Sunday, May 25, 2014 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group TEACHER BIBLE STUDY Zechariah, Prophet to Judah Zechariah 1 14 Zechariah was a priest who had been born in Babylon. He had returned to Jerusalem with Zerubbabel. At this time, the prophet Haggai was bringing God s message to His people. The Judean exiles were struggling to finish rebuilding God s temple. In fact, several years had passed without progress on the temple when God called Zechariah to prophesy to His people. Zechariah s message was twofold: first, look back and remember the past. Second, look forward and prepare for the future. God wanted His people to learn from the mistakes of their parents and grandparents who had ignored the prophets warnings. Zechariah set out to encourage the people. The Book of Zechariah is organized into eight visions, four messages, and two oracles. The visions Zechariah saw each symbolized something God would do such as rebuild Jerusalem, judge Israel s enemies, and remove national sin. (See Zech. 1 6.) A couple of years later, God spoke to Zechariah again. This time, God spoke four messages to respond to a question the people had about fasting. (Zech. 7:3) In the last six chapters, Zechariah changed the subject to the future of God s kingdom. Chapters 9 12 are rich with Messianic prophecy; the words are quoted often in the New Testament. Compare Zechariah 9:9 with John 12:15; Zechariah 11:13 with Matthew 27:9-10; and Zechariah 12:10 with John 19:37. As you teach kids about Zechariah, emphasize God s promise: A king is coming. Zechariah s visions were significant to the reality of God s people at that time, but a greater reality awaited. Zechariah pointed to Jesus, the coming deliverer who would be struck and pierced to take away sin. God would deal with His people s enemies. He would cleanse His people. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say: They are My people, and they will say: Yahweh is our God (Zech. 13:9). Under the rule of King Jesus, their future is incredibly bright. YOUNGER KIDS BIBLE STUDY OVERVIEW Session Title: Zechariah, Prophet to Judah Bible Passage: Zechariah 1 14 Big Picture Question: What was Zechariah s message? Zechariah spoke about the coming Messiah. 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. Unit 21 Session 4 Younger Elementary 1
Sunday, May 25, 2014 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group Welcome time Activity page (5 minutes) Session starter (10 minutes) Key passage activity (5 minutes) Small Group Time Bible story review (10 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Journal (5 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY Zechariah, Prophet to Judah Zechariah 1 14 The exile in Babylon was over. A group of God s people had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild God s temple. Zerubbabel the governor and Joshua the high priest led the people. When they stopped rebuilding God s temple, God sent prophets to give His people a message. One of those prophets was named Zechariah (zek uh RIGH uh). God told Zechariah what would happen in the future, and then Zechariah told the people what God said. This was God s message for His people: Return to Me, and I will return to you. God reminded the people about their parents and grandparents and great- grandparents. The prophets told them to stop sinning, God said, but they did not listen. So God had punished the people for their sin. Don t be like them, God said. One night, God gave Zechariah some messages through visions. Zechariah saw eight visions; each vision was a different message from God about something that was going to happen. In the first vision, Zechariah saw a man riding on a red horse. Behind him were other horses. They had been patrolling the earth. Everything was calm and quiet. But soon the Lord would punish His enemies. The Lord s house would be rebuilt, and His cities would be blessed again. In the second vision, Zechariah saw four horns these stood for Israel s enemies. Zechariah also saw four craftsmen, who would defeat those enemies. Next, Zechariah saw a man going out to measure Jerusalem, but the city could not be measured because it was too big for walls. Instead, the Lord would be a wall of fire around it. God then showed Zechariah how He would forgive His people if they would follow Him. In the fifth vision, Zechariah saw a solid gold lampstand, which showed how all the Lord s plans would happen because of His Spirit. Then, Zechariah saw a flying scroll, which was a curse on everyone who disobeyed God. In the seventh vision, a woman sat inside a basket. She represented the wickedness of those who worshiped false gods. She was lifted up and taken back to Babylon. In the eighth vision, Zechariah saw four chariots. Like the horses of the first vision, they would patrol the earth. Unit 21 Session 4 Younger Elementary 2
