SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON Kings and Prophets

Transcription

1 THE BABY KING IS RESCUED Elementary Lesson Year Two, Quarter One, Lesson Eleven AIM: to use the story of Jehosheba to teach my kids that they ought to be busy helping people, regardless of their age. OBJECTS TO HAVE: A rope A castle A young girl A baby boy Your Bible SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON Kings and Prophets POINT OF CONTACT: Have you ever had to call for help? Sometimes we get in trouble, and we don t know what else to do. All we can do is call Help! Help! Don t ever be afraid to ask for help when you are in trouble. What are some of the times when we might need someone to help us? How about when you are in the store and you can t find your mother? That s a good time to ask for help. If you are a long way from home, and you have nowhere to go, you can look for a police car and ask the officer for help. If you are in school, and you don t understand what is being taught, that is a good time to ask the teacher for help. Suppose you fell in a really deep hole, and you just could not find any way to get out. You would really need to call for help then, wouldn t you? And if someone could hear your call for help, they would come and let a rope down to you, so that you could grab onto the rope and be pulled up out of the hole. Now I want to give you something to think about. I want you forget that you are the person in the hole, and I want you to pretend that you are the person who lets the rope down into the hole. You see, every time somebody gets help, there are at least two people involved: there is the person needing the help, and there is the person who gives the help. We could call him the helper. Now, sometimes you are the person needing the help, and that s fine. But sometimes you have to be the helper. If everybody needed help, but nobody was willing to be the helper, the world would be a pretty bad place, wouldn t it? When can you be the helper? When you see you dad shoveling the sidewalk, it s time to stop what you are doing, and go be his helper. But you say, What if he doesn t ask for my help? Even if he doesn t ask, he ll be happy that you volunteered. When you see your mom doing the dishes, it s time to leave what you are doing and be a helper. When you see somebody at the grocery store maybe a little old lady or maybe a lady with two or three small children with her struggling to carry her groceries, you should ask your mom or dad, whoever is with you, if you can go and help them. You see, it s fine to be the person asking for help sometimes, but sometimes you need to be the person who gives the help. Sometimes you need to be the person who lets down the rope. You need to be the helper. Today I am going to tell you about a young girl who was not afraid to be the helper, and because she helped someone in trouble, God used her in a great way. STORY: The Bible tells us about a wicked woman named Athaliah. Athaliah had an opportunity in her lifetime that most people never had. You see Athaliah was related to three different kings. First of all, when Athaliah was a girl, her father was the king of Israel. Her father was a wicked king who disobeyed God. Because Athaliah was the daughter of the king, she grew up living in a palace. Can you imagine living in a castle like that when you were a little girl? She had many advantages that other boys and girls did not have. Athaliah grew up and met a young man. She married that young man, and he became the king of the country of Judah. He was also a wicked man who disobeyed God. So, not only had she been the daughter of a king, now she was the wife of a king. So she was allowed to live in the palace, and she was a very powerful woman in the land. One day, Athaliah s husband the king died. That meant that she would not be as powerful as she had been before, right? But wait. After her husband s death, Athaliah s son became the new king of Judah. So now she was the mother of a king. Can you imagine that? As a little girl, she was the daughter of the king. As a woman she was the wife of the king. And as an older woman, she was the mother of the king.

