Judges 20
Explanation and Bible story for toddlers and preschoolers (ages 3-6)
The Explanation
It was early in the morning. Dust on the road. Feet, so many feet. People came walking from far away. From the north and from the south. They all came to one place. The place was called Mizpah.
There were so many people you could not count them. They stood close together, quiet as one big family.
Then a man stood up. His eyes were red from crying. "Something terrible happened," he said. "In the town of Gibeah. Bad men hurt my wife. They hurt her so much that she died."
Everybody gasped. Nobody said a word. Then they all shouted at once. "That is wrong! That may never happen here!"
They sent a message to the town. "Give us those bad men." But the town said no. They would not listen. And so brothers began to fight with brothers. That is the saddest fighting there is.
What Does This Mean?
The fighting was terrible. Many, many men did not come home again.
So the people went to a place called Bethel. And there they cried. They sat down on the ground and they cried. They cried until the sun went down and it was dark. "God, what should we do now?"
And God answered them. God heard every tear.
They fought again. And again they lost. Again they came back to Bethel. Again they sat down. Again they cried, all day long, until evening. They were too sad to eat. They brought God a gift.
"God, should we go one more time?"
And God said: Go. Tomorrow I will help you.
The next morning, something rose up over the town. Smoke. A big grey cloud of smoke, going up and up into the sky. Everybody saw it. And the fighting stopped.
It was quiet again. But it was a sad quiet. So many people were gone.
The Common Thread
In those days Israel had no king. Nobody to say, "Stop. Not like this." And look what happened. Brothers hurt brothers, and nobody could make it good again.
But God was still listening. God always listens when people cry.
And God had a plan. Much later He sent His own Son. Jesus. Jesus is the good King. Jesus does not hurt people, He heals them. Jesus makes enemies into friends. And when Jesus sees people cry, He cries too.
For You
Sometimes you fight. With your brother. With your sister. With your friend. Maybe someone grabs your toy. Maybe someone hits you. Then you get hot and angry inside.
You do not have to hold that all by yourself. You can tell God. Even with a very small voice. Even with tears.
God bends down and listens. Every time.
And then you can go back. You can say sorry. You can hold out your hand. That is how the good King does it.
Talk About It
What do you do when you are angry with someone?
God listened when the people cried. What do you want to tell God today?
Praying Together
Dear God,
Sometimes people are mean. Sometimes I am mean too.
Thank You that You listen to me.
Help me to say sorry.
Help me to be a friend.
Amen.
Questions about Judges 20
Short answers for anyone reading about this for the first time.
What is Judges 20 about?
What does Judges 20 say?
What does Judges 20 teach us about God?
What can toddlers learn from Judges 20?
Why is Judges 20 an important Bible story?
What others discovered
Four hundred thousand men are already standing there with swords when someone finally says, "Tell us, how did this wickedness happen?" The army came first, the question second. I know that order too well. Outrage gathers fast, understanding limps behind. Before you take your stand, ask what actually happened.
They had the ark. They had Phinehas. God's presence was right there in Bethel the whole time, and Israel only came to ask after two crushing defeats. "The children of Israel asked Yahweh (for the ark of the covenant of God was there in those days." Notice the word *there*. It was always there. What have you been carrying alone this week, with God near enough to touch?
Looking for something for slightly older children?
We also have dedicated versions for elementary age (7-12) and teens (12 and up).
Open in the Children's Bible tool
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