The best book comes from God
key words
biblical reference
s Jeremiah 1:1-9; 25:1-14; 39:1-10; Ezra 1:1-5
lesson objective
To help the preadolescents understand that the Bible is different than any other book because it was inspired by God
memory verse
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
In our society, non-Christian teachings compete with the Bible to influence the way preadolescents think. Today more than ever, preadolescents need to understand that the Bible is different from any other book. The students are mature enough to understand that it is much more than a book of interesting stories. It is the Word of God. It is unique! The Bible can guide their lives, help them make decisions and bring them to know the Lord.
Now that they’re reading fairly well, your students can begin to explore the Bible for themselves. We hope many preadolescents have their own Bible in a version they can understand. This program of study will guide them in the basic knowledge so that they can use the Bible effectively.
As a teacher, be sensitive to the different reading levels of the students. Encourage them to read, but do not force them. Those who read little, if their inability to do so shames them in front of the group, may see the Bible with displeasure. In that case, allow volunteers to read. This will give you more knowledge about students’ reading skills, and you’ll know who is uncomfortable reading aloud. If time permits, practice reading ahead of time with those who do not feel comfortable. Then give them easy passages to read as they feel more comfortable reading in group.
Before your group meets, be sure to read all the Bible verses for this lesson and the background below. Pray for the Lord to help you explain the lesson well and pray for your students. There are several option 3 student activity resources to prepare for this lesson.
biblical commentary
The Bible is the record of God’s revelation to his chosen people. There are many records of his meetings with his people. The Bible stands above everything. From ancient times, people of faith recognized that the writings of the Bible were unique. Compared to other religious writings, it was inspired by God. That means that God worked through special individuals and gave them the message he wanted to communicate.
God chose Jeremiah for a special task, even before he was born. He was chosen to be a prophet. And moreover, God gave Jeremiah his presence, direction and protection.
The Lord communicated many words to the mind of the prophet Jeremiah during a period of several years. The expression, “the Word of the Lord came to Jeremiah” appears 32 times in the Scriptures.
Jeremiah continued proclaiming the Word of God for 23 more years. Even though the people did not respond, the prophet did not stop. He knew that his message had been inspired and did not depend on the acceptance of the people. We can thank God that he never abandons us. He constantly seeks us to reveal himself to us. He never stops loving us. We must commit ourselves, as Jeremiah did, to speaking to people about his love, and to remain faithful to him no matter how they respond to the message we proclaim.
Jeremiah lived and prophesied during the reign of the last five kings of Judah, a time of much instability. He announced that judgment was near, but his warnings were largely ignored. But the test was not to see if the people accepted the prophet’s message; but whether the words of the prophets were fulfilled or not (Deuteronomy 18:21-22).
Jeremiah told the people over and over again that they must turn from their evil ways, but they did not want to listen. That’s the reality of human freedom or free will. Despite God’s warnings, people may choose to do wrong and turn their backs on him. They decide for themselves to accept or reject God’s redemptive message. Jeremiah told the people that a time would come when the powerful Babylonians, under the leadership of King Nebuchadnezzar, would invade Judah. They, together with their king, would be taken into exile for 70 years.
Babylon did invade Judah and led all their leaders into exile. The policy of Babylon was to take the rich and powerful as slaves and leave the poor in charge of the country. In that way they assured their constant gratitude and loyalty.
Babylon was simply the tool that God used. However, it did not remain in power for a long time. As Jeremiah prophesied, at the end of the time marked by God, it was defeated by Persia. The Lord used King Cyrus to fulfill his plan for the people to return to Jerusalem. We read in Ezra that Cyrus sent them to rebuild the temple of God. He established again the policy of calming the gods of the peoples he conquered, instead of taking images, as the Babylonians did. So, the Israelites were able to return to their land, and return to the temple everything that had been taken by Babylon.
In this way, Jeremiah’s prophecy about 70 years of captivity was fulfilled when they later returned to Jerusalem. God fulfilled his promise of judgment and redemption for the Israelites. Once again, he demonstrated that what he says is true, and that he’s a just and forgiving God.
introduce the lesson
Where will you look?
You’ll need: several books, pens or pencils. Before the session, look for several books to show the students. Try to keep them varied, for example: cookbook, dictionary, a comic book, or a school book, and a Bible.
In session, place the books on a table where all the students can see them. Lift up one of the books and ask, “What would you use this book for?” Let them answer. Then repeat it with the different books. Finally, show the Bible and ask, Which kind of information does this book provide? What makes the Bible different from all other books?
The Bible is God’s written message to people. It is a book of history, poetry, and prophecy. The Bible tells us the story of God and what Jesus Christ, his Son, did, so that we can develop a relationship with him. It shows us how we can have eternal life through Jesus.
In what book will you look?
Allow students to complete Student Activity Sheet #367-A. Discuss the information and illustrations that appear on the cover of each book. Ask them to write in the blank spaces next to each expression the letter corresponding to the book that they believe is correct. (Answers:1. B -2. A- 3. B - 4. B - 5. B - 6. D - 7. C - 8. B.
Discuss the question: Why do you think the Bible is important? Let the students express their ideas.
teach the lesson
Before the session, write on the board the names of: “Jeremiah, Zedekiah - Judah, Nebuchadnezzar - Babylon, Cyrus - Persia.” In the group, read the names to your students. Allow them to repeat them. Identify Jeremiah as the prophet of God. Ask: “What is a prophet?”
Tell them to write the word “prophet” next to the name “Jeremiah”. The others are the names of kings and their kingdoms. Today’s story includes all these names and places. Jeremiah was the prophet of God who lived during the time of the kings Zedekiah and Nebuchadnezzar.
connect the lesson
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #367-B and #367-C. Use these activity sheets to help the students review the lesson.
You’ll need: construction paper or poster board, scissors, glue and colored pencils. Give the preadolescents Student Activity Sheet #367-D. Ask them to cut out the names of the New Testament books, glue them on poster board to make them firmer (if they can, they can be laminated with wide adhesive tape), and then cut them out. Distribute a plastic bag to store their cards. Ask them to memorize the names of the New Testament books.
practice the memory verse
Look in the dictionary together for the words of 2 Timothy 3:16 that are not known to them, such as: “rebuking”, “righteousness”, etc., and show the relationship they have with today’s lesson.
Before the session, write the memory verse on cards, one word for each card. Make two sets of these. Repeat the verse all together. Then divide into two groups: boys and girls. Provide a set of cards to each team. Groups can sit around the table, or in a circle on the floor. Indicate the time to start the competition. The team that places the verse in the correct order in the shortest time will be the winner. You can give a candy or a pencil as a reward to each child of the winning team.
wrap-up
Pray
Pray that the preadolescents will feel that you care about them, and want them to know and trust that the Bible is the Word of God. Also, pray that we will believe God’s Word and depend on it to be better and more obedient children of God. You might say: “Dear God in Heaven, We praise You for your great gift to us of Your word. It is a lamp to our feet, and it is a light for our paths. Thank You that we have it to read in our own language so we can understand it. Please help us to hide Your word in our hearts so that we might not sin against You. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.”
Encourage
Encourage the preadolescents to read a few verses from the Bible each day if you have one.
Invite
Review your memory verse from 2 Timothy 3:16. Practice the books of the New Testament. Tell them something interesting about the next session to encourage them to return for it. Ask them to invite a friend to come to the next session.
* 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.™