2 Athaliah s son was also a wicked man who disobeyed God. Once again, Athaliah was allowed to live in the palace, and because her son was not a very strong leader, she held a place of power in the land. Finally, the day came when her son, the king, died. Athaliah should have been very sad, but instead, she was busy thinking about all that she would be losing because her son was not the king anymore. Athaliah came up with a wicked idea. You see, Athaliah knew that when her son died, then one of her grandsons would become the new king. But if she did not have any of her grandsons left, then there would be nobody to be the new king. That would give her the chance to step in and become the queen, she thought. So Athaliah did one of the most awful things anyone has ever done. She commanded that all of her grandsons be taken away and killed. Then she could be the queen. It is horrible to think that anyone could be so selfish as to come up with such a plan as that, but that is what pride and selfishness can do to people, and it s what pride and selfishness did to Athaliah. Well, in the house of Athaliah s son there was a boy. That boy s name was Joash. Joash was just a baby, and he could do nothing to protect himself from the wicked men of Athaliah who came to take him away. Joash s aunt lived with him, a young lady named Jehosheba. Now, the Bible does not say how old Jeshosheba was, but let s say she was about 10 years old. She may have been older, or she may have been younger, the Bible doesn t say. Jehosheba had heard of the awful thing that wicked Athaliah was doing, and she knew that men would be coming to take away her cute little baby nephew, Joash. What could she do? If she hid the baby, and got caught, she would certainly be in great trouble for it. Was it worth the risk, to try to help this poor little baby? After all, wasn t her own life just as important? Why should she risk her life to help a baby? You know, you probably see people who need help every day. They may need big help, or they may need little help, but if you would decide to be a helper, God would use you greatly. Jehosheba decided that the right thing to do was to help her nephew. She heard the men at the door, so she took the baby boy in her arms and she hid. Wicked Athaliah s men broke the door down, and came storming in to see if there were any sons of the king in the house. Jehosheba was hiding in a closet under some things, hoping that these mean men would not find them. God was watching over Jehosheba, and the men did not find her. Soon the men left to go to the next house. After the men left, Jehosheba stayed very still, and she listened very quietly. She waited until she knew for sure that they were gone. With baby Joash in her arms, she crawled out of her hiding place. Then she tip-toed over to the door. Very slowly, Jehosheba opened the door. Then she peeked around the door to see if anyone was coming. She looked first to the left then she looked to the right. When she saw that the coast was clear, she ran down the street with baby Joash in her arms. She ran just as fast as she could. Jehosheba knew exactly where she was going. She carried Joash down to the house of God. She told the men there who she was, and who the baby was. These good men knew right away that this little baby would some day grow up to be the king of Judah, because he was the son of the king. But they knew that they must protect him from the wicked Athaliah. Those godly men kept Joash in the house of God for seven years. Then when Joash was seven years old, they brought him out of the house of God, and announced that he was the new King of Judah. They had a great parade, and a celebration, and all of the people rejoiced that this little boy Joash was the king of Judah. But Joash was not a wicked king who ignored God, like his father, and his grandfather, and his great-grandfather were. Joash had been raised in the house of God, and he was a godly king. Under his leadership, the nation of Judah came back to God, and they had a great revival in the land. Why did all of these good things happen? Because one little girl said, This little baby needs help, and I am going to help him. You will be surprised what God can use you to do if you will decide to be a helper. Help your mom, help your dad, help your brother and sister, help the preacher, help your friends. God will use you if you will be a helper. You may say, But I m too little! Nobody lets me help! Nobody thinks that I will do a good job. That s probably not as true as you think it is. But just in case you think that it is true, let me tell you what to do. First, ask God every day to give you a chance to help people. Then, decide that you will help and do your very best, even when it is just a little job. If you will do your best and do a good job with the little things, people will trust you, and give you the chance to help with the big things. And if you do your very best to help, even when the job gets bigger and bigger, who knows some day you may have the chance to help change the world! Let s learn our memory verse - Psalm 126:5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

3 THE BABY KING IS RESCUED Teen and Adult Lesson Year Two, Quarter One, Lesson Eleven SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON Kings and Prophets Teacher, choose one of the following truths to expand upon in teaching this portion of Scripture to your teen/adult class. Teach and apply the truth that you choose using statements and illustrations that are most helpful and applicable to your students. I. COVETOUSNESS WILL LEAD YOU TO DO WHAT YOU WOULD OTHERWISE NEVER CONSIDER. Athaliah did the unthinkable: she set out to murder her grandsons in order to ensure that she would have no competition for the throne. She was driven to devise this wicked plan by her own lust for power. She wanted the power that she had seen her father, then her husband, then her son possess. She wanted it so badly that she allowed herself to consider this unthinkable scheme. Do not let covetousness creep into your mind and your heart; it will take you where you do not want to go. II. GOD S BLESSINGS CANNOT BE STOLEN. The throne of Judah was a blessing promised to David s descendants. Athaliah thought she could steal it, but she found that God is in total control of His blessings, and they cannot be hijacked. The only way to enjoy the blessings of God is by the means that He states in His Word. III. GOD S PROMISES ARE NEVER IN JEOPARDY. It certainly seemed like Athaliah was going to succeed in completely eliminating David s descendants; but God had made a promise, and He was going to keep it. When God makes a promise, you can count on it that He will carry it out. IV. GOD PROVIDES REFUGE FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS THE COURAGE TO DO RIGHT. Jehosheba risked her life to save her nephew. You can hide a baby for a day, but how do you do it for a lifetime? What if the priests at the house of God had refused to let her bring him there? Jehosheba didn t have time to think these things through; she just found the courage to save the life of her baby nephew. God rewarded her by working things out for Joash for the next seven years. When you have the courage to do right, God makes the way for you. V. FAITH CAUSES GOD S PEOPLE TO RALLY FOR GOD S CAUSE. There was a core of men who believed God, who were willing to stand guard around the king in shifts. They did so, not because they were being paid to do it, or because they had no choice. They guarded the king because they believed in the cause. When you have faith, you are willing to do whatever is necessary to cause God s work to succeed.

