📖

Jeroboam's Golden Calves

The Kingdom Divides

Day 58of 180
Week 12of 36
25Minutes
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🖨️ Download Worksheet (PDF)
🎯 What You'll Learn

Learning Objectives

1

Understand how Jeroboam led Israel into idolatry

2

Analyze the consequences of making wrong spiritual choices

3

Recognize the importance of following God's true path

📖 Scripture Connection

1 Kings 12:28

“Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”

— 1 Kings 12:28 (WEB)

Demonstrates how leaders can lead people away from true worship

📦 Materials Needed

  • Bible (World English Bible)
  • Kingdom map from BibleMouse Resource Guide
  • Colored paper
  • Scissors
  • Glue stick
📚 Step-by-Step

Lesson Plan

1Opening (3 min)

Quick review of how the kingdom split after Solomon's reign

💭 Review Question: What happened to God's kingdom after King Solomon?
2Teaching (8 min)

Exploring Jeroboam's bad decision to create false worship

📌 Key Talking Points:
  • Jeroboam worried people would leave him if they went to Jerusalem
  • He made two golden calves as false gods
  • He created a new fake worship system
💬 Discussion Questions:
  • Why do you think Jeroboam made these golden calves?
  • What might have been a better choice?
3Activity: Choices and Consequences Mapping (10 min)
decision analysis

Create a visual map showing Jeroboam's choices and their spiritual consequences

📝 Instructions:
  1. Draw a path on paper representing Jeroboam's decisions
  2. Use red and green to show good and bad choices
  3. Add stickers or drawings to represent consequences
🔄 Variations:

Simpler: Use pre-drawn template from BibleMouse Printables Library

Challenge: Write a short story about making right spiritual choices

4Closing (3 min)

Recap of how important it is to follow God's true path

📝 Review Questions:
  • What did Jeroboam do wrong?
  • How can we make better choices?
🙏 Prayer:

Lord, help us always choose to follow You, not our own ideas

Coming up: Tomorrow we'll learn about the kings who followed Jeroboam

💎 Memory Verse

1 Kings 12:28

“Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.”

— 1 Kings 12:28 (WEB)

🎯 Activity: Golden Calf Memory Verse Dance: Create hand motions for each key phrase, turning memorization into a fun movement activity

👨‍👩‍👧 For Parents

Teaching Notes

📚 Background:

Jeroboam's actions marked the beginning of persistent idolatry in the northern kingdom

💡 Teaching Tips:
  • Use the BibleMouse kingdom map to help visualize the story
  • Be patient and use age-appropriate language
  • Encourage critical thinking about spiritual choices
🤔 Common Struggles:

Children may find it hard to understand political and spiritual complexities

👀 Signs of Understanding:

Child's ability to recognize right from wrong choices

🚀 Want More?

Extension Activities

  • Create a timeline of Jeroboam's reign using BibleMouse timeline materials
  • Listen to BibleMouse Song Collection worship songs about faithfulness

Ready for Tomorrow?

Great job completing today's lesson!

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