ways that Elisha showed kindness to people? When a man’s ax head fell into the river and was lost, Elisha threw a stick into the river and the ax head floated to the top. When Elisha’s servant was afraid of the Syrians, Elisha helped him see God’s forces that were greater. When the Syrians were trapped in the city of Samaria, Elisha told the king to feed them and let them go home instead of killing them.

Elisha sounds like a very kind person! So why was the Syrian king angry at him? Elisha warned Israel’s king about the Syrian army’s plans so they would be alert and ready for an attack.

Introduce Bible Background Video (1 minute)

Now we’ll learn more about the prophet Elisha and the Syrians who weren’t very pleased with him in our Bible Background video.

Emphasize the pronunciation of names so children understand the distinction.

We’ll also explore some important places that Elisha and his master, Elijah, visited together. When Gizmo asks a question, wait for him to give some possible answers, then call out the one you think is right!

Play Video 5: Bible Background (8.5 minutes)

Bible Background

Play Video 10B: SuperVerse Graphic 2

Graphic loops3 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat the verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 2

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. Matthew 5:44:

“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”

Does anyone know who originally said these words? Jesus.

Is it easy or hard to love your enemies? Hard. Why? If someone mistreats us or makes fun of us, we don’t want to be kind to them or show them love. If we have been hurt, we would rather see them punished or avoid talking or thinking about them.

I would say this is probably one of the most difficult things that we are asked to do as followers of Christ. We will find out in Small Group how God helps us to do this!

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, help us to show mercy and kindness to all people. Give us Your power to love others, even our enemies, and to pray for them. We cannot do this without Your love inside us. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Let’s go to Small Group where you will play a game about choosing between mercy and kindness.

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

Look at the SuperTruth and SuperVerse on the board. Raise your hands to name four things we should do for others, including our enemies. Love them, pray for them, show them mercy, and show them kindness.

Hold up balloons as you talk. In this game, we will pass balloons to the end of the line and then drop them in boxes that represent other people, including your enemies. The balloons represent the love, prayer, mercy, and kindness that we should give our enemies. That sounds really easy doesn’t it?

Yes, I thought so, too; that’s why we will pass the balloons down the line using only cups and plates. This passage from our Bible story will give you a clue about why we are using them. Read 2 Kings 6:21–22:

When the king of Israel saw them, he shouted to Elisha, “My father, should I kill them? Should I kill them?” “Of course not!” Elisha replied. “Do we kill prisoners of war? Give them food and drink and send them home again to their master.”

Why are we using plates and cups? To represent giving food and drink to our enemies.

Divide the children into two equal teams. If teams are uneven, a leader may play.

Team members stand side-by-side about an arm’s length apart, with the two teams facing each other several feet apart.

Give the first player on each team a plate and the second player a cup. Alternate this way until every player has a plate or cup.

At one end of each team, place a box holding a set of four balloons that say LOVE, PRAYER, KINDNESS and MERCY.

Place an empty box at the other end of each team.

Say, “Go!” The first player on each team scoops up a balloon using only the plate (no hands) and carefully passes it to the next player’s cup. Players cannot touch the balloons with their hands during the game.

Players pass each balloon until it reaches the end of the line, where the last player drops it into the box.

As soon as the last player drops a balloon into the box, the first player starts passing the next balloon. A team may only pass one balloon at a time.

If a balloon falls to the floor, players can only use their plates or cups to scoop it up and resume play. Two players may work together to capture a stray balloon.

The first team to finish passing all four balloons wins!

Play additional rounds as time permits.

Options:

After the first round, players switch cups and plates so they use a different item to pass balloons in the next round.

After the first round, reverse the direction of play so balloons are taken from the second box and passed back to the first box.

As soon as one balloon goes to the second player, the first player can begin passing another balloon so all four balloons are in play at the same time.

Conclusion: Good job in treating your enemy as the Bible tells us to! It isn’t easy to show God’s love to our enemies and those who persecute us. We must have the help of the Holy Spirit to be successful.

Teaching

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “I will show love and mercy to all people.”

Can someone tell me what mercy means?

Mercy is showing kindness and compassion to someone even when the person doesn’t deserve it. Can you tell me someone who shows us mercy? God.

How does God show us mercy? He sent Jesus to die for our sins even though we didn’t deserve it. He did this instead of punishing us. He forgives all of our sins.

Before Elijah was taken to heaven, he visited several important places. Each time, Elijah told Elisha to stay back. And each time, Elisha responded that he would not leave him. Elisha was faithful and determined to stay with his beloved mentor whom he called his father. Elisha’s faithfulness was rewarded when he saw Elijah taken up to heaven. (See 2 Kings 6:1–15.) What did Elisha receive? A double share of God’s Spirit that was on Elisha.

