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The new king!
Last week, we learned about Solomon’s foolishness in his later years. Solomon ruled over Israel for 40 years. In today’s lesson, from I Kings 11-13, we
will learn what happened immediately before and after he died.
There are always consequences...
You remember that Solomon had begun worshiping idols in his later years.
God had warned him, and God even sent enemies to attack Solomon, probably in an attempt to get his attention. One enemy he chose was a man from
Ephraim, named Jeroboam. He was the son of one of Solomon’s servants.
Jeroboam became a very important servant in the kingdom: he was placed
over the forced labor.
Solomon made use of a LOT of forced labor. He used forced labor to build the Tem-
ple and to build his own palace. He improved the nation of Israel this way.
One day, Jeroboam had an unusual meeting with a prophet from God. His
name was Ahijah. They were alone together in an open field. Ahijah was
wearing a new piece of clothing. He tore his new clothes into twelve pieces!
He told Jeroboam to take ten of the pieces. He said he had a message from
God for him: “Behold, I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon and will give you
ten tribes (but he shall have one tribe, for the sake
of my servant David and for the sake of Jerusa- 
lem, the city that I have chosen out of all the tribes
of Israel), because they have forsaken me and worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians,
Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god
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of the Ammonites, and they have not walked in my ways, doing what is right
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in my sight and keeping my statutes and my rules, as David his father did” (I
Kings 11:31b-33 ESV). He went on to say, “And I will take you, and you shall
reign over all that your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. And if
you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do 
what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my commandments, as
David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure house, as I
built for David, and I will give Israel to you” (I Kings 11:37-38 ESV).
Somehow, Solomon learned about this meeting and tried to kill Jeroboam,
but Jeroboam went to Egypt to hide.
Change in leadership
Solomon died after having ruled for 40 years. He was
buried, and his son Rehoboam, who was 41 years old, began ruling.
Rehoboam went to Shechem to be officially crowned king. Jeroboam, in
Egypt, heard what had happened, so he traveled to Shechem as well.
A challenge!
A group of people met with Jeroboam, and together they went to the new
king, Rehoboam. They said, “Your father made our yoke heavy. Now there- 
fore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke on us, and we
will serve you” (I Kings 12:4 ESV).
You remember the 30,000 men who built
the Temple? They were slave laborers. The
workers were tired and wanted some rest.
Rehoboam asked the people to return in three days, and he would give
them his answer. Rehoboam then did a wise thing: he asked for advice.
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First, he met with Solomon’s advisors: older men who were wise,
who told him to agree to lighten the workers’ loads because they
would be loyal to him if he did this.
Then he met with his friends, who told him to deny the request and
make their lives harder — just to show them who’s boss.
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Who gave the better advice here? Usually,
older people who have life experience are
better able to give advice. What do you
think Rehoboam should do?
Rehoboam thought about it for three days. Jeroboam and the people came to him to hear his decision. Rehoboam decided to follow the advice of his
friends, and he said to the crowd: “My father made
your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My fa- 
ther disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline
you with scorpions” (I Kings 12:14 ESV).
Consequences — always consequences
When the country saw that the king did not listen to them and seemed to
have no interest in their problems, they rejected him as king! They decided
that Jeroboam should be their king! The prophet’s words came true. All of Israel, except the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, followed Jeroboam.
The kingdom, which had been united all this time, now split into what’s
called the Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah).
This is why you often hear Israelites called
“Jews” or “Jewish people.” They are from
the tribe of Judah.
Rehoboam, of course, tried to stop this from happening. He gathered
180,000 warriors to go to war against Israel. God sent a prophet, Shemaiah,
to Rehoboam and told him to send everyone home. He told Rehoboam that
this was from God.
Okay, but so what?
This seems like a very bad situation. A country that once was united and
strong was now two countries, both with new and inexperienced leaders. This
must have been a very scary time for the people in the nation. But God had a
plan, and He was working it out. God had promised to David that there
would always be a king from his family ruling on the throne, and He is keeping that promise here. David’s grandson was ruling over the land of Judah.
Sometimes God works out His plans in ways that we don’t understand. He
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is always in control, though, and we must remain faithful in our obedience
and trust in Him.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who
promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:23 ESV).
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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God raised up enemies against Solomon because of his disobedience.
The prophet Ahijah met privately with Jeroboam, one of Solomon’s enemies.
Ahijah told Jeroboam that God was giving him ten tribes of Israel.
Solomon died, and his son, Rehoboam, began ruling.
Jeroboam and a large group met with Rehoboam and asked him to
ease their work load.
Rehoboam met with his father’s advisors, who told him to agree to
ease the work load; then they’d be loyal to him.
Rehoboam then met with his friends, who told him to show Israel
who’s boss.
When they gathered together three days later, Rehoboam gave his
decision: he would make their lives harder.
Israel rebelled against Rehoboam and chose Jeroboam to be their
leader.
The country split into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the
Southern Kingdom of Judah.
If you learn nothing else, get this!
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God kept His promise to David, and He continues to keep His
promises today!
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Let’s learn it!
1. Which man, who was the son of one of Solomon’s servants, became Solomon’s enemy?
_________________________________________________________________
2. What unusual thing did Ahijah do when he met with Jeroboam? _________
_________________________________________________________________
3. What did this mean? _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. Why did this happen? ____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. Where did Jeroboam go to hide from Solomon? _______________________
6. When Solomon died, which son began ruling? ________________________
7. What did the people ask him to do? _________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
8. What did Rehoboam do while deciding? _____________________________
9. List the two groups of people he met with and what they said:
A. ____________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
B. _____________________________________________________________
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For deeper thought...
Think about the two groups of people Rehoboam met with. First, write your
thoughts about the advice of the older men (Solomon’s advisors).
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Now, write your thoughts about the advice of Rehoboam’s friends.
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How do you usually make difficult decisions? Do you talk to people, or pray?
Who do you tend to go to for advice?
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If you were an Israelite at this time, what would your feelings be?
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Write down something that has happened that makes you question God’s
leadership. It could be something from your life or something from the news.
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What do you think God might be working out in the situation you wrote
down above?
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Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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Overview of the Northern Kingdom
Last week, we watched the United Kingdom divide into two kingdoms: the
Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. In today’s
lesson, we’ll do an overview of the Northern Kingdom. Our lesson will come
from I Kings 12-II Kings 17. That’s a lot of scripture!
You remember that the prophet, Ahijah, speaking for God, told Jeroboam,
“And if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways,
and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and my command- 
ments, as David my servant did, I will be with you and will build you a sure
house, as I built for David, and I will give Israel to you” (I Kings 11:38 ESV).
“I will be with you” is one of God’s great
promises. This time He puts a condition on
it: “If you will listen to do all I command....”
When God is with us, we cannot fail!
Off to a bad start
Jeroboam, the new king of Israel, built several cities. He began worrying
about losing control of his people. He knew that God had commanded the
people to worship at the temple in Jerusalem. He was afraid that if they went
there to worship, they might decide to stay there. He decided to make sure
that they wouldn’t leave. He made two golden calves, and set one up in Bethel
(on the southern border) and one in Dan (on the northern
border).
He appointed priests and built temples on high places.
He named feast dates and offered sacrifices. He announced to Israel, “You have gone up to Jerusalem long
enough. Behold your gods, O Israel, who brought you up
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out of the land of Egypt” (I Kings 12:28b ESV).
Isn’t this sad? God had fought so hard for
His people, and He gave Jeroboam so
much — and now Jeroboam rejects God in
favor of idols that have to be made and
carried.
List of Israel’s kings
Here is a list of the kings of Israel and how long each one ruled. Then we
will discuss them in more detail.
Jeroboam
Nadab
Baasha
Elah
Zimri
Omri
Ahab
Ahaziah
Jehoram (Joram)
Jehu
Jehoahaz
Jehoash (Joash)
Jeroboam (II)
Zechariah
Shallum
Menahem
Pekahiah
Pekah
Hoshea
22 years
2 years
24 years
2 years
7 days
12 years
22 years
2 years
12 years
28 years
17 years
16 years
41 years
6 months
1 month
10 years
2 years
20 years
9 years
I Kings 12-14
I Kings 15
I Kings 15-16
I Kings 16
I Kings 16
I Kings 16
I Kings 16-22
I Kings 22–II Kings 2
II Kings 2-9
II Kings 9-10
II Kings 10-13
II Kings 13
II Kings 14
II Kings 15
II Kings 15
II Kings 15
II Kings 15
II Kings 15
II Kings 17
A sad thing is that each of these kings worshiped idols and refused to worship God. God never gave up on them, and He sent prophets to the kings to
try to get them to return to Him.
Every time something new happens, there
is much hope because there is so much
potential for good. This is a sad chapter in
Israel’s history because they wasted all
that potential for good.
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More about the kings
Jeroboam ruled for 22 years. As we’ve mentioned, he led the nation into
idol worship and away from God. God sent a prophet to him to try to get him
to do what was right, but Jeroboam refused to listen. Then Jeroboam’s son got
very sick. Jeroboam sent his wife to Ahijah, the prophet who told him that he
would be king. She went to him, and Ahijah told her all that Jeroboam had
done to hurt God and that only bad things would happen to them and their
family. He also told her that this son would die, and that’s exactly what happened.
After Jeroboam died, his son Nadab began ruling. He only ruled for two
years, and he continued doing the bad things his father had done. An enemy,
Baasha, killed him and took over the throne. He also killed all of Jeroboam’s
family.
Baasha also was an evil king. God sent him a message through his prophet,
Jehu, and warned him that since he was doing evil that God would ruin his
family; and that’s exactly what happened. When Baasha died, his son Elah
took over. One day, he got drunk, and his servant, Zimri, plotted against him
and killed him. Then he killed the rest of Baasha’s family and began ruling
over Israel. His rule was only seven days long because the leader of the army,
Omri, came and waged war against the city where Zimri was staying. When
Zimri saw that he was losing, he went into the king’s house and burned it
down around him. He died in the fire.
There are seven suicides recorded in the
Bible, and this is one of them. All of them
are tragic and unnecessary. Suicide is a
sin against God.
The nation was divided for a time. Part of the country wanted Omri as
king, and the other part wanted Tibni as king. Eventually, Omri became king and ruled for 12 years. Omri bought a hill and built a
city which he called Samaria. It became the new capital for Israel.
He was a very evil king.
When Omri died, his son, Ahab, began ruling. Ahab was even more
evil than his father, and he married a very wicked woman named Jezebel. We
will learn more about Ahab in a future lesson. He was eventually killed in battle.
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After Ahab died, his son, Ahaziah began to rule. He continued the evil
practices of his father, including Baal worship. He was injured in a fall, and
God sent a messenger to him to tell him that he would die. After he died, Jehoram became king. Jehoram was also called Joram. While he was ruling, he
teamed up with the king of Judah to war against Syria. One day, the prophet
Elisha commanded another prophet to anoint Jehu as the future king of Israel
and to tell him that he must kill all of Ahab’s family. Finally, Joram and Jehu
came face to face, and Jehu killed him with his bow and arrow. Then Jehu became king.
Jehu destroyed Baal worship in Israel, but he continued the worship of the golden calves. God was
pleased with Jehu for ending the Baal worship, so He
promised that he would have four generations rule in
Israel. It was during Jehu’s rule that Israel began being defeated by its enemies. It lost territory, and the
country became smaller.
After Jehu died, his son Jehoahaz began ruling. Since he was so evil, God
allowed Israel’s enemies to continue chipping away at Israel’s borders. Jehoahaz died, and his son Jehoash (also known as Joash) began ruling. After he
died, Jeroboam II began ruling. He managed to take back some of the land
that had been taken over by Israel’s enemies. After he died, his son Zechariah
began ruling. Zechariah was murdered by Shallum, who took over as king.
Shallum only ruled for a month; then Menahem killed him and took over
the throne. He continued the evil practices of the previous kings. After he
died, his son, Pekahiah, began ruling.
Pekahiah was murdered by Pekah, who took over the kingdom. Pekah suffered the same fate as Pekahiah, in that he was murdered by Hoshea, who
took over the kingdom.
It was while Hoshea was king that the country of Assyria overtook Israel.
We will discuss that in a future lesson. Hoshea was the last king of Israel.
“Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the
righteous will be delivered” (Proverbs 11:21 ESV).
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Okay, but so what?
It’s hard to get something personal out of a lesson that is mainly a list of
evil kings. Here is one thing you can learn from this: those who refuse to follow God have hard, bad lives, and they can cause much misery. None of these
kings have anything positive to share with us. You don’t want people to say
about you that you have nothing positive to share.
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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Israel was ruled by a series of evil kings.
Jeroboam led the nation into idol worship by making two golden
calves for the people to worship.
God sent prophets to the kings to try to get them to come back to
Him.
There was a continual cycle of men murdering kings and then taking the throne.
Ahab introduced the nation to Baal worship.
Hoshea was the last king of Israel .
If you learn nothing else, get this!
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God punishes those who don’t obey Him!
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Let’s learn it!
1. What did Jeroboam do to keep people from going to Jerusalem?
_________________________________________________________________
2. Where did he place these items? ____________ and ____________________
3. How many kings did Israel have? ___________________________________
4. Who ruled the longest? ___________________________________________
5. Who ruled the shortest time? ______________________________________
6. Which king committed suicide? ____________________________________
7. What idol did Ahab lead Israel into worshiping? ______________________
8. Who was the last king of Israel? ____________________________________
9. Who did God send to try to talk to the kings of Israel about coming back to
Him?
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For deeper thought...
Imagine you are an Israelite in the time of today’s lesson. What is your reaction to the constant pattern of violence and frequent changes in leadership?
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Israel’s history is filled with violence and bloodshed. What is God’s opinion
of violence? What famous event in world history is the direct result of God’s
reaction to violence? See Genesis 6:11-13 for a hint.
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Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
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What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
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Overview of the Southern Kingdom
Last week, we did a quick overview of the Northern Kingdom. Our lesson
today, from I Kings 12-II Kings 25, will be an overview of the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
The books of I and II Chronicles also tell
about the kings of Judah, starting with
Saul. The only time a king of Israel is men-
tioned is when he is somehow connected
to a king of Judah.
Two weeks ago, we learned that Rehoboam, Solomon’s son, was appointed
king over the United Kingdom, the nation of Israel, but he refused the good
advice of his father’s advisors and, as a result, the kingdom divided.
List of Judah’s kings
Here is a list of the kings of Israel, how long each one ruled, and whether
he was a good or evil king. Then we will discuss them in more detail.
Rehoboam
Abijam
Asa
Jehoshaphat
Jehoram
Ahaziah
Athaliah
Joash (Jehoash)
Amaziah
Ahaziah/Uzziah
Jotham
17 years
3 years
41 years
25 years
8 years
1 year
6 years
40 years
29 years
52 years
16 years
evil
evil
good
good
evil
evil
evil
good
mostly good
mostly good
mostly good
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I Kings 15
I Kings 15
I Kings 22
I Kings 22-II Kings 8
II Kings 8-9
II Kings 11
II Kings 11-12
II Kings 14
II Kings 15
II Kings 15
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Ahaz
Hezekiah
Manasseh
Amon
Josiah
Jehoahaz
Jehoiakim
Jehoiachin
Zedekiah
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16 years
29 years
55 years
2 years
31 years
3 months
11 years
3 months
11 years
evil
mostly good
evil
evil
good
evil
evil
evil
evil
II Kings 16
II Kings 18-20
II Kings 21
II Kings 21
II Kings 22-23
II Kings 23
II Kings 23-24
II Kings 24
II Kings 24-25
More about the kings
Rehoboam ruled for 17 years in the capital city of Jerusalem. He encouraged Judah to worship idols. You may remember that under Solomon’s rule,
Israel was a wealthy country. Rehoboam ruined its economy, and when Egypt
warred against Jerusalem, the Egyptian king took all the gold shields that
Solomon had made. Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields and used
them only when necessary.
After Rehoboam died, his son Abijam began ruling. He ruled for three
years, and he also worshiped idols. When he died, his son Asa took over the
kingdom. Asa loved God, and he took down all the idols’ altars. He died in
old age after ruling for 41 years.
Jehoshaphat began ruling when Asa died. He
also tried to follow God, but the people of Judah
kept worshiping idols. When he died, his son Jehoram began ruling. He worshiped idols and was
not faithful to God. He died after ruling for eight
years, and his son Ahaziah began ruling. He was
like his father, in that he worshiped idols. Ahaziah
was killed in battle.
When Ahaziah’s mother, Athaliah, learned that he had been killed, she
killed all the rest of the family. When Ahaziah’s sister realized what was happening, she took Ahaziah’s son, Joash, and hid him and his nurse. He was just
a baby, and he grew up hidden in the Temple. When he was seven years old,
the priest made a plan to present him as king. He had the boy carefully
guarded, and the priest proclaimed him king. When evil Athaliah heard all
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the noise and saw what was going on, she began shouting, “Treason!” The
guards killed her, and Joash ruled for 40 years. He was mostly faithful to God,
because the priests worked with him. He began the process of repairing the
Temple. He was murdered by two men after he had ruled for 40 years.
Amaziah, Joash’s son, began ruling. He was faithful to God, but the nation
continued to worship idols. He was a good warrior. He was killed in a conspiracy.
A “conspiracy” is when two or more people
get together in secret and plan some evil
deed. In Amaziah’s and Joash’s cases,
men gathered together and planned to ambush the king and murder him.
Amaziah’s son, Ahaziah began ruling. He also was faithful to God but did
nothing about the idol worship in Judah. He became sick with leprosy and
had to live in a separate house. His son, Jotham, became king. He allowed the
nation to worship idols, but he was faithful to God.
When Jotham died, his son Ahaz began ruling. He was a very evil man.
He even offered his own son as a sacrifice. When he died, Hezekiah began
ruling. He was very faithful to God, and he tore down all the altars and pillars
built to honor false gods. The king of Assyria came to Jerusalem to attack it,
but Hezekiah had prepared for this by building a water tunnel so the city
would not run out of water if it was besieged.
Putting a city under siege works was a
common way to wage war. The enemy
would prevent food and water from going
into the city, and the people inside would
starve to death or die of thirst.
Because of Hezekiah’s leadership and God’s providence, the Assyrian king was not able to defeat Jerusalem. Instead, he went back
home and was killed while worshiping a false idol.
After Hezekiah died, his son, Manasseh, began ruling. He was
very evil and built many altars and high places to false gods. He offered his son as an offering and put idols in the Temple. He also
killed innocent people. When he died, his son, Amon, took over. He also was
evil. Some of his servants conspired against him and murdered him. His son,
Josiah, became king at age 8.
Josiah was a very good king. He instructed the people to repair the Temple.
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When they were doing that, they discovered the book of the Law — the commandments that God had given to Moses on Mt. Sinai. The high priest gave
the book to Josiah’s secretary, who read the entire book to the king. He repented and insisted that all the nation gather to listen to God’s law being read.
He tore down all the altars and pillars to false gods, and he kept the Passover
feast. This was the first time the Passover had been kept in many decades.
Good king Josiah was killed in battle.
His son, Jehoahaz began ruling. He did evil, worshiping idols. The king of
Egypt attacked and carried him off to Egypt where he died.
Jehoiakim began ruling in his place, and he was an idol worshiper as well. When he died, his son, Jehoiachin began ruling. He also was evil, and during his rule, the king of Babylon attacked Jerusalem and carried him away to Babylon.
Zedekiah became the next king. He did not follow God. He
rebelled against the king of Babylon. Babylon attacked Jerusalem and built
siege works against it. Eventually, the city fell, and Zedekiah was taken to
Babylon, where he was killed.
Okay, but so what?
As we discussed last week, it’s hard to get something personal out of a lesson that is mainly a list of kings. It’s interesting to go through this list and
note the differences in the kings. Some kings lived good lives and tried to
honor God. Then, their sons lived terrible lives with no regard for God. It
makes you wonder why parents and children take such different paths in life.
Whether your parents are godly or not, you need to live a life that is faithful to
God, and you need to plan now to teach your children about God and to give
them a good example of godly living.
Also, God kept His promise (He always keeps His promises!) and always
had someone from David’s family ruling on the throne.
“Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a
lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name” (I
Kings 11:36 ESV).
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The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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Judah was ruled by a series of kings — some evil, some good, but
all from the tribe of Judah and the family of David.
Solomon’s son, Rehoboam, did not follow God and led the nation
into idolatry.
Judah had one unofficial female ruler of the kingdom — the evil
Athaliah, who ruled after murdering most of her family.
Two kings in particular, Joash and Josiah, loved God and worked
hard to repair the Temple and to destroy idolatry.
Josiah read the law to the people and led the nation in observing
the Passover — the first time that had happened in centuries.
Judah was eventually taken into captivity by Babylon.
If you learn nothing else, get this!

