The Joy of Jesus is God's Goodness

The Psalms
105

The LORD's Wonders in Behalf of Israel
1 Chr. 16.7-22
1 O give thanks unto the LORD;

call upon his name:
make known his deeds among the people.
2 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him:

talk ye of all his wondrous works.
3 Glory ye in his holy name:

let the heart of them rejoice
that seek the LORD.
4 Seek the LORD, and his strength:

seek his face evermore.
5 Remember his marvelous works that he hath done;

his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth;
6 O ye seed of Abraham his servant,

ye children of Jacob his chosen.
7 He is the LORD our God:

his judgments are in all the earth.
8 He hath remembered his covenant for ever,

the word which he commanded to a thousand generations.
9 Which covenant he made with Abraham, Gen. 12.7 ; 17.8

and his oath unto Isaac; Gen. 26.3
10 and confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law,

and to Israel for an everlasting covenant:
11 saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan,

the lot of your inheritance. Gen. 28.13
12 When they were but a few men in number;

yea, very few, and strangers in it;
13 when they went from one nation to another,

from one kingdom to another people;
14 he suffered no man to do them wrong:

yea, he reproved kings for their sakes;
15 saying, Touch not mine anointed,

and do my prophets no harm. Gen. 20.3-7
16 Moreover he called for a famine upon the land:

he brake the whole staff of bread. Gen. 41.53-57
17 He sent a man before them,

even Joseph, who was sold for a servant: Gen. 37.28 ; 45.5
18 whose feet they hurt with fetters:

he was laid in iron:
19 until the time that his word came:

the word of the LORD tried him. Gen. 39.20--40.23
20 The king sent and loosed him;

even the ruler of the people,
and let him go free. Gen. 41.14
21 He made him lord of his house,

and ruler of all his substance: Gen. 41.39-41
22 to bind his princes at his pleasure;

and teach his senators wisdom.
23 Israel also came into Egypt; Gen. 46.6

and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. Gen. 47.11
24 And he increased his people greatly;

and made them stronger than their enemies.
25 He turned their heart to hate his people,

to deal subtilely with his servants. Ex. 1.7-14
26 He sent Moses his servant;

and Aaron whom he had chosen. Ex. 3.1--4.17
27 They showed his signs among them,

and wonders in the land of Ham.
28 He sent darkness, and made it dark; Ex. 10.21-23

and they rebelled not against his word.
29 He turned their waters into blood,

and slew their fish. Ex. 7.17-21
30 Their land brought forth frogs in abundance,

in the chambers of their kings. Ex. 8.1-6
31 He spake, and there came divers sorts of flies, Ex. 8.20-24

and lice in all their coasts. Ex. 8.16, 17
32 He gave them hail for rain,

and flaming fire in their land.
33 He smote their vines also and their fig trees;

and brake the trees of their coasts. Ex. 9.22-25
34 He spake, and the locusts came,

and caterpillars, and that without number,
35 and did eat up all the herbs in their land,

and devoured the fruit of their ground. Ex. 10.12-15
36 He smote also all the firstborn in their land,

the chief of all their strength. Ex. 12.29
37 He brought them forth also with silver and gold:

and there was not one feeble person among their tribes.
38 Egypt was glad when they departed:

for the fear of them fell upon them. Ex. 12.33-36
39 He spread a cloud for a covering;

and fire to give light in the night. Ex. 13.21, 22
40 The people asked, and he brought quails,

and satisfied them with the bread of heaven. Ex. 16.2-15
41 He opened the rock, and the waters gushed out;

they ran in the dry places like a river. Ex. 17.1-7 · Num. 20.2-13
42 For he remembered his holy promise,

and Abraham his servant.
43 And he brought forth his people with joy,

and his chosen with gladness:
44 and gave them the lands of the heathen: Josh. 11.16-23

and they inherited the labor of the people;
45 that they might observe his statutes,

and keep his laws.
Praise ye the LORD.

Published by The American Bible Society

Bible Study: Being Thankful

A Reason For Reading, Level I: The Ten Lepers
By Concerned Group

Discover the key to reading success with values-based stories that make reading FUN! Little Books help teach kids powerful reading strategies that lead to success. NOTE: Levels in Reading reflect student ability, not grade level!