God’s Spirit empowered Elisha to do many amazing miracles and to show mercy and kindness to others—even his enemies. He had a heart to follow God.

Hold up the bag with the heart on it. This bag represents our hearts. Inside us is a struggle with how we respond to others. Pull out and hold up the two signs. We can choose to follow the leading of God’s Spirit, or we can choose our own selfish, natural desires.

Read Galatians 5:17,25:

¹⁷ The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. ²⁵ Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives.

How did Elisha respond to the man who lost the ax head; with anger and resentment, or with love and mercy? Hold up the two signs.

Yes, Elisha showed love and mercy. How? He performed a miracle to make the ax head float so the man could get it.

It’s easy to show love and mercy to our friends and family. How about our enemies?

When the Syrian soldiers surrounded Elisha, what did he do? He asked God to strike them with blindness.

Hold up the two signs. Was he acting out of anger and revenge, or with love and mercy?

Well, let’s think about that. At first, striking soldiers blind doesn’t sound like a nice thing to do. Yet Elisha could have asked God to strike them dead! Instead, he followed God’s Spirit and showed mercy and kindness. Later, he asked God to open their eyes.

When the enemy soldiers were trapped in the city of Samaria, how did Elisha respond? He told the king to give them food and drink and then sent them home!

Hold up the two signs. We face the same choices about how to respond to people. We can follow our own selfish desires and respond with anger and revenge. Or, we can choose to follow the Holy Spirit and respond with love, mercy and kindness.

This is too hard to do in our own strength. We need the power of God’s Spirit living inside us to give us the strength to make the right choice. God is always faithful to love us and show us mercy and kindness every day. Jesus loves us so much that He died for us. As His followers, we want to be like Him. When we trust Him, He will help us show His love, mercy and kindness to others—even our enemies!

God is full of mercy and kindness. In our Discipleship Challenge, we will learn how to discover even more about God’s character.

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Display the model craft that you made. Give a Chariot and Cloak Pattern to any children who missed Lesson 1 so they can complete the craft at home.

The challenge for Lesson 1 was to read Jeremiah 33:3:

“Ask Me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know about things to come.”

Did any of you think or talk about this verse at home?

Did you seek more of God in prayer?

What have you learned about God as you’ve prayed?

Continue to seek more of God in prayer. The Bible tells us that when you come close to God, He will come close to you! (See James 4:8.)

The Lesson 2 challenge shows us another way that we can seek more of God—by reading our Bibles. God wants to reveal Himself to us in His Word. Your challenge is to look up and discuss Psalm 119:18 at home. Try reading your Bible each day. I suggest that you start with the book of Mark, which is fairly easy to read. Ask the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to see wonderful truths about the Lord! You will also have a chance to share what you found the next time we meet.

If time permits, have children look up and read Psalm 119:18:

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in Your instructions.

SuperVerse

Read the SuperVerse on the board with the children.

“But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!”

This verse is from Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount. Jesus went up on a mountainside and sat down to teach the large crowds who gathered. He began to teach on many different important subjects that included loving your enemies. Jesus tells us to pray for those who persecute us. Can anyone tell us what persecute means? To treat someone cruelly or unfairly.

Sometimes people are persecuted because of their race or the color of their skin. Sometimes people are persecuted because they follow Jesus. It is not easy to love our enemies and pray for people who persecute us. We need the Holy Spirit’s help so that we can obey Jesus.

Have children divide into groups of three or four. Allow a couple of minutes for them to create motions to act out the verse. They may choose to have just one child say the verse as if preaching, while the others act it out. Have each group perform their version of the verse for the class.

Alternate activity: Have children form two lines perpendicular to the board, leaving several feet between the two lines.

Players face the one directly across from them. See illustration.

Hand the first player a ball on one end of the line.

That player shouts the first word of the SuperVerse and then passes the ball to the child directly across.

The second player catches the ball, shouts the second word and passes it to the third child.

Continue this way until the entire SuperVerse is completed.

If a ball hits the floor, play begins again at that point with the first word of the SuperVerse.

When the SuperVerse is completed, record the time on the board.

Play another round beginning with a player at a different end.

Challenge the children to beat the first time.

Younger children may not be able to memorize the entire SuperVerse. Be sure all children understand its meaning.

Prayer

Elisha showed love to his enemies. As followers of Christ, why should we be willing to show love and mercy to others? Because God shows kindness, love, and mercy to us every day.

