Family Home Evening for 2 Kings 2-7

 Read or Summarize the Stories in 2 Kings 4

Here are my summaries:

Story 1

A widow came to Elisha and said that a creditor was going to come and take her two boys as servants, unless she paid her debts, but she only had a pot of oil. Elisha told her to go and barrow every oil vessel she could from all of her neighbors, even empty ones. So she sent her sons to go gather the vessels. When they had gathered a lot, the woman locked her sons and her in their home and filled every vessel with oil, and still had more left over. She told Elisha that she had done as he asked. He told her to go sell the oil and pay her debt.

Story 2

One day, Elisha was walking through Shunem. A woman invited him into her home and gave him some bread. She gave him bread every time he passed their home. One day, the woman told her husband that she believed that Elisha was a prophet. She told her husband that they should prepare him a room in their home with a bed, a table, and a candlestick, so that he could stay with them. Elisha told his servant to tell the woman that because she had been so nice to him, he wanted to do something nice for her, and to ask her what she wanted. She said that she wanted a child, but her husband and her were too old. Soon after, the woman had a healthy, baby boy. Later, the son got sick and died. The woman had faith that Elisha could bring her boy back to life, and so she called for Elisha to come. Elisha gave the boy a blessing and the Lord brought him back to life.

Story 3

The  men traveling with Elisha were hungry, but they were in land that had a famine. So Elisha sent his men to gather what they could find to make pottage or soup. They gathered some herbs and gourds from around the area, but they didn’t know what they were because they were not familiar with the area. When the pottage or soup was made, the men began to eat it. Then they realized that some of the ingredients, used to make the soup, were actually poisonous. Elisha told the men to bring some meal of flour in and throw it in the pot. Then, they served the soup again, and none of the people got sick ir died.

Story 4

Someone brought some food to Elisha. He gave him 20 loaves of barley bread and full ears of corn. Elisha told him to help him feed all of the people with them. His servant said that it was not enough to feed 100 people. Elisha told him to just do as he said, because the Lord said that they should eat then leave. So the servant set out the corn and barley bread, and the people ate and left, just as the Lord had said.

Game

Now, you or your children can give a 1-2 word clue, to try and guess which miracle they are discussing.

Discuss

What miracles have you and your family seen in your lives?

Click the picture below to see how we did this lesson

Family Home Evening for 1 Kings 11-19

 Read 1 Kings 19:11-12- As you read, you could play sounds of a mudslide, earthquake, and fire to distract from and block the reader’s voice.

11 ​And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the ​​Lord​​. And, behold, the ​​Lord​​ passed by, and a great and strong wind rent ​​the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the ​​Lord​​; ​but​ the ​​Lord​​ ​was​ not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; ​but​ the ​​Lord​​ ​was​ not in the earthquake:

​​​12 ​And after the earthquake a fire; ​but​ the ​​Lord​​ ​was​ not in the fire: and after the fire a ​​​still​ small ​​​voice​.

Discuss

What things can your family do to be able to hear the Still Small Voice better in your life? What does Satan do to try and distract us from listening?

Click the picture below to see how we did this lesson

Family Home Evening for 2 Samuel 5-7; 11-12; 1 Kings 3; 8; 11

 In Samuel we read about 2 kings, Saul and David. Last week, we learned about how Saul allowed David to fight Goliath, and David defeated him. Saul was very impressed by David’s strength and brain, and so he made him a leader in his army. Saul began to become stubborn and rebellious. He also became jealous of David and tried to kill him. After Saul died, David became king. Read the following scripture passages to compare the two kings.

Saul	David
1 Samuel 15: 11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments	1 Samuel 18:14 And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him.
1 Samuel 15:22-23 … Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.	2 Samuel 5:10&12 And David went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with him. And David perceived that the Lord had established him king over Israel, and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake.
1 Samuel 15:28 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou .	2 Samuel 3:18 Now then do it: for the Lord hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all their enemies.
1 Samuel 28:6-7 And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor.	2 Samuel 2:1 And it came to pass after this, that David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the Lord said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron.