In The Ten Lepers Jesus heals ten men, but only one returns to thank him. Level I. 24 pages.




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Jesus Heals Ten Lepers
To Remember: We all have a lot to be thankful for.


Vocabulary
leper: a person with an incurable, contagious disease that attacks the whole body
Lesson

Luke 17:11-19 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten lepers approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!" When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went, they were made clean. Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. He prostrated himself at Jesus' feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. Then Jesus asked, "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they? Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" Then he said to him, "Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well."

Leprosy was a feared and horrible disease, and still is. To this day, it is still predominately incurable. Because it was easy to catch, lepers were not allowed in the city, and were not allowed to approach others. That is why these ten lepers kept their distance and called out to Jesus. These lepers were, in all, a good bunch. They were obeying the laws: they stayed out of the city and did not approach Jesus or his followers. They believed in Jesus' ability to heal. They obeyed Jesus without question when he told them to go to the priests, even before they were healed.*

*Leviticus 13 explains how leprosy was handled under Moses' law. The priests were the men who decided whether leprosy was contagious or not. The priests had the power to declare these men healed and clean.

So these men were respectful, obedient, and trusting. What they weren't was thankful. Only one of the men, when they learned they were healed, was grateful enough to return and praise Jesus. Do you think he was the only one that was happy? I doubt it. Do you think it was easy for him to be the only one to return to Jesus? Probably not. He wanted to be declared clean by the priests so he could return to his family, his job and his friends. But he was thankful enough to stop right then and thank Jesus and praise God for this wonderful gift.


Discussion: What excuses could the other nine have given for not returning and thanking Jesus?
But he told us to go to the priests - we're only doing what he said!
He's God, he knows I'm grateful.
I have so many things to do now that I can be a normal person again! I'll thank Him later.
Do we often make excuses for not thanking God? What excuses do men make today for not thanking God?
I'm obeying God - so he owes me these blessings.
God knows my prayers before I offer them. Why should I have to tell him?
I'm very busy right now, I'll thank him later.
I hurting so much because of ________. Why is he not helping me?
God didn't do that for me, it was: my hard work, nature, my friend, luck.
Discussion: How are we to thank God? For what? Why? Study the verses on the worksheet and discuss their application to our lives.


Worksheet: Be Ye Thankful


Sing:I've got the Joy, Joy, Joy, Joy


Craft:
Make a thank you card to God. Fully thank him for one blessing and what it means to you.
Make a mural of blessings that the church provides for the students. Display the mural where the congregation can see it.
Activity:
Musical blessings
Around the room: Have students stand in a circle. Have the first student say one thing they are thankful for. Have the next person repeat the first and add a second. Continue around the room until everyone has added two or the group can't continue.
Worksheet: I'm Thankful For...
True or False
God wants us to thank him once a year in November. F
Some days may go by without anything to thank God for. F
God appreciates our praise even when he already knows we're thankful. T
There is more than one way to thank God. T
God is the giver of every good and perfect gift. T
Memory Work:

1 Thess. 5:16-18 "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."


Psalm 138:1 "I give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise."

Review Questions for gameboard

linguistic questions
Name four blessings that start with the letter T.
Unscramble this word: frunatelug
Recite the memory verse.
activity questions
Draw a blessing for which you are thankful.
Put together a puzzle made from the picture of the leper.
Turn to the person next to you and thank them for something.
emotion questions
How can we cheer ourselves up when we are disappointed, discouraged, or upset? (count our blessings)
How do you feel when you do something nice for someone and are not thanked?
How must God feel when we are not appreciate of his gifts?
What kind of relationship does God want with us?
application questions
Can we be obedient without being thankful? (2 Cor. 9:7)
Read Romans 1:28-31. Can we be pleasing to God without being thankful?
Read Phil 4:6. Thankfulness can bring us _____________.
fact questions
How many lepers returned to thank Jesus?
Was the thankful leper a Jew?
What did the other lepers do that was right?
review questions
Who else can we show our gratefulness to?
Name three reasons why the healed lepers would be grateful. (healed from a fatal illness, can live inside the city, can be with their families and friends again, can worship God in the temple again...)
Are ungrateful people happy? How can we be happy?

Share your ideas!