Have the two volunteers read Psalm 25:6–7 (nkjv):

⁶ Remember, O Lord, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old. ⁷Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions; according to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O Lord.

This is a psalm written by David, who was the king of Israel. What did he ask God to remember? That God was full of love, kindness, and mercy from the beginning of time.

What did David ask God to forget? David’s sin and disobedience.

David wanted God to forget his mistakes and sins because God is full of mercy and kindness. God has not changed since the beginning; He is still full of love, kindness and mercy. Because He shows love, kindness and mercy to us, we must show them to others—even our enemies!

Please bow your heads, close your eyes, and think of anyone who may not have shown you kindness or mercy. Then, ask the Holy Spirit to fill you with God’s love, kindness and mercy so you may respond in a way pleasing to Him. Give children a few moments to pray silently.

Now, for the second part of our prayer time, Jesus told us to pray for those who persecute us. Take a moment to pray for anyone who may have treated you cruelly or unfairly. Ask God to change their hearts and to forgive them. Pause to allow children to pray.

Close in prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for Your love, kindness, and tender mercies. Help us pray for those who persecute us and respond to them in the same way You respond to us—with kindness, love and mercy. We pray this in the name of Jesus, who loved us so much that He died to forgive us. Amen.

Tossing Game

Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “I will show mercy and kindness to all people.”

In our Bible story, Elisha showed kindness and mercy to the Israelite soldiers, right? No; to the Syrian soldiers.

Very good; I wanted to see if you were listening! Elisha also showed kindness to someone else; who was that person? A prophet who lost a borrowed ax head in the Jordan River.

How did Elisha show him kindness? He performed a miracle; he threw a stick into the river where the ax head sank and caused the lost ax head to float on the surface so the man could grab it.

Optional: Read 2 Kings 6:6–7:

“Where did it fall?” the man of God asked. When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a stick and threw it into the water at that spot. Then the ax head floated to the surface. “Grab it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and grabbed it.

Hold up the pencils or craft sticks. In this game you will get to throw sticks into the Jordan River. We will pretend that the bed sheet is the Jordan River and the paper towels represent where the ax head sank—the target for each team to hit. You will each have a chance to throw three sticks. Each stick that lands completely on the target scores five points. Sticks that land partially on the target score one point. The helpers will keep score on the board. After you throw three sticks, quickly gather them and take them to the next player on your team.

Divide the children into two teams; if teams are uneven, one player may play twice.

Assign a helper to keep score for each team.

Teams form single-file lines behind the mark.

Give the first player on Team 1 the three craft sticks with the number 1. Give the first player on Team 2 the three craft sticks with the number 2.

Set timer for 1 minute for every 6 players, unless you feel they need more time.

Players throw and retrieve sticks until time ends. Tally the points; the team with the most wins. Play another round if time permits.

Optional play: increase the challenge by moving the towel farther from the throw line or by tearing the paper towels in half after the players have taken one turn.

Conclusion: Elisha showed God’s kindness and mercy to all people—to a fellow prophet and to his enemy, too! No matter how busy our schedules may be, we should always be on the lookout for opportunities to show mercy and kindness to others.

Craft

Who can close their eyes and say the SuperTruth? “I will show mercy and kindness to all people.”

Give each child a coloring page and crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers. As children work, lead them in a discussion using the questions below.

• What is happening in the picture you are coloring? The man who lost the ax head is rejoicing because he has found it again.
• Why was the man so upset about losing the ax head? He had borrowed the ax.
• Why was it so remarkable for the ax head to come to the surface of the river? Here is a hint; Gizmo told us this answer. The ax head was made of iron, and iron doesn’t float.
• Can you share a time when you showed kindness to someone who was upset?

Conclusion: Elisha had many important things to do for God, yet he took the time to show compassion and kindness to a man who was in a tough situation. We must always be ready to show kindness and mercy to others.

Bible Study

We have been learning how Elisha showed mercy and kindness to all people including his enemies. We are going to read and discuss some other miracles that Elisha performed to show kindness and mercy to others.

Have children find the different Scriptures and then take turns reading the verses aloud. Lead a discussion using the questions below.

1. 2 Kings 2:19–22:

¹⁹ One day the leaders of the town of Jericho visited Elisha. “We have a problem, my lord,” they told him. “This town is located in pleasant surroundings, as you can see. But the water is bad, and the land is unproductive.” ²⁰ Elisha said, “Bring me a new bowl with salt in it.” So they brought it to him. ²¹ Then he went out to the spring that supplied the town with water and threw the salt into it. And he said, “This is what the Lord says: I have purified this water. It will no longer cause death or infertility.” ²² And the water has remained pure ever since, just as Elisha said.

