Session 8: Zechariah, Prophet to Returned Exiles Zechariah, … · 2020-07-23 · relied heavily on...

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FOR THE LEADER Zechariah, Prophet to Returned Exiles Zechariah Zechariah was not just a prophet, he was also a priest. Zechariah was the grandson of Iddo, a priest who had returned from the exile in Babylon with Zerubbabel. In Hebrew the name Zechariah means “Yahweh remembers.” Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai and while Haggai encouraged the people to continue their building of the temple, as a priest Zechariah helped the people understand the religious implications of their need to rebuild. e Book of Zechariah is referred to many times in the New Testament, and Matthew relied heavily on the Book of Zechariah when writing his Gospel. Zechariah 9:9 is quoted twice in the gospels, by both John and Matthew. Zechariah 9:9 identified the coming Messiah as humble and riding on a donkey. is prophecy was fulfilled on the day Jesus rode a donkey into the city of Jerusalem beginning the final week of His life on earth. Zechariah is the longest of the twelve books of the Minor Prophets, and Zechariah shared, through a series of visions, how God wanted the people to respond when they returned to Him. Zechariah began his prophecy by reminding the people what had gotten them into the situation they had been in, namely sin. e problem of sin had been Israel’s undoing before and without keeping it in check, it could very well be again. Zechariah recalled for the people the commandments set down by God and how those commandments, when obeyed, would lead them to restoration. While the construction of the temple was a physical reminder to the people of God’s rescue of them, they also needed to focus their hearts on rebuilding their spiritual relationship and faith in God. Spiritual restoration was the most important thing. While the people would continue to struggle to obey, God promised a king was coming to bring salvation to the people. Session 8 61 Session 8: Zechariah, Prophet to Returned Exiles © 2020 LifeWay © 2020 LifeWay

Transcript of Session 8: Zechariah, Prophet to Returned Exiles Zechariah, … · 2020-07-23 · relied heavily on...

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FOR THE LEADER

Zechariah, Prophet to Returned ExilesZechariah

Zechariah was not just a prophet, he was also a priest. Zechariah was the grandson of Iddo, a priest who had returned from the exile in Babylon with Zerubbabel. In Hebrew the name Zechariah means “Yahweh remembers.” Zechariah was a contemporary of Haggai and while Haggai encouraged the people to continue their building of the temple, as a priest Zechariah helped the people understand the religious implications of their need to rebuild.

The Book of Zechariah is referred to many times in the New Testament, and Matthew relied heavily on the Book of Zechariah when writing his Gospel. Zechariah 9:9 is quoted twice in the gospels, by both John and Matthew. Zechariah 9:9 identified the coming Messiah as humble and riding on a donkey. This prophecy was fulfilled on the day Jesus rode a donkey into the city of Jerusalem beginning the final week of His life on earth.

Zechariah is the longest of the twelve books of the Minor Prophets, and Zechariah shared, through a series of visions, how God wanted the people to respond when they returned to Him. Zechariah began his prophecy by reminding the people what had gotten them into the situation they had been in, namely sin. The problem of sin had been Israel’s undoing before and without keeping it in check, it could very well be again. Zechariah recalled for the people the commandments set down by God and how those commandments, when obeyed, would lead them to restoration.

While the construction of the temple was a physical reminder to the people of God’s rescue of them, they also needed to focus their hearts on rebuilding their spiritual relationship and faith in God. Spiritual restoration was the most important thing. While the people would continue to struggle to obey, God promised a king was coming to bring salvation to the people.