Sunday, May 25, 2014 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group God then told Zechariah to collect silver and gold from the people. Use the gold and silver to make crowns, He said, and place them on the head of Joshua, the high priest. The crowns on the head of Joshua were a sign to the people that a special king was coming to bring peace for everyone. Look, your King is coming to you; He is righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey, Zechariah said. God promised to bless His people and punish the rest of the nations for their sin. One day everyone will worship the Lord. Christ Connection: God was going to help His people and give them a different kind of king. Jesus is the King who came and rode humbly on a donkey, just as Zechariah said. Because Zechariah s prophecy came true in Jesus, we can have hope and forgiveness of sins when we trust in Jesus. SMALL GROUP OPENING Session Title: Zechariah, Prophet to Judah Bible Passage: Zechariah 1 14 Big Picture Question: What was Zechariah s message? Zechariah spoke about the coming Messiah. 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 Arriving Activity: How wide or tall? various items measuring tape or ruler paper pencils Measure the height or width of several small items. Use centimeters or inches. Place a piece of paper in front of each item. Encourage the kids to guess the height or width of each item, and write their names beside their guesses. Before the session begins, reveal the correct measurements and applaud those with the closest guesses. Say In today s Bible story, God shared several visions with a prophet named Zechariah. In one vision, a man tried to measure Jerusalem. We ll see what he found out. Unit 21 Session 4 Younger Elementary 3
Sunday, May 25, 2014 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group Activity page (5 minutes) Vision Search activity page, 1 per kid pencils Guide boys and girls to complete the activity page. Say Each word you found is part of today s Bible story. Listen to see if you can find each one. Session starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Flying scrolls paper tape Invite each kid to roll up a piece of paper and put a small piece of tape on it. Then, let the kids fly the rounded papers. See who can get their scroll to fly the farthest. Say God gave a special message about those who had disobeyed God. He did it with a vision about a flying scroll. We ll talk more about this vision and several others in today s Bible story. Option 2: Future guessing construction paper, 4 colors paper marker cup Place a different colored sheet of construction paper in each corner of the room. Then, tear one sheet of paper into four sections. Write one of the colors on each piece, fold them, and put them into a cup or other container. Invite the kids to see if they can guess the future by standing near the color you are going to draw out of the cup. After each kid has made a choice, draw out a color. Play as time allows. Say Could you really know the future? No! You were just guessing. Only God knows the future. However, He did share the future with several prophets in the Old Testament. These messages about the future were called prophecies. Today, we will hear about several prophecies. SMALL GROUP LEADER Session Title: Zechariah, Prophet to Judah Bible Passage: Zechariah 1 14 Big Picture Question: What was Zechariah s message? Zechariah spoke about the coming Messiah. 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. Unit 21 Session 4 Younger Elementary 4
Sunday, May 25, 2014 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group Key passage activity (5 minutes) Key Passage Slide or Poster dry erase board and markers (optional) construction paper scissors tape marker Make sure the key passage, Zechariah 9:9, is visible for each child, either as the printed poster or written on a dry erase board. Read the verse together. Say This verse is actually one of several verses that help us understand that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Jesus came to earth humbly, but He left as the forever King in victory over sin. When we repent and trust Jesus, He becomes our King and Savior. Form groups of two or more kids. Hold a piece of construction paper horizontally and write the first two words of the verse on the bottom. Turn it 180 degrees and write the next two words on the bottom. When you are looking at the piece of paper, you should see two words right- side- up and the other two upside down. Repeat with additional pieces of construction paper until you have completed the verse. Make a set for each group. Provide each group with a