God kept His promise to David that someone from his family
would rule His people!
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Let’s learn it!
1. How many kings did Judah have? __________________________________
2. Who ruled the longest? __________________________________________
3. Who ruled the shortest time? _____________________________________
4. How many kings were good or mostly good? ________________________
5. How many kings were evil? _______________________________________
6. Who was the only female “king”? _________________________________
7. How did she die? _______________________________________________
8. How was her successor protected? _________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
9. Which two kings worked on repairing the Temple? ___________________
and ______________________________
10. How did Hezekiah protect the city from siege? _______________________
__________________________________________________________________
11. What two things did Josiah do that had not been done in centuries? Name
them both.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
12. Which nation took Judah into captivity? ____________________________
13. Who was ruling when this happened? ______________________________
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For deeper thought...
In your opinion, why is it that sometimes children behave completely differently from their parents? Do you know any family like this? Was the child’s
behavior better or worse than his or her parents?
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Why would Athaliah kill her own grandchildren? Can you think of anyone
else (either in the Bible or in history) who did something similar? Tell about
that person.
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Two of the youngest kings were also the most committed to serving God.
Read Matthew 19:14. Why do children have such a special place in God’s
heart?
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How did Hezekiah show good leadership to the nation? What do the leaders
of our country do to protect us from harm?
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Read Deuteronomy 17:18-20. Why is it important for a nation’s leaders to
know God’s word? How could Judah’s history be different had the kings read
and studied God’s word?
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Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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5.4
YOU ARE HERE
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You say “Go”; I say “No!”
Today we will study the minor prophet Jonah. Our text is that book.
A “minor” prophet doesn’t mean that he’s
not important. It means that, compared to
the “major” prophets, he did not write as
much. The books of the minor prophets
are very short.
God told Jonah to go north to Nineveh, in Assyria, and to preach that the
people needed to repent. Nineveh was the enemy, so Jonah was not interested
in helping them. So, he boarded a ship going south, to Tarshish, instead!
A rough ride
God sent a great wind on the sea, and a violent storm
arose. It was so bad that the ship was about to be broken
apart. The sailors were terrified and crying out to their
gods. They threw the cargo out to try to lighten the ship.
Meanwhile, Jonah was asleep below deck. The captain woke him up and asked him to pray. The sailors were trying to figure out
whose fault this was. They drew lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. They asked
him what was going on, and he told them that he was running away from
God!
Remember that the lot was similar to drawing straws. In those times, God usually di-
rected it. When the lot fell to Jonah, the
sailors knew the truth!
This terrified the sailors even more. “What have you done?” they wanted
to know. He told them the whole story — that God had given him a job to do,
but that he was running away!
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“Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence?”
(Psalm 139:7 ESV).
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The storm grew worse and worse. Finally, the sailors asked what they should do. Jonah told them to
throw him into the sea, and that it would grow calm.
He said he knew it was all his fault. The sailors did
not want to hurt Jonah, so they continued to try to
row. The sea grew even more stormy, so they asked
God’s forgiveness for what they were about to do.
Then they threw Jonah into the sea, and it immediately became calm.
Another rough ride, and kinda gross, too
God sent a great fish to swallow Jonah. Jonah stayed in the belly of the
fish for three days.
Usually you hear about “Jonah and the
whale”; however, the Bible just says a
“great fish.” Let’s stick to what the Bible
says about it!
While Jonah was enjoying the luxury trip God was providing (this is sarcasm!), he was praying. (You’d be praying, too, I’ll guess!) He admitted that
salvation comes from God. Then God commanded the fish, and it vomited
Jonah up on to dry ground.
Okay, let’s try this again!
God once again told Jonah to go to Nineveh and proclaim His message.
This time, Jonah obeyed God and traveled to Nineveh. It was a large city. It
took three days to walk through the entire city. As Jonah entered the city, he
began announcing, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 
3:4b ESV).
Notice that he didn’t issue an invitation or
tell them how to make things right! He said
nothing about repentance! Jonah really did
not want to be here, preaching to his enemies!
But the Ninevites believed him. They began fasting and putting on sackcloth. Both of these are signs of repentance.
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The king heard the message and required everyone to repent. When God
saw the Ninevites’ reaction, He had mercy on them and did not bring on them
the disaster that He had planned.
Isn’t God wonderful to have mercy on people? He truly does not want people to die.
He says in II Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not
slow to fulfill his promise as some count
slowness, but is patient toward you, not
wishing that any should perish, but that all 
should reach repentance” (ESV). Our God
is a God of second chances!
Well, I’m angry!
Jonah was angry about the entire episode. He did not want to come
to Nineveh in the first place, which is why he ran the other direction. He did not want to preach to these evil people. He
would have been very happy to see God destroy them.
When Jonah realized that God had forgiven Nineveh and was not going to
destroy the city, he prayed to God, “O LORD, is not this what I said when I
was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I 
knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding
in steadfast love, and relenting from disaster” (Jonah 4:2 ESV).
Isn’t this interesting? He’s angry at God for
being kind and compassionate and forgiv-
ing. Isn’t that what we want from God:
kindness, compassion, and forgiveness?
Jonah sat down east of Nineveh and just waited. He wanted to see what
would happen. Maybe he was hoping the city would go up in smoke!
Well, I’m compassionate!
God saw Jonah sitting there in the hot sun, so He provided a vine to grow
up to provide shade for Jonah. This made Jonah very happy. But the next day,
God provided a hot wind, and the sun blazed down on the vine, killing it. The
heat made Jonah grow faint.
God asked Jonah if he had any right to be angry that his vine was gone.
Jonah said that he did have a right to be angry. God pointed out that Jonah
cared more about the vine than the 120,000 people living in Nineveh!
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God knew exactly how many people lived
in Nineveh at that time. He knows how
many people live right here, too! He knows
each one of us! Isn’t that wonderful?
Okay, but so what?
There are so many lessons we can learn from this wonderful little book
that it’s hard to know where to start.
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God cares about everyone’s salvation.
You can’t run away from God.
Your actions affect other people — the sailors and the ship were
nearly lost because of Jonah.
God hears prayers — even from the belly of a fish.
When God tells you to do something, it’s best to do it.
We never know how people will respond to God’s word; even if we
are certain that a person won’t listen, we should speak up.
God is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding
in love.
God can handle our anger.
God is a God of second chances; it’s never too late
to come back to Him.
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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God told Jonah to preach to Israel’s arch-enemy, Nineveh.
Jonah refused to go and went in the opposite direction.
God caused a terrible storm to batter the ship on which Jonah was
sailing.
The sailors threw him overboard after praying for forgiveness.
A great fish swallowed Jonah.
Jonah spent three days and nights in the belly of the fish, praying.
The fish vomited him out on the shore.
God told Jonah again to go to Nineveh.
Jonah went and proclaimed that God would destroy Nineveh.
The Ninevites repented, and God did not destroy them, which
made Jonah angry.
God provided a vine and then destroyed it, to teach Jonah.
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5.4
If you learn nothing else, get this!

God wants all people to repent and be saved!
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Let’s learn it!
1. Where did God tell Jonah to go? __________________________________
2. Where did Jonah try to go instead? ________________________________
3. What happened during the voyage? ________________________________
4. What happened when Jonah was thrown overboard? __________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. How long did Jonah remain there? _________________________________
6. What did Jonah do while he was there? _____________________________
7. How did Jonah get out? __________________________________________
8. What did Jonah say to the Ninevites? ______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
9. What was their response? ________________________________________
10. What was God’s response? _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
11. What was Jonah’s response? ______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
12. What did he do next? ____________________________________________
13. What did God do next to teach Jonah a lesson? ______________________
__________________________________________________________________
14. How many people in Nineveh was God concerned about? _____________
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For deeper thought...
How do people try to run away from God today? Why do they try?
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Think about how the sailors were affected by Jonah’s actions. Describe how
your actions affect others. How can your actions help others?
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Does God answer prayer? Has He ever answered one of yours? Describe it.
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What does God’s reaction to the Ninevites’ repentance tell us about Him?
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Is it wrong to be angry with God? What can we learn from Jonah’s anger with
God and how God handled it?
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Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
8
A Walk Through the Bible
5.5
YOU ARE HERE
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God cares for Elijah
Recently, we reviewed the evil kings of Israel. We discussed the fact that
God often sent prophets to try to teach the kings and the people about God.
One evil king was Ahab, and one very important prophet was a man named
Elijah. Today, we’ll study Elijah’s story, told in I Kings 17-19.
Ahab came to power after his father, Omri, died.
Ahab was very evil. He married an evil woman named
Jezebel. Together, they worshiped the false god, Baal,
and encouraged Israel to do the same. He built an altar
for Baal and a house for him in Samaria.
God brought a drought to Israel. This means that there was no rain for
years, and all the land and crops dried up. Food became scarce, and animals
died because there was no hay to eat. God told Elijah that this was His plan.
He also had a plan for Elijah. God told Elijah to go to the Kerith Ravine,
where there was a brook from which he could drink. God also told him that
He had ordered the ravens to feed him, and twice a day the ravens would
bring meat and bread to Elijah.
God has so many odd ways to bring about
His plan! Who would have thought of hav-
ing a bird deliver meat and bread??
God cares for a widow
God sent Elijah to Zarephath to a widow who lived there. When he arrived, he saw the woman gathering sticks. He asked her for food and water.
She told him she had no food — all she had was a little flour and oil, and
nothing else.
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Elijah asked her to make a small cake of bread for him and for herself and
her son. He promised to her that God said, “The jar of flour shall not be spent
and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the LORD sends rain 
upon the earth” (I Kings 17:14 ESV). And that’s exactly what happened!
Grief turns to joy
One day, the widow’s son grew sick and died. The woman
was filled with grief as she talked to Elijah. He carried the
boy to his bedroom and prayed to God. Then he stretched
himself out on the boy three times and asked God to let the
boy’s life return to him. God answered Elijah’s prayer and
brought the boy back to life.
Ahab and Elijah
After the drought had gone on for three years, God told Elijah to meet
with Ahab. Ahab blamed Elijah for the drought, and he had been searching
for him. Elijah sent another prophet, named Obadiah, to tell Ahab where
Elijah was. Ahab met Elijah and called him a “troubler of Israel.”
Actually, Ahab was the “troubler of Israel”!
He had helped turn the nation away from
God and encouraged the people to worship
the false god, Baal.
Elijah responded that it was not he who brought trouble to Israel — it was
Ahab and his family. He accused Ahab of abandoning God’s commands and
worshiping Baal. He challenged him to a contest on Mount Carmel. Here is
the challenge he gave:
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Gather people from Israel along with the 450 prophets of Baal and
the 400 prophets of Asherah.
Get two bulls — one for God and one for Baal.
Representatives of each side will cut up the bulls and put them on
wood but not set fire to it.
Each side will call on his god, and the one who answers by fire is
God.
He finished the challenge by these wonderful words: “How long will you
go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; 
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but if Baal, then follow him” (I Kings 18:21b ESV).
Followers of God can’t “sit on the fence.”
You’re either for Him or against Him, and
you show that by the way you live your life.
Let the contest begin!
The people agreed to the plan. The prophets of Baal chose a bull and prepared it. They put it on the dry wood and began calling to Baal. “O Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But Baal did not answer.
Around noon, Elijah began making fun of them. He told them to shout
louder! He suggested that maybe their “god” was asleep and needed to be
awakened! They shouted louder and louder and even slashed themselves with
swords. This was their custom. But still Baal did not answer.
Now it’s Elijah’s turn!
Elijah gathered the people around himself. Then he rebuilt God’s altar,
which had gone to ruins. He dug a trench around it. He arranged the dry wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and
put it on the wood. Then he asked for four large jars filled
with water. He had water poured all over the offering and the
wood. He had them do this three times, until water overflowed and filled the trench.
Then Elijah prayed to God: “O LORD, God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I
am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer 
me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that you, O LORD, are
God, and that you have turned their hearts back” (I Kings 18:36b-37 ESV).
What a difference! The priests of Baal
screamed, danced, and gashed them-
selves. Elijah offers only one small prayer.
Fire fell from heaven, burning up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, the
ground, and the water in the trench. Immediately, the people fell to their faces
and proclaimed, “The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God” (I Kings 
18:39b ESV).
Then Elijah commanded that all the prophets of Baal be killed.
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A bit of a letdown
Ahab and his evil wife, Jezebel, were furious with Elijah. Jezebel sent a
messenger to Elijah, who told him that he would be dead by that time tomorrow! Elijah was afraid, so he ran to Beersheba. There he prayed to God and
asked God to take his life. Then he went to sleep.
An angel awakened him and told him to eat. He found food prepared there
for him, ate, and went back to sleep. The angel awakened him again and told him to eat because he had a
long journey ahead. He again ate and drank, and then
he began a 40-day trip to Horeb. The whole time he was
traveling, he did not need to eat or drink. When he arrived at Horeb, he stayed in a cave.
The gentle whisper
God asked Elijah what he was doing there. Elijah told God that he had
worked hard for Him, but now his enemies were trying to kill him. He told
God that he was the only one left who was faithful to Him. God told him to
stand on the mountain. Then, God passed by, and some unusual things happened.
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A great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart — but God
was not in the wind.
An earthquake — but God was not in the earthquake.
A fire — but God was not in the fire.
A gentle whisper (or still, small voice) — which was the voice of
God.
God calmed Elijah down and told him that he had much to do. He also assured him that he was not alone. God told him that there were 7,000 people in
Israel who had not bowed down to Baal.
Okay, but so what?
God takes care of His people, and He understands our worries. He under4
A Walk Through the Bible
5.5
stands when we are discouraged and lonely. He may not send a bird to feed us
to show Himself to us, but He does love us and care for us. He answers our
prayers, just as He answered Elijah’s prayers in today’s lesson.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians
4:6 ESV).
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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Elijah was a faithful prophet of God.
God took care of Elijah by sending a raven to feed him.
God cared for a widow by providing food and allowing Elijah to
raise her son from the dead.
Elijah and the prophets of Baal had a powerful contest on Mt. Carmel.
The prophets of Baal could not get him to answer though they
shouted and cut themselves.
Elijah prayed one small prayer, and God answered with fire.
Ahab and Jezebel threatened to kill Elijah.
Elijah was very depressed and thought he was the only one on
God’s side.
God comforted him and revealed Himself to Elijah with a gentle
whisper.
If you learn nothing else, get this!