Session 8Session 8: Zechariah, Prophet to Returned Exiles

61Session 8: Zechariah, Prophet to Returned Exiles© 2020 LifeWay© 2020 LifeWay

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OVERVIEW

GET STARTED TOOLS (10 MINUTES)

¨ Bible Skills: “Bible Book Cards” (Printables)

BIBLE STUDY TOOLS (35 MINUTES)

¨ Jump In: “Zechariah” (Books of the Bible Posters), “Seven-Spouted Lamp” (Slides), “Text Truth Strips” (Poster Pack), reading lamp

¨ Examine the Text: dry erase board, markers

¨ Video: Explore the Bible on Location video

¨ Memory Verse: “Zechariah 14:9” (Poster Pack), sticky notes, pens

¨ Prayer: Family Cards

SMALL GROUP TOOLS (30 MINUTES)

¨ Move: “Mr. Z’s Relay” (Printables), “Text Truth Strips” (Poster Pack)

¨ Make: air dry clay, “Allergy Alert” (Printables), “Christ in Context: Zechariah” (Poster Pack)

¨ Explore: “Promises A to Z” (Poster Pack)

SESSION FOCUSBIBLE PASSAGE: ZechariahMEMORY VERSE: Zechariah 14:9TEXT TRUTH: God promised a righteous and humble King was coming to bring salvation to the people.CHRIST IN CONTEXT: The Book of Zechariah offers prophecies concerning the future hope of God’s people. Zechariah described a Savior that would be a Servant and a King. Jesus came to fulfill Zechariah’s prophecy and rescue everyone who believes in Him.

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BIBLE STORY

EXPLORE THE BIBLE AT HOMESee the Printables for additional family resources.

ZECHARIAH, PROPHET TO RETURNED EXILESZechariah

A remnant of God’s people had been allowed to return to their homeland and begin rebuilding the temple and the city of Jerusalem. God’s people had been conquered and exiled because they had not kept their covenant with God. God wanted His people to return to Him and be faithful to the covenant again.

Zechariah shared this message with the people by telling them about some visions God had given him. Zechariah had eight different visions. God used a vision of men on horses to help Zechariah understand that God’s house (the temple) would be rebuilt and God was going to bless Jerusalem again. God used a vision of a gold lampstand to help Zechariah understand that God would empower His people to rebuild His temple. Although the people felt small and unimportant and faced opposition, God was with them. God would help Zerubbabel and the people rebuild the temple. Zechariah’s visions helped the people understand that God was in control and He was with them.

Zechariah’s message encouraged the people to finish the temple and to obey the covenant God had made with them. But Zechariah also made an important promise about the future. Zechariah prophesied about the Messiah. He said, “Rejoice! Shout in triumph Jerusalem. Your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious. He is humble and riding on a donkey.”

God would send His Son to rescue people from their sin. Jesus would be a humble, righteous King who would pay the price for our sin.

KEY POINTS • Zechariah received eight visions from God to tell the people the

importance of rebuilding the temple.• God wanted the people to know that they could overcome the opposition

they faced.• God promised to send His Son as a King and Messiah to rule over

Jerusalem.

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GET STARTED

BIBLE SKILLS SPOTLIGHT• Names the 10 divisions of the Old and New Testaments in a

limited time frame and identifies examples of books in each

division.

TOOLS:• Bible Skills: “Bible Book

Cards” (Printables)

GET STARTED (10 MINUTES)

BIBLE SKILLS• Ask: “What group of Bible books have our last three Bible studies come

from?” (Minor Prophets) Allow the group to tell how many of these books exist (12) and to name as many of them as they can. Count up their correct suggestions and congratulate them if they get over seven.

• Remind the group that the Minor Prophets are not called this because they are unimportant but because their books are shorter.

• Give out the “Bible Book Cards” for the Minor Prophets (Hosea to Malachi). Direct the group to work together to place these books in the correct order.

• Explain that some Minor Prophets are much shorter than others.• Challenge the group to use their Bibles and re-order the cards by the

size of the book, using the number of chapters as a measurement. Direct them to use their Bibles to discover how many chapters are in each book to complete this action.

• When the kids discover that several books have the same number of chapters, direct them to determine some other means of deciding which is bigger. Allow them to use any method they like but to apply it in all cases.

• Guide kids to arrange the cards in the order of the books’ sizes from the smallest to the largest.

• Emphasize that these divisions help us group the books and understand some things about the content of the books.

• Display the timeline and help kids note the Bible book studied last week (Haggai) and today’s Bible book (Zechariah).

• Say: “Zechariah was sharing his message from God at the same time Nehemiah was leading the people to rebuild the gates and walls of Jersualem.”

