Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome (1 minute)

Hello everyone! Today is the second lesson of our Superbook story, “Naaman and the Servant Girl.” In this story, we see how God used a humble servant girl to introduce her master to the Lord so he could receive his healing and a lot more! When we are humble, God gives us grace and uses us to do powerful things for Him. Now, let’s all stand and worship our Mighty God, who is worthy of all our praise and worship!

Play Video 11: (Song) Trust and Obey (2.5 minutes)

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

Trust and Obey

SuperTruth and Discussion (2 minutes)

Our SuperTruth today says: “I will learn to be humble at all times.”

What does it mean to be humble?

Humble people don’t act or talk like they are more important than others. They don’t boast or brag about their accomplishments. Humble people give credit and thanks to others for their success.

When you try something new and lack confidence, it isn’t difficult to be humble is it?

However, if you experience a lot of success and think you know everything about something, it becomes more difficult to be humble, doesn’t it?

It is especially hard to remain humble when people take notice and give you a lot of praise! What is the opposite of being humble?

The opposite of being humble is to be arrogant, proud, and bragging. Which kind of person would you rather be around—someone who acts like they know everything and can do everything, or someone who is humble and willing to learn from others?

Let’s say the SuperTruth together again. “I will learn to be humble at all times.”

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, who was having trouble being humble; Joy, Chris, or Gizmo? Joy.

For the children who haven’t seen our Bible story yet, we are going to watch a short version of “Naaman and the Servant Girl.” If you have already seen the full video, watch closely to see which characters display a humble attitude.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (11 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to meet Naaman, a Syrian commander with leprosy. A lowly servant girl offers him hope, yet he must lay aside his pride to be healed.

Discussion (1 minute)

Did you find yourself counting along with Joy, Chris and Gizmo each time Naaman dipped himself under water?

What do you think Naaman was thinking as he dipped into the water the first time?

How about the third time?

How about the seventh time?

What do you think he felt like when he saw his skin without any sores?

Introduce Bible Background Video (1 minute)

Naaman was a powerful commander in the Syrian army. He lived in the city of Damascus. Have you heard that name before?

Someone else in the Bible was traveling to Damascus when, along the way, his life was changed forever! Can you think of who that was? Saul.

Yes, Saul, who became known as the Apostle Paul.

Naaman lived hundreds of years before Saul was born. He traveled from Damascus into Israel, which he considered enemy territory, because he hoped to have his leprosy healed. Now, let’s watch our Bible Background video and learn more about the time and place that Naaman and the prophet Elisha lived. When Gizmo asks a question in the video, wait for him to suggest some answers, then call out the one you think is right!

Play Video 5: Bible Background (8 minutes)

Bible Background

Play Video 10B: SuperVerse Graphic 2

Graphic loops 2.5 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. James 4:6b:

As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Many verses in the Bible tell us that proud people don’t please God. Our SuperVerse says that God opposes the proud. That means that He is against them. I don’t want God to oppose me; how about you?

No! I want God’s grace in my life. So, what is grace?

Grace means the free, undeserved blessings and favor of God that we can receive in Christ! I need God to be for me, not against me! When we are humble, God is for us and gives us His wonderful grace.

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group.

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, the Bible tells us that Jesus humbled Himself in obedience to You and died on the cross. Because Jesus humbled Himself, You elevated Him to the place of honor and gave Him the name above all names! God, we desire Your grace in our lives. Help us to be humble at all times and give You all the glory! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Let’s go to Small Group and play a game where you will fill up on humility and empty out pride. Are you ready to fill up?

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

I would like three people to each raise a hand and tell me how someone in the Bible story displayed a humble attitude.

We just watched how Naaman had to let go of his pride and learn to be humble. When he did, God gave Naaman grace and healing. In this game, we are going to do what Naaman did. We are going to empty our pride and fill up with humility! To do this, you will take a ball from the “Proud” container and bounce it toward the “Humble” container.