God answers prayer!
5
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.5
Let’s learn it!
1. What evil king led Israel into Baal worship? _________________________
2. What problem did God send to Israel? ______________________________
3. How did God help the widow at Zarephath? _________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. How did Elijah bring the widow’s son back to life? ___________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. Where was the contest with the prophets of Baal? ____________________
6. Explain the contest. _____________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
7. Who won the contest? ___________________________________________
8. Who threatened to kill Elijah? _____________________________________
9. Where did Elijah go? ____________________________________________
10. Why was Elijah depressed? _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
11. In what three mighty acts did Elijah NOT see God?
A. ____________________________________________________________
B. ____________________________________________________________
C. ____________________________________________________________
12. How did God reveal Himself to Elijah? _____________________________
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For deeper thought...
Elijah was concerned or even worried about a number of things. Do you
worry? Why do you worry? What do you worry about?
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Elijah was depressed after his great victory; he thought things would be better
after God won the contest, but instead the king threatened to kill him. How
did he handle his depression?
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When God talked to Elijah about his depression, how did He comfort him?
How does He comfort you when you are sad?
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God did unexpected things in our lesson: sending a bird to feed Elijah, appearing in a gentle whisper after a fiery contest. Has He ever done anything
unexpected in your life? Explain.
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Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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8
A Walk Through the Bible
5.6
YOU ARE HERE
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Elijah’s successor
Last week, we learned about the great prophet Elijah, whom God sent to
the evil king Ahab in Israel. This week, from II Kings 2-8, we’ll learn about
the prophet who came after Elijah. His name was Elisha.
Elijah continued preaching to the evil kings of Israel, even after Ahab died.
Somehow, he knew that it was time for him to go to heaven. Elijah told his assistant, Elisha, that God was sending him to the Jordan
River. Elisha wanted to go with him. When they arrived,
other prophets told Elisha that God was going to take
Elijah away that day. A crowd of prophets gathered, and
they watched as Elijah rolled up his cloak and struck the
water of the river. The river parted, and Elijah and Elisha crossed over on dry ground.
Once they reached the other side, Elijah asked Elisha what he could do for
him before he left. Elisha asked for a double portion of his spirit. Elijah told
him that if he saw Elijah being taken away, then what he’d asked for would be
given to him.
Suddenly, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the men. Elijah was
taken up in a whirlwind! Elisha was stunned! He saw Elijah disappear. Elisha
picked up the cloak that had fallen from Elijah. When he reached the Jordan
River, he rolled up Elijah’s cloak and struck the water. The water parted, and
Elisha crossed on dry ground. God had given him what he asked for. The
other prophets recognized that Elisha had received Elijah’s spirit, and they
honored him.
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So many miracles!
God really had given Elisha a spiritual gift. Elisha did so many miracles
that it would take most of our class time to review them all. Here is a summary of some of his miracles.
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People complained that the water was not drinkable, so Elisha threw
salt into the spring, making the water drinkable.
Some young boys made fun of Elisha’s bald head, so
he cursed them, and bears killed the boys.
A poisonous gourd was put in a pot of stew, so Elisha
put flour in the stew, making it safe to eat.
Elisha fed 100 men with only 20 loaves of bread with
plenty left over.
A man accidentally dropped a borrowed iron axe head into the water, so Elisha threw a stick into the water, which made the axe head
float.
A widow with problems
Elisha knew a woman whose late husband was a son of the prophets. She
told Elisha that her two sons were about to be taken from her to pay her bills.
We read in the Bible many stories about
widows in trouble. The reason for this is
that in Bible times, women did not usually
work outside the home. When a husband
died, the wife would face hardship and
starvation if she did not have grown sons
who would take care of her. The woman in
this story had sons, but apparently they
were too young to work.
Elisha told her to borrow as many large jars as she could. He told her to
take the little bit of oil that she had in the house and pour it into the borrowed
jars and then sell them. She poured oil into each jar, filling all the jars completely! She was able to sell the oil and pay her bills.
“We’ll leave the light on”
A wealthy woman lived at a town called Shunem. Elisha often passed
through there, and she realized that he was a man of God. She suggested to
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her husband that they fix up a room for him. Elisha was thankful for her generosity, so he talked to his assistant, named Gehazi, about it. They discussed
how to thank her. Since she already had so much money, they couldn’t decide
what they could give to her. Gehazi pointed out that she had no children.
Elisha called her and told her that about that time next year she would
have a son. It happened just as Elisha said! She was very happy.
Tragedy hits
A few years later, the boy was talking to his father in a field. Suddenly he
cried out, “My head! My head!” The boy was carried home to his mother,
who held him on her lap until noon. Then the boy died.
She immediately got on a donkey and went to Mount Carmel to find Elisha. Elisha saw her coming and told Gehazi to
meet her to find out why she was coming.
Gehazi went to her and asked her if everything was all right. She said it
was, and she continued to ride. When she reached Elisha, she was so filled
with grief that she fell at his feet.
When Elisha realized what had happened, he told Gehazi to go to the
woman’s house and lay Elisha’s staff on the boy’s face. But the crying woman
refused to leave. Gehazi went to the woman’s house and returned, telling Elisha that he did as he’d been told, but nothing happened.
Elisha went to the woman’s home and saw the boy lying dead on the bed.
He shut the door and prayed. Then he got on the bed and lay down on the
boy. The boy’s skin began to get warm. Elisha walked around the room and
lay down on him once more. Then the boy sneezed seven times and opened
his eyes! He called for the woman, who rejoiced that her dead son was once
again alive!
A powerful man with a powerful problem
Another miracle Elisha performed involved a man named Naaman, who
was the commander of the army of the king of Aram. Naaman had leprosy,
which could not then be cured.
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Naaman’s wife had a servant girl who was from Israel. The girl told her
about the great prophet in Samaria who she said could cure him! Naaman got
permission from the king to travel to Israel. Naaman loaded up several gifts
and went to Israel. He sent word to the king of Israel that he was there to be
cured of his leprosy.
The king of Israel was very upset. He assumed that the king of Aram was
trying to start a fight. He said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this
man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see 
how he is seeking a quarrel with me” (II Kings 5:7b ESV).
Imagine if the leader of another country
sent an official to our President, asking
him to cure an official! Though the President is powerful, he can’t cure people!
“Here I am to save the day!”
Elisha heard about the situation, so he sent a message to the king asking
him to send Naaman to him.
Naaman went to Elisha’s house. Elisha did not come out to greet him. Instead, he sent a messenger to tell him to go and wash in the Jordan River
seven times, and he would be cured.
What a strange prescription! It sounded
strange to Naaman, too! Wouldn’t it be
wonderful to be cured of a terrible disease
so easily?
Naaman was furious at this!! He expected Elisha to come
out and call on the name of the Lord and wave his hands and
cure him! He stormed around saying that there were plenty
of rivers in his own country in which he could wash.
Finally, Naaman’s servants went to reason with Naaman. They pointed out
that if Elisha had told him to do a difficult or magnificent thing, he would
have done it. Instead, Elisha gave him one easy task.
A simple cure
Naaman finally agreed, and he went to the Jordan River and dipped seven
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times, just as Elisha had told him to. When he stepped out of the water, his
skin was restored, and he was completely cured.
He went back to Elisha’s house and praised God. He showed Elisha all the
gifts he had brought and urged Elisha to take them, but he refused.
Greedy Gehazi
Gehazi had overheard Naaman’s offer and Elisha’s refusal. When Naaman
had gone some distance, Gehazi decided that Elisha had been too easy on
him. He decided to go to get some of the wonderful gifts.
He chased Naaman. When Naaman saw him, he met him
and asked if everything was all right. Gehazi answered, “All is
well. My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now
come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men 
of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver
and two festal garments’” (II Kings 5:22 ESV).
The truth always comes out!
Naaman gave Gehazi money and clothing. Gehazi took them home and
hid them, and then he went to Elisha. Elisha asked where he’d been.
Gehazi denied having gone anywhere, but Elisha told him that his spirit
was with Gehazi when he went to Naaman. He told him that Naaman’s leprosy would be on him instead! Gehazi was suddenly covered in leprosy.
Okay, but so what?
This is a difficult question to answer about this lesson, since we don’t see
miracles today. But one thing we can learn from this lesson is that God gave
Elisha gifts so that he could get people’s attention, so they could listen to his
message! God needs people today to tell His message, which is the thought of
today’s memory verse.
“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ”
(Romans 10:17 ESV).
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The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit when he saw
Elijah taken up in a whirlwind.
Elisha performed a number of miracles.
Elisha miraculously helped a woman pay her bills.
A generous woman gave him a place to stay, and he thanked her by
promising her a son.
Elisha’s promise came true, but one day the boy got sick and died.
Elisha raised the child from the dead.
A powerful man from Aram came to Elisha to be cured of leprosy.
Elisha told him what to do, and the cure he suggested made
Naaman angry.
After obeying Elisha, Naaman was cured.
Naaman offered gifts to Elisha, which he refused.
Gehazi wanted the gifts, so he chased after Naaman and lied to
him in order to get the gifts.
Gehazi hid the gifts and lied to Elisha about where he’d been.
Elisha put Naaman’s leprosy on Gehazi.
If you learn nothing else, get this!
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God sent prophets to try to bring His people to Him!
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Let’s learn it!
1. What did Elisha request from Elijah? _______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. What happened to Elijah? ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. How did Elisha save the widow’s two sons? _________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. What kindness did the Shunammite woman show to him? _____________
__________________________________________________________________
5. How did Elisha repay her kindness? ________________________________
6. What miracle did Elisha do after the woman’s son died? _______________
__________________________________________________________________
7. What medical problem did Naaman have? __________________________
8. What were Elisha’s instructions to Naaman? ________________________
__________________________________________________________________
9. Why was Naaman angry about the instructions? _____________________
__________________________________________________________________
10. How did Gehazi try to deceive Elisha? _____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
11. How was Gehazi punished? ______________________________________
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For deeper thought...
Elisha helped many people with his miracles, but apparently he never did
miracles to help himself. Why? If you could do miracles, would you do miracles to help yourself ? What would they be?
__________________________________________________________________
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__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Elisha gave Naaman simple instructions on how to save his life. How are we
saved today? Why do some people reject this, just as Naaman rejected Elisha’s
instructions at first?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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YOU ARE HERE
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And now, back to Judah
In the past several weeks, we’ve talked about evil kings in Israel and the
prophets God sent to try to bring Israel back to Him. Today, we’ll go south to
Judah and learn about two very good kings. In addition to being very good
kings, they also had something very important in common! Today’s lesson
comes from II Kings 11-12 and 22-23.
A truly evil woman
Just as a reminder, the kings of Judah all came from the same family. King
Ahaziah died, and his mother, Athaliah, heard the news. She went and killed
all the royal family — except one. Ahaziah’s sister realized what was happening, and she hid Ahaziah’s little
son, Joash, saving his life. She hid the baby in the Temple. Athaliah ruled as queen of Judah for six years.
There was a good priest named Jehoiada. He decided
it was time to bring out the boy and make him king. He
arranged for tight security for the boy. The day arrived, and he brought sevenyear-old Joash out, while the people clapped and said, “Long live the king!”
When Athaliah heard all the noise, she went to the Temple. She saw the
boy standing by the pillar and heard all the rejoicing. She got angry and cried
out, “Treason! Treason!”
“Treason” is a word we don’t hear too often. It means to betray a country or a person in order to overthrow the government.
Athaliah was correct: this was treason. But
she was not entitled to rule Judah and was
certainly wrong to kill her family!
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Jehoiada ordered the guard to remove her from the Temple and to kill her.
He did not want her killed in God’s house. The guards did as they were told.
A new beginning for Judah!
Jehoiada made a covenant between God and the king and the people, that
they would be God’s people. The people destroyed all the false temples and
gods that they had created. They tore down the altars and killed the priests of
the false gods.
Joash (who was also called Jehoash) had been
taught about God by Jehoiada during the time he
was growing up in the Temple. He loved God and
wanted to serve Him. Since he grew up in the Temple, he saw that it was in disrepair, so he began collecting money to repair the temple. After they collected enough money, they hired workmen to do the
repairs.
A sad ending
Joash lived a good life until his good friend Jehoiada died. Then he began
worshiping idols. Eventually, his servants got together and decided to murder
him. Joash died after ruling for 40 years.
Good king Josiah
Many, many years later in Judah, King Amon ruled. He was a very evil
king. He ruled for two years, and then his servants got together and killed
him. He had an eight-year-old son, Josiah. This little boy became the next
king of Judah.
Josiah believed in God and loved God very much. He obeyed God. Once
again, the Temple had become very run down, and this bothered Josiah. He
hired men to repair the Temple. The high priest, Hilkiah, supervised the project.
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A wonderful discovery!
One day, Hilkiah went to the secretary and told him, “I have found the 
Book of the Law in the house of the LORD” (II Kings 22:8b ESV).
The secretary read the book, and then he went to King Josiah. He told him
of the wonderful discovery. Then he read the book to the king.
When Josiah heard God’s word, he realized that the country
was in great danger because they had not worshiped and honored God they way they were supposed to. He was very afraid,
and he asked his officials to ask God about the book they’d
found. The men went to a prophetess. She told them that God
was going to bring disaster on Judah because of its idolatry. She
also told them that God was pleased that Josiah loved Him and
wanted to serve Him. Because of his love for God, God would allow him to
die before He punished the country.
Time to clean house!
Josiah ordered that the Temple be cleaned out. Idolatry had become so accepted that false idols were in the Temple! They were removed and burned.
He destroyed all the altars and places of worship for the false idols. Then he
did something that had not been done in centuries: he kept the Passover.
It’s been a long time since we’ve talked about the Passover. It was a feast
that God commanded His people to celebrate every year without fail. They
were to eat unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and a roasted lamb. They were to
tell the wonderful story of the exodus, when Israel was freed from slavery in
Egypt and crossed the Red Sea on dry ground. It was to be a time of rejoicing
and remembrance. And, apparently, Israel had not obeyed God in keeping
this memorial feast. Josiah led the nation in the Passover feast.
The Bible says about Josiah: “Before him there was no king like him, who
turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his 
might, according to all the Law of Moses, nor did any like him arise after
him” (II Kings 23:25 ESV).
Josiah died in battle, after ruling God’s people for 31 years.
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What do these kings have in common?
These two kings had two very interesting things in common: they started
ruling at a very young age, and they loved God very much.
Children are very important to God. Jesus had a special love for children.
In Matthew 19, we are told this story: “Then children were brought to him
that he might lay his hands on them and pray. The disciples rebuked the peo- 
ple, but Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them
for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.’ And he laid his hands on them
and went away” (Matthew 19:13-15 ESV).
When Jesus “laid his hands on them,” this
means that He pronounced a blessing on
them. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to have
Jesus put His hands on you and bless
you?
Children tend to be very open and loving, and God loves open and loving
hearts. This may be one reason why children are so special to God. Jesus always had time for children, and He has time for His children today. He cares
about you, and He loves you. He wants you to come to Him with your troubles and worries.
Our memory verse is another reminder of God’s special notice of young
people:
“Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in
speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity” (I Timothy 4:12 ESV).
It’s sad that often children think that they do not matter
much in the church. Children are very important to the
church. You set good examples for others when you behave in worship and when you bring your friends to
church. In fact, the people most likely to invite friends to
church are children! You are setting a wonderful example
for older people.
When children learn memory verses, it inspires older people. We love to
hear children sing during worship. God loves hearing you sing, and so do
those around you!
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Okay, but so what?
You probably know the point of this lesson already: God loves children,
and the church needs you! May you always love God and be faithful to Him,
like Josiah.
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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Wicked Athaliah killed the royal family when she learned that her
son, King Ahaziah died.
One baby, Joash, was hidden in the Temple.
Athaliah ruled over Judah for six years.
A priest, Jehoiada, raised the boy and taught him about God.
When Jehoiada thought the time was right, he arranged for security
and then presented the boy king.
Athaliah was furious, and the guards killed her.
Joash served God faithfully all through Jehoiada’s life.
After Jehoiada died, Joash began worshiping idols.
Many years later, eight-year-old Josiah became king.
Josiah ordered that the Temple be repaired.
While repairing the Temple, the Book of Law was found.
Josiah had the Law read to him, and he repented and destroyed all
the idols in the land.
Josiah led the nation in keeping the Passover — the first time it had
happened in centuries.
God loves children.
If you learn nothing else, get this!