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BIBLE STUDY

TOOLS:• Jump In: “Zechariah”

(Books of the Bible Posters), “Seven-Spouted Lamp” (Slides), “Text Truth Strips” (Poster Pack), reading lamp

• Examine the Text: dry erase board, markers

• Video: Explore the Bible on Location video

• Memory Verse: “Zechariah 14:9” (Poster Pack), sticky notes, pens

• Prayer: Family Cards

BIBLE STUDY (35 MINUTES)

JUMP IN • As the group gathers, turn on the reading lamp, and draw attention

to it in an exaggerated manner. Invite the kids to speculate on what significance this lamp might have. Comment on their suggestions before proceeding.

• Note that this is not the lamp that is most important for today’s study. Display the “Seven-Spouted Lamp” image. Allow them to speculate on this as well. Promise them that you will explain the importance of the lamps.

• As the group locates Zechariah in their Bibles, display the “Zechariah” poster, drawing attention to some pertinent facts from it.

• Remind the group that Zechariah is (with Hosea) the longest of the Minor Prophets.

• Share the “Text Truth Strip,” directing the group to read it aloud: “God promised a righteous and humble King was coming to bring salvation to the people.”

• Say: “Let’s open our Bibles to the Book of Zephaniah and discover what our lamp has to do with God’s promise of a king.”

EXAMINE THE TEXT• Tell or summarize the Bible story using the Bible story page as a guide

before proceeding to look more closely at Zechariah 4.• Ask a volunteer or two to draw on the dry erase board a representation

as you read Zechariah 4:1-3. Ensure that they include the lamp (like the image shown previously) and the two olive trees. Note that this would be a strange vision to see.

• Note that sometimes when Scripture is hard to understand, we can use another Scripture to make it more clear. Suggest that there might be an explanation to be found later in the chapter. Create two teams, assigning them to look more closely at the image in Zechariah 4.

• Ask one group to read closely Zechariah 4:4-7 and the other Zechariah 4:11-14.

• Invite each group to label their portion of the dry erase board drawing with what they learn from the text.

• Say: “God is using this vision to explain that Zerubbabel and Joshua were chosen by God to lead the people. God was empowering the leaders and the people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

• Agree that these words and images might be confusing to us at first, but through these visions God was telling the people that He is in charge and working for the good of His people.

• Say: “Zechariah had some amazing visions. He also prophesied about a future king.”

• Direct a volunteer to read Zechariah 9:9-10. Emphasize that God promised to send a King greater than any king before: Jesus.

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BIBLE STUDY

PLAY THE VIDEO• Play the Session 8 video.• Ask: “What type of hero was Joel? What heroes did he learn about at the

museum? What Bible hero did Joel learn about today? Why is Jesus the greatest hero of all?”

MEMORY VERSE• Display the “Zechariah 14:9” poster, guiding the group to read it aloud

together.• Distribute the sticky notes and pens. • Invite the kids to write questions raised by this verse. Begin with your

own, “On what day?” If they struggle with this, give some hints that will help them in that direction.

• Attach the created questions to the poster and attempt to answer those that can be answered, starting with your question: “On the day when Jesus returns to the earth to reign.” Proceed through the remainder of the questions, answering them to the best of your abilities.

• As a group, repeat the verse at least once more.

PRAYER• Ask: “Did I keep my promise and explain the significance of the lamps?” • Continue: “The seven-spouted lamp is a reminder of Zechariah’s vision

and today’s Text Truth: God promised a righteous and humble King was coming to bring salvation to the people.”

• Agree that Zechariah can be a difficult prophet to understand but that he provides important promises about what God would do for His people in the end. Note that God gave us messages through the prophets and other parts of the Bible so that we could read them and grow closer to Him. Say: “But we have to read them to benefit from them!” Point to the reading lamp and explain that this is why you have it here.

• Say: “This reading lamp is probably similar to one you have at home. When you see a lamp at home, I want you to remember to read God’s Word.”

• Distribute the Family Cards, asking volunteers what they can tell others about the lamp image.

• Lead the group in prayer, thanking God for the promise of a “righteous and humble King,” Jesus, and the confidence we can have to trust all His promises.

