VERSES: Habakkuk 1:1-3:19
MEMORY VERSE: Habakkuk 2:20 "The LORD is in His holy temple:let all the earth keep silence before Him."
BOOK TO REMEMBER: 3 John. Write "3 John" on small slips of paper and hand out at the end of class, so the students may memorize one more book at home. It might be a good idea to review all the books of the New Testament at some point in class since we are nearing the end of the Books of the Bible.
PRAYER: When we sin, pray that we will ask God to forgive us and then have courage to do what God wants us to do.
SPECIAL SONG: Be Careful Little Eyes (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 on this blog. Click on orange circles to hear tune.) If time permits, sing The Books Of The Old Testament and The Books Of The New Testament (see March - Songs We Sing In Bible Class #3 I on this blog.)
VISUAL AID: Draw a picture on the chalkboard or whiteboard of Habakkuk looking up a cloud with his mouth open as if he is talking to God.
LESSON POINTS:
- Habakkuk is an unusual name that means "embrace." Habakkuk wrote his small, three-chapter book right before God's people went into Babylonian captivity. Instead of writing in the unusual style of 'prophet speaking to the people,' the book of Habakkuk is written with God and Habakkuk speaking to each other. Habakkuk would ask a question or wonder out loud at something and God would answer. He felt comfortable speaking to the LORD God and asking questions.
- Habakkuk didn't understand why wickedness consumed God's people. He said that it didn't seem like God was doing anything about the people's wickedness. God responded and said that something was happening: He was going to raise up the Chaldeans (also called Babylonians) to punish Judah.
- In this book, the Babylonians were described as a cruel nation who would march through the whole land of Judah and take houses that were not their's and, not only houses, but they would also take so many captives that they were numbered like the sand. Can we number the sand? No. That was another way of saying there would be a huge amount of people being led away into captivity. God said they had fast horses, faster than leopards, which would run to the violence. The Babylonians thought nothing of politeness or manners. They had no respect for authority and did what they wanted to do, but, still, God used this cruel nation of Babylon to discipline His children, the nation of Judah.
- God told Habakkuk to be patient and wait on Him to deal with His people in a just manner. God said there would be many "woes" brought on Judah for serving false gods and not serving Him.
- Habakkuk trembled and was afraid of the things that God said would happen to His people because of their wickedness and disobedience, but Habakkuk also believed and trusted in God. He said that the LORD was his strength.
- Throughout the Bible, God used nations against nations to fulfill His wishes and His Will. He also used nations to chastise or discipline His own people. God cannot tolerate disobedience, but He corrects the people in His own time. He is patient with those who are willing to repent from their wicked ways. God is, above all, just.
ACTIVITY: Habakkuk
Materials needed 9" x 12" blue construction paper, 4" x 12" green construction paper, 4" x 8" yellow construction paper, scraps of white and tan paper, scissors, glue, markers, crayons.
- Hand out blue paper.
- Hand out green paper.
- Tear top edge of green paper. This is the grass.
- Glue green paper to the bottom of the blue paper.
- Hand out scraps of tan and white paper.
- Draw Habakkuk on tan paper.
- Color Habbakuk.
- Cut out Habbakuk.
- Glue Habakkuk to grass.
- Cut out a cloud to represent God.
- Glue in corner of blue paper.
- Hand out yellow paper.
- Cut yellow paper inhalf.
- On one half of the yellow paper, write "It doesn't seem like much is being done about the people's wickedness."
- Cut this sentence into a speech bubble.
- Glue the speech bubble pointing to Habakkuk.
- On the other half of the yellow paper, write "I will raise up the Babylonians to punich Judah."
- Cut this sentence into a speech bubble.
- Glue this speech bubble pointing up to the cloud where Gid is speaking.
- Somewhere on the paper, write :Habakkuk Talk To God" and "Habakkuk 1."