Message Theme & Verses: Nehemiah
Memory Verse: Nehemiah 8:8 They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense , so that the people understood the reading.
Happy Family Lesson:
Nehemiah is a sequel to the book of Ezra, written to encourage the people of Judah who had returned from exile as they were rebuilding their lives. Ezra was the priest and scribe (teacher) and Nehemiah was the newly appointed Governor of Jerusalem given the job of rebuilding the city walls. Ezra had overseen the rebuilding of the temple, indicating the dependence on God, and now the rest of life would start to be restored.
In both Ezra and Nehemiah, we see our covenant God renewing His people in the land. Ezra oversees the spiritual renewal of the people. Nehemiah is a faithful leader, wise and true, picked by God to rebuild the city walls, restore justice in the community, and gather enough people to make the city sustainable.
These are still God’s people, even though they needed to be corrected by God and sent into exile because of their sin. The Messiah will still come from these people. Once the wall was completed, Ezra read the law to the people, calling them to live in faithfulness to the covenant. Then, we see at the end of the book, Nehemiah had to institute more reforms because the people were still sinners.
Though he was a cupbearer to the King in exile, Nehemiah heard of the ruin in Jerusalem and wept for his people. He immediately went to God in prayer and confession, identifying with his people and their collective sin. He reminded God of His promises and asked to be a part of God’s redemption.
Nehemiah was generous and put a stop to the oppression of the poor. He stood up to those who tried to stop the building and armed the workers to fight. He would not run away when people said bad things about him and plotted to kill him. Nehemiah was a decisive and effective leader, but perhaps it is his humble character and faith in God that we would be best to follow.
Read Nehemiah 4:1-14
Have the kids build a wall out of materials they find. Have them try to build with one hand.
Nehemiah’s enemies said bad things about him. Have each kid say a good thing about another kid.
Have kids build a wall with Solo cups while “enemy” kids try to knock it down with balls.
Barkadang Lesson:
Nehemiah is a book of anticipation. Nehemiah hears the plight of his people and goes to them for restoration. As the book ends, the wall, the temple, the priesthood, and the sacrifices have all be restored. But, there is no high priest in Jerusalem. Nehemiah begins with a prayer of confession, acknowledging that a sinful people are not worthy of a holy God. Even after the restoration, the people are still waiting for the perfect High Priest to come and make the final, effective atonement for sin. The people are waiting for the coming Messiah who perfectly fulfills God’s plan. The people are waiting for Jesus.
Questions:
Have you ever been a part of building something?
How do you think Nehemiah felt when he heard Jerusalem was destroyed?
Has anyone ever tried to stop you from doing something you knew was right? What did you do?
How do you think you would feel if you had to have a weapon while you worked and people were making fun of you?
We might say Nehemiah’s enemies were bullies. Have you ever had to stand up to a bully?
What are some things about Nehemiah that make you think about Jesus? (Nehemiah was the cup bearer to the king, sitting at his right hand, just as Jesus rules now from the right hand of the Father. Nehemiah left the palace to go and be with his people and Jesus left the throne of heaven to become a man and dwell with His people. Jesus weeps over His people and prays for God to have mercy on them. Jesus and Nehemiah both called God’s people to follow. Jesus stood up to God’s enemies who were opposing the work of God. Jesus, like Nehemiah is the One who would enter the temple and cleanse it, ushering in God’s people to a new covenant as the perfect mediator. Nehemiah would not come down from the wall and Jesus remained on the cross. Nehemiah finished the building of the wall, and Jesus, hanging on the cross said “it is finished,” indicating that He had completed the work of salvation and restoration given to Him by God the Father.)
What do you think was most important, rebuilding the wall or rebuilding the temple? Which would you have done first?
Our verse says that Ezra appointed teachers to help the people understand God’s Word. Do you think we still need teachers today? How do they help? (All Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit inspired the writing of the Bible and is able to explain the Bible to believers and impress it on our hearts. However, God also says that teachers are a gift to the church. We are very blessed because we have teachers with us now and can also benefit from the writings of teachers from the past. Teachers can help us to study and understand the Bible for ourselves.)
Tell us about the best teacher you have ever had.
What do you like most about Nehemiah? How can you be like him?
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