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4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 17, Session 3: Zephaniah, Prophet to Judah TEACHER BIBLE STUDY Zephaniah was a prophet to Judah during the time that Josiah was king. The kings who came before Josiah—Manasseh (Josiah’s grandfather) and Amon (Josiah’s father)—were kings who loved evil and led the people away from God. Zephaniah prophesied in Josiah’s early years, before his reforms. Zephaniah’s message was about a coming day called the Day of the Lord—a day of judgment and a day of restoration. Zephaniah’s prophecies were intended to get the attention of Judah. Read Zephaniah 1:14-18. Who could ignore descriptions like those? The Day of the Lord will be universal and intense. Zephaniah made a call to action: turn back to God. Zephaniah also described God’s promise of future restoration. A new day is coming—a day when God will bring us home. (Zephaniah 3:20) The new day dawned with Christ’s first coming, but will one day come in fullness. On the day that Jesus gathers His people and reigns in victory, this promise will ring true over us: “The Lord has removed your punishment; He has turned back your enemy. The King of Israel, Yahweh, is among you; you need no longer fear harm” (Zephaniah 3:15). The final Day of the Lord is coming. Do not ignore the warnings of Zephaniah. Respond to Zephaniah’s admonition: “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who carry out what He commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be concealed on the day of the Lord’s anger” (Zephaniah 2:3). If you are in Christ, you will be concealed from the Lord’s anger and experience the joy of a new day. We can look forward to and prepare for that new day. (See 2 Peter 3:13-14.) Jesus will be among us, a warrior who saves. “He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy” (Zephaniah 3:17). LESSON OVERVIEW/SCHEDULE Session Title: Zephaniah, Prophet to Judah Bible Passage: Zephaniah 1–3 Big Picture Question: What will happen on the Day of the Lord? God will judge sinners and save those who trust in Jesus. Key Passage: Zephaniah 3:17 Unit Christ Connection: God judges sin but redeems those who faithfully follow His commands. Redemption for all comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Transition Time Welcome time 1 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 17, Session 3: Zephaniah, Prophet to Judah Activity Sheet/Table Centers Session starter (10 minutes) Lesson Countdown Introduce the session (2 minutes) Timeline map (2 minutes) Big picture question (1 minute) Tell the Bible Story (10 minutes) The Gospel: God’s Plan for Me (optional) Key passage (4 minutes) Discussion starter video (5 minutes) Sing (4 minutes) Prayer (2 minutes) Table Time Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes) Key passage activity (5 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY/OVERVIEW Zephaniah, Prophet to Judah Zephaniah 1–3 When young Josiah was king of Judah, God gave a message to a prophet named Zephaniah (ZEF uh NIGH uh). God’s message was about something that would happen in the future. A day is coming called “the Day of the Lord.” On that day, God is going to punish people for their sin. “I will destroy everything on earth,” God said. “I will remove all people from the earth.” Zephaniah told God’s message to the people of Judah. Then Zephaniah talked about the people of Judah. A few evil kings had been in power, and the people had turned away from God. They didn’t follow Him, and they didn’t turn to Him for help. “I will get rid of all the things and places My people used to worship false gods. I will punish the leaders and the greedy salespeople. I will punish the people who think I just sit back and do nothing.” Zephaniah told the people what an awful day the Day of the Lord will be: a day of wrath, a day of trouble, a day of destruction, a day of darkness, a day of clouds and blackness. The Lord will show His anger because everyone has sinned against Him. What were people to do? This was terrible news! “Come together before it is too late,” Zephaniah said. “Change your ways. Turn to God and obey Him. Be humble. Maybe you will be safe from God’s anger.” 2 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 17, Session 3: Zephaniah, Prophet to Judah Zephaniah said that God would also judge the countries around Judah. The Philistines would lose their land, the Moabites and Ammonites would be destroyed. The people in Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria, would not be safe. Their city would be destroyed too. Would anyone be safe from God’s anger? Even the people in Jerusalem—the city of David—would be punished for their disobedience. God told the people what was coming so that they would learn a lesson. “I want you to fear Me and respect Me,” God said. Zephaniah told the people something that could give them hope. He said that when all these terrible punishments happen because of sin, God will keep safe the people who trust in Him. God promised restoration; He will fix everything, making it like new. “People who are kind and gentle, who are humble, will be safe. They will trust in My name,” God said. “I will make them holy and give them peace.” The day when God makes things right will be such a happy day for His people. God’s people will be glad. “Sing and be happy! Shout for joy!” Zephaniah said. “The Lord will be with you, and you won’t need to worry about anything bad happening.” “God will be with you,” Zephaniah said. “He will save you and show you how much He loves you.” Christ Connection: Zephaniah prophesied about the Day of the Lord—a day when God will judge the world for its sin and Jesus Christ will return. Jesus will make everything new, and everyone who trusts in Him will be safe. TRANSITION TIME Session Title: Zephaniah, Prophet to Judah Bible Passage: Zephaniah 1–3 Big Picture Question: What will happen on the Day of the Lord? God will judge sinners and save those who trust in Jesus. Key Passage: Zephaniah 3:17 Unit Christ Connection: God judges sin but redeems those who faithfully follow His commands. Redemption for all comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Welcome time paper pencils Greet each kid as he or she arrives. Use this time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. Ask kids to work together to create a list of qualities or characteristics they want to have. 3 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 17, Session 3: Zephaniah, Prophet to Judah Activity page Table Centers (Miscellaneous Activities) “Kitchen Mystery Message” / “All Things New” activity page, 1 per kid Bibles pencils markers Ask kids to find the letters located on the kitchen items to solve the mystery message. Say • What message did you find? What do you think the message means? Zephaniah delivered this message to God’s people. Listen to today’s Bible story to uncover what the message is about. As time allows, lead kids to complete the activity page “All Things New.” Assist kids in locating and reading the Scripture references provided. Session starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Money Hunt pennies, 50 (per class hour) Hide 50–100 pennies around your small group area. Pennies may be easy or hard to find. Invite kids to collect as many pennies as they can in one minute. After a minute, allow kids to count the number of pennies they located. If pennies are still hidden, give kids another 30 seconds to search for the pennies. Say • Do you want to keep the pennies or give them back to me? What if each penny was a dollar bill? Would you want to keep them? Money is a very important item in our world. Why is money important to people? We may think money is important, but money will not last forever. The prophet Zephaniah told God’s people a special message about the Day of the Lord. People will face the consequences for their sin. Money won’t be able to buy them forgiveness. How can people be forgiven of their sin? By repenting and trusting in Jesus. Jesus is more valuable, precious than any amount of money we could find. Option 2: Corn Syrup Painting Allergy Alert light colored corn syrup food color small cups paintbrushes heavyweight paper Guide an adult to mix food color into the corn syrup to create the “paint.” Pour the paint into small cups. Invite kids to paint pictures with corn syrup. Allow kids to share about their paintings. As kids work, discuss the texture and appearance of the paint. Say • The corn syrup makes the color look shiny and new. Name some things that are bright and shiny when they are new. (possible answers: penny, jewelry, mirror, toys, books, cell phone) Why do we want things that are shiny and new? 4 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 17, Session 3: Zephaniah, Prophet to Judah The Bible talks about a day when Jesus will make everything new.