Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 53 “Nehemiah”

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Featured Passage: Nehemiah 1-6

The temple in Jerusalem had been rebuilt by the group of captives that had been allowed to return to the city. However, even though the temple was completed and rededicated, there was still trouble for the people. The walls of the city were broken and Jerusalem was not protected from the attacks of the surrounding enemies. At the time, a man named Nehemiah worked as the cupbearer for the Persian king Artaxerxes. Nehemiah heard that the people in Jerusalem were in distress and he became very sad, and cried out to God for help. God, hearing Nehemiah’s prayer, had a plan to help the people through the kindness of a king and the leadership of a cupbearer. 

Discuss: 

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  • What was Nehemiah’s first reaction when he heard about the situation in Jerusalem? What can we learn from his actions? 
  • What are the responsibilities of a cupbearer? How did the king notice something was wrong when Nehemiah came before him? What does this tell us about the kind of person Nehemiah was? 
  • How did Nehemiah organize the building of the wall? Why do you think he did it this way? 
  • What kind of difficulties did the people have as they were trying to build the walls? What was the response of the builders to the adversity they met? What should our response be when we have difficulties trying to accomplish our goals in life? 
  • How long did it take the people to finish rebuilding the walls? What roles did Nehemiah play in helping the people finish the job so quickly?

Memory Challenge: 

Nehemiah 2:17

Then I said to them, “You see the distress that we are in, how Jerusalem lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire. Come and let us build the wall of Jerusalem, that we may no longer be a reproach.”

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 2: Lesson 53 “God Leaves His House”

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Featured Passage: 2 Chronicles 36; Ezekiel 10-11

After the days of King Solomon, the Kingdom of Judah and the city of Jerusalem were ruled by many different kings. Some were good kings who led the people to serve God and worship Him properly at His temple, and God was pleased with them. Sadly, not every king wanted to follow God’s laws, but rather they turned away from God to worship pagan idols and led the people to sin against God’s commandments. This made God very sad, and as time went by the problem seemed to get worse and worse. As God had told the Israelites many years before, if they turned away from Him to worship false gods, He would no longer protect them and He would have to leave the people and the house that was built for Him. After all, there was no longer room for Him in a house filled with idols. Just as the prophets of God had warned the people, if they didn’t repent of their sins God was going to leave His house and  teach them a hard lesson. 

Discuss: 

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  • Who was the last king of Judah? What kind of attitude did he have toward God? 
  • The prophet Ezekiel was shown a vision of the glory of God leaving the temple in Jerusalem. Why did God remove His glory from the temple? 
  • Why did God send prophets to warn the people? What did the people of Jerusalem do when the prophets of God warned them what would happen if they didn’t listen to God? 
  • Who were the enemies who surrounded and conquered the city of Jerusalem? What happened to the temple and the things in it? 
  • Even though God removed His glory from the temple, did that mean that God would leave His people forever? What are some of God’s promises to the people of Judah and Israel? 
  • After the first temple was destroyed, who was the person God worked with to proclaim that the temple could be rebuilt? 

Memory Challenge: 

2 Chronicles 36:23 

Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: “All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!”

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 53 “David and the Ark”

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Featured Passage: 1 Chronicles 15-17, 22

King David had built a house for himself in the City of David which is in Jerusalem. Though he had a beautiful place to live, he was sad because the ark of the covenant, the special box which represented God’s promises to Israel, was being kept in a man’s home at a place called Kirjath Jearim. He wanted the ark to be put in its own special house. He knew that the ark represented God’s dwelling place, so he wanted to build a house for God in Jerusalem to help show the people that God was with them. Before the house – the temple – could be built, David set up a special tabernacle in Jerusalem where the ark could be placed. He was very excited that the ark would finally come into the City of David, so he prepared a special celebration. 

Discuss:

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  • Who were the only ones who were allowed to carry the ark of the covenant? What was the special way the ark was to be carried? 
  • What kind of instruments did David want to accompany the ark being brought into the city? What do you think the music sounded like? 
  • What was David doing to worship God when the ark was brought into the city of David? What are some ways that we can worship God? 
  • What did David give all the people so they could join in the celebration? (1 Chronicles 16:3)
  • What is a psalm? How do we use psalms and music in church today? 
  • What was the covenant God made with David about the temple that he wanted to build? 

Memory Challenge: 

2 Chronicles 15:3 

And David gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it.