4 The Baby King is Rescued A Brave Girl Saves David s Legacy I. 2 KINGS 11:1-3 Joash Rescued II. 2 KINGS 11:4-8 Rulers Organized 4 The secret is revealed to trusted men 5-7 The king is protected by an organized watch 8 The men are instructed to use deadly force III. 2 KINGS 11:9-12 Joash Crowned 9-10 The captains are armed 11 The guard is in place 12 The king is anointed IV. 2 KINGS 11:13-16 Athaliah Slain Jehoida instructs his officers 16 The officers execute Athaliah V. 2 KINGS 11:17-21 Joash Reigns 17 The people resolve to serve the LORD 18 The people restore the House of the LORD The people rejoice in their new king Adult Bible Class

5 THE BABY KING IS RESCUED When the wicked queen Athaliah decided to destroy all of descendants of King David, a brave girl named Jehosheba rescued a baby boy named Joash, who later became king. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5

6 The Baby King is Rescued Circle the letter next to the correct answer to each question from today s Bible story. 1. What was the name of the woman who was daughter of a king, wife of a king, then mother of a king? a. Andrea b. Athaliah c. Alice 2. In today s lesson what happened to her son, the king of Judah? a. he died b. he broke his leg c. he lost his dog 3. When this happened, what was this wicked woman s biggest concern? a. She was going to miss him b. She wanted to give him a good funeral c. She wanted to be queen 4. Who did she have killed in order to become the queen of Judah? a. all of her enemies b. all of the palace guards c. all of her grandsons 5. Who had God promised that there would always be a man of his descendants to sit on the throne in Jerusalem? a. David b. Saul c. Samuel 6. What did the young lady do with the baby grandson of Athaliah? a. she fed him b. she rescued him c. she changed his diaper 7. What was this young lady s name? a. Jehosheba b. Janice c. Jessica 8. What was the baby boy s name? a. Joash b. Joseph c. Jesse 9. Where did Jehosheba take Joash to be protected? a. to the prison b. to the store c. to the house of God 10. What did the men of Judah do to Joash when he was seven years old? a. they gave him a suit b. they made him king c. they put him in school They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. Psalm 126:5

7 The Baby King is Rescued The answers to today s puzzle 1. What was the name of the woman who was daughter of a king, wife of a king, then mother of a king? a. Andrea b. Athaliah c. Alice 2. In today s lesson what happened to her son, the king of Judah? a. he died b. he broke his leg c. he lost his dog 3. When this happened, what was this wicked woman s biggest concern? a. She was going to miss him b. She wanted to give him a good funeral c. She wanted to be queen 4. Who did she have killed in order to become the queen of Judah? a. all of her enemies b. all of the palace guards c. all of her grandsons 5. Who had God promised that there would always be a man of his descendants to sit on the throne in Jerusalem? a. David b. Saul c. Samuel 6. What did the young lady do with the baby grandson of Athaliah? a. she fed him b. she rescued him c. she changed his diaper 7. What was this young lady s name? a. Jehosheba b. Janice c. Jessica 8. What was the baby boy s name? a. Joash b. Joseph c. Jesse 9. Where did Jehosheba take Joash to be protected? a. to the prison b. to the store c. to the house of God 10. What did the men of Judah do to Joash when he was seven years old? a. they gave him a suit b. they made him king c. they put him in school