God loves children, and so does the church!
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Let’s learn it!
1. What terrible thing happened when King Ahaziah died? _______________
__________________________________________________________________
2. Who rescued baby Joash? ________________________________________
3. Where was the baby hidden? ______________________________________
4. Who raised him and taught him about God? ________________________
5. When Joash was seven years old, what happened? ____________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. What was Athaliah’s reaction? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
7. Joash was faithful to God until what? ______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
8. How old was Josiah when he became king? _________________________
9. What repair job did Josiah order? __________________________________
10. What was found during the work? _________________________________
11. When it was read to Josiah, what was his reaction? ___________________
__________________________________________________________________
12. What did Josiah do that had not been done in centuries? ______________
_________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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For deeper thought...
In your opinion, why did Joash abandon God after Jehoiada’s death?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What can you do to set an example for others in the church?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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YOU ARE HERE
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Israel’s disobedience
Today’s lesson is another sad one. It is found in II Kings 17 and 23-25. You
remember several weeks ago when we studied the list of Israel’s kings. They
were all evil. They started out with great promise, with Jeroboam being told
that he would have ten tribes and great success if he would only obey God.
The little word “if” is really a very big word.
It means that there are strings attached.
But God’s strings are not difficult to obey!
He doesn’t expect us to do the impossible!
As you remember, Jeroboam decided to protect his power by setting up
idols for Israel to worship — and worship they did! The Bible tells us that
they:
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Worshiped other gods and did just as the Canaanites did.
Built high places and burned incense there.
Set up sacred stones and Asherah poles.
Did acts of wickedness.
A merciful God
God did not immediately punish Israel. In fact, He sent a number of
prophets to try to persuade Israel to come back to Him:
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Elijah
Hosea
Amos
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Obadiah
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Israel is destroyed
Hoshea was the king of Israel, ruling in Samaria, when the king of Assyria
attacked Israel. He took the Israelites to Assyria and brought in people from
Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim to replace them. The
northern kingdom of Israel ended — for all time — in 722 B.C.
Now, about Judah...
In our lesson on the kings of Judah, you remember that there were a few
good kings who tried to serve God, but most of them served idols. Again,
God was merciful, and He sent prophets to warn the people to come back to
him. They included:
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Isaiah
Jeremiah
Ezekiel
Hosea
Amos
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Micah
Habakkuk
Zephaniah
Shemaiah
Micaiah
These brave prophets tried to persuade the people to follow God. But
Judah refused to repent, so God sent the king of Babylon, named Nebuchadnezzar, to the capital city of Jerusalem. His army built siege works against the
city, so that the people could not go in or out. This would prevent food or water coming in, and the people began starving to death.
The prophets, and Jeremiah in particular, begged the people to surrender to
Babylon. He told them in tears that this was God’s plan. The people refused,
though, and tried to defend their city. They began digging holes in the wall to
try to escape.
Jeremiah was known as the “Weeping
Prophet.” He wrote the book of Jeremiah
and the book of Lamentations, a song of
mourning over Jerusalem.
The fall of Jerusalem
The Babylonian army had Jerusalem completely surrounded when they fi2
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nally broke through the city walls. The people of Judah
tried to escape, but the army captured them. Even Zedekiah, the king of Judah, fled. The Babylonian army chased
him and caught him in Jericho. They brought him to Nebuchadnezzar, and they killed his sons as he watched.
Then they blinded Zedekiah. He was put into prison.
The army set fire to Jerusalem, including the Temple,
the royal palace, and every important building. They carried off all the important people of the city and left the poorest people there to tend the fields.
This is an important point. Those of
David’s family were taken to Babylon,
where they were cared for. Why is this important? Because God promised that the
Savior would come from David’s family.
This way God preserved David’s family so
that Jesus could be born.
Now what?
God wasn’t finished with Judah yet. He still had a plan. He told Jeremiah
and Isaiah that His plan was to bring His people back home after a time. God
set aside 70 years to keep His people in exile so they could learn the importance of obedience. Then His plan was to use a king named Cyrus to bring
His people back home.
God’s prophets continued working during the time of Babylonian Captivity. They continued to urge faithfulness to God. They preached against marrying the Babylonians and to keep their family lines pure.
Return with me now...
Back when Moses was alive, as he was near death and was turning the
leadership over to Joshua, he gave a series of farewell speeches recorded in the
book of Deuteronomy. He made many predictions and urged obedience. He
told them:
“See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil. If you obey
the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you today, by 
loving the LORD your God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his statutes and his rules, then you shall live and multiply,
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and the LORD your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to
take possession of it. But if your heart turns away, and you will not hear, but 
are drawn away to worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today,
that you shall surely perish. You shall not live long in the land that you are going over the Jordan to enter and possess” (Deuteronomy 30:15-18 ESV).
God keeps His promises
Moses told the people that if they did not obey, their enemies would lay
siege to the cities and starve the people. He promised them that God would
scatter them among the nations.
Most of the time, we are happy that God
keeps His promises. This time, the prom-
ise is an unhappy one — and God kept it.
“Your ways and your deeds have brought this upon you. This is your doom,
and it is bitter; it has reached your very heart” (Jeremiah 4:18 ESV).
Okay, but so what?
God is a loving and merciful God. He wants what is
best for you, but He will not force Himself on you. He
wants you to choose Him. He always gives you a choice.
Will you choose God — and life — or will you choose
death?
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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Israel, the northern kingdom, did not obey God and was destroyed
by the Assyrians in 722 B.C.
Judah, the southern kingdom, did not obey God and was taken
into captivity by Babylon.
The Babylonians kept the important people safe in Babylon and left
the poor people in Judah to care for the land.
God sent prophets to try to help His people obey.
God had a plan to bring Judah back after 70 years.
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If you learn nothing else, get this!
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God is patient, but His patience will come to an end, and there
will be judgment.
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Let’s learn it!
1. What was Israel’s main problem? __________________________________
2. Who was the last king of Israel? ___________________________________
3. Which nation destroyed Israel? ____________________________________
4. Whom did God send to warn Israel? _______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. What was Judah’s main problem? _________________________________
6. Which nation besieged Jerusalem? _________________________________
7. Who was the king of Judah when Jerusalem fell? _____________________
8. Whom did God send to warn Judah? _______________________________
__________________________________________________________________
9. Which prophet was the “weeping prophet”? _________________________
10. Which two books of the Bible did he write?
______________________________ ___________________________________
11. What happened to the important people of Judah? ___________________
__________________________________________________________________
12. What happened to the poor people of Judah? ________________________
_________________________________________________________________
13. How long was Judah in captivity? _________________________________
14. Who predicted this many years before? _____________________________
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For deeper thought...
Why did God choose 70 years as the length of time for Judah to be in captivity? See II Chronicles 36:21 and Leviticus 25:4 for a hint.
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Why do people ignore warnings? Do you ignore warnings? Which ones?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY
Four brave young men
As we learned last week, the Babylonians carried off the richest and most
important people of Judah to live in safety in Babylon. We will see in the
book of Daniel, our text for today, that there were four young men in particular who were taken to King Nebuchadnezzar’s palace in Babylon. The Bible
describes them this way:
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From the royal family.
Young men with no physical defects.
Quick to learn and well informed.
These four men were named Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. But
the Babylonian officials renamed them:
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Daniel became Belteshazzar.
Hananiah became Shadrach.
Mishael became Meshach.
Azariah became Abednego.
You really want Brussels sprouts?
The officials trained them for three years before
they could serve the king. They were taught Babylonian language and literature and were given a daily
amount of food and wine. Daniel did not want to
eat the royal food; he believed it would defile him.
The Bible really doesn’t give us any more
information than this. Perhaps the food
was unclean according to God’s law. We
don’t know precisely. What we do know is
that Daniel took his service to God seriously.
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Daniel asked the chief official for permission to eat only vegetables and
drink only water. The official was doubtful and said that Daniel and his
friends would lose weight and not look as healthy as the others. Daniel asked
him to give him a ten-day test of a vegetable and water diet.
The official agreed to give that a try. At the end
of ten days, these four young men looked more
healthy and nourished than the others! So, the official agreed to serve them only the vegetables and
water they requested.
The young men continued to learn and study,
and God gave them knowledge and understanding.
Here comes trouble!
Nebuchadnezzar built an image of gold that was 90 feet high and nine feet
wide! He set it up in Babylon and summoned his officials to come to the dedication of the image.
Once again, we are told very little about
this image. We don’t know if it’s an image
of a man or a god or an animal. We do
know that God says not to worship an image.
He sent out a herald to proclaim that everyone in the nation, upon hearing
the sound of music, was to bow down and worship the image of gold that
King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. Then he gave the rest of the story: Anyone
who refused to worship the image would immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace!
Tattle-tale, tattle-tale!
The people of the nation did as the herald ordered. As soon as the sound
of music started, they would bow down and worship the image the king had
made.
Then some astrologers who hated the Jewish people went to King Nebuchadnezzar and told him that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to
bow down to worship his idol. This made Nebuchadnezzar furious!
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Time to face the music
Nebuchadnezzar called for the three young men. He demanded to know if
what he had been told was true — that they would not worship the image he
made? He warned them of the consequences: they would be thrown into a
blazing furnace. He finished by asking, “And who is the god who will deliver 
you out of my hands?” (Daniel 3:15b ESV).
The three young men told Nebuchadnezzar that if he threw them into a
blazing furnace that God would rescue them. They went on to say that even if
God did not rescue them, they still would not worship the gold image.
This infuriated Nebuchadnezzar so much that he ordered the furnace to be
heated seven times hotter than usual. Then he commanded his strongest soldiers to tie up the Jewish men and throw them in. The flames were so hot that
the soldiers burned to death. Then a strange thing happened.
“I can’t believe my eyes!”
Nebuchadnezzar suddenly jumped up and asked, “Did we not cast three 
men bound into the fire?” (Daniel 3:24b ESV). He pointed out that he could
see four men walking around in the fire, untied and unhurt. One of them
looked like a son of the gods. He called out for Shadrach, Meshach, and
Abednego.
They walked out from the furnace. Their clothing wasn’t scorched, they
weren’t burned, and they didn’t even smell like smoke!
Nebuchadnezzar praised God for protecting His people, and he went on to
admire the young men for their faith and conviction.
The handwriting on the wall
Eventually, Nebuchadnezzar died. His son, Belshazzar, became king. One night, Belshazzar was having a party and was
using the gold goblets that they had taken from the Temple in
Jerusalem. Suddenly, the fingers of a human hand appeared and
wrote on the plaster of the wall.
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He summoned his wise men, and Daniel was the one who was able, with
God’s help, to interpret the writing. He told Belshazzar that the words said:
“Mene, mene, tekel, parsin.” He gave the meaning:
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“Mene”: God has numbered the days of your reign and brought it
to an end.
“Tekel”: You have been weighed on the scales and found wanting.
“Peres” [or “parsin”]: Your kingdom is divided and given to the
Medes and Persians.
That very night, Belshazzar was murdered. Darius the Mede took over the
kingdom.
Daniel continued to serve, and he was very wise and became a favorite in
the palace. This made some of the other officials jealous, so they decided to
try to get him in trouble. They realized that he was faithful to God, so they
used that to set a trap for him. They went to King Darius with the following
idea:
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Declare an edict that no one may pray to anyone other than the
king.
Declare that a person who prayed to someone other than the king
is to be thrown into a lions’ den.
Here we go again!
When Daniel heard of the edict, he continued his
usual routine, which was to go to his home to an upstairs room where the windows faced Jerusalem and
get down on knees and pray to God. He did this three
times a day. His enemies caught him in the act, so they
went to the king and tattled on Daniel.
Darius was very upset about this; he truly liked
Daniel. He couldn’t go back on his word, though, so he had Daniel thrown
into the lions’ den. A stone was put over the mouth of the den, and it was
sealed. The king spent a sleepless night worrying about his friend, Daniel.
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Did God save you?
When morning broke, the king rushed to the lions’ den. Upset, he called
out, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve
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continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?” (Daniel 6:20b ESV).
He was overjoyed to hear Daniel answer! Daniel told him that God sent an
angel to shut the mouths of the lions. He explained that he was innocent before God and innocent before the king, as well. The king removed Daniel
from the den and had his accusers thrown in! They were immediately crushed
and killed by the lions.
We don’t know how old Daniel was at this
time, but remember, this was the third
king he had served! And Judah was in cap-
tivity for 70 years, so he was probably elderly at this time.
Okay, but so what?
We need to be like Daniel and his friends — faithful to God
no matter what! Even though they were far away from their
homeland and family and friends, they remained true to God.
May your faith be as strong as theirs!
“By your endurance you will gain your lives” (Luke 21:19 ESV).
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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Daniel and three boys were taken to Babylon to serve the king.
After a ten-day test, they were permitted to eat only vegetables and
drink only water so they wouldn’t be unclean.
Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah refused to worship a gold image,
so they were thrown into a blazing furnace.
God rescued them from the furnace.
Daniel interpreted mysterious handwriting on the wall.
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Daniel’s enemies plotted against him and persuaded the king to issue an edict prohibiting prayer to anyone but the king.
Daniel continued his daily prayers to God and was thrown into a
den of lions for violating the edict, but God saved him.
If you learn nothing else, get this!

