Jeremiah proclaims the Word of God

Jeremiah 36:1-10

To help children learn that God speaks to us through the Bible.

“Be good to your servant while I live, that I may obey your Word” (Psalm 119:17, NIV*).

Jeremiah was a faithful prophet who loved, obeyed, and listened to God with all his heart. He told the people what God wanted them to do, and also what the consequences (good and bad) of their actions would be.

One day, God asked Jeremiah to write down all the messages that he had given to his people during the time of his ministry.

It was very near to the time of the fulfillment of the prophecy that God gave to the people of Israel, which said that they would be taken captive; And even until that moment, God expected them to repent. He hoped and desired that when they heard his Word they would repent. The recollection of these messages reflects the nature of God. Perhaps if his people realized his nature, they would repent and ask for forgiveness.

Baruch was Jeremiah’s secretary, for at that time it was common to employ someone to help keep a register of messages, documents, official papers, and so on. After several months of work, Jeremiah’s writings on a parchment were ready to read to the people.

However, Jeremiah was forbidden to speak in public in the temple. So Baruch went to the temple on a day when fasting was done. There were many people who listened attentively to the reading of the Word of God through Baruch.

The Word of God cannot be suppressed, we need it, and it is always truthful and efficient. As a teacher, you have a very important ministry to your children. Like Baruch, each time you meet you connect your children to God through your words, actions, and prayers. Ask the Lord to help you in each lesson to convey the message of his Word to the children.

God used two people, Jeremiah and Baruch to give his message to the people. In the final lesson of this unit, help your children understand that they can also communicate the Word of God to their friends and family.

God wants us to know Him, to learn from Him through the Bible and to love our neighbors.

Encourage your children to tell a Bible story to someone they love.

Try to provide children’s Bibles for those who do not have one. And, if possible, at the end of the class give them a surprise, give them book marks with pictures, or maybe a book of illustrated Bible stories.

At this point, preschoolers should regard the Bible as a very special book. Watch them as they hold their Bibles during class.

Ask: Do you get excited every time you learn a new Bible story? Can you remember some of the Bible stories of this unit?

The Bible is the Word of God

Put your Bible somewhere visible, and teach your children about it.

Tell them: “The Bible is God’s Word, but that does not mean that he wrote it with his own hand. He guided its writing. What he did was to inspire many people of faith to tell his people what he wanted them to know.”

In the Bible, we can find laws to live by, stories of miracles and healings, courageous and faith-filled people, as well as God’s plan of salvation for our lives.

On five large cards write the letters of the word “Bible,” and divide your children into small groups. Give them a letter and some seeds (they can be beans, rice, lentils) or pieces of colored paper. Tell them to decorate the outline of the letter with these materials.

When all the teams have finished, put the letters together to form the word “Bible”.

Study Jeremiah 36:1-10 before the session. The following activities will help prepare children to experience and review the Bible story.

Jeremiah was a prophet of God. A prophet is someone special to whom God gives his messages to pass on to people.

“People are disobeying God,” Jeremiah said. “I keep on announcing his messages, but they will not listen! They are not willing to do what God wants, what can I do?”

Jeremiah felt very sad, so he talked to God about the way people behaved.

“Jeremiah,” God said, “I want you to write down all the words I give you to tell my people.” This would be hard work, so he asked Baruch to help him with the task. Baruch wrote on a parchment every word Jeremiah dictated. What is a parchment? A roll of paper or skin that people used to write on, just as we use notebooks or journals today.

Jeremiah was not allowed to go to the temple of God, so he asked Baruch to go in his place and read the contents of the parchment, the Word of God, before all people.

So, the next time the people went to the temple, Baruch read the words Jeremiah had written on the parchment. He told them that God loved them and that they should obey what he told them. He also clarified to them all that would happen to them if they disobeyed the commandments. He encouraged them: “Pray and tell God that you are repentant and ask for his forgiveness.”

Baruch continued with the reading, while the people listened to the Word of God.

We too, like those people, can hear the Word of God (the Bible) to learn from it, and thus obey the Lord.

Jeremiah talks about the Word of God

Give children Student Activity Sheet #39-A and #39-B plus colored pencils or crayons. Encourage the preschoolers to color Jeremiah’s clothing and hair as well as Baruch’s chair and hair. If they wish, they can decorate the rest of the papers. Glue the hand with pen that is in Student Activity Sheet #39-B onto Baruch’s hand in SAS #39-A to represent when Jeremiah dictated the Word of God to him.

Review the story as you do the activity, and invite the children to ask their parents to read the Bible with them during the week.

Have them trace the Word of Faith (Bible), and talk about what makes the Bible a special book. Ask the children to share their activity sheets with their families and friends.