Prophets After the Exile

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1 Prophets fter the xile LON 11: WOMN POP Objective tudents will learn about the role of women in the prophetic ministry of srael throughout its history. hough most prophets recorded in the Bible are male, it is evident that female prophets were not unusual in both the Old and New estament. Key Concepts Women were also prophets in the life of srael. Women prophets were viewed as leaders and revered wise counselors to kings and others. stimated Lesson ime: 55 minutes Materials Bibles Bible concordances, encyclopedias, and dictionaries Meet the Prophet note sheets (p. 59) Prophets Journals For xtend the Lesson, option two: Women Prophets puzzle (p. 122) eacher Preparation 1. Become familiar with the background on women prophets, pages tudents will each need four copies of the Meet the Prophet note sheet, for the four women prophets. 3. f using xtend the Lesson, option two, make copies of the crossword puzzle handout, one for each student. NODUCNG LON n urgent message. Divide the class into groups of four or five. ave each group decide on one person to be t. hen have the ts come to the front of the classroom. ell the groups to have a lively discussion on what they like best about their school. xplain ahead of time that as soon as you give the word, the discussion will start. fter one minute, the ts will go back to their groups and try to join the conversation. he goal of the group is to not let t into the group. t s goal is to be heard by the group. s soon as the groups begin talking, turn quickly to the group of ts. xplain quietly that their message is an urgent one. hey must try to tell their group that the building will collapse at any minute and everyone must get out. (ssure them that this is not true, but merely part of the game.) end the ts back to their groups and give them about one more minute. hen end the game. sk the groups and the ts for feedback. ow did they feel? Were the ts able to get their message across? Does this game touch on elements of women s experience in today s world? (esponses may include that sometimes women have difficulty being heard, even when they have something important to say. ry not to become 117

2 sidetracked into women's issues. here may indeed be material for a separate class on the subject.) xplain that the biblical women you will study today were recognized and revered for their leadership and prophetic gifts. his is not the picture we sometimes get of women in the Bible. he treatment of women in the Bible is a complex subject, but these women give us a positive view of the role of women in the prophetic ministry of srael. LON P 1. Women prophets. Divide the class into three groups or multiples of three. Write the Bible references below on the board. ave each group list in their Prophets Journals the strengths of these women prophets and reasons why they were good leaders. hen ask each group to report back to the whole class, citing one strength they identified. f another group has already highlighted a strength, the next group should report on a different one. When the list has been exhausted for one of the prophets, move on to the next prophet on the list. Miriam: xodus 2 (What characteristics did Miriam already have at this young age that may have helped her to be a good leader?), xodus 15:20, Numbers 20:1, Micah 6:4 Deborah: Judges 4 and 5 uldah: 2 Kings 22, 2 Chronicles 34 nna: Luke 2 2. Meet the prophets. Give background information on the four women prophets as students fill in their Meet the Prophet note sheets, one for each of the women. You will need to be familiar with the information on the answer keys (pp ). nstead of just giving this information, you may choose to again have students work in groups. ssign each group to one of the women prophets and have them find information about her. hen have groups share their answers so other groups can fill in their note sheets. n this way, each student will have completed four Meet the Prophet pages to add to their Prophets Journals. 3. Women in the Bible. Form groups again, keeping the previous groups or creating new ones. sk each group to come up with as many women as possible who are mentioned in the Bible. ny Bible study material may be used. he group must also include chapter and verse of where the women are named or mentioned. (ome women are never named.) f a group comes up with more than 20 women, they might be given a prize of some sort. 4. sk the class to reflect quietly and write a piece in their Prophets Journals on the important role of women in the Bible and in the church today. XND LON (hese activities will extend the lesson to longer than 55 minutes.) More on Bible women. Go back through the list of women from lesson step 3. ogether as a class, discuss who the women are and anything you know about 118

3 them. Does anyone in the class know her story? Briefly summarize, if possible. Do as many names from the list as you can in the time available. Do a crossword puzzle. and out the Women Prophets crossword puzzle (p. 122) and have students complete it. he answer key appears below D V W O M O P P 5 D N N B O J U D G N U U L D V O L M N 10 J O L O M O N N P O P D D 9 F X O D U N U M 16 J U 17 G O D P L 18 D M P O N 119