God protected men of great faith.
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Let’s learn it!
1. What were the Israelite names of the four men from Judah?
______________________________ __________________________________
______________________________ __________________________________
2. What were the Babylonian names of the four Jewish men?
_______________________________ _________________________________
_______________________________ _________________________________
3. What did Daniel and his friends want to eat and drink instead of the
king’s rich food and wine?
__________________________________________________________________
4. How were Daniel’s friends tested? _________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
5. How were they punished? ________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. How did God protect them? ______________________________________
7. What was the message that was written on the wall? __________________
__________________________________________________________________
8. What test did Daniel face? ________________________________________
9. What was his punishment? _______________________________________
10. How did God protect him? _______________________________________
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For deeper thought...
Why did Daniel and his friends want a different diet from the others? How do
you handle situations when your friends want you to be like them even when
it is wrong?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What character traits in Daniel and his friends would you like to imitate?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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YOU ARE HERE
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An unusual book
Last week, we learned about a brave man named Daniel. This week, we
will study a unique book in the Bible. It is unique because not once does it talk
about God! It is a story of God helping His people by putting one brave
woman in a place of influence. Today’s lesson comes from the book of Esther.
When the king says “jump”...
King Ahasuerus, also called Xerxes, was in Susa, the capital of Persia. He
had a huge week-long feast. His wife, Queen Vashti, was giving a feast for the
women.
In various times and lands, women do not
enjoy the freedom that women in the
United States do today. Apparently in this
situation, women were celebrating apart
from the men. And, the women did as they
were told. Usually.
On the last day, King Ahasuerus had too much to drink,
and he gave the command that Vashti be brought in to display her beauty. Vashti refused to obey the King’s command, and this infuriated him. This also put him in a very
bad situation; he was the king, and he was to be obeyed. No
one — especially not a woman — could refuse to obey the
king. He now had to prove his authority. His advisors told him to never see
Vashti again and to have a contest to find a new wife.
NO!
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Young, unmarried women would be gathered.
They would be carefully taught, dressed, and beautified.
Each woman would be brought to the king for one night.
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Introducing Esther
A man named Mordecai, who was one of those men brought from Jerusalem when Babylon conquered it, was raising his niece, Esther, who had no
parents.
When the king decided to have the beauty contest, women were gathered
from all around Susa. Esther was one of those who was taken to the palace.
She was given good food and cosmetics and was taught how to behave in the
king’s presence.
Daily, Mordecai would come to the court of the harem to check on Esther.
He had advised her not to tell the advisors or the king that she was Jewish.
Now it’s her turn
When Esther’s turn came to go to the king, she was told
she could take something with her when she went. She listened to her advisors and took only what they said. The
king was very impressed with the beautiful young Esther.
He set the crown on her head and proclaimed a feast in her
honor.
A plot is discovered!
Mordecai continued to sit at the king’s gate every day. One day, he overheard two of the king’s guards talking about a plan to kill the king. They were
angry at him. Mordecai told Esther about the plan, and she told the king,
making sure he understood that the information came from Mordecai. The
king was grateful for the information, and he had the two guards executed.
A dangerous opponent
After awhile, King Ahasuerus promoted a man named Haman to be his
second-in-command. Haman apparently enjoyed the attention he got — people bowed to him when he walked past. But one man did not bow down to
Haman: Mordecai. He refused to bow down because he was a Jew, and he
honored only God.
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This irritated Haman greatly. The more time passed, the more angry it
made Haman.
Ever notice this in your life? If something
irritates you, you notice it more and more,
and then it eats at you more and more.
Learn from Haman how this might end
badly!
Haman became so angry that he decided to get revenge. His anger was so
uncontrolled that he decided that it wouldn’t be enough to kill Mordecai. He
decided to kill all the Jewish people.
Haman went to King Ahasuerus and told him that there were several people scattered among the kingdom who refuse to follow the king’s
law. He asked permission to destroy them. King Ahasuerus gave
permission, and Haman wrote out a decree which said that on
the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, everyone was to kill all
the Jews and divide up their possessions. The couriers went out
with the message.
A day of sadness
Mordecai dressed himself in mourning clothes and wept. The Jews also
cried when they heard the bad news. Esther heard that there was sorrow
among her people, and she sent a servant to find out what had happened.
Mordecai told the servant about the decree and gave him a copy of it. He sent
a message to Esther, too. He told her to go to the king and beg him to spare
the Jews.
Esther sent a message to Mordecai through her servant. She reminded him
that she could not go to the king unless he called for her. She said that if she
went to him without being summoned, one of two things would happen:
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She would be killed.
The king would hold out the golden scepter, and her life would be
spared.
Mordecai’s response was powerful. “Do not think to yourself that in the
king’s palace you will escape any more than all the other Jews. For if you
keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from an- 
other place, but you and your father’s house will perish” (Esth. 4:13-14a ESV).
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Mordecai ended with this interesting question:
“And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time
as this?” (Esther 4:14b ESV).

Taking a chance
Esther listened to Mordecai’s message. She asked the messenger to tell
Mordecai that all the Jews should fast on her behalf for three days, and then
she would go to the king. She ended by saying, “If I perish, I perish” (Esther 
4:16b ESV).
Fasting (going without food intentionally)
usually goes with prayer. The Jews proba-
bly fasted and prayed for Esther during the
three days, as she asked them to.
On the third day, Esther put on her royal robes and went to see the king.
When he saw her, he was glad to see her, so he held out the golden scepter to
her. He asked her what she wanted.
Esther asked him and Haman to come to a dinner that she had prepared.
The king quickly summoned Haman, and the two of them ate the food that
Esther had prepared for them. The king again asked what she wanted. She
asked him and Haman to come for dinner again the next night, and then she
would tell them what she wanted.
Haman left that evening feeling very smug. Of all the people in the kingdom, he dined with the king and queen! Then, he passed
by Mordecai, who once again did not bow before him.
By the time he got home, Haman was enraged. His wife
and his friends advised him to make a very tall gallows
and ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai. Haman liked the idea and had the gallows built.

A sleepless night
That same night, King Ahasuerus could not sleep, so he asked someone to
read to him from the book of memorable deeds. He was reminded of Mordecai saving his life from the two angry guards, and he asked his attendants how
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Mordecai had been rewarded for this. They told the king that nothing had
been done for him. Just then, Haman entered, ready to ask the king for permission to hang Mordecai!
When Haman entered the king’s room, the king asked him, “What should 
be done to the man whom the king delights to honor?” (Esther 6:6b ESV).
Haman, being conceited, immediately assumed that the king was talking
about him!
He advised the king, “For the man whom the king delights to honor, let
royal robes be brought, which the king has worn, and the horse that the king
has ridden, and on whose head a royal crown is set. And let the
robes and the horse be handed over to one of the king’s most noble 
officials. Let them dress the man whom the king delights to honor,
and let them lead him on the horse through the square of the city,
proclaiming before him: ‘Thus shall it be done to the man whom the
king delights to honor’” (Esther 6:7b-9 ESV).
You can just imagine Haman’s shock and horror when the king responded:
“Hurry; take the robes and the horse, as you have said, and do so to Mordecai
the Jew who sits at the king’s gate. Leave out nothing that you have men- 
tioned” (Esther 6:10 ESV).
In humiliation, Haman led his enemy through the streets, calling out honors about him. Then, he went home and told his wife and friends what had
happened. They realized that he was in a dangerous situation.
Dinner with Esther
That evening he arrived to dine with Queen Esther and King Ahasuerus.
After they enjoyed the meal together, the king once again asked Esther what
she wanted. This time, she told him. She explained that she and her people
were scheduled to be killed. The king was astonished to hear this. He asked
who dared to do this.
Esther answered, “A foe and enemy! This wicked Haman!” (Esther 7:6a 
ESV). The king was so astonished and angered that he walked outside. Haman leaned over Esther to beg for his life. Just then, the king walked back in
and found Haman draped over Esther. He immediately ordered that Haman
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be put to death. One of the king’s attendants told him of the gallows in Haman’s yard. The king ordered that he be hanged on it.
Finishing up
Esther and the king discussed the situation. He reminded her that once an
edict is pronounced, it cannot be changed. However, he issued another edict
saying that the Jews could defend themselves!
Here is some interesting trivia that has
nothing to do with our study. The longest
verse in the Bible is found in today’s les-
son: Esther 8:9. Look in your Bible to see
how long this verse is!
Okay, but so what?
There will probably be times in your life when you realize that you — and
only you — can deal with a situation in a godly way. God does put us in
places and situations so that we may speak for Him and do what’s right. Are
you ready for your “Esther” moment? Always pray for wisdom and guidance.
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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King Ahasuerus banished Queen Vashti when she refused to obey
his drunken order.
The king’s advisors collected a group of young, beautiful women
to compete to be the new queen.
Young Jewish Esther was among those women, and she was prepared for her night with the king.
The king liked Esther best and made her the new queen.
Her uncle, Mordecai, saved the king’s life when he reported overhearing a plot on his life.
The king’s assistant, Haman, hated Mordecai because he refused
to bow down to him.
Haman persuaded the king to proclaim a day when all the Jews
could be murdered.
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Mordecai told Esther to discuss this with the king.
Esther risked her life to talk to the king and invited him and Haman to dinner.
After dining with the king and queen, Haman became enraged because Mordecai refused to bow down to him.
His wife and friends urged him to build a gallows on which to
hang Mordecai, which he did.
The king couldn’t sleep and had the story of Mordecai read to
him.
The king ordered Haman to honor Mordecai.
At the second dinner with the king and queen, Esther told the king
of Haman’s evil plot against the Jews.
The king sentenced Haman to be hanged on his own gallows.
The king issued an edict that the Jews could defend themselves.
If you learn nothing else, get this!

God sometimes puts us in places and situations so that we may
change the situation.
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Let’s learn it!
1. What did King Ahasuerus ask of Queen Vashti? _____________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. What did he do when she refused? _________________________________
3. How did his advisors suggest he find a new queen? ___________________
__________________________________________________________________
4. What was the relationship of Mordecai to Esther? ____________________
5. How did Mordecai save the king’s life? _____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. Why did Haman hate Mordecai? __________________________________
7. What did Haman plan in order to get rid of Mordecai and the Jews?
__________________________________________________________________
8. What did Mordecai want Esther to do? _____________________________
9. What did Esther want the Jews to do before she did as Mordecai asked?
__________________________________________________________________
10. What did she tell the king she wanted? _____________________________
__________________________________________________________________
11. What did Haman have built for Mordecai? __________________________
12. What happened to Haman? _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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For deeper thought...
Have you ever been afraid to talk to someone, like Esther was afraid to talk to
the king? What did you do? What can you learn from how Esther faced her
fear?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Can you think of a time when you had the opportunity to speak up for God?
How did you handle it? How can you prepare for the next opportunity?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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YOU ARE HERE
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Fulfillment of prophecy
Last week, we learned about brave Esther helping the Jews during the
Babylonian Captivity. In our lesson today, from the book of Ezra, we are reminded that God had planned everything very carefully, and He did not intend to leave His people in Babylon forever. He had things so carefully
planned that He had already chosen who would allow the Jews to return
home: Cyrus.
Isaiah prophesied in Isaiah 44:28, “[The Lord] says of Cyrus, ‘He is my
shepherd, and he shall fulfill all my purpose’; saying of Jerusalem, ‘She shall 
be built,’ and of the temple, ‘Your foundation shall be laid’” (ESV).
The startling thing about this prophecy is
that it was written around the year 740
B.C. Jerusalem fell to Babylon almost 150
years later, in 586 B.C.!
Cyrus became king of Persia in 559 B.C. He conquered Babylon, and in
536, he issued a decree that the Jews should return to their homeland. In his
decree, he said, “The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me
all kingdoms of the earth, and he has charged me to build him

a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever is among
you of all his people, may his God be with him, and let him go
up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the house of the LORD, the
God of Israel — he is the God who is in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:2-3 ESV).
Not empty handed!
Not only did Cyrus allow the Jews to return home, he returned to them the
gold and silver vessels that had been removed from the temple. They carried
bowls, censers and other vessels back to Jerusalem!
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The first group returns
The first group of people who returned from Babylonian captivity numbered 49,697. They gave offerings to rebuild the Temple, and in the seventh
month, they gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Booths. The Temple had not yet been rebuilt, so the people gave money to hire workers.
The foundation was laid, and everyone celebrated! Nearly everyone was in
tears — some shed tears of joy, and others cried because they remembered the
glorious majesty of Solomon’s temple, and they were sad at its destruction.
Here comes trouble!
Enemies of Judah heard that the Jews had returned and that they were rebuilding the temple. The enemies wrote a letter of accusation to the king of
Persia, Artaxerxes, recorded in Ezra 4:11-16 ESV:
To Artaxerxes the king: Your servants, the men of the province Beyond the River, send greeting. And now be it known
to the king that the Jews who came up from you to us have
gone to Jerusalem. They are rebuilding that rebellious and
wicked city. They are finishing the walls and repairing the
foundations. Now be it known to the king that if this city is
rebuilt and the walls finished, they will not pay tribute, custom, or toll, and the royal revenue will be impaired. Now because we eat the salt of the palace and it is not fitting for us
to witness the king’s dishonor, therefore we send and inform
the king, in order that search may be made in the book of the
records of your fathers. You will find in the book of the records and learn that this city is a rebellious city, hurtful to
kings and provinces, and that sedition was stirred up in it from
of old. That was why this city was laid waste. We make
known to the king that if this city is rebuilt and its walls finished, you will then have no possession in the province Beyond
the River.
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Let’s examine this. First, they’re telling the
king that he will lose money because the
Jews won’t pay taxes. Second, they’re say-
ing that the king will lose power. They
know what’s important to the king: money
and power!
Unfortunately, their plan worked. Artaxerxes did make a search of the records and saw that Jerusalem had been a source of trouble in the past. He instructed them to issue a decree that all work stop until he decided otherwise.
A change in leadership
Artaxerxes died, and Darius became king of Persia.
Why is this important? Back in those days,
when a king died, his edicts and decrees
died with him. Since Artaxerxes was no
longer in power, there was nothing to stop
the Jews from rebuilding!
The Jews began rebuilding the temple. The governor of the province, Tattenai, and some of his men came and challenged the Jews. The Jews kept rebuilding. Tattenai sent a letter to Darius. Instead of making accusations, Tattenai asked Darius to verify what the Jews told him: that Cyrus commanded
that the Temple be rebuilt. He asked Darius to check the archives to see if it
was true. He also asked for guidance.
Permission granted!
Darius searched the archives and discovered Cyrus’ decree. He also
learned that Cyrus ordered that Babylon should pay for the rebuilding project!
Darius told Tattenai to leave the Jews alone, and also that they were to give
the Jews whatever they needed to help them rebuild the temple.
It’s finished!
The Jews built, and on the third day of the month
Adar in 516 B.C., the temple was completed. They dedicated the Temple and offered sacrifice. They reestablished the priesthood of Levites, as God’s Word instructed them.
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On the fourteenth day of the first month, they celebrated the Passover for
the first time in many, many years.
We finally meet Ezra!
Ezra was a descendant of a high priest, and he also was a very skillful
scribe.
A scribe would write copies of God’s Word.
Back then they didn’t have printing
presses or computers or typewriters, so if a
king or noble wanted a copy of the Scrip-
tures, a scribe would carefully hand-copy it.
Since he spent all his time doing this, he
learned the Word of God and was considered an authority on it.
After the Temple had been rebuilt, Ezra left Babylonia and went to Jerusalem. The Bible tells us: “For Ezra had set his heart to

