The Old Testament Judges: Bulletin Board, Lapbook & Worksheet

I decided to add this Judges post separate from the Bible lesson because I just kept adding to it!
There is so much you can do with Judges! So, I will start with the lapbook. I made this very basic so that you can add as little or as much info as you want.

Here is the cover, and as you can see, I kept the file folder the same design and did not refold it like I normally do. And, that is because of how I made the front cover. That is one of the great things about lapbooks. You can change anything to make it fit your needs and it is ok!

So, this is how I put the inside together. I really made the scripture for the inside, but once I cut everything out, the parts fit perfectly, so I glued the scripture to the back. If you decide to lay out your lapbook like this, I put everything where I wanted it, then glued the parts down around the outside. Then I knew how much room I had to fit the rest in. Again, I didn't create any tricky cutting or anything, so it is easy for the kids to do themselves.  Click here to download and print the lapbook.

I also made this 2 page worksheet, which is what I am going to use. I started with the lapbook, then  decided to just make worksheets. I made a section for each judge, and the kids can write in whatever you decide. I will just have them write in how many years they were a judge. You can print it in color or in black & white.

Click here to print in color.

 

Click here to print in B/W.

And, the last option for this post is a Judges bulletin board. I thought it would be easier to have the basic info of each judge up while I teach this quarter. I like to review what we have been studying, so I can go to the board and point and talk! I will add a star or arrow for each judge when I teach each lesson.

These can also be used as visuals, which I am printing 2 sets for. I am not permitted to change the graphics, so I added longer hair for Samson on mine. That is an option to help the kids remember if you decide to. Print it here.

Optional Posters:

This is an updated set of Judges Posters with Sweet Graphics.

Click here to download this set.

The judges posters have been updated!

This set has key points for each person.

Click here to download.

 Why isn't Abimelech listed as a judge?

 

After a lot of study on the judges, I did not add Abimelech as a judge. But decided to add this comment as to why, after I received several comments. My main reason is the Bible verse: Nevertheless, the Lord raised up judges who delivered them out of the hand of those who plundered them. Judges 2:16  God picked who He wanted as the judges, and the first couple of verses of chapter 9 tell us that Abimelech talked bullied his way into being a leader, and is made 'king' by the men of Shechem (9:6). In verse 22, we are told that Abimelech ruled for 3 years. Again, he was self appointed and considered himself a ruler. After a lot of time spent on this, I can't get past the fact that God didn't pick him to be a judge.

 

 Please read the article below for a fantastic bio about Abimelech written by Dave Rogers, the Minister at Fayetteville Church of Christ in Fayetteville, Georgia.

Abimelech (Judges 9) is never described in scripture as being one of the judges of ancient Israel.  One of Gideon’s many sons, he was born to the concubine (a kind of “second-class” wife) Gideon had married in Shechem (Judges 8:30-31), and he seems to have been Gideon’s only son by this particular woman.  (Note that Gideon had fathered some SEVENTY other sons, by the many other women he had married, Judges 8:30.)  Upon his father’s death, Abimelech solicited support from his mother’s family in a bid to become the ruler of Israel (Judges 9:1-3), presenting his lust for power as a stark choice between being ruled by himself (to whom they were related) or being dominated by his brothers, whom he essentially presented as “outsiders.”

With the financial backing of his mother’s kinsmen, Abimelech hired a group of thugs to assist him and then brutally executed all of his half-brothers except Jotham, who managed to escape.  Judges 9:22 says that Abimelech “reigned” (a word which means he exercised power, acting as a kind of “prince” or self-appointed “royal personage”) over Israel for three years, but it is important to note that the Bible never calls him a judge, nor does it ever imply that he acted with God’s authority.  In fact, the very opposite seems to be clear, since the account of his actions in Judges 9 makes it plain that God’s intentions for Israel were contrary to Abimelech’s ambitions (cf. Judges 9:23-24 & 56-57).

Thank you Dave Rogers for writing about Abimelech and permitting me to post it here.