As you can see, David was a king that looked to the Lord for guidance and direction, and Saul lost his kingdom, because he turned away from the Lord and relied on his own strength. Because of his obedience, Heavenly Father blessed David’s posterity. Now read 2 Samuel 7:16 “ ​And thine ​​​house​ and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy ​​​throne​ shall be established for ever.” When the Lord told David, “Thy throne shall be established forever,” He was referring to a future king in David’s family line who would reign forever: Jesus Christ. 

Discuss

Why are you grateful that Jesus Christ is your Eternal King?

Click the picture below to see how we did this

Family Home Evening for 1 Samuel 8-10; 13; 15-18

 Narrator: The Philistines and the Israelites were in a war over the land.

Goliath was a Philistine. He was 6 cubits and a span tall. That means that he was between 8 and a half and 9 and a half feet tall. He had lots of armor and a sword and a shield. He even had a guy with a shield that stood in front of him. Goliath told The Israelites that if any of them could kill him, then all of the Philistines would become servants to the Israelites, but if he killed any of them in the battle, then the Israelites would have to be servants to the Philistines. None of the Israelites wanted to fight him.

One of the Ephraimites, Jesse, had eight sons. The 3 oldest sons went to war, and the youngest, David, was left home to take care of the sheep. One day, Jesse asked David to do something for him.

Jesse: Take this food to your brothers and take this cheese to the Captain. 

David: Okay.

Narrator: When he arrived, he was talking with his brothers and heard Goliath say

Goliath: Israelites, choose you a man, and let him come fight me. If he can kill me then we will be your servants: but if I kill him, then you will serve us. Give me a man, that we may fight together.

David: Who is this man that thinks he is stronger than God? He is big and strong, but God is on our side.

Narrator: David’s oldest brother, Elab, answered him and said

Elab: What are you really doing here? Did you just want to come see the battle? You think you are so tough. Who is watching the sheep? You are just a kid.

Narrator: David said the same thing to other men in the camp. Word got to the leader of the army, who also happened to be King Saul. Saul asked to see David, and he said

David: Nobody has to worry about fighting Goliath, because I will do it. Who is this guy who thinks that he can beat the armies of God?

Saul: How are you going to fight that big man? You are just a kid!

David: I take care of my Dad’s sheep, and one day a bear and lion came and tried to take two sheep. I killed the bear and the lion and took the sheep out of their mouths. I will do the same to Goliath.

Narrator: Saul decided to let David try, so he gave him the same kind of armor that Goliath had, but David said

David: This is too heavy. I don’t know how to use a sword, because I have never fought in a war before. I just want to use my sling and these 5 smooth stones. God delivered me from the lion and the bear, and I know that He will deliver me from Goliath too.

Narrator: Then David went to Goliath and said

David: You have a sword, spear, and shield, but I have God on my side. He will help me beat you, and I will win this battle. Everyone here will know that the Lord doesn’t use a sword and spear, but because I have faith in Him, He will give me the strength I need.

Narrator: David put his hand in his bag, and took out a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. So David picked up Goliath’s sword and smote off his head.

Discuss

Think about the tools that Goliath had to battle with. Think about what David had. Sometimes, we have things in our life that seem big, scary, and almost impossible to defeat. What tools has God given us to battle the “Goliaths” in our lives?

Here is our video

Family Home Evening for Ruth, Samuel 1-3

 Read or Summarize 1 Samuel 1

(Our summary)

Elkanah had 2 wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah was able to have children, but Hannah could not. Sometimes, people made Hannah feel bad because she couldn’t have any children. Hannah stopped eating and cried a lot. Hannah prayed to Heavenly Father and begged Him for a son. She promised God that if she could have a son, she would give him unto the Lord and he would serve God all of the days of his life. Eli, a priest in the temple, witnessed Hannah’s prayer. She was saying her prayer in her heart, so only her lips moved. Eli asked her if she was drunk. Hannah replied that she was very sad, but that she was not drunk. She told him that she was pouring her soul before the Lord. (Remember this statement, because we will talk about it more later). Eli told her that if she would have peace, God would answer her prayer. 