study the Law of the LORD, and to do it and to teach his
statutes and rules in Israel” (Ezra 7:10 ESV).
Ezra found that the people were so busy rebuilding
their homes and starting their own businesses that they
had once again neglected God and His word. He encouraged the people to rededicate themselves to God. Ezra summoned some Levites to come and serve as priests, as God’s word said for them to do.
Ezra was a good man who loved God. He spent time in prayer and fasting.
Another problem
Because of Ezra’s work, the priests were once again offering sacrifices.
Then, the officials came to Ezra and pointed out yet another problem: some
of the Jews had intermarried with people who were not Jewish.
Ezra was very upset about this. He prayed to God about the situation. He
wept and prayed in front of the Temple, and a huge crowd gathered to watch.
They also began crying. Ezra urged the people to make a covenant with God
and to repent.
Repentance is more than just feeling bad.
It means changing what you’re doing that’s
wrong, and doing what’s right in its place.
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The people were faced with a very difficult choice: be faithful to God or be
faithful to their wives. Ezra called a meeting of the Jewish men. They met
outside in the pouring rain, and Ezra told them they needed to confess their
sins and divorce their foreign wives. Most agreed to do what was right.
Okay, but so what?
God had a plan for His people. He has a plan for you,
too. It’s sometimes hard to see exactly what His plan is, so
you must read and study His word and be open to His leading. Also, we should learn from the Jews’ mistakes and
marry only those who believe the way we do.
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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God selected Cyrus to release the Jews from Babylonian captivity.
Cyrus sent the Jews home and even returned the gold and silver vessels that had been taken from the Temple!
The foundation of the Temple was laid, and the people rejoiced.
Enemies wrote to the king with accusations about the Jews.
Artaxerxes issued a decree that the Jews were to stop working on
the Temple, and they obeyed.
When Artaxerxes died and Darius took over, the rebuilding started.
Darius gave the Jews permission to rebuild and told the local officials to help them.
The Temple was rebuilt, sacrifices were offered, and the Passover
was observed!
Ezra, a scribe who was devoted to God, worked to help the Jews to
stay focused on God.
Ezra insisted that the people end their marriages to non-Jews.
“I will restore the fortunes of Judah and the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild
them as they were at first” (Jeremiah 33:7 ESV).
If you learn nothing else, get this!

God keeps His promises!
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Let’s learn it!
1. Who did God select to release the Jews from Babylonian captivity?
__________________________________________________________________
2. Who predicted that this would happen? _____________________________
3. In what year did the Jews begin returning home? _____________________
4. What was the reaction of the people when the Temple’s foundations were
laid?
__________________________________________________________________
5. What did the Jews’ enemies do to cause them trouble? ________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. What was the result? ____________________________________________
7. Which governor verified Cyrus’ decree? ____________________________
8. Which king ordered that the Jews were allowed to build and be given
help?
__________________________________________________________________
9. When was the Temple completed? _________________________________
10. What was Ezra’s job? ____________________________________________
11. What problem did Ezra discover about the people? ___________________
_________________________________________________________________
12. How did the people respond? _____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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For deeper thought...
Does it seem harsh to you that Ezra would demand that men divorce their
wives in order to be faithful to God? Why was this important?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
God waited 70 years to work out His plan. How can we cope with a plan that
takes this much time, since we live in an “instant” world?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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YOU ARE HERE
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Bad news is delivered
Last week, we learned about Cyrus sending the Jews home from Babylonian Captivity. We saw that the Jews rebuilt the Temple, and we learned about
a scribe, Ezra, who urged the people to be faithful to God. In today’s lesson,
from the book of Nehemiah, we will learn about another faithful leader during this time period. Nehemiah was cupbearer to the king.
The cupbearer may sound like a “nothing”
job, but it was in fact very important. Kings
were always in danger of being poisoned,
so the cupbearer made sure his food and
drink were safe — by trying everything first!
If he lived, the king could safely eat. The
king had to trust his cupbearer and was
close to him.
Nehemiah had heard that his beloved Jerusalem was in ruins. This made
him very sad because he loved his home country. He prayed a prayer of repentance to God and asked Him for guidance and success. When he went to the
king’s chambers, the king noticed that he seemed sad, so he asked what was
wrong. Nehemiah quickly prayed to God, then told the king the condition of
his home country. The king truly liked Nehemiah, so he gave him permission
to go home to start rebuilding the city.
Opposition starts
Nehemiah took several friends and they began working on
rebuilding the city walls. They worked hard repairing the
walls and re-hanging the gates. Nehemiah was a good leader:
he realized that people would be more likely to do a good job
if they worked on the wall in front of their own homes.
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built. They began making fun of the Jews as they worked on the walls. The
Jews could clearly hear their taunts.
Nehemiah prayed to God, asking Him to get revenge on Sanballat and Tobiah.
Opposition grows stronger
As Nehemiah and his men continued to work and to have
success rebuilding the wall, Sanballat, Tobiah, and some of
their friends put more pressure on them. They threatened to
fight Nehemiah and his friends and to stir up trouble.
Nehemiah handled this situation by praying to God and
by posting a guard. He reminded his people that God is in
control.
Are you seeing a pattern here? Twice Nehemiah has encountered a problem, and
twice Nehemiah’s first response is to pray
about the situation. What a great example!
Remember this the next time you have a
problem.
And on top of that...
The people working with Nehemiah became uneasy at all the threats. They
complained to Nehemiah that the workers were becoming tired and that they
didn’t think they could finish. They told him all the things the enemies were
saying.
Nehemiah had to give them a pep talk. He told them, “Do not be afraid of
them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your 
brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your homes” (Nehemiah
4:14b).
Because of their fear, Nehemiah divided the workers into two teams: one
team worked, while the other team stood guard, watching and being prepared
to attack. They were armed with spears, shields, bows, and armor. Those who
carried materials had to do so with one hand, because they had weapons in
the other hand.
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Nehemiah kept his trumpeter nearby and warned that any time the workers heard the sound of the trumpet, they should come to Nehemiah. By this
time, the wall was so big that the workers were very spread out and vulnerable
to attack. The men stayed armed at all times.
Another serious problem
Another problem popped up to slow things down: the people were working
hard on rebuilding the wall, and they were running out of money with which
to feed their families. Instead of the richer people helping their fellow Jews,
they were loaning them money at a very high interest rate. Nehemiah gathered the people together and confronted the rich people and demanded that
they return the fields and the crops they had taken from the poorer people.
Nehemiah set a good example for the people, too. He loaned freely to
those in need, and even though he was legally entitled to a food allowance, he
did not take it.
This would be like the leader of a country
refusing to be paid for his service. This
kind of thing simply doesn’t happen very
often!
More success...and more opposition, too
The wall was very nearly completed and all the gaps had been closed.
However, the doors had not been set in the gates yet. Then Nehemiah received
a message.
Sanballat and Tobiah teamed up with Geshem. Sanballat
and Geshem sent Nehemiah a message: “Come and let us 
meet together at Hakkephirim in the plain of Ono”
(Nehemiah 6:2 ESV). Nehemiah realized this was a plan to
get him alone and hurt him. He sent messengers to tell
them he was too busy to stop and meet with them. Four times the enemies
sent the same message, and each time Nehemiah sent the same answer.
Then the fifth message came! Sanballat sent his aide with an unsealed letter that said:
“It is reported among the nations, and Geshem also says it, that you and
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the Jews intend to rebel; that is why you are building the
wall. And according to these reports you wish to become
their king. And you have also set up prophets to proclaim
concerning you in Jerusalem, ‘There is a king in Judah.’
And now the king will hear of these reports. So now come
and let us take counsel together” (Nehemiah 6:6-7 ESV).
What’s the point of an unsealed letter? It’s
like a postcard in today’s time. Anybody

who comes in contact with it can read it.
Nehemiah immediately prayed for strength. He responded to Sanballat’s
letter by saying that he was making the whole thing up.
Threats from within
Then one day Nehemiah was visiting Shemaiah, a fellow Jew. Shemaiah
asked to meet alone with Nehemiah in the Temple. He told him that people
were coming to kill him.
Nehemiah realized that he was not speaking for God and that Tobiah and
Sanballat had hired him to try to scare Nehemiah. Again, he prayed to God.
“And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear
him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28 ESV).
Nehemiah persevered, and the wall eventually was completed. All the
gates were hung and all the gaps were completely closed. Then he took a census of the people. The Jews resettled in their towns.
It’s finished!
The day finally arrived when the walls were completed. It was a day of
great celebration! Nehemiah, again being a good leader, reminded the people
of God’s laws. He had Ezra stand in the square and read the entire law to the
people.
The people celebrated the Feast of Booths, as God required in the law.
Then they met together and confessed their sins. They prayed and made a
covenant with God. They promised to obey God’s laws and to give as the law
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required.
Nehemiah obeys
Nehemiah discovered that a man named Eliashib had prepared a room for
Tobiah in the Temple. This made him very angry, and he cleaned out the
room and purified it. He also made sure that the Levites were paid, as God
said to do in His word. He made sure the people kept the Sabbath and did not
sell and shop on the Sabbath.
Nehemiah was a good man who loved God. He is a great example to us.
Okay, but so what?
It seems sometimes that when we try to do something
good to honor God, we will meet up with resistance. Nehemiah shows us how to overcome that, and it always
starts with prayer and faith that God will help us to be
persistent.
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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Nehemiah, who was cupbearer to King Artaxerxes, got permission
from him to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls.
He led the people in rebuilding the walls, having them build in front
of their own homes.
Enemies made fun of the Jews as they worked, which discouraged
the Jews.
Nehemiah prayed and encouraged the workers.
When the enemies threatened to hurt the workers, Nehemiah
prayed and set a guard.
The rich Jews were loaning money to the poor Jews at high interest
rates.
Nehemiah reminded the rich Jews of God’s laws about helping the
poor.
The enemies kept trying to distract Nehemiah who refused to be
distracted.
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Nehemiah had to cope with opposition from Jews as well.
The wall finally was completed, and the people rejoiced.
Nehemiah had the law read to the people, and they entered into a
covenant with God.
Nehemiah worked hard to keep the people focused on God.
If you learn nothing else, get this!

God will help you when you are discouraged!
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Let’s learn it!
1. What was Nehemiah’s job in Babylon? _____________________________
2. Why is Nehemiah’s job important to the story? ______________________
__________________________________________________________________
3. What did Nehemiah want to do? __________________________________
4. Who opposed Nehemiah? ________________________________________
5. What was their first attempt to stop the building? _____________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. What did they try next? __________________________________________
7. What was Nehemiah’s response? __________________________________
8. What was their next attempt? _____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
9. How did Nehemiah respond? _____________________________________
10. Who opposed him from within? What did he do? ____________________
__________________________________________________________________
11. How did Nehemiah respond? _____________________________________
12. What other problem did Nehemiah have to solve?____________________
__________________________________________________________________
13. What did the people do after the wall was completed? _________________
__________________________________________________________________
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For deeper thought...
How do God’s enemies try to keep us from working for Him today?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What can you learn from Nehemiah that applies to you today?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
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5.13
YOU ARE HERE
S
D
S
BABYLONIAN CAPTIVITY
Filling in the gaps
Last week, we learned about Nehemiah’s leadership in repairing the city of
Jerusalem and encouraging the people to be faithful. This week our lesson is
simply filling the gap. There is no Bible text; much of this material is from
Halley’s Bible Handbook.
As you remember, the Jews were taken into captivity in Babylon. There,
they were unable to worship as God said because there was no Temple. When
they finally returned to Jerusalem, they rebuilt the Temple and retrained all
the Levitical priests. About 400 years passed between the Old Testament and
the New Testament.
Making the best of a bad situation
While the Jews were in Babylon, since they couldn’t
worship in the Temple, they met together to study God’s
word. They called these places “synagogues.” When they
returned to Jerusalem, they continued building synagogues
so that people could learn about God. This photo is what
remains of a synagogue found in Turkey.
There were at least two “offices” that were created during the captivity that
had not been seen before in the Old Testament. They were:

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Scribes, who devoted themselves to learning God’s word and who
made copies of the Scriptures.
Rabbis, who taught God’s word.
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Preparing the way
God had promised to send a Savior, a Messiah, to His people. But He
would only do it at the right time.
“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of
woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4:4 ESV).
God provided four major periods of time after the Jews returned from
Babylon.
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The Persian Period, from 430-322 B.C.
The Greek Period, from 331-167 B.C. Alexander the Great invaded
Israel, and after he died, his empire was divided into four sections.
The Maccabean Period, from 167-63 B.C. A priest named Mattathias was a great warrior, and he and his five sons fought to recapture Jerusalem in 165.
The Roman Period, from 63 B.C. until well into the Christian era.
Herod was ruler over Jerusalem from 37-4 B.C.
Why can’t we all get along?
During this time, two different groups of Jews formed. They were not
found anywhere in the Old Testament, but they seem to be everywhere in the
New Testament!
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Pharisees, who believed in angels and life after death. They accepted the Law and tradition.
Sadducees, who did not believe in angels or life after death. They
accepted only the five books of Law as Scripture.
Life under Roman Rule
When Rome was the governing center of Israel, the people were taxed very heavily. Tax collectors were very unpopular people to the Jews. They were considered the lowest
people possible because many of them demanded more tax
money than was required so they could get rich.
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On the positive side, Rome built a complex system of
roads, which greatly helped people to travel more safely.
They also established law and order. Also, most of the people of the area had a common language: Greek.
God had prepared the world for His Son to be born. Travel and communication were more convenient, and the area was a little safer.
What kind of Savior is He?
God had mentioned several times in the Old Testament that He would
send a Savior, but it was very confusing to the people. The Scriptures told
them some specifics about the Savior.
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He would be born to a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
He would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).
One would come before Him to lead the way (Malachi 3:1).
He would be from the family of David and would bring salvation
(Isaiah 9:6-7).
Most assumed that He would be a great military leader who would physically destroy all their enemies and give them peace from war. But there were
other passages that confused them, such as Isaiah 53, which says in part:
“Who has believed what they heard from us? And to whom has the arm of
the LORD been revealed? For he grew up before him like a young plant, and
like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look 
at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from
whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
“Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed
him stricken by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that 
brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have
gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD has
laid on him the iniquity of us all.
“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like
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a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearer is silent, so he opened not his mouth. By oppression and judgment he was taken
away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the 
land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? And they made
his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had
done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth” (Isaiah 53:1-9 ESV).
All of this was very confusing; their great
leader is described as despised and rejected, familiar with suffering, crushed by
God, assigned a grave with the wicked.
This sounds like an unusual Savior.
The people did not realize that God was sending a Savior to rescue people
from their spiritual enemy: sin, not just their physical enemies, and that He
would give real peace, not just peace from war.
What about all those other books?
As we have walked through the Bible, we close the Old
Testament with this lesson. There are many books that we
have not studied. Let’s take a brief look at the overall Old
Testament.
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Genesis: the story of creation and Jacob’s family, who would become Israel.
Exodus: the story of God preserving His people and leading them
to their new land.
Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy: Israel wanders in the desert and
receives God’s Law (all 624 laws!).
Joshua, Judges, Ruth: Israel enters the Promised Land (Canaan)
and begins a cycle of disobedience to God.
I and II Samuel: the judges are replaced by kings, due to the people’s demand for a king.
I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles: the kingdom splits into the
Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah);
Chronicles deal almost solely with Judah.
Ezra and Nehemiah: detail the return of the Jews from Babylonian
captivity.
Esther: a young Jewish woman risks her life to save her people.
Job: details a man’s suffering and questioning of God.
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5.13
Psalms: Israel’s songbook.
Proverbs and Ecclesiastes: written mainly by Solomon, explaining
truth in general and common sense.
Song of Solomon: a love poem written by Solomon.
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, and Ezekiel: prophets who tried to
get God’s people to repent.
Daniel: a brave man who remained faithful to God throughout the
Babylonian Captivity.
Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah: prophets who tried to get God’s people to repent.
Jonah: sent to preach to Israel’s enemy before captivity.
Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi: prophets during the captivity,
who urged faithfulness and promised a return to Jerusalem.
Okay, but so what?
God went to a great deal of trouble to plan our salvation
and to bring about changes in world history so that Jesus
could come at the right time and the right place. He was so
careful because your soul is very important to Him.
The end of the matter
Let’s review what we’ve studied today.
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The Jews went through many changes during the captivity.
Scribes, Pharisees, Sadduccees, and rabbis all formed during and
after the captivity.
God brought about changes in world government to prepare the
world for His Son.
The people knew that a Savior was coming but were confused
about what kind of Savior He would be.
There are 39 books of the Old Testament, taking us from the creation of the world to about 400 B.C.
God was either silent after the Old Testament time or did not allow
people to write down His words.
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If you learn nothing else, get this!

