New walls for the city
key words
biblical reference
Nehemiah 1–4, 6
memory verse
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NIV*).
lesson objective
To help children learn to trust in God. He always provides what we need to accomplish his will.
prepare yourself to teach
The time between the biblical story of Samuel, Ezra, and Nehemiah is longer than the period of time between Joshua and Samuel, that is about 400 years. While Samuel, Ezra, and Nehemiah were another 600 years. Ezra and Nehemiah are located within the “classical” period of the prophets. Israel had made progress in some areas and had receded in others. Throughout biblical history, there is a relationship between obedience and trust in God. He always wants the best for his people; he desires that they trust and are obedient to his Word.
adaptation
Children like to be part of what is happening around them. Their enthusiasm is often greater than their abilities. With the help of someone, they can do a lot for the service of God. You should teach them that the Lord’s power will always be available, and they do not depend only on their own strength.
Explain to them that, although we know what God wants us to do, that does not mean that it will be easy to do. We need to trust that he will help us to fulfill his purpose.
Nehemiah discovered that this was true. Although he was sure he was doing the will of God, he faced opposition. However, he trusted in God and he finished the work entrusted to him.
introduce the lesson
Tell the group: “In biblical times, the city walls signified security. They served not only as decoration but were a necessity. Hence, the urgency to rebuild. God provided what was necessary to do the work.”
If you can, take some building materials to class (hammer, bricks, etc.). Use this as supporting material for the session.
teach the lesson
Read Nehemiah 1–4 and 6 prior to the session and be prepared to tell the story in your own words.
Tell the group: “Although Daniel 9:2 says that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years, it took many years to rebuild. Jerusalem had remained in ruins since the Babylonians had taken the city. The desolation lasted for seventy years, as God had told Daniel. However, the city was still in ruins 60 or 70 years after the desolation; only the poor had remained in the country; the others had been taken captive to Babylon.
Later, the Persians defeated the Babylonians, and the leaders of the Israelites were taken to Persia. Some of the exiled Israelites returned to Jerusalem, but they were not able to reconstruct the walls of the city.
Nehemiah heard that Jerusalem was still in ruins (chapters 1-4 and 6) and determined that he should do something about it. He prayed to God about this and when the opportunity arose, he spoke to the king.
God prepared Nehemiah for this mission, allowing him to have an important position as a cupbearer to the king (serve him wine in his glass). This was more than a mere servant; he was also a counselor. One of the requirements for access to that post was that the person was always cheerful before the king.
The king saw the sadness of Nehemiah and asked for an explanation. He told the king about the destruction of Jerusalem and asked if he could travel to Judah to supervise the work of rebuilding the walls. The king not only authorized him to go, but also gave him letters of protection for travel and supplies.
When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he found that the situation was worse than imagined. People were discouraged and believed that there was no use in rebuilding the walls. Nehemiah encouraged the people and organized them to work in teams. Each family was assigned to work on a section of the wall near where they lived. All the people were involved and motivated to work.
They heard rumors that there would be an attack on the city. Nehemiah divided the group into workers and guards. The guards watched with sword in their hands; workers worked with the sword at their side. And so they continued the task.
With the Lord’s help, they rebuilt the wall in 52 days. Israel completed the task in such a short time that even their enemies knew God had been with them, helping them.
connect the lesson
You decide
Guide the children to complete Student Activity Sheet #126-A. They will also need to cut out the stones on Student Activity Sheet #126-B. Highlight the fact that Nehemiah did the will of God even though some people tried to stop him. Sometimes people try to stop us, and we do not do the will of God.
Remember that God will help you when you’re determined to obey. Remember the story of Nehemiah and the wall.
practice the memory verse
You can use any of the methods mentioned in the previous lessons or find a creative way to teach the memory verse.
Help children to remember the things they need to take home (worksheets, etc.). Thank them for attending class; create anticipation for the next lesson, trying to make a connection so they will not miss the next class.
wrap-up
Pray
Before leaving, ask children to stand in a circle. Ask for any prayer requests and then for a volunteer to do the closing prayer.
Encourage
Encourage the group to keep trusting God to rebuild any broken areas of their lives.
Invite
Invite the students to the next session to study the last lesson of this unit.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™