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Teacher Bible Study Lesson Overview/Schedule 1st-3rd Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 21, Session 2: Zerubbabel Led the Captives Home TEACHER BIBLE STUDY God’s people had been living in Babylon for 70 years. Some of God’s people had died in Babylon. Some of their children and grandchildren were born in Babylon and grew up there. But Babylon was not their home. Before the people of Judah were exiled, God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah. These are the words of the Lord: “These nations will serve the king of Babylon for 70 years” (Jeremiah 25:11). Then the Lord said, “When 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm My promise concerning you to restore you to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10). The time had come for God’s people to go back home. Cyrus, the king of the Persian empire, overthrew Babylon. Cyrus took over the kingdom, including the lands of Israel and Judah. In the following year, the Lord did something miraculous in Cyrus’s heart. He prompted Cyrus to issue a decree: All the Jewish exiles are free to return to their ancestral homes. The exile was over! God’s people were free to return to their own land. They were free to live as God’s special people. The first group of Judean exiles returned home under the leadership of Zerubbabel (zuh RUHB uh buhl). Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jehoiachin, who had been taken to Babylon by King Nebuchadnezzar. (See 2 Kings 24:8-13.) Ezra 2:64-65 says nearly 50,000 people traveled back to Judah. When they got to Jerusalem, they began working to rebuild the temple that the Chaldeans had destroyed. (See 2 Chronicles 36:19.) The temple was the place where God met with His people. Jesus came to earth to rescue God’s people from sin. When Jesus returns, He will restore the earth and will dwell with His people forever. LESSON OVERVIEW/SCHEDULE Session Title: Zerubbabel Led the Captives Home Bible Passage: Ezra 1:1–2:2; 2:64–3:13 Big Picture Question: How did God keep His promise to the Israelites ? God changed King Cyrus’s heart so the Israelites could go home. Key Passage: Zechariah 9:9 Unit Christ Connection: God saved His people who were in physical captivity as He would one day send Jesus to save and restore His people who are in spiritual captivity. Transition Time Welcome time 1 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 1st-3rd Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 21, Session 2: Zerubbabel Led the Captives Home Activity sheet/Table Centers Session starter (10 minutes) Lesson Countdown Introduce the session (1 minute) Timeline Map (1 minute) Big picture question (1 minute) Sing (5 minutes) Key passage (4 minutes) Tell the Bible story (10 minutes) Discussion starter video (3 minutes) The Gospel: God’s Plan for Me (optional) Prayer (4 minutes) Table Time Timeline map (1 minute) Bible story review (10 minutes) Large Group Review / Activities Key passage activity (5 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY/OVERVIEW Zerubbabel Led the Captives Home Ezra 1:1–2:2; 2:64–3:13 Many years before God’s people were taken to Babylon, God made a promise. He told the people His promise through the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah said that the exile would last 70 years, and then God would bring His people back home. This was God’s promise, and God always keeps His promises. Cyrus was king of Persia when God gave him an idea. King Cyrus made a decree. A decree is like a law; everyone had to obey it. Cyrus said, “Let all of God’s people go back to Jerusalem so they can rebuild the Lord’s temple. Give them gold and silver and animals. Give them gifts for God’s temple.” What wonderful news! The exile was over! God’s people were free to go back to Judah— to their homes. God’s people got ready. Their neighbors gave them gifts like Cyrus had commanded—gold and silver and animals and other expensive things. King Cyrus gave them the things Nebuchadnezzar had taken from God’s temple when the exile began. Zerubbabel (zuh RUHB uh buhl) and the high priest led God’s people back to Judah. 2 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 1st-3rd Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 21, Session 2: Zerubbabel Led the Captives Home They hadn’t been home in 70 years. Many of the people were born in Babylon; they had never seen the land God had given their parents and grandparents. In all, thousands of people went back to Judah. They took with them all the gifts and many animals. They settled in their hometowns and set up their houses. Then the people met together in Jerusalem to rebuild the Lord’s temple. First, the priests rebuilt the altar in the same place it used to be. They followed all the laws of God for building. When the altar was finished, they offered burnt offerings to God. The people also obeyed the law about special celebrations. They had a festival like God had told them to do, and they made sacrifices to God. Then God’s people gave money to stonecutters and carpenters who would work on God’s temple. They paid people to bring cedar logs to Jerusalem. Finally, when everything was ready, the people started to work. They laid the foundation of the temple. The foundation was important; it would make the building strong. When the foundation was finished, the priests put on special clothes, and the people praised God. They sang, “The Lord is good. His faithful love will last forever.” Then the people shouted and praised God. They were so happy! The foundation of the temple was complete! Not everyone was happy though. Some of the older people remembered what the temple had looked like 70 years ago, before it had been destroyed. They cried. The noise of the crying and shouting was so loud that the people could be heard far away. Christ Connection: Zerubbabel led God’s people back to the temple to rebuild it. The temple was the place where God met with His people on earth. Jesus came to earth to rescue God’s people. One day Jesus will return to restore a greater home for all of God’s people, and we will spend eternity with Him. TRANSITION TIME Session Title: Zerubbabel Led the Captives Home Bible Passage: Ezra 1:1–2:2; 2:64–3:13 Big Picture Question: How did God keep His promise to the Israelites ? God changed King Cyrus’s heart so the Israelites could go home. Key Passage: Zechariah 9:9 Unit Christ Connection: God saved His people who were in physical captivity as He would one day send Jesus to save and restore His people who are in spiritual captivity. Welcome time Tip: As kids arrive this is a great time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. 3 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 1st-3rd Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 21, Session 2: Zerubbabel Led the Captives Home Arriving Activity: Sock Golf sock orange table tennis ball Place an orange in a tube sock; it will be the “golf club.” Provide a table tennis ball. Invite the kids to take a swing at the ball with the sock to see who can hit it on the ground the farthest. If you have several kids, make more than one club. Say • Babylon was a lot farther from Jerusalem than you could ever hit the ball. God’s people had been forced to live away from their homes for 70 years, but God had a plan to send them home. Activities/Table Centers (5 minutes) Table centers (Miscellaneous Activities) “Way Back” activity sheet / Bible Story Coloring Sheet, 1 per kid pencils, markers or crayons Guide boys and girls to complete the activity page. Say • In today’s Bible study, some of God’s people traveled back to Jerusalem. We will find out what they did once they returned home. If time remains, allow kids to complete the coloring page provided with this session. Session Starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Take It tape small items, 3 per group Form two or more groups. Give each group three small items (maybe a ball, a toy, a pencil). Make sure each group has the same set of items. Place the items on one side of the room. Invite each group to line up single file near the items. Tape a finish line several feet away. To play, the leader should call out “Take it: __________ (name one of the items).” The first kid in each group should grab the correct item and race it to the other side of the finish line. The first one to do so wins that round. For the next kids in line, the leader can call out either “Take it” or “Take it back” followed by the item. If the command is “Take it,” the item must be rushed to the finish line. If the command is “Take it back,” the kids must race to the finish line, grab the item, and get it back to the starting point first. Play until each kid has had a turn. Say • The people in Babylon took items from the temple when they forced the people of Judah to leave Jerusalem. In today’s Bible story, God’s people took the items back where they belonged. Option 2: Food Jewelry O-shaped cereal or dry pasta string Provide cereal or dry pasta and 24-inch pieces of string.
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