God prepared the world for Jesus’ coming!
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Let’s learn it!
1. How much time passed between the Old and New Testaments?
__________________________________________________________________
2. Where did the Jews worship during captivity that continued after the return?
__________________________________________________________________
3. Name and describe the two major Jewish sects:
A. ____________________________________________________________
B. _____________________________________________________________
4. Why were tax collectors hated? _____________________________________
5. What did God do through Rome to help prepare the world for Jesus?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
6. What kind of leader did the people expect the Savior to be? _____________
__________________________________________________________________
7. List the things they knew for sure about the Savior and where they are
found in the Bible:
A. _____________________________________________________________
B. _____________________________________________________________
C. _____________________________________________________________
D. ______________________________________________________________
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For deeper thought...
What kind of preparations did God make in the world for the coming of His
Son?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Which period of Old Testament history is the most interesting to you, and
why?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
Write your memory verse here: _______________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
What does this verse mean to you? ____________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
8
A Walk Through the Bible
5.1
Let’s learn it!
1. Which man, who was the son of one of Solomon’s servants, became Solomon’s enemy?
Jeroboam became Solomon’s enemy.
2. What unusual thing did Ahijah do when he met with Jeroboam? Ahijah
tore his new clothes into 12 pieces and gave 10 of them to Jeroboam.
3. What did this mean? Ahijah told Jeroboam that God was giving him 10
tribes over which to rule.
4. Why did this happen? This happened because God was displeased at
the idolatry in Jerusalem.
5. Where did Jeroboam go to hide from Solomon? Jeroboam fled to Egypt.
6. When Solomon died, which son began ruling? Rehoboam became king.
7. What did the people ask him to do? The people asked him to lighten
their workload.
8. What did Rehoboam do while deciding? Rehoboam asked for advice.
9. List the two groups of people he met with and what they said:
A. He met with Solomon’s advisors, older men, who told him to
lighten the worker’s loads. This would ensure their loyalty to him.
B. He met with his friends, who told him to deny the people and instead to make their lives harder, just to show who is the boss.
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For deeper thought...
Think about the two groups of people Rehoboam met with. First, write your
thoughts about the advice of the older men (Solomon’s advisors).
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Generally speaking,
older people have wisdom that comes with experience. These men had
seen the people’s reaction to Solomon’s forced labor and knew they
were tired. They realized that Rehoboam would be loved by the people
if he eased their load. They gave good advice.
Now, write your thoughts about the advice of Rehoboam’s friends.
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Most people do not
enjoy being with someone who throws his weight around just because
he can. What these men are suggesting is unwise. People want their
leaders to have good reasons for what they do.
How do you usually make difficult decisions? Do you talk to people, or pray?
Who do you tend to go to for advice?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Encourage the students to share their decision-making process. Stress the need to talk
to God, and encourage seeking advice from older people. Be prepared
to share your own decision-making process.
If you were an Israelite at this time, what would your feelings be?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: It sounds as
though the people were very tired and needed relief. People have to
be highly motivated in order to rise up against a leader! People who are
overworked and tired are generally depressed, as well.
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5.1
Write down something that has happened that makes you question God’s
leadership. It could be something from your life or something from the news.
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Allow those who
are willing to share their answers to do so and discuss their thoughts.
Be prepared to share your feelings about this. Possible world or historical events may be atrocities carried out by a country’s leaders
against its people or the mistreatment of Jewish people in Germany
during World War II.
What do you think God might be working out in the situation you wrote
down above?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Often it’s difficult
to see what God has in mind, particularly at the time something distressing is occurring. Even decades later it may be difficult to see His
plan. Assure the students that God is in control and that He sees the
big picture while we see only a small segment of time.
Write your memory verse here: “Let us hold fast the confession of our
hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful” (Hebrews
10:23 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: In the context of today’s lesson, the people of Israel were distressed at the division of their country. They probably
felt that God had abandoned them; however, God was completely in
control and was working out His plan. When things seem out of control
in our lives, it helps to remember that God knows what is going on and
is working out His plan.
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5.2
Let’s learn it!
1. What did Jeroboam do to keep people from going to Jerusalem?
Jeroboam set up golden calves to worship on the northern and southern borders.
2. Where did he place these items? Dan
and
Bethel
3. How many kings did Israel have? Israel had 19 kings.
4. Who ruled the longest? Jeroboam II reigned longest: 41 years.
5. Who ruled the shortest time? Zimri ruled the shortest: 7 days.
6. Which king committed suicide? Zimri killed himself by fire.
7. What idol did Ahab lead Israel into worshiping? Ahab was a Baal worshiper.
8. Who was the last king of Israel? Israel’s last king was Hoshea.
9. Who did God send to try to talk to the kings of Israel about coming back to
Him?
God sent various prophets to the kings of Israel to try to get them to
repent.
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5.2
For deeper thought...
Imagine you are an Israelite in the time of today’s lesson. What is your reaction to the constant pattern of violence and frequent changes in leadership?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Such extremes in
leadership would lead to uncertainty, uneasiness, and fear. It would
have been difficult to be a citizen of a country in such turmoil. If time
allows, discuss the fact that our true king is Jesus, and He is a constant, steady leader. We are blessed to have a peace-loving, faithful
King!
Israel’s history is filled with violence and bloodshed. What is God’s opinion
of violence? What famous event in world history is the direct result of God’s
reaction to violence? See Genesis 6:11-13 for a hint.
God hates violence. The worldwide flood was due to God’s hatred of
men’s violence. If time allows, discuss violence in general: it produces
more vengeance and violence. It pleases God for us to react in a Christian way instead of with violence.
Write your memory verse here: “Be assured, an evil person will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will be delivered”
(Proverbs 11:21 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: God will punish evil people. God rewards the righteous. If time allows, stress that there are evil people in the world; evil
is a very real problem. We need to be alert and aware so that we can
avoid evil.
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5.3
Let’s learn it!
1. How many kings did Judah have? Judah had 20 kings.
2. Who ruled the longest? Manasseh ruled longest: 55 years.
3. Who ruled the shortest time? Jehoahaz and Jehoiachin are tied for
the shortest rule: 3 months.
4. How many kings were good or mostly good? Eight kings were good or
mostly good.
5. How many kings were evil? 12 kings were evil.
6. Who was the only female “king”? Athaliah was the only female ruler.
7. How did she die? The priest’s guards killed her.
8. How was her successor protected? The aunt of Joash hid him as an infant, and he was raised in the Temple.
9. Which two kings worked on repairing the Temple?
and
Joash
Josiah
10. How did Hezekiah protect the city from siege? Hezekiah built a water
tunnel so there would be plenty of water for the city.
11. What two things did Josiah do that had not been done in centuries? Name
them both.
Josiah had the entire law read to him. He kept the Passover feast.
12. Which nation took Judah into captivity? Babylon took Judah into captivity.
13. Who was ruling when this happened? Zedekiah was king when Judah
was taken into captivity.
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5.3
For deeper thought...
In your opinion, why is it that sometimes children behave completely differently from their parents? Do you know any family like this? Was the child’s
behavior better or worse than his or her parents?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Sometimes despite
the parents’ best efforts, children go off in a different direction.
Likewise, sometimes children brought up in a bad environment work toward living a better life. Be prepare to discuss someone you know who
fits this description.
Why would Athaliah kill her own grandchildren? Can you think of anyone
else (either in the Bible or in history) who did something similar? Tell about
that person.
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: It’s always a tragedy when a child is deliberately murdered. It’s shocking to think that
a person would be so desperate for power that she would kill her own
family members.
Two of the youngest kings were also the most committed to serving God.
Read Matthew 19:14. Why do children have such a special place in God’s
heart?
God loves children because they are so open and accepting. They are
humble in that they understand that they are little and dependent
upon others. In God’s eyes, we are all small and dependent upon Him
despite what we think!
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How did Hezekiah show good leadership to the nation? What do the leaders
of our country do to protect us from harm?
Hezekiah showed good leadership by preparing Jerusalem in case of
attack. His water tunnel helped to protect the city against siege. Good
leaders fortify their nations to prevent attacks. Many nations today
have weaponry ready in case of a missile attack.
Read Deuteronomy 17:18-20. Why is it important for a nation’s leaders to
know God’s word? How could Judah’s history be different had the kings read
and studied God’s word?
The leader of a nation needs to know God’s word because it is a guide
to our lives. God’s word teaches right from wrong and teaches us to
treat others with kindness and respect. Judah could have been a great
nation if its kings had read God’s word and taken it into their hearts.
Write your memory verse here: “Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that
David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the
city where I have chosen to put my name” (I Kings 11:36 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: This is an important promise that God has made. He
kept His promise. There was always a ruler from David’s family on the
throne — and there still is, today: Jesus. If time allows, review the
lineage of Jesus found in Luke 3.
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5.4
Let’s learn it!
1. Where did God tell Jonah to go? God told Jonah to go to Nineveh.
2. Where did Jonah try to go instead? Jonah headed to Tarshish.
3. What happened during the voyage? A terrible storm threatened the
ship.
4. What happened when Jonah was thrown overboard? When Jonah was
thrown overboard the sea became calm. He was swallowed by a fish.
5. How long did Jonah remain there? Jonah was 3 days in the fish’s
belly.
6. What did Jonah do while he was there? Jonah prayed to God.
7. How did Jonah get out? The fish vomited up Jonah on the shore.
8. What did Jonah say to the Ninevites? “Yet forty days, and Nineveh
shall be overthrown!” (Jonah 3:4b ESV).
9. What was their response? The Ninevites repented.
10. What was God’s response? Because they repented, God forgave.
11. What was Jonah’s response? Jonah was angry because God was merciful.
12. What did he do next? Jonah sat and watched the city.
13. What did God do next to teach Jonah a lesson? God gave Jonah a vine
to sit under as shelter from the sun. Then He killed the vine.
14. How many people in Nineveh was God concerned about? 120,000!
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5.4
For deeper thought...
How do people try to run away from God today? Why do they try?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Some people run
away from God by refusing to come to church or to think about God.
Some people turn to drugs or alcohol. People know that God has high
standards for His people and that He is pleased by obedience. For
some reason, they do not want to obey God.
Think about how the sailors were affected by Jonah’s actions. Describe how
your actions affect others. How can your actions help others?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Our actions affect
others in more ways than we can comprehend. We can influence others
by coming to church and obeying God. Others may see our good example and be motivated to imitate us. We also can have a negative influence on others. If we use crude language or profanity, those around us
may start using this type of language also. We need to encourage others with our good behavior and devotion to God.
Does God answer prayer? Has He ever answered one of yours? Describe it.
Yes, God answers prayer. Encourage the students to share a time
when they became aware that God answered prayer. Be prepared to
share your own experience. If time allows, discuss the possible answers to prayer: Yes, No, Not now. God does answer prayer, but it may
not be the way we wanted!
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.4
What does God’s reaction to the Ninevites’ repentance tell us about Him?
God’s reaction to the Ninevites’ repentance tells us that He is a loving
God who wants us to do what is right. He is willing to forgive, and He
wants to forgive. He wants us to be in a right relationship with Him,
and He will do His part in making that happen.
Is it wrong to be angry with God? What can we learn from Jonah’s anger with
God and how God handled it?
It’s not wrong to be angry with God — He made us and He understands
our thoughts and emotions. It becomes wrong when we turn our backs
on God. Jonah was angry at God, and God used that opportunity to
teach Jonah about His great love and mercy.
Write your memory verse here: “Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or
where shall I flee from your presence?” (Psalm 139:7 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: God is everywhere! There is no place for us to hide
from God! It’s absurd to try to run away from God.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.5
Let’s learn it!
1. What evil king led Israel into Baal worship? Ahab led Israel to Baal.
2. What problem did God send to Israel? God sent a drought to Israel.
3. How did God help the widow at Zarephath? He sent Elijah, who assured her that her flour and oil would not be used up until it rained.
4. How did Elijah bring the widow’s son back to life? Elijah stretched
himself on the boy three times and prayed to God for his life.
5. Where was the contest with the prophets of Baal? The contest was on
Mt. Carmel.
6. Explain the contest. Each side would cut up an animal sacrifice but
not light it. Then each would pray to his god to burn the sacrifice.
7. Who won the contest? God won, of course!
8. Who threatened to kill Elijah? Ahab’s wife Jezebel threatened Elijah.
9. Where did Elijah go? Elijah hid in a cave at Horeb.
10. Why was Elijah depressed? Elijah was depressed because he’d worked
hard for God but now was in hiding to save his life. He felt alone.
11. In what three mighty acts did Elijah NOT see God?
A. A great and powerful wind that tore the mountains apart.
B. An earthquake.
C. A fire.
12. How did God reveal Himself to Elijah? God talked to Elijah in a gentle
whisper (or still, small voice).
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.5
For deeper thought...
Elijah was concerned or even worried about a number of things. Do you
worry? Why do you worry? What do you worry about?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Most people worry
— even children. Encourage the students to share their thoughts
about worry. Be prepared to share your personal worries and why you
worry. If time permits, discuss worry generally: that most of the time
it’s about things we can’t affect at all, and often what we worry about
never happens. Discuss the benefits of prayer to handle worry.
Elijah was depressed after his great victory; he thought things would be better
after God won the contest, but instead the king threatened to kill him. How
did he handle his depression?
Elijah did not handle his depression well. He hid in a cave and asked
God to take his life.
When God talked to Elijah about his depression, how did He comfort him?
How does He comfort you when you are sad?
God assured Elijah that he was not alone — that there were 7,000
people in Israel who were faithful to Him. He also told him that there
was work to do. (The second question is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Encourage the students to share their answers to
the question and be prepared to share your experience. Remind the
students that what God told Elijah is true today: we are not alone, and
there is work to do. Work is good therapy for sadness!
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.5
God did unexpected things in our lesson: sending a bird to feed Elijah, appearing in a gentle whisper after a fiery contest. Has He ever done anything
unexpected in your life? Explain.
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Most students
probably will have little to share. Be prepared to share your experiences about your own “God moments,” when something unexpected
happened to help you remember that God is still in control: an encouraging note or phone call from an old friend, a hug from someone at
church, or perhaps something more dramatic.
Write your memory verse here: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in
everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God” (Philippians 4:6 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Instead of worrying, turn it over to God in prayer.