Divide the class into Team 1 and Team 2.

Each team’s players form a line behind a “Proud” container.

One player from each team plays at the same time, bouncing one ball to try to get it to land in the “Humble” container. The other players on the team clap and cheer for each attempt.

After their turns, players move to the back of the line and the next players take a turn. Game play must be continuous and fast-paced. One player bounces the ball; the next player immediately steps up to take a turn.

The helpers must quickly gather any missed balls and return them to the “Proud” containers without interrupting play.

Conclusion: It was not easy for Naaman, a mighty warrior, to let go of his pride and learn to be humble. It is a challenge for us to be humble when we experience success, victory and praise in our lives. It is very easy to start bragging and to think we are better than others. Part of being humble is putting the interests of other people in front of our own. When we do this we find joy and happiness and blessing.

We are all winners when we show love and encourage one another. God is pleased when we are humble, and He gives us His grace! What is grace again?

The free and undeserved blessings and favor of God in Christ!

Teaching

Can someone please tell us today’s SuperTruth? “I will learn to be humble at all times.”

Thank you! Who learned to be humble in our Bible story? Naaman.

Read 2 Kings 5:1a:

The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories.

Did you hear something very important; who gave Naaman great victories? The Lord.

Point to Box 1: NAAMAN. Naaman was a powerful Syrian warrior; however, it was because God allowed him to be! Naaman was full of pride in his own ability. He certainly did not give God glory for his victories! No doubt, he believed his success was because of his own ability! Naaman was a successful commander warrior, yet he could not defeat something. What was it?

Read 2 Kings 5:1b:

But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.

The disease of leprosy had no cure in Bible times. It spread easily and people who had it were usually sent away, to live outside the city. Today, we would say they were being quarantined, so no one else could catch it. Naaman was probably allowed to remain in his home because of his important position. Let’s look at the steps Naaman took to be humbled and healed.

Point to Box 1, NAAMAN. We know Naaman was a proud and powerful man. He desperately wanted to be healed, yet a number of things blocked his path to healing.

Point to Box 2: WHO. Because of WHO Naaman was, WHO he needed to listen to was humbling. Who was that person?

A young Israelite servant girl, his wife’s maid! Naaman was used to giving orders to servants, not listening to them. By faith, the girl spoke about her God and the prophet Elisha. Naaman would find this difficult to accept because he worshiped false gods. Yet, Naaman was desperate and needed help quickly. All of his wealth, power and fame could not heal him. His false gods were helpless and useless! So, the first block Naaman had to remove was humbly listening to a simple young servant.

Remove Box 2 and place Box 1 on top of Box 3: WHERE. Next, Naaman needed to leave home and travel someplace. WHERE?

He had to go to Israel—his country’s enemy. He needed to travel a great distance by chariot when he was suffering from his disease. He took along gifts for Israel’s king and the prophet when asking for their help. This would be very humbling for such a proud commander! Naaman got permission from the king of Syria and he traveled to Israel. So, the next block Naaman had to remove was to humbly travel in search of the prophet.

Remove Box 3 and place Box 1 on Box 4: WHAT. This was perhaps the largest obstacle for Naaman to receive his healing. He had his own expectations of how he should be healed. However, WHAT he encountered was very different than what he expected! What did Naaman think should happen?

Naaman thought that Elisha should come out to meet him, wave his hand over him, and pray to God for Naaman to be healed. See 2 Kings 5:11.

Instead, what happened?

Elisha did not come out to meet Naaman. Elisha sent his servant to answer the door and give Naaman instructions about how to be healed! Naaman was told to go into the muddy Jordan River in Israel. How did Naaman react—did he say, “Okay, sure”?

Naaman was furious and said there were two rivers in Syrian better than the Jordan—one ran right through Damascus, where he lived! Naaman was insulted that Elisha did not even bother to meet him personally. He was offended that the servant told him to dip in a muddy river when he thought he had much nicer rivers at home! This seemed much too simple; certainly he deserved a show of respect and an impressive ceremony to be healed by God! So what did Naaman do?

