LESSON INFORMATION

Unit Essential Questions:

  • What can animals in the Bible teach us about God?

  • What animals are mentioned in the Bible? Why are they mentioned?

  • What are the context characters and who are they?

Lesson Essential Questions:

  • What can a lion teach us about God? 

  • What is a metaphor and how is it used in the Bible?

Bible Text:

  • Revelation 5:5, Jeremiah 32:17, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 29:11

Contextual Lenses:

Learning Goals:

  • Learners will be able to identify a lion, and name its qualities.

  • Learners will be able to describe how God is strong just like a lion.

  • Learners will be able to describe how the Bible uses pictures to help us better understand who God is.

  • Learners will be able to talk about metaphors.

Teaching Points:

  • God is strong and powerful.

LESSON PREPARATION

What you should prepare . . .

  • Either cut out the context character and glue it to a popsicle stick or use the context character plush toy.

  • Print off the included coloring page for each student in your class. Set out crayons and markers that learners can use to decorate their paper. 

  • To keep track of the different characteristics of God embodied by the six animals, create an anchor chart that includes their names. As you’re introduced to each character, add what you’ve learned about the animal, and what the animal teaches us about God to your chart.

What you should know . . .

The Bible uses “pictures” to help us better understand who God is and what God is like. In order to better understand the meaning of God’s words we have to know and understand these “pictures.” As responsible readers of the Bible, noticing the metaphors helps us to read the Bible in its proper context.


 

LESSON INTRODUCTION

Ask learners to think about these two questions before you play the video. Spend some time letting them share their answers. 

Wonder Questions: (slides 1,2,3)

  1. I wonder what kind of animal this is? (There are three powerpoint slides that each pull back and show more of the animal. See how quickly learners can guess the animal.)

  2. I wonder what this animal’s favorite food is?

 

ENGAGING WITH CONTEXT

Play the Video. (Slide 4) You can also show pictures and teach the content of the video if you would rather do that.

Video Script: 

Lions are one of the most amazing animals in the Bible. They are a picture of bravery, strength, and nobility. Did you know that lions are mentioned over 150 times in the Bible? For many ancient cultures, like the Egyptians and Romans, lions were seen as symbols of protection and safety. The Bible even calls Jesus the "Lion of Judah," which helps us understand God’s strength and power over everything.

Lions used to live in the lands of the Bible, though they don’t anymore. Back then, they roamed forests, caves, and even the shores of the Jordan River. But the lions of the Bible, called Asiatic lions, were a little different from the African lions we see today. They had smaller manes, so you could always see their ears. Their fur could be black, brown, sandy, or even gray.

When we read the Bible, we often see lions used as a picture of God’s power and presence. Isn’t that awesome? Lions remind us that God is strong and always with us!.

Introduce Levi the Lion. (Slide 5)

Use either the context character cut out on a stick or a plush toy.

Tell learners that Levi will be helping us learn more about God and the Bible.

 

EXPLORE THE STORY

(Slide 6)

In the Bible, writers often use word pictures, or metaphors, to help us understand God better. A metaphor is when we compare two things that have something in common. For example:

  • "God is a rock"—God is strong and dependable.

  • "God is bread"—God provides for us.

  • "God is a shepherd"—God cares for us.

Just like someone might say, "You are my sunshine!" They don’t mean you’re literally the sun, but that you bring happiness, just like the sunshine. The Bible uses metaphors to say that Jesus is like a lion.

Read Scripture

 Revelation 5:5: "Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah... has conquered." This verse is talking about Jesus!”

How is Jesus like a lion?

  • A lion is strong, and Jesus is strong.

  • A lion is powerful, and Jesus is powerful.

God is strong and mighty too!

Jeremiah 32:17: "Ah, Sovereign LORD, you made the heavens and the earth by your great power... nothing is too hard for you."

Cool Fact: God also makes us strong!

Psalm 28:7:, "The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped."

God gives us strength, but what for? 

Psalms 29:11: "The Lord gives strength to His people; the Lord blesses His people with peace." 

God wants us to be strong not for fighting, but to bring peace and help others.

 

RESPOND TO THE STORY

God gives us strength so that we can love, serve, and help others, not to hurt or fight. Like a lion is strong, we can use our strength to be brave, kind, and bring peace to others.

Reflection Questions:

  1. Why does God give us strength? (To bring peace.)

  2. How can we use our strength to help others?

Prayer: 

God, thank you for being like a lion—strong and powerful. Thank you for giving us the strength to love and help others. Help us to use our strength to be kind and bring peace, just like You do. Amen.

 

OPTIONAL ACTIVITIES

  1. Color Levi the Lion. Bring Levi the Lion to life with this fun and engaging coloring page!

  2. Make a mask. Get creative by designing your own lion mask or using the ready-made template provided!

  3. Lion Movement Activity. Engage learners in understanding how lions move by incorporating a fun and interactive activity. Start by explaining that lions are known for their slow, deliberate movements when stalking prey and their sudden bursts of speed when hunting.

  • Demonstrate Lion Movements:

    • Option 1: Model the movements yourself—walk slowly and gracefully like a lion stalking its prey, then shift to running fast and roaring like a lion catching its food.

    • Option 2: Show a short video clip of a lion stalking and chasing prey to give learners a visual example.

  • Lion Movement Practice:
    Invite learners to stand up and pretend to be lions. Have them:

    • Walk like a lion: Move slowly and calmly, imagining they are silently sneaking up on their prey.

    • Run like a lion: Suddenly burst into fast movement, running or jogging in place, and finish with a mighty lion roar!

  • Interactive Play:
    Try turning this into a game. Call out “Stalk” for slow, sneaky walking and “Hunt” for fast running and roaring. Mix it up to keep them engaged and having fun.

 

Lesson Files Include:

  • Lesson PDF

  • Presentations Files (Keynote, Power Point, Google Slides)

  • Videos

  • Coloring Pages

  • Mask Cut Outs

  • Character Cut Out

  • Sample Anchor Chart

Context character plush toys and sticker sheets coming soon!

Contact info@lovegodloveothers.com if you are interested in trying out this unit with your students!