God cares about us and does not want us to waste time worrying about
things over which we have no control.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.6
Let’s learn it!
1. What did Elisha request from Elijah? Elisha asked for a double portion
of Elijah’s spirit.
2. What happened to Elijah? Elijah was taken up into the sky in a whirlwind and disappeared.
3. How did Elisha save the widow’s two sons? He told her to borrow jars
and then to fill the jars with the oil she had in the house. She kept
pouring oil until the jars were full; then she sold them.
4. What kindness did the Shunammite woman show to him? The Shunammite woman provided a room for his use.
5. How did Elisha repay her kindness? Elisha declared that she would
have a son.
6. What miracle did Elisha do after the woman’s son died? Elisha brought
the boy back to life.
7. What medical problem did Naaman have? Naaman had leprosy.
8. What were Elisha’s instructions to Naaman? Elisha told Naaman to dip
himself in the Jordan River seven times.
9. Why was Naaman angry about the instructions? Apparently he expected Elisha to do something grand.
10. How did Gehazi try to deceive Elisha? He secretly followed Naaman
and lied to him, saying that Elisha needed money and clothing.
11. How was Gehazi punished? Elisha put Naaman’s leprosy on Gehazi.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.6
For deeper thought...
Elisha helped many people with his miracles, but apparently he never did
miracles to help himself. Why? If you could do miracles, would you do miracles to help yourself ? What would they be?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Encourage the students to be extravagant in their thinking. Be prepared to share your
own answers to these questions.
Elisha gave Naaman simple instructions on how to save his life. How are we
saved today? Why do some people reject this, just as Naaman rejected Elisha’s
instructions at first?
Today we are saved when we believe in Jesus as God’s son, repent, and
are immersed for the forgiveness of our sins. Some reject this. Some
think it’s not necessary to be immersed for the forgiveness of sins.
Some want to be saved a different way, such as by praying a prayer.
Some have not been correctly taught and are unwilling to accept that.
Write your memory verse here: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: In the context of today’s lesson, people would believe in God because of the miracles they witnessed. Today, we come
to believe because we hear God’s word and study to verify what we’ve
been told.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.7
Let’s learn it!
1. What terrible thing happened when King Ahaziah died? Ahaziah’s
mother, Athaliah, killed all the royal family except for Joash.
2. Who rescued baby Joash? Ahaziah’s sister rescued Joash.
3. Where was the baby hidden? Joash was hidden in the Temple.
4. Who raised him and taught him about God? A priest named Jehoiada
cared for Joash.
5. When Joash was seven years old, what happened? Jehoiada presented
Joash to the nation as its new king.
6. What was Athaliah’s reaction? Athaliah was furious and declared it
treason.
7. Joash was faithful to God until what? Joash was faithful until Jehoiada died.
8. How old was Josiah when he became king? Josiah was 8 when he became king.
9. What repair job did Josiah order? Josiah ordered the Temple to be
repaired.
10. What was found during the work? A copy of God’s law was found.
11. When it was read to Josiah, what was his reaction? Josiah repented. He
cleaned out the Temple and destroyed altars to false gods.
12. What did Josiah do that had not been done in centuries? Josiah led the
nation in observing the Passover feast.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.7
For deeper thought...
In your opinion, why did Joash abandon God after Jehoiada’s death?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: It is possible that
Joash was easily led. It’s possible that once Jehoiada was gone, that
Joash no longer felt the need to be obedient, since he wouldn’t have
to account to Jehoiada.
What can you do to set an example for others in the church?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: You are never too
young (or too old) to set a good example to others. Students may set a
good example for the younger children by refusing to talk, giggle, or
text during Bible class and worship. They set a good example by singing, being quiet and respectful during prayers and communion, and by
listening to the sermon.
Write your memory verse here: “Let no one despise you for your youth,
but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith,
in purity” (I Timothy 4:12 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Young people can set a good example for others.
Strive to live in such a way that you may lead others to God!
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.8
Let’s learn it!
1. What was Israel’s main problem? Israel’s main problem was idolatry.
2. Who was the last king of Israel? Hoshea was Israel’s last king.
3. Which nation destroyed Israel? Assyria destroyed Israel.
4. Whom did God send to warn Israel? God sent prophets, including
Elijah, Hosea, Amos, Ahijah, Obadiah, and Micaiah.
5. What was Judah’s main problem? Judah’s main problem was idolatry.
6. Which nation besieged Jerusalem? Babylon besieged Jerusalem.
7. Who was the king of Judah when Jerusalem fell? Zedekiah was the king
when Babylon took Jerusalem.
8. Whom did God send to warn Judah? God sent prophets, including
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Amos, Micah and others.
9. Which prophet was the “weeping prophet”? Jeremiah was the weeping
prophet.
10. Which two books of the Bible did he write?
Jeremiah
Lamentations
11. What happened to the important people of Judah? The important people were taken to Babylon and were well cared for.
12. What happened to the poor people of Judah? The poor people were left
in Judah to farm the crops.
13. How long was Judah in captivity? Judah was in captivity for 70 years.
14. Who predicted this many years before? Moses predicted this.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.8
For deeper thought...
Why did God choose 70 years as the length of time for Judah to be in captivity? See II Chronicles 36:21 and Leviticus 25:4 for a hint.
God had commanded that the Israelites give the land itself a Sabbath
rest every seven years. They did not do that. In II Chronicles, we’re
told that God is enforcing that rest with 70 years of rest for the
land.
Why do people ignore warnings? Do you ignore warnings? Which ones?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: People sometimes
ignore warnings because they think that they don’t apply to them or
that they are smarter. (Example: texting while driving.) Invite the
students to share which rules or warnings they think are silly and
don’t apply to them. Be prepared to share your own thoughts.
Write your memory verse here: “Your ways and your deeds have brought
this upon you. This is your doom, and it is bitter; it has reached your
very heart” (Jeremiah 4:18 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: There are consequences to our actions. If we do
not obey God, bad things will happen as a direct consequence. Living by
our own rules will result in an unpleasant life. We need God’s guidance
to keep us on the correct path.
2
A Walk Through the Bible
5.9
Let’s learn it!
1. What were the Israelite names of the four men from Judah?
Daniel
Mishael
Hananiah
Azariah
2. What were the Babylonian names of the four Jewish men?
Belteshazzar
Meshach
Shadrach
Abednego
3. What did Daniel and his friends want to eat and drink instead of the
king’s rich food and wine?
Daniel and friends asked for a diet of water and vegetables.
4. How were Daniel’s friends tested? They were challenged to bow down
before the king’s idol when the music started.
5. How were they punished? They were thrown into a furnace heated
seven times hotter than usual.
6. How did God protect them? God kept them from being affected by
the flames and heat.
7. What was the message that was written on the wall? “Mene, mene, tekel,
parsin.”
8. What test did Daniel face? He was told that he could pray to no one
but the king.
9. What was his punishment? Daniel was thrown into a lions’ den.
10. How did God protect him? God shut the mouths of the lions.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.9
For deeper thought...
Why did Daniel and his friends want a different diet from the others? How do
you handle situations when your friends want you to be like them even when
it is wrong?
Daniel and friends wanted a different diet in order to avoid eating unclean foods and violating God’s laws. (The second question is an opinion
question.) Suggested discussion: Discuss peer pressure and how to
stand strong when others want to do what is known to be wrong. Encourage the students to share their experiences, particularly their
success stories.
What character traits in Daniel and his friends would you like to imitate?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Their strong faith
in God despite being in a foreign land where worship of God is punished is worthy of imitation. Their commitment to doing right in very
difficult circumstances is a great example.
Write your memory verse here: “By your endurance you will gain your
lives” (Luke 21:19 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Being faithful to God requires true commitment and
endurance. There are many examples of people who lived a faithful life
to God and then quit later in life. We need to remain committed to
God throughout our lives.
2
A Walk Through the Bible
5.10
Let’s learn it!
1. What did King Ahasuerus ask of Queen Vashti? He ordered her to
show her beauty to his drunken friends.
2. What did he do when she refused? He banished her from his presence.
3. How did his advisors suggest he find a new queen? They suggested a
contest to find a new wife.
4. What was the relationship of Mordecai to Esther? Mordecai was
Esther’s uncle.
5. How did Mordecai save the king’s life? He overheard two guards planning to kill the king, and he reported it.
6. Why did Haman hate Mordecai? Haman hated Mordecai because he
refused to bow down to him.
7. What did Haman plan to get rid of Mordecai and the Jews? He had the
king declare a day for the Jews to be murdered.
8. What did Mordecai want Esther to do? Mordecai wanted Esther to
talk to the king about it.
9. What did Esther want the Jews to do before she did as Mordecai asked?
Esther asked the Jews to fast on her behalf.
10. What did she tell the king she wanted? Esther invited the king and Haman to a special banquet she would prepare.
11. What did Haman have built for Mordecai? Haman built a tall gallows.
12. What happened to Haman? Haman was hanged on his gallows.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.10
For deeper thought...
Have you ever been afraid to talk to someone, like Esther was afraid to talk to
the king? What did you do? What can you learn from how Esther faced her
fear?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Encourage the students to share their experiences. Be prepared to share your own experience. What we can learn from Esther is that we may have been
placed in the situation for this purpose: to speak up for what’s right.
Can you think of a time when you had the opportunity to speak up for God?
How did you handle it? How can you prepare for the next opportunity?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Encourage the students to share their experiences. Be prepared to share your own experience. Discuss how we may try to prepare ourselves for opportunities to speak up for God: by constant prayer and study of His word.
Write your memory verse here: “And who knows whether you have not
come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14b ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Sometimes we wonder why things happen. It may be
that God allows us to be put in situations for the very purpose of doing what’s right. We need to always be ready to do what’s right and to
speak up for God.
2
A Walk Through the Bible
5.11
Let’s learn it!
1. Who did God select to release the Jews from Babylonian captivity? God
chose Cyrus, king of Persia, to release the Jews from captivity.
2. Who predicted that this would happen? Isaiah prophesied about Cyrus.
3. In what year did the Jews begin returning home? The Jews began their
return in 536 B.C.
4. What was the reaction of the people when the Temple’s foundations were
laid?
The people wept: some for joy; others mourned the former Temple.
5. What did the Jews’ enemies do to cause them trouble? The Jews’ enemies wrote a letter to the new king of Persia complaining about them.
6. What was the result? Artaxerxes told them to stop building.
7. Which governor verified Cyrus’ decree? Tattenai verified the decree.
8. Which king ordered that the Jews were allowed to build and be given
help?
Darius ordered the people to leave the Jews alone.
9. When was the Temple completed? The Temple was finished in 516 B.C.
10. What was Ezra’s job? Ezra was a scribe.
11. What problem did Ezra discover about the people? Ezra found that the
Jews had married Gentiles.
12. How did the people respond? Most of the people repented.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.11
For deeper thought...
Does it seem harsh to you that Ezra would demand that men divorce their
wives in order to be faithful to God? Why was this important?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: It does seem
harsh. However, God had commanded the Jews to marry only Jews.
They were breaking God’s law when they intermarried. This is important because we need to marry someone who will help us to be faithful
to God.
God waited 70 years to work out His plan. How can we cope with a plan that
takes this much time, since we live in an “instant” world?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Discuss how long
God took to work out this plan as well as others. Today, we are accustomed to fast results and we get impatient if we are required to wait.
God’s timetable is not our timetable, and He works out His plan in His
own time. We need to learn patience as we wait for God.
Write your memory verse here: “I will restore the fortunes of Judah and
the fortunes of Israel, and rebuild them as they were at first”
(Jeremiah 33:7 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: God promised to restore Judah, and He kept His
promise. He has made promises to us today, and He keeps His promises. We can have confidence in the assurance He gives us of a home in
heaven!
2
A Walk Through the Bible
5.12
Let’s learn it!
1. What was Nehemiah’s job in Babylon? Nehemiah was the king’s cupbearer.
2. Why is Nehemiah’s job important to the story? Nehemiah worked
closely with the king, and the king trusted him.
3. What did Nehemiah want to do? Nehemiah wanted to rebuild Jerusalem.
4. Who opposed Nehemiah? Sanballat and Tobiah opposed him.
5. What was their first attempt to stop the building? They made fun of the
Jews’ work.
6. What did they try next? Next they threatened to fight the Jews.
7. What was Nehemiah’s response? Nehemiah prayed and posted guards.
8. What was their next attempt? They tried to distract Nehemiah.
9. How did Nehemiah respond? He refused to be distracted and
prayed.
10. Who opposed him from within? What did he do? Shemaiah, a Jew, told
him that people were coming to kill him.
11. How did Nehemiah respond? Nehemiah again prayed.
12. What other problem did Nehemiah have to solve? Nehemiah discovered
that a Gentile had moved into the Temple.
13. What did the people do after the wall was completed? They celebrated
the Feast of Booths, confessed their sins, and made a covenant with
God.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.12
For deeper thought...
How do God’s enemies try to keep us from working for Him today?
Today, God’s enemies use much the same tactics: they make fun of
Christians, they threaten us, they try to distract us, and sometimes
even other Christians make our work difficult. Perhaps the most effective tool is distracting us from our main task.
What can you learn from Nehemiah that applies to you today?
Nehemiah was consistent in his response: he prayed. God answers
prayer, and He wants us to succeed, so He will help us. In addition,
Nehemiah refused to be distracted and always remained faithful to
God.
Write your memory verse here: “And do not fear those who kill the body
but cannot kill the soul. Rather, fear him who can destroy both soul
and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: In the context of today’s lesson, we see that Nehemiah had no need to fear Tobiah and Sanballat. The only one we should
fear is the devil. If we let him taken control, we are in danger of losing our soul.
2
A Walk Through the Bible
5.13
Let’s learn it!
1. How much time passed between the Old and New Testaments? About 400
years passed between the testaments.
2. Where did the Jews worship during captivity that continued after the return?
The Jews would worship in synagogues.
3. Name and describe the two major Jewish sects:
A. Pharisees, who believed in angels and life after death. They accepted the Law as well as tradition.
B. Sadducees, who did not believe in angels or life after death. They
accepted only the first five books of the Old Testament.
4. Why were tax collectors hated? Tax collectors were hated because
they overcharged people.
5. What did God do through Rome to help prepare the world for Jesus? The
Roman Empire built a good road system so travel was more convenient
and safe. They established law and order.
6. What kind of leader did the people expect the Savior to be? Most people
were expecting a military leader.
7. List the things they knew for sure about the Savior and where they are
found in the Bible:
A. He would be born to a virgin — Isaiah 7:14.
B. He would be born in Bethlehem — Micah 5:2.
C. One would come before Him to lead the way — Malachi 3:1.
D. He would be from David’s family — Isaiah 9:6-7.
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A Walk Through the Bible
5.13
For deeper thought...
What kind of preparations did God make in the world for the coming of His
Son?
God allowed the rulers to build good roads and to establish law and order. He allowed the Greek language to be spoken by a number of nations, so people were better able to communicate. This opened the
door to the spreading of the gospel, with better and safer ways to
travel and better communication.
Which period of Old Testament history is the most interesting to you, and
why?
(This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Review the periods
of history that have been covered throughout this curriculum. Be prepared to share your own opinion and encourage the students to share
their opinions.
Write your memory verse here: “But when the fullness of time had come,
God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law” (Galatians
4:4 ESV).
What does this verse mean to you? (This is an opinion question.) Suggested discussion: Jesus’ birth was not a happy accident. It was
planned by God, and He took 400 years to prepare the world for Jesus’ coming.
2