Naaman started to return to Damascus; he was too proud to follow the simple instructions. What happened next?

Read 2 Kings 5:13:

But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’”

Naaman humbled himself and listened to the wise counsel of his officers. He humbled himself to obey and do WHAT to be healed?

Remove Box 4 and place Box 1 inside Box 5: GOD. When Naaman chose to obey the instructions from God, he waded into the muddy Jordan River and washed seven times. His act of obedience and faith is much like baptism. Baptism symbolizes washing away our sin. When Naaman came up the seventh time, he was not only healed physically; his heart was cleansed at the same time! He was a new man, changed inside and out! Naaman now knew there was only one true God. He vowed to worship Him alone!

Naaman learned to be humble. He removed all of his obstacles of pride to receive God’s grace! Naaman had a problem he couldn’t cure on his own. We also have a problem which we cannot cure on our own—sin! Just like with Naaman, there are simple instructions God has given us to cure our sin problem. We need to humble ourselves, confess our sins, and believe in Jesus as our Savior. He will forgive us and wash us clean!

Read 1 John 1:9:

But if we confess our sins to Him, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

When we are willing to be humble and submit ourselves to the Lord, He will give us everything we need: salvation, health, joy, love, peace, power, and eternal life. Now, let's continue with our Discipleship Challenge and discuss the spiritual garments that we receive from Christ! One of the garments is something that Naaman learned to wear, too!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Hold up the sample crafts of the basket and garments from Lesson 1. In the last lesson, you received three garments to place in your basket. Who looked up the verses and filled in the blanks?

1. Colossians 3:12: I am clothed with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience.

2. 2 Chronicles 6:41: I am clothed with salvation.

3. Proverbs 31:25: I am clothed with strength and dignity. Dignity means to be worthy of honor or respect.

Good job! Those are a lot of garments that we can wear every day! We will continue our Discipleship Challenge with a new batch of clothing, with verses for you to look up and fill in the blanks. And be sure to pray about how God would want you to “wear” that type of clothing in your life every day! We will talk about them in our next lesson.

Give each child a Garment Pattern section for Lesson 2. In addition, give any children who missed the previous lesson a pattern for the basket and Lesson 1 garments. All children should cut out the patterns at home, look up the verses, and fill in the blanks.

SuperVerse

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. James 4:6:

As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Naaman led the Syrian army to many victories—yet he could not win the battle against leprosy. Before he was healed, he had to lay aside his pride. The SuperVerse tells us that God opposes people who are filled with pride, and He favors those who are humble.

Think about Naaman in our video. When he spoke, did he sound like this? Speak in a soft whisper: James 4:6b.

As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

No! Naaman was a powerful army commander. Let’s say the memory verse like he would—boldly. Have you got your Naaman voice ready? Go! James 4:6:

As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Good! Now, what character in our video spoke in a softer voice? The servant girl.

Let’s say the SuperVerse like the servant girl would say it. Have you got your servant girl voice ready? Go! James 4:6:

As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Good! I heard a proud commander and then a humble servant! There is someone else in the Bible who is our greatest model of humility. Can you guess who that person is?

Jesus showed true humbleness by obeying God, even when it meant dying on the cross. Let’s follow Christ’s example and humble ourselves before God.

Prayer

Who can say today’s SuperTruth from memory? “I will learn to be humble at all times.”

An important time to be humble before God is in prayer. Have two sixth graders read Hebrews 4:14–15 and Hebrews 4:16:

¹⁴ So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. ¹⁵ This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for He faced all of the same testings we do, yet He did not sin.

¹⁶ So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Wait a minute; I just said it was important to be humble when we pray. Yet what did that passage say? I would like the reader to please read verse 16 again.

¹⁶ So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

How should we come to God’s throne for help? Boldly.