• Dismiss to Small Groups.

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SMALL GROUP

MR. Z’S RELAYTools: “Mr. Z’s Relay” (Printables), “Text Truth Strips” (Poster Pack)

¨ Print and separate copies of the “Mr. Z’s Relay” words. Place separated sets of these on one side of your

space. Also place the Text Truth Strip there. Provide working space for teams on the opposite side of the

space. Ensure that the Text Truth Strip cannot be seen from the working space.

• Agree that Zechariah’s prophecies can seem scattered and confusing. Suggest that when we pull them all

together, however, they form a message that provides hope for anyone who believes.

• Form two or more teams. The teams need not be perfectly even.

• Direct the teams to run a relay in which they run across the room and retrieve one word from their set and

then bring it back to assemble the Text Truth.

• Point out that they can consult the Text Truth Strip for guidance by sending someone across the area to read

it. • Congratulate the first team to correctly assemble the sentence.

• Ask questions regarding the meaning of this truth.

• Finish up by noting that the Book of Zechariah offers prophecies concerning the future hope of God’s people,

describing a Savior that would be a Servant and a King. Emphasize that Jesus came to fulfill that prophecy, to

be that Servant and King, and to rescue all who believe in Him.

TOOLS:• Explorer Guides: Bibles,

Explorer Guides, pens

SMALL GROUP (30 MINUTES)

EXPLORER GUIDES• Give out Explorer Guides and lead kids to locate today’s pages.• Invite a kid to read about today’s object in the “7-Spouted Lamp.”• Help kids apply today’s Bible truths by recording their responses in

“Small and Unimportant?”• Choose a volunteer to read “Eight Is Great!”• Lead boys and girls to locate each word in the “Zechariah Word Search.”• Select a volunteer to read aloud about “Zechariah’s Visions.”

TECH CONNECT (OPTIONAL)• Prior to Small Group, download the LifeWay Kids app. Use the activity

labeled “Explorer Plus” in the Explore the Bible: Kids section of the app.

ACTIVITIES• Select one or more of the activities to complete as time allows.

MOVE

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SMALL GROUP

THE WORD LAMPTools: air dry clay, “Allergy Alert” (Printables), “Christ in Context: Zechariah” (Poster Pack)

¨ Create a sample lamp.

• Remind the group of the vision of the lampstand. Point out that it appeared in Zechariah 4. Read over the first verses of that

chapter to refresh them on what Zechariah actually saw.

• Guide the group to mold the clay to create a

representation of the seven-spouted lamp in

today’s Bible story.• Share that the number seven is used to

represent perfection and God throughout the

Bible.• Read Zechariah 4:6 to remind them what the

lamp vision represented. (God would empower His people to rebuild the temple.)

• Review the Text Truth: God promised a righteous and humble King was coming to bring salvation to the people.

• Display the “Christ in Context: Zechariah.”

• Finish the activity by reminding girls and boys that the Book of Zechariah preserved messages from God that record the future hope for God’s people. These prophecies described a Savior who would be a Servant and a King. Emphasize that Jesus fulfilled that prophecy, appearing as Servant and King

and rescuing all who believe in Him.

PROMISES A TO ZTools: “Promises A to Z” (Poster Pack)

¨ Separate the “Promises A to Z” cards.

• Ask the kids to consider a time when someone has made a promise and either kept it, surprisingly, or did not keep it, disappointingly. Allow them to share briefly how each of these outcomes made them feel. Point out that all humans will fail in keeping promises at some point, but that God’s promises are different.

• Distribute the “Promises A to Z” cards to individuals, directing them to locate and read the verse(s) noted.

• Beginning with Amos and proceeding alphabetically, invite the participants to read the referenced verse aloud to discover something that will happen “in that day.”

• Briefly discuss each verse and what it promises. After all the cards have been shared, ask the group to relate what they understand about the “Day of the Lord.”

• Ask: “What promise did Zechariah record about Jesus?”

• Review the Text Truth: God promised a righteous and humble King was coming to bring salvation to the people.

SMALL GROUP

EXPLORE

MAKE

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