After Hannah’s prayer, she was happy again, and began to eat. God blessed Hannah with a son, she named Samuel. When Samuel was a toddler, Hannah sent him to the temple to begin serving God. 

Discuss

When Eli approached Hannah, he asked her if she was drunk. In 1 Samuel 1:15, we read, “And Hannah answered and said, no, my lord I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord.” What do you think she meant by “poured out my soul before the Lord”?

Activity

Get a pitcher of water, and a bowl. Tell your children that the water in the pitcher represents their deepest desires and needs. The bowl represents the blessings that come from prayers. Even though Heavenly Father already knows what you need and want, Heavenly Father loves it when you ask Him in sincere prayer for it. (Pour a little water into the bowl) if you only give a little bit of trust and a little bit of sincerity to the Lord, do you think He’ll be able to bless you with as much? He might be able to bless you with some things, but if you are not willing to give your whole soul to the Lord, you will not be ready to receive all of the blessings that the Lord can give you. (Pour the rest of the water.) As you can see, when you pour your whole soul unto the Lord and let Heavenly Father know that you trust Him with your prayers and your deepest feelings, He is able to fill your life with the blessings that you seek, and with more than you can imagine. Did you know that when Hannah poured her whole soul to the Lord and promised to give her son to Him, Heavenly Father blessed her with Samuel, and after Samuel was born, Hannah kept her promise by giving him to the Lord, the Lord blessed Hannah with five more children?

Discussion

How can we change our family and personal prayers to more of a pouring out of our souls before the Lord? 

Possible Answers

• Think about what you say- Ponder about the things that you truly want or need. Ponder on the faith that you have that these prayers will be answered.

• Remember that you are speaking to Heavenly Father- Prayers are not just something you say so that you could start your day, eat, go to bed, or leave the house. Heavenly Father is your father. Be excited to talk to Him. Share with Him how you feel. Share with Him what makes you happy, what makes you sad, and/or something you really need or want.

• When you pray, remember to kneel down or sit still, fold your arms, close your eyes and bow your head. It is easier to offer a sincere prayer when you are reverent and aren’t distracted by other things and/or other people.

Click the picture below to see how we did this lesson

Family Home Evening forJudges 2-4, 6-8, and 13-16

 Read Judges 2:10

10 ​And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which ​​​knew not​ the ​​Lord​​, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel.

Discuss

How are we going to make sure that our future generations don’t forget the Lord?

Activity

Create a time capsule of the things that you know about Jesus Christ. You could include pictures of Jesus with captions on the back, slips of paper with things that your children know about Jesus on them. You could also include a Book of Mormon. Decorate a shoebox with your children to keep your time capsule in, put the date on it, and set an opening date, or several opening dates for the time capsule, so that your future generations (or even the current generation) won’t forget about Jesus, in the future.

Click the picture below to see our video

Family Home Evening for Joshua 1-8; 23-24

 Read Joshua 4:3,6-9

3 ​And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests’ feet stood firm, ​​​twelve​ ​​​stones​, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night.

​​​6 ​That this may be a sign among you, ​that​ when your ​​​children​ ask ​their fathers​ in time to come, saying, What ​mean​ ye by these stones?

​​​7 ​Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ​​​ark​ of the covenant of the ​​Lord​​; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a ​​​memorial​ unto the children of Israel for ever.

​​​8 ​And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of ​​Jordan, as the ​​Lord​​ spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.

​​​9 ​And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

Discuss

When the Israelites needed to pass over the Jordan River to be safe, it was harvest time, so the river was overflowing with lots of water. Much like when Heavenly Father parted the Red Sea for Moses and the Israelites, He also parted the Jordan River for Joshua and the Israelites. The first people to cross were the Priests carrying the Ark of the Covenant (remember this special item that was in the most sacred part of the tabernacle?). The Lord asked Joshua to place stones where each of the men’s feet stood. There were 12 stones, because there was a priest to represent each of the 12 tribes of Israel.

Activity

Get a small rock, for each person in your family. Write or draw a picture of something the Lord has done for you. Display the rocks as a reminder of these things.

