We are learning about Samson today and next week. The booklet is a Fill-in-the-Blank black & white printable that we will use for both lessons. Today's lesson is found in Judges 13-16. The people were disobedient to God, so He allowed them to be under the Philistine control for 40 years. There was a man named Manoah and his wife could not have children. An angel of the Lord came to her and told her that she has not had any children, but she would have a son. She is not to drink wine and she is not to eat unclean meat. They were not permitted to shave the baby's head because he would be a Nazirite. The baby would be the person to save the Israelites from the Philistines. She told her husband of the angel's visit and Manoah asked God to help them do the right things for the baby that would be born. Manoah & his wife had the baby boy and they named him Samson. When Samson was grown up, he saw a woman in Timnah and told his parents that he wanted her for a wife. They wanted Samson to marry someone from their own people, and not a Philistine. But Samson said he wanted to marry her. Samson went with his parents to the vineyards at Timnah and was surprised when a lion came roaring at him! Samson tore the lion apart with his bare hands! He was able to talk to the woman that he wanted to marry. And when he left, Samson went back to see the dead lion, and there was a swarm of bees inside of it. He put his hands in and ate some of the honey, and took some of the honey to his parents. But, Samson did not tell them what he had done to the lion. Samson's father went to talk to the woman and Samson held a feast. Samson married her, but she betrayed Samson. During the feast, Samson told his 30 groomsmen a riddle that they had to solve in seven days. The men told Samson's new wife that they would burn her and her family if she didn't tell them the answer to the riddle. She begged Samson for the answer, and Samson told her the answer to the riddle, then she told the groomsmen. Samson was very angry! With God's help, he killed 30 Philistines, took their clothes, and gave them to the groomsmen as payment for guessing the riddle. Samson was still angry with her, but went to her house to see her. But her father wouldn't let Samson see her. Her father said she had been given to someone else for a wife because he thought Samson hated her. Samson retaliated by catching 300 foxes. He took two foxes at a time, put them tail to tail, and put a torch between the tails. Samson lit the torches, and the foxes ran through the grain fields burning up the grain. They also ran through the vineyards and olive groves. The Philistines found out and burned Samson's wife and her father to death. Samson fought back by killing a lot of people and the Philistines went looking for Samson to arrest him. Men from the Tribe of Judah asked the Philistines "Why are you here?" and they replied that they were looking for Samson. There were 3,000 men from Judah that went to the rock (cave) at Etam where Samson was hiding and resting. They told Samson that they were there to arrest him and turn him over to the Philistines. Samson told them he would go with them as long as they weren't going to kill him. They tied him up with two new ropes. When they arrived at Lehi, the Philistines ran toward Samson. The ropes on Samson's arms fell off and he picked up a fresh jawbone from a donkey. Samson killed 1,000 men with the jawbone! Samson threw down the jawbone and cried to God, "You have delivered me and now am I to die of thirst?" God 'split the hollow place' in Lehi and Samson drank the water and received his strength back. Samson became a judge for Israel for 20 years. We will continue learning about Samson next week! Click here to download the updated visuals. All are not shown. the file includes 35 visuals for Judges 13-16. (These are not included in the application pack.) Click here to download the pictures to color. (These are the same as the visuals but are black & white.) I also added some chains to use with both lessons. They have the same facts about Samson on each chain that the booklet has. The kids can cut, tape, staple or glue the chains together and you have a project that coordinate together! They are black & white (I printed on gold paper). Click on the above picture to print them. I found this Samson by Tales of Glory on eBay. I wanted it for next week's lesson, but it is fun for the kids this week also! The lions were found at Target's Dollar Spot a couple of years ago and I use them for Daniel. You will see one for David also! We used this booklet during the lesson. The kids filled in each page as we discussed the Bible facts. It is in black & white only, since it is 4 pages. But, the kids will leave it in class to finish Samson next week. Click here to download. Click here to download the worksheet. Click here to see the worksheets for this quarter. Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. Click here to see Part 2 of Samson.