• According to verse 19, what was the problem? The water was bad and the land wouldn’t grow crops.
• In verses 20–21, what did Elisha do to make the water pure? He threw salt in the water from a new bowl and he spoke what the Lord said to the people.
• What was the result in verse 22? The water was purified so the people could drink it and produce crops on the land. The water remained pure after Elisha spoke.
• Did salt in a new bowl have the power to purify water, or was it something else? Please explain your answer. It was not the salt or the bowl; it was God’s power working through Elisha. Note: The spring, called Elisha’s Fountain, still flows clean to this day as discussed in the Bible Background video.
• Why was this an act of kindness and mercy? It solved a real problem. Water was critical to give life to the crops and for the people to drink.

2. 2 King 4:1–7:

¹ One day the widow of a member of the group of prophets came to Elisha and cried out, “My husband who served you is dead, and you know how he feared the Lord. But now a creditor has come, threatening to take my two sons as slaves.” ² “What can I do to help you?” Elisha asked. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” “Nothing at all, except a flask of olive oil,” she replied. ³ And Elisha said, “Borrow as many empty jars as you can from your friends and neighbors. ⁴ Then go into your house with your sons and shut the door behind you. Pour olive oil from your flask into the jars, setting each one aside when it is filled.” ⁵ So she did as she was told. Her sons kept bringing jars to her, and she filled one after another. ⁶ Soon every container was full to the brim! “Bring me another jar,” she said to one of her sons. “There aren’t any more!” he told her. And then the olive oil stopped flowing. ⁷ When she told the man of God what had happened, he said to her, “Now sell the olive oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on what is left over.”

• In verse 1, who needed help and why? The widow’s husband had died and she owed a debt.
• Did the creditors show her kindness and mercy? No, they showed her no mercy at all; they threatened to take her two sons to pay the debt since she couldn’t pay it.
• Did Elisha respond harshly to her need? No, he asked what he could do to help her.
• What was the part in the miracle that the widow was asked to do? Give whatever she had, which was a flask of olive oil. Gather empty jars from friends and neighbors, shut the door of her house and fill the jars.
• According to verse 5, did she obey Elisha? Yes, she and her sons filled all of the containers to the top.
• Why was it so unusual that she was able to fill all of the jars that were borrowed? She only had one flask of oil. That one flask filled all the other jars to the top! The oil continued until all were full and then stopped flowing.
• How did this miracle solve her need? She was able to sell the oil and pay her debts. There was enough money left over to live on.
• What can we learn in this Bible passage about things we have or possess; even if in our eyes they seem insignificant? God will use whatever we offer to Him in faith. He can take what is small and make it big.

3. 2 King 4:38–41:

³⁸ Elisha now returned to Gilgal, and there was a famine in the land. One day as the group of prophets was seated before him, he said to his servant, “Put a large pot on the fire, and make some stew for the rest of the group.” ³⁹ One of the young men went out into the field to gather herbs and came back with a pocketful of wild gourds. He shredded them and put them into the pot without realizing they were poisonous. ⁴⁰ Some of the stew was served to the men. But after they had eaten a bite or two they cried out, “Man of God, there’s poison in this stew!” So they would not eat it. ⁴¹ Elisha said, “Bring me some flour.” Then he threw it into the pot and said, “Now it’s all right; go ahead and eat.” And then it did not harm them.

• According to verse 38, what was the problem and need? There was a famine and the prophets needed food.
• What did he tell his servant to do? Put a large pot on the fire to make stew.
• In verse 39–40, why couldn’t the prophets eat the stew? Someone accidentally added wild gourds to the stew which were poisonous.
• In verse 41, how did Elisha respond to the need? He threw flour into the pot to make it safe to eat.
• Was the flour special? No, it was God’s power working through Elisha to perform the miracle.
• Why do you think God often uses common things like salt, flour or oil to meet people’s needs instead of having someone like Elisha do something more dramatic or exciting? God receives the glory and focus, not the person. He uses things that are at hand that hold no power on their own so people know it is by His power that a miracle happens.

Conclusion: Elisha was anointed by God’s Spirit. He did many important and powerful things for God. He spoke to leaders and kings, yet he also took the time to show kindness and mercy to a widow who couldn’t pay her debt, and a group of prophets who were hungry. We are empowered by the Holy Spirit, too. We can do great and mighty things for Him, yet we are also called to show God’s kindness, mercy and love to all people.