Read Joshua 6:2-5

2 ​And the ​​Lord​​ said unto Joshua, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, ​and​ the mighty men of valour.

​​​3 ​And ye shall ​​​compass​ the city, all ​ye​ men of war, ​and​ go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

​​​4 ​And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, ​​and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

​​​5 ​And it shall come to pass, that when they make a long ​blast​ with the ram’s horn, ​and​ when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man straight before him.

Activity 

You could have a lot of fun acting out the Lord’s instructions to the Israelites at Jericho. You could build a mini model of Jericho out of blocks and surround it with a wall. Afterwards, discuss what the Lord might want us to learn from this story.

Click the picture below, to see how we did this lesson.

Family Home Evening for Deuteronomy 6-8; 15; 18; 29-30; 34

 Read 

Deuteronomy 6:13, 16; 8:3

13 Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.

16 Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.

3 And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live.

Discuss

These scriptures helped Jesus in a very important moment in His life.

Read or summarize Matthew 4:1-11 to see how. Be sure to help your children to understand that Satan did not take Jesus to the places in these scriptures. It was the Holy Ghost that did so.

1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

2 And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

3 And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,

6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

7 Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;

9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

11 Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.

Discuss 

What scriptures have helped you in times of need? Parents, share with your children, and children, share with your parents. We had fun asking extended family for input. It lead to a great, whole family discussion.

Below, there is a list of some of the scriptures our family members came up with. Click the picture below to see our video.

• Helaman 5:12 

• D&C 121-123 

• Mosiah 15:10-11 

• 1 Nephi 21:16 

• 2 Nephi 2:24 

• D&C 111:11 

• D&C 38:7-9 

• Matthew 11:28-30 

• D&C 82:10

• D&C 6:34-37 

• Jeremiah 29: 11-14 

• Isaiah 49:14-18 

• Mosiah 27:36-37 (Story of the sons of Mosiah)

• Alma 37:36 

• Alma 37:17 

• Moroni 7:41 

• Genesis 28:15-16 

• Jeremiah 18:3-6 

• Genesis 45:4-5, 8 

• Genesis 50:20 

• Alma 30: 9 

• D&C 128: 22 

• The book of Esther.  

• Alma 8:14-15 

• Articles of Faith

Family Home Evening for Numbers 11-14; 20-24

 Read or Summarize the following scripture references

Numbers 21:4-9

4 ​​¶ ​And they journeyed from mount ​​​Hor​ by the way of the ​​​Red sea​, to ​​​compass​ the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

​​​5 ​And the people ​​​spake​ against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for ​there is​ no bread, neither ​is there any​ water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

​​​6 ​And the ​​Lord​​ sent ​​​fiery​ ​​​serpents​ among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

​​​7 ​​¶ ​Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have ​​​sinned​, for we have spoken against the ​​Lord​​, and against thee; pray unto the ​​Lord​​, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses ​​​prayed​ for the people.

​​​8 ​And the ​​Lord​​ said unto Moses, ​​​Make​ thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall ​​​live​.

​​​9 ​And Moses made a ​​​serpent​ of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

1Nephi 17:40-41

40 ​And he loveth those who will have him to be their God. Behold, he loved our ​​​fathers​, and he ​​​covenanted​ with them, yea, even Abraham, ​​​Isaac​, and ​​​Jacob​; and he remembered the covenants which he had made; wherefore, he did bring them out of the land of ​​​Egypt​.

​​​41 ​And he did straiten them in the wilderness with his rod; for they ​​​hardened​ their hearts, even as ye have; and the Lord straitened them because of their iniquity. He sent ​​fiery flying ​​​serpents​ among them; and after they were bitten he prepared a way that they might be ​​​healed​; and the labor which they had to perform was to look; and because of the ​​​simpleness​ of the way, or the easiness of it, there were many who perished.

Alma 33:18-22

18 ​But behold, this is not all; these are not the only ones who have spoken concerning the Son of God.

​​​19 ​Behold, he was spoken of by ​​​Moses​; yea, and behold a ​​​type​ was ​​​raised​ up in the wilderness, that whosoever would look upon it might live. And many did look and live.