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Digging Deeper: The Legacy of a King

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Author: Mr. Kenneth Frank | Faculty, Living Education

Estimated Reading Time: 3 min.

Did you know that the captivity of the House of Judah was largely blamed on the actions of one of its kings?

For hundreds of years, God had sent prophet after prophet to warn his people to repent of their evil but to no avail. The entire nation was apostate from God. However, it was the regime of one of its kings that was the final straw. 2 Kings 21:4 and Jeremiah 15:4 describe Judah’s removal from its homeland into captivity for the “sins of Manasseh…for the innocent blood that he shed…which the LORD would not pardon.” Not only was there an entire tribe of the northern House of Israel named Manasseh, but the thirteenth king of the House of Judah bore this name as well.

King Manasseh was the son of one of the House of Judah’s most righteous kings, Hezekiah. Hezekiah had cleansed the southern tribes of idolatry and repaired and reopened the Temple with proper sacrifices before restoring the festivals of Passover and the Days of Unleavened Bread that had been neglected many years. Later in life, Hezekiah was told by the prophet Isaiah to get his house in order for he would soon die after contracting a disease. Hezekiah appealed to God who extended his life 15 years. During that time he begat a son who became his successor: Manasseh.

Hezekiah was not a perfect king, but Manasseh seemed to go to all lengths to undo his father’s reforms and go well beyond what any other king had committed in evil. Manasseh reigned the longest of Old Testament Israelite kings – 55 years. His evil reign is declared worse than that of the heathen who occupied the Holy Land before Israel conquered it (2 Kings 21:9). Manasseh even made some of his children “pass through the fire” (burning them alive) in sacrifice to a heathen god.

Manasseh’s wickedness is detailed in 2 Kings 21 and 2 Chronicles 33. But only the account in 2 Chronicles tells the “rest of the story.” He was eventually hauled away in shackles into captivity by the Assyrians, perhaps even with a hook in his nose or lip as he walked hundreds of miles to the city of Babylon. Remarkably, while in captivity he came to himself, like the Prodigal Son, in this far-off land and appealed to God’s mercy who not only arranged for his release from captivity but even returned him to his throne in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 33:12-13). After his resuming power, he implemented a massive reform program to turn the nation back to God; however, the consequences of his earlier wickedness could never be fully reversed before the final captivity of the nation.

This story declares the graciousness of our God that even as wicked a person as Manasseh could be forgiven and restored! This account should encourage all of us to appreciate and draw closer to the God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and who will abundantly pardon through the sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus Christ. We must never take His grace for granted but we can continue to count on it if we genuinely repent of our sin and change our ways.

Kenneth Frank headshot

Kenneth Frank was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, and attended Ambassador College, graduating in 1973. He served in the Canadian ministry from 1973-1999, after which he returned to the USA to pastor churches in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina for 15 years. Having earned a BA degree from Ambassador College he later earned a MA degree from Grand Canyon University before being assigned to the Charlotte office to teach at Living University, now Living Education. Currently, he teaches the Survey of the Bible course to the on-campus students and writes the Digging Deeper column for our online Bible study program. He is married, has four children, and seven grandchildren.

Student Visit to the NASCAR Hall of Fame

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On Sunday, March 1st, the Living Education Students visited one of the most renowned sites in Charlotte – the NASCAR Hall of Fame! This fascinating part of Americana is showcased with full-size cars, displays recounting the history of the car-racing craze, going back to the days of Prohibition. As visitors, we learned about some of the early organizers of the racing circuit that is now big business throughout the US. We also took the opportunity to try our hand at racing in real stock cars simulators. One of the other highlights was having a go at a quick tire change in a simulated “pit” stop. It was a fascinating field trip!

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Digging Deeper: Paul and Rome

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Author: Mr. Kenneth Frank | Faculty, Living Education

Estimated Reading Time: 2 min.

Did you know that, unlike most of his epistles, Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans during his third evangelistic journey before he ever visited the city of Rome?

House churches had developed in the Roman Empire’s capital city possibly beginning with observant Jews who had traveled to Jerusalem for Pentecost and had returned as Christians (Acts 2:10). During the persecution of Acts 8:1, some Christians may have fled to Rome. Other Christians may have migrated there for business or personal reasons. Somehow congregations had formed among believers. Paul had wanted to visit them even before he wrote them but was prevented doing so more than once (Romans 1:11-15). One reason he wrote this letter was to introduce himself and prepare them for his coming after he delivered a gift from churches in Greece to Judean Christians enduring drought and famine. However, he did not arrive in Rome until about three years after writing them due to his arrest in Jerusalem. While there, Jesus informed him he would indeed stand before Caesar in Rome just as he had testified in Jerusalem (Acts 23:11; 27:24).