So what is the correct answer; do we come humbly or boldly?

The answer is both! The Bible tells us to come boldly! However, our boldness is not because of who we are or what we did; our boldness comes from who Jesus is—and what He did! He is our High Priest! When we humbly surrender our lives to Jesus, He invites us to boldly approach God’s throne. We do this in Jesus’ name—not our own! He created a new and living way for us to come to God. Jesus paid the price for our sins by shedding His blood on the cross. That is why we pray in Jesus’ name. He has made us totally clean so we can enter the throne room of God, who is perfect and holy!

Today in our prayer time, let’s bow our heads and humble ourselves before God. Let’s ask Jesus to forgive our sins and cleanse us so we can enter God’s throne room boldly. If you have never asked Jesus to be your Savior and Lord of your life, you can certainly do it right now. He is listening and His arms are open wide to welcome you into His kingdom!

Wait a few moments to allow children to sit in God’s presence, then quietly continue. We have humbled our hearts before the Lord. What do you need God’s help with today? It can be for you or someone you know. Let’s bring our requests to God with confidence and boldness—in Jesus’ name! Allow children time to pray, then close in prayer.

Dear God, we come boldly to Your throne by humbling ourselves before You. Thank You, Jesus, for paying the price for our sins and dying on the cross. We praise You for washing us clean. Thank You for rising from the grave and giving us new life! Father, You invite us into Your presence because of Jesus’ righteousness, not our own. Help us learn to be humble at all times! Thank You for hearing and answering our prayers today! In the precious name of Jesus we pray, Amen.

Cup Game

Naaman was a proud man when he knocked on Elisha’s door. Naaman believed he knew how he would be healed. He thought Elisha would meet him and pray as he waved his hand over Naaman. Naaman needed to learn to be humble when things didn’t go as he expected. Let’s say our SuperTruth together: “I will learn to be humble at all times.”

Naaman needed to obey all the instructions from Elisha. In this game, you must obey the instructions your team leader gives you to build three patterns.

Divide the class into two teams, each with a mix of older and younger children. Teams do not need to be exactly equal. Have them line up at the starting mark.

Select a sixth grade helper or another volunteer to be the leader for each team, and give each team leader a SuperTruth Cup Sheet.

Team leaders will tell players which cups to get from the pile, and in which order, so players can quickly create the SuperTruth exactly as shown on the SuperTruth Cup Sheet.

The game is played relay-style. One player on each team plays at the same time.

Start the game. The team leader will give verbal instructions about which cup to find and where to place it.

Optional: team leaders may show the players the pattern on the sheet.

Each player will walk quickly to the pile, find the cup with the correct word, and take it to the line on the other side of the room. They will then place the cup on the table or the floor in the correct position with the word visible.

That player then walks quickly back to the team and goes to the end of the line. The next player in line then takes a turn until the SuperTruth is completed.

If one team finishes before the other, players must wait patiently for the other team to finish.

After both teams complete the pattern, both teams shout the SuperTruth together.

The leaders quickly gather up all the cups and place them together in a pile in the middle again.

Start the game and have the children build the next design.

Optional: play as a large group. Use a timer and play two rounds. The group tries to beat their own previous time assembling the three patterns.

Conclusion: The instructions in the game were just for fun. In our lives, we will find important instructions in the Bible that we must follow. When we follow God’s instructions with a humble attitude, we will experience God’s grace in our lives!

Activity

The SuperVerse for today is James 4:6b:

As the Scriptures say, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

A prideful person desires the attention of others. They want to be recognized, praised, and take all the credit for their success. Humble people do not call attention to themselves. They give praise to others and thank them for contributing to their success. Have children stand or sit facing the board.

We are going to play a game about pride and humility. You will get to move around as we play—up and down to be exact! I will read some scenarios or situations, and you will each decide whether someone acted in a proud or humble way.

If you think the person in the scene was proud: stand on your tiptoes and wave your arms in the air to bring attention to yourself as if to say, “Hey! Over here! Look at me!” Let’s all practice that now.