set of the key passage papers, a few pairs of scissors, and a roll of tape. Invite them to make a large crown by cutting in between the words on each piece of paper in a squiggly line. This will create two crowns. They must then tape the crowns in the order of the verse to form a large crown. When a group finishes the crown, direct them to stand together inside of it. Bible story review (10 minutes) Bibles, 1 per kid Small Group Visual Pack Big Picture Question Slide or Poster paper marker Encourage the kids to find the Book of Zechariah in their Bibles. Help them as needed. Say Zechariah is in the Old Testament. Only one book comes after Zechariah in the Old Testament. What is it? (Malachi) Which division of the Bible is Zechariah in? (Minor Prophets) Zechariah is quoted in the Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John more than any other Old Testament prophet. Use the small group visual pack to show kids where today s Bible story is on the timeline. Write the numbers one through eight on separate pieces of paper and scatter them throughout the room. Review the Bible story provided using the bolded text, or summarize the story in your own words. As you tell the story, encourage the kids to travel to the number of the vision you are talking about. Unit 21 Session 4 Younger Elementary 5
Sunday, May 25, 2014 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group Say God wanted to encourage His people as they rebuilt Jerusalem. He wanted them to realize how those who had once lived there had failed to obey and worship only God. God gave Zechariah eight visions, each with its own message, but one message was the most important for them and us. Show the big picture question slide or poster. Say What was Zechariah s message? Zechariah spoke about the coming Messiah. Jesus was the King who would come into Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Activity choice (10 minutes) Option 1: Was it a vision? Describe a situation, and the kids must decide if it was one of Zechariah s visions. Those who believe it is not should close their eyes. Those who believe it is should keep their eyes open. Here are some examples: Zechariah saw a man in a basket. (No, a woman in a basket) Zechariah saw a gold lampstand. (Yes) Zechariah saw a valley of dry bones. (No, Ezekiel) Zechariah saw four chariots. (Yes) Zechariah saw three horns. (No, four) Zechariah saw a man riding a horse. (Yes) Zechariah saw a flying squirrel. (No, a scroll) Say These visions all had slightly different meanings, but Zechariah ultimately pointed to Jesus. What was Zechariah s message? Zechariah spoke about the coming Messiah. Option 2: Lampstand foam cups yellow paper or yellow construction paper red, yellow, and orange tissue paper or napkins markers stickers (optional) Invite each kid to punch out the bottom of a foam cup. Instruct him to roll up a piece of yellow paper or construction paper and push one end of the rolled paper into the cup while it is upside down. Kids should stuff red, yellow, and orange tissue paper or napkins into the top like a flame. The kids can decorate the lampstand with markers or stickers. Say One of the visions God gave Zechariah was of a gold lampstand. God gave Zechariah eight visions. The visions were about things that were going to happen in the future. What was Zechariah s message? Zechariah spoke about the coming Messiah. Unit 21 Session 4 Younger Elementary 6
Sunday, May 25, 2014 Kidzone KG and 1st Grade Small Group Journal and prayer (5 minutes) Journal Page, 1 per kid markers or crayons Bible Story Coloring Page Distribute each child s journal page provided with this session. Review the visions God gave Zechariah. Instruct the kids to draw a picture of one of Zechariah s visions. Writers can write the big picture question and answer. Say One more time, what is the answer to the big picture question? What was Zechariah s message? Zechariah spoke about the coming Messiah. If time remains, take prayer requests or allow kids to complete the coloring page provided with this session. Pray, thanking God for giving us so much proof that Jesus is the promised Messiah throughout the Old Testament. Pray for each child by name, asking God to help each one see Jesus as his or her Messiah and share His message with friends. Dismiss to parents Make sure to check security tags when dismissing children. Unit 21 Session 4 Younger Elementary 7
Unit 21 Session 4 Zechariah, Prophet to Judah OK TO PRINT The Exiles Returned 2013 Lifeway
Instructions: Circle the following words hidden in this picture. KEY: scroll, crown, silver, donkey, gold, lampstand, horse The Exiles Returned UNIT 21 Session 4 Younger Kids Activity Pages 2013 LifeWay Christian Resources.
Zechariah, Prophet to Judah Zechariah 1 14