Paul believed his work on the eastern side of the Roman Mediterranean world had been accomplished sufficiently (Rom 15:22-23). He wanted to preach in the capital city as he had in scores of other cities and towns during his various evangelistic journeys. Long before Horace Greeley made his proverbial admonition to “Go west young man,” Paul wanted to travel west to visit the brethren and churches in Rome to solidify them in the faith as well as to disseminate the faith to other parts of the empire from its capital. Rome was a city of one to four million people, about half of whom were slaves. The conclusion of his Epistle to the Romans greets many people Paul knew there including relatives (Romans 16:13), but there were many more yet-unknown brethren Paul intended to meet and serve.

Paul did indeed travel to Rome but not in the way he had planned. He arrived as a prisoner who of necessity had appealed to Caesar, employing the right of every Roman citizen to a fair trial. He spent about two years in Rome under a form of house arrest but afterward evidently was released and traveled further to spread the gospel, perhaps even to Spain as he had planned (Rom 15:24, 28). Finally, tradition states he was rearrested, returned to Rome for retrial and was beheaded. Paul’s testimony in Rome was sealed in his blood.

Kenneth Frank headshot

Kenneth Frank was born and raised in New Jersey, USA, and attended Ambassador College, graduating in 1973. He served in the Canadian ministry from 1973-1999, after which he returned to the USA to pastor churches in Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina for 15 years. Having earned a BA degree from Ambassador College he later earned a MA degree from Grand Canyon University before being assigned to the Charlotte office to teach at Living University, now Living Education. Currently, he teaches the Survey of the Bible course to the on-campus students and writes the Digging Deeper column for our online Bible study program. He is married, has four children, and seven grandchildren.

Second Thoughts: Leaving Stephen Behind

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Author: Thomas White | Living Church of God, Editorial Department

“And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out with a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not charge them with this sin.’ And when he had said this, he fell asleep. Now Saul was consenting to his death” (Acts 7:58-8:1).

Dr. Douglas Winnail’s recent assembly addressed the uncomfortable truth that what you do when you’re young will affect the rest of your life. People in many walks of life need that warning, and like most warnings, we need it when we haven’t done anything yet.

But what if you’ve already consented to Stephen’s death?

Wonderings

I wonder how many times Saul saw Stephen’s face in his dreams. I wonder if he ever woke up in a cold sweat while being taught by Christ Himself in the wilderness, hearing “Lord, do not charge them with this sin” reverberate through his mind. I wonder how much he felt as though he were haunted by Stephen’s death.

I wonder if he ever knelt before Christ during those years of training and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord! I let them kill him, I wanted them to, and I don’t know how to make up for it. I’ll never be able to forget what I’ve done, and I don’t know how You can, either. I’m tainted, Lord—Your work deserves better. Your people deserve better.”

And I wonder if he heard something like, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance. I do not condemn you—go and sin no more.”

Going

When we read in John 8:11 of Christ saying that to the woman caught in adultery, we pay needed attention to the first part, “Neither do I condemn you,” and the third part, “sin no more.” But it was only very recently that I even noticed the second part: “go.”

Only a writer inspired by God could pack so much into a single word. “Sin no more,” our Savior says, but also, “Go. Move forward. Don’t stay here in your mind, wallowing in this time and place, letting the memories of your sin hold you captive. Leave Stephen behind.”

Saul had to, and we have to. Whatever we’ve done, however grievously we’ve disobeyed our Savior, the response he expects of us is to ask His forgiveness, believe Him when He says He does not condemn us, go, and sin no more. And it has to be in that order: If we’re going to leave Stephen behind, we have to first believe and accept that Christ does not condemn us, and if we’re going to “sin no more,” we have to first leave Stephen behind—because we’re almost never more vulnerable to future sin than when our minds are enveloped in past sin.

I doubt Saul ever truly forgot about what he did to Stephen, but I don’t believe he remained haunted by it. In fact, we know he didn’t, because the same man who consented to Stephen’s death—but also, in a very real way, an entirely different man—said, “one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

It’s true—what you do when you’re young affects the rest of your life. But it doesn’t have to rule it.

