VERSES: 1 Kings 13:1-10
MEMORY VERSE: 1 Kings 13:4 "...And his hand, which he put forth from him, dried up, and he could not pull it again to him."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: Review all the Old Testament book from Genesis to Esther. Check to make sure all students are remembering the books. We have talked about displaying individual charts and giving stickers to those who can say the Bible books from Genesis to a particular book. This is a great help and incentive to students of all ages.
PRAYER: Pray that we stay close to God, treasure His Word, and walk in His steps.
SPECIAL SONG: Be Careful Little Eyes (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog)
VISUAL AID: Bible map, showing Bethel and Jerusalem; large Activity below.
LESSON POINTS:
- Remember that the kingdom of Israel had been divided from being one kingdom and now was divided up into two kingdoms. Do we remember the names of the two kingdoms? The kingdom of Israel and the kingdom of Judah. Who was the King of Israel? That's right! King Jeroboam! Jeroboam stayed mostly in the city of Bethel. Was he related to King Solomon? No! He was King Solomon's servant while King Solomon was alive. Jeroboam had made two golden calves and placed one in Dan and the other in Bethel which was idolatry. Jeroboam was making up his own rules on how to worship and he was causing the kingdom of Israel to sin. We know how God was a jealous God, don't we? Jeroboam should have known better, but he did not care about the LORD God and His commands.
- Who was the King of Judah, the other part of the original kingdom? King Rehoboam, who was King Solomon's son. Rehoboam lived mostly in Jerusalem. In the beginning of his rule over Judah, he tried to do what was right in God's eyes. For three years he walked in the ways of David and his father, Solomon (2 Chronicles 11:17).
- One day there was a man of God (we don't know his name) who came to Bethel where Jeroboam was because God had sent him there.Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense when the man of God spoke the word of the LORD and said that a child would be born into the house of David named Josiah and he prophesied that Josiah, many years in the future, would burn incense and burnt offerings upon Jeroboam's bones. The man of God said, as a sign that those things would happen, that the altar would be torn in two and the ashes would pour out of it and it happened just like the man of God said it would. The alter broke in two and ashes came out of it.
- King Jeroboam did not like that one bit! He raised his arm and told the soldiers to hold the man of God, so he could not get away. Right then, Jeroboam's hand dried up and he could not pull it back to himself. Jeroboam asked the man of God, the one he was going hold, to pray to the LORD for him that his hand might be restored and the man of God prayed for him. His hand was fixed just like it had been before. The king asked him to come and go home with him and the king would give him a reward, but the man of God would not go because God told him not to go; in fact, God had told him not to eat bread, drink water or go back the same way he came into the city.
"Older Student" Tips:
- God knows the future and He is in control! Just like the man of God prophesied 277 years before, Josiah was born and was the king of Judah (2 Kings 21:24). What God says, happens!
- Even though Jeroboam;s hand had been withered or dried up and restored again, Jeroboam still did not worship the LORD God.
ACTIVITY: "Jeroboam's Withered Hand"
Materials needed: 9" x 12" tan construction paper, pencil, scissors, black and brown crayon.
- Hand out tan paper.
- Student places on of their arms on the paper, mid-forearm.
- Trace with a pencil.
- Cut out arm.
- On one side,draw brown lines like wrinkles all over the arm and hand.
- Write "Jeroboam's Withered Hand" and "1 Kings 13" on the withered hand.
- Turn hand over.
- Write "1 Kings 13:6" and "...and the king's hand was restored again..."