​​​20 ​But few understood the meaning of those things, and this because of the hardness of their hearts. But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look, therefore they perished. Now the reason they would not look is because they did not believe that it would ​​​heal​ them.

​​​21 ​O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might be healed, would ye not behold quickly, or would ye rather harden your hearts in ​​​unbelief​, and be ​​​slothful​, that ye would not cast about your eyes, that ye might perish?

​​​22 ​If so, wo shall come upon you; but if not so, then cast about your eyes and ​​​begin​ to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and that he shall suffer and die to ​​​atone​ for their sins; and that he shall ​​​rise​ again from the dead, which shall bring to pass the ​​​resurrection​, that all men shall stand before him, to be ​​​judged​ at the last and judgment day, according to their ​​​works​.

Helaman 8:13-15

13 ​But, behold, ye not only deny my words, but ye also deny all the words which have been spoken by our fathers, and also the words which were spoken by this man, Moses, who had such great power given unto him, yea, the words which he hath spoken concerning the coming of the Messiah.

​​​14 ​Yea, did he not bear record that the Son of God should come? And as he ​​​lifted up​ the brazen serpent in the wilderness, even so shall he be lifted up who should come.

​​​15 ​And as many as should look upon that serpent should ​​​live​, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might ​​​live​, even unto that life which is eternal.

Discuss 

Have a family discussion about some things that you could do to “look upon the Son of God with faith” (Helaman 8:15).

Challenge

1. Start a habit of reading the Book of Mormon as a family.

1. For the next 30 Days, choose a specific time to read the Book of Mormon. We are going to read it while we are seated at breakfast.

2. Record a moment of gratitude

1. For the next 30 days, record something you are grateful for, for each member of your family. We are going to do this after dinner every night.

Click the picture below to see the video lesson

Family Home Evening for Exodus 35-40 and Leviticus 1; 16; 19

Read

As you read Exodus 40:3-15, pause to have your children try to identify the parts of the tabernacle, detailed in these scriptures. 

3 ​And thou shalt put therein the ​​​ark​ of the testimony, and cover the ark with the ​​​veil​.

​​​4 ​And thou shalt bring in the table, and ​​​set​ in order the things that are to be set in order upon it; and thou shalt bring in the candlestick, and light the lamps thereof.

​​​5 ​And thou shalt set the altar of gold for the incense before the ark of the testimony, and ​​​put​ the hanging of the door to the tabernacle.

​​​6 ​And thou shalt set the altar of the burnt offering before the door of the tabernacle of the tent of the congregation.

​​​7 ​And thou shalt set the laver between the tent of the congregation and the altar, and shalt put water therein.

​​​8 ​And thou shalt set up the court round about, and hang up the ​​​hanging​ at the court gate.

​​​9 ​And thou shalt take the anointing oil, and anoint the ​​​tabernacle​, and all that ​is​ therein, and shalt hallow it, and all the vessels thereof: and it shall be holy.

​​​10 ​And thou shalt anoint the altar of the burnt offering, and all his vessels, and sanctify the altar: and it shall be an altar most holy.

​​​11 ​And thou shalt anoint the laver and ​​​his foot​, and sanctify it.

​​​12 ​And thou shalt bring Aaron and his sons unto the door of the ​​​tabernacle of the congregation​, and wash them with water.

​​​13 ​And thou shalt put upon Aaron the holy garments, and ​​​anoint​ him, and sanctify him; that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office.

​​​14 ​And thou shalt bring his sons, and clothe them with coats:

​​​15 ​And thou shalt ​​​anoint​ them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the ​​​priest’s​ office: for their ​​​anointing​ ​​shall surely be ​​​an​ ​​​everlasting​ ​​​priesthood​ throughout their ​​​generations​.

​​​16 ​Thus did Moses: according to all that the ​​Lord​​ commanded him, so did he.

To connect this discussion with temple worship in our day, you could review together “Why Latter-day Saints Build Temples”

Click the picture of the tabernacle above to play our tabernacle game and see our summary of “Why Latter-day Saints Build Temples.”