If you think the person in the scene was humble: sit on the floor, lower your head and put both hands out in front of you, palms up, as if to receive God’s grace. Let’s try it together.

Now here is the first scenario!

After you read each scenario below, allow the children a moment to make their choices, then ask the following questions.

Why did you choose “proud”? Can you give an example of what a humble response might be?

Why did you choose “humble”? Can you give an example of what a prideful response might be?

1. A soccer player just scored the winning goal in the championship game. A reporter interviews him. He talks about how everyone doubted him and how he worked hard to get to this moment. Was it a proud or humble response? Children stand up or sit down to indicate their responses.

2. A student receives the highest grade on a test. The teacher holds up the test and shows everyone. The student takes the test paper, thanks the teacher, smiles, looks at the test, and then places it in his or her backpack. Was it a proud or humble response? Children stand up or sit down to indicate their responses.

3. Five students work on a science project together as a group. When the project is complete, one student presents it to the class. The teacher and many students congratulate the student for the excellent presentation. The student smiles happily to receive all the praise, never mentioning the group. The student walks back to his or her seat, glances at the group, and does not say anything. Was it a proud or humble response? Children stand up or sit down to indicate their responses.

4. A boy in the school orchestra plays a solo in the concert. The audience gives him a standing ovation and he bows several times during the applause. While walking out of the auditorium, the boy shoves the instrument into his mom’s hands to carry and never speaks to her. He then walks at a fast pace, always a few steps ahead of her as they go down the hall and out of the building. Was it a proud or humble response? Children stand up or sit down to indicate their responses.

5. A girl is an excellent artist. Many of her drawings have won prizes and awards. She is interviewed on the local TV news. The girl talks about how God gave her the talent and ability and that her uncle, who is an artist, has tutored her since she was a little girl. Was it a proud or humble response? Children stand up or sit down to indicate their responses.

Conclusion: You had some very good responses! Matthew 23:12 (cev) says,

“If you put yourself above others, you will be put down. But if you humble yourself, you will be honored.”

When we choose to be humble, God is for us and will give us His grace!

Puzzle

Let’s say the SuperTruth together: “I will learn to be humble at all times.”

Can three children each tell me one way that Naaman humbled himself? He listened to the servant girl; he talked with Elisha’s servant, not Elisha; he dipped in the Jordan River; he returned to Elisha and asked for God’s pardon when he bowed to Rimmon with Syria’s king; he chose to worship Israel’s God only.

Why do you think Elisha told him to dip in the Jordan River instead of one of the rivers in Syria?

What would you think if you were Naaman and had dipped six times and were about to dip the seventh time? Would you be excited or worried, and why?

Why might it be difficult for Naaman to obey Elisha’s servant? Why might it be even more difficult for him to obey the servant in front of his own officers?

Now, we are going to have a puzzle race. Divide the children into pairs and have them find a place to sit together at a table or on the floor. Give each pair an envelope containing the puzzle pieces but tell them not to open it yet.

Inside each envelope is a set of puzzle pieces. When I say, “Go,” dump the pieces on the floor and work as a team to put the puzzle together. The first team that puts the puzzle together and shouts the SuperTruth wins! Are you ready? Go!

Bible Study

Our SuperTruth says, “I will learn to be humble at all times.” In practical, everyday life, what are some ways we can show humility? You will complete the worksheets to find out! 

Divide the children into groups of two or three. Give each group a pencil, Humility Worksheet, and Bibles. Have children look up the scriptures and draw a line to connect each verse to the corresponding action or attitude. Give the groups about 10 minutes to complete the worksheet, then read and discuss the verses and answers together.

Close in prayer: Dear God, help us learn to be humble at all times. We need Your grace in our lives so we don’t brag about ourselves or take glory for ourselves. Help us to boast only in You, Lord, and in Your goodness, love and mercy! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.