Ezra and Nehemiah
EZRA/NEHEMIAH
Objectives:
- Children should be able to identify Ezra as the priest who brought the law back to Jerusalem.
- Children should identify Nehemiah as the Jewish governor who rebuilt the city wall.
- Children should identify Cyrus and Darius as the kings of Persia who allowed the work.
Possible Lesson Plan:
- Read the story of the rebuilding of Jerusalem from the Golden Children’s Bible, pages 324-331.
Add Ezra and Nehemiah to your timeline.
- “Feed the Elephant” True/False questions:
True False
Ezra was a priest. Ezra was a king.
Nehemiah was governor of Jerusalem. