613 Laws

Scripture: Leviticus 1-27

Learning Objectives:

  • Students will learn God gave the Israelites many laws.
  • Students will learn the Law God gave Moses contain laws not just for religion, but laws that would be the rules for their society as well.
  • Students will learn it was impossible for the people to keep all of these laws, so God already had a plan for Jesus to come to earth and die for our sins.
  • Students will review basic counting.

Guiding Question: How do we count to 613 by 1’s, 2’s,5’s, etc.?

Materials: 613 strips of paper

Procedure: Review the purpose of Leviticus 1-27. Emphasize God’s commands for the scapegoat and sacrifices in chapter 16. Explain that Leviticus lists many detailed laws for the Israelites to follow. Many laws were focused on sacrifice. This was because sacrificing an animal was how the people showed they were sorry for their sins and the people were willing to rely on God. Jesus now serves as the ultimate sacrifice for our sins and animals no longer need to be sacrificed. Jesus knows that because we are not perfect, we cannot always follow all the laws. His death allows us to be forgiven for our sins.

Introduce the activity. Remind the students that the Torah/the Law contains 613 laws. Have 613 strips of paper representing the laws that all the students will use. Have the  students grab some of the strips of paper and practice counting by ones, twos, threes, fives, etc.

Additional Questions: How can students model addition and subtraction?

Supplemental Activity: Have students model basic addition and subtraction problems using the strips of paper, For example, six strips of paper plus seven strips of paper equals thirteen strips of paper.