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Thomas White was one of the onsite Living Education students for the 2018-2019 semesters. He also has a Bachelor’s Degree in English. Thomas currently works as an Editorial Assistant for the Living Church of God. According to his wife, he eats pizza in entirely the wrong way.

Children’s Bible Program – Level 3: Lesson 52 “Ezra”

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Featured Passage: Ezra 7-8

A group of Jews had returned from exile to rebuild Jerusalem and to restore the temple. They had met with some adversity, but ultimately they completed what they had set out to accomplish. Another group of Jews was planning to come back to Jerusalem to help with the job and to help restore the true worship of God in Jerusalem. Among this group was a scribe named Ezra. He was very skilled in knowing the scriptures and teaching the law, but more than that he possessed a heart prepared to seek God’s Law and to do it with all his might. As it turned out, he is just what the people in Jerusalem needed. 

Discuss: 

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  • Who was the king of Persia who gave support to Ezra and the others with him returning to Jerusalem? What did he do to show his support? 
  • When the King of Persia promised Ezra his help and support, to whom did Ezra give the credit? 
  • When Ezra returned with the group of people to Jerusalem, he wrote that he was ashamed of something. What was it? What does this say about the kind of person Ezra was? 
  • How did God protect the people on their return to Jerusalem? (Ezra 8:31)
  • When the Bible says that Ezra “had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord” what does that mean? How can we follow this example? 

Memory Challenge: 

Ezra 7:10 

For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the Law of the Lord, and to do it, and to teach statutes and ordinances in Israel.

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 2: Lesson 52 “Solomon’s Temple”

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Featured Passage: 1 Kings 5-8

King David had a special desire: He wanted to build God a house. He felt bad that God still dwelt in the Tabernacle as He had with the Israelites in the wilderness while he lived in his own beautiful palace. However, God had other plans in mind for His house. He decided that King David was not the right man for the job, but rather He would let David’s son do the special project. Four years after Solomon began to reign over Israel, he started to build a house for God—the temple in Jerusalem. Solomon spared no expense to get materials of the finest quality with which to construct this marvelous dwelling place for the Most High. Even the stones were carefully shaped to fit perfectly together so that not a single hammer would need to be used when they assembled it. When it was finally completed, seven years later, it certainly must have been something wondrous to behold. The Ark of the Covenant was brought into the Most Holy place, and there awaited one more essential component—the presence of God Himself. 

Discuss: 

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  • What didn’t God want David to build the temple even though it was something he desired? Why did He instead give the job to Solomon? 
  • To whom did Solomon write asking for help in building the temple? 
  • What were some of the key materials Solomon used to build the temple? What were some of the elements that were built or crafted for the temple? 
  • Why do you think Solomon had the stones crafted perfectly before they were brought to the temple mount to be put together? What kind of connections can we make between this and us as a spiritual temple? (Read Ephesians 2:19-22 for some clues)
  • What were some of the colors used in the temple when it was furnished?
  • At the dedication of the temple, what were some of the things included in the ceremony? What happened when the priests brought the ark of the covenant into the Most Holy place? Try to describe what it would have been like to be there. 

Memory Challenge: 

1 Kings 8:30

And may You hear the supplication of Your servant and of Your people Israel, when they pray toward this place. Hear in heaven Your dwelling place; and when You hear, forgive.

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Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 52 “David and Mephibosheth”

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Featured Passage: 2 Samuel 9

Jonathan, the son of Saul and David’s closest friend, had a son named Mephibosheth who was only five years old when his father died in a terrible battle. The nurse who was taking care of little Mephibosheth panicked when she heard the news of the battle. She was scared of what might happen, so she picked him up to leave quickly, but in her hurry, she dropped the young boy in such a way that his feet were badly hurt and he was lame for the rest of his life. The years went by, and one day, King David sat thinking about his friend Jonathan and wondered whether anyone in his family was still alive. That was when one of Saul’s old servants told David about the son of Jonathan. David was eager to meet him and to honor the covenant he made with his friend many years before. 

Discuss: 

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  • Why did David want to find out if anyone in Saul’s family was still alive? 
  • Who was the person who told David about Jonathan’s son? 
  • What did Mephibosheth do when he was first brought before King David? What are some ways that we can show respect to people who are in authority? 
  • The Bible tells us that Mephibosheth was lame in both of his feet. What do you think it would be like to be lame in both feet? What kinds of things would you not be able to do if your feet didn’t work properly? 
  • What did David do for Mephibosheth? Why did he show kindness to him?

Memory Challenge: 

2 Samuel 9:7

So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

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