4 NW KY for Meet the Prophet Miriam: Bitterness. n the story of Miriam and the sraelites, one is certainly reminded of the bitterness of slavery. t is even symbolized today in the celebration of Passover, with the eating of bitter herbs. he lived first in gypt and later in the wilderness. bout 1280 BC/Pharaoh of gypt We know that she looked after Moses when he was little. We don t know much else. o whom did this prophet speak? he joined the sraelites together in worshipping God. he led and encouraged others in praising God with tambourines and dancing. ow did people respond to the message? ll the women followed after her with tambourines and dancing. Do we remember to worship, praise, and give thanks for God s faithfulness, as Miriam did? nswers will vary. NW KY for Meet the Prophet Deborah: Bee n the hill country of phraim, between amah and Bethel Deborah may have been judge about 100 years after the crossing into Canaan by Joshua and the ebrew people (about 1250 or 1200 BC /King Jabin of Canaan). We don t know what Deborah did before becoming a prophet, but we do know she was married to Lappidoth. o whom did this prophet speak? he spoke to the people who came to her for judgment, and she spoke to Barak. We know her main message to Barak was that God would be with him and go before him. ow did people respond to the message? Barak was unwilling to move forward without Deborah by his side. pparently people who came to Deborah with their disputes listened to Deborah, for she was recognized as a prophet and judge. he won unquestioned respect from the people and the Bible records that because of Deborah the land had rest for forty years (Judges 5:31). nswers will vary, but might include: When we hear God's call, are we unwilling and fearful to move forward or can we be confident as Deborah demonstrated? nswers will vary. 120

5 NW KY for Meet the Prophet uldah: "Weasel." s with Miriam, the meaning of the name may seem to depreciate the person, but uldah is well enough respected to appear twice in the Bible. n the southern kingdom of Judah, in Jerusalem, in the 2nd quarter (2 Kings 22:14, 2 Chronicles 34:22) pproximately 640 BC/King Josiah Little is known about uldah. We know she was married to hallum, keeper of the wardrobe. o whom did this prophet speak? he spoke to the priest ilkiah, to King Josiah, and to the sraelites through her words to ilkiah. Because the sraelites had not been obeying God, disaster would eventually come, but not until after the time of Josiah, who had been faithful to God. ow did people respond to the message? King Josiah called all the people together. e read in their hearing from the book of the law. Josiah and the people made a covenant before the Lord to follow the Lord. nswers will vary but might include a thought about how we wish to follow the Lord today with all our hearts and souls. What covenant might we make with the Lord today? nswers will vary. NW KY for Meet the Prophet nna: God s Gracious n the temple in Jerusalem he was apparently 84 years old when Jesus was brought to the temple. his may have been about 1 C, though scholars give different times. srael was under oman ule and King erod. We don t know much about nna. he was married for seven years, and then her husband died. he was a widow until at least age 84. o whom did this prophet speak? he spoke to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. he gave thanks to God that she had seen Jesus. he prophesied about the avior throughout Jerusalem. ow did people respond to the message? he Bible does not record a response by the people. nswers will vary, but might include something about spreading the good news of the avior as nna spread the good news throughout Jerusalem. nswers will vary. 121

Women Prophets 2 3 4 1 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Down 1. hese were thrown into the sea, according to Miriam s song 3.

uldah gave King Josiah a message of. 8. Miriam s song was her way of God. 9. nna s prophecy was a of Jesus ministry. 10.

srael s most famous king, Jesus ancestor 5. City where nna lived 7. Prophetess who helped King Josiah 8. ll prophets in this lesson are. 11.

6 Women Prophets Down 1. hese were thrown into the sea, according to Miriam s song 3. Prophetess who saw Jesus as a baby 4. Only woman judge mentioned in the Bible 5. Book of the Bible that mentions a woman prophet 6. uldah gave King Josiah a message of. 8. Miriam s song was her way of God. 9. nna s prophecy was a of Jesus ministry. 10. he boy king who asked uldah for help. 13. Prophets must proclaim God s. 15. Place where nna was worshipping CO 2. srael s most famous king, Jesus ancestor 5. City where nna lived 7. Prophetess who helped King Josiah 8. ll prophets in this lesson are. 11. Miriam was part of ebrew history known as. (lso name of book in which she appears) 12. famous king known for his wisdom 14. nother word for a female prophet 16. Who nna saw 17. he One who told prophets what to say 18. nna gave hope to people seeking from God. 122

God s Hand in our Lives Teacher s Notes OT Israel Leaves Egypt. STORY 8/17/2004 Israel Leaves Egypt - Exodus 13:17-15:2

God s Hand in our Lives Teacher s Notes OT Israel Leaves Egypt. STORY 8/17/2004 Israel Leaves Egypt - Exodus 13:17-15:2 SY 8/17/2004 srael eaves gypt - xodus 13:17-15:2 CH PY Heavenly Father, sometimes get so busy trying to solve my own problems that forget that you have already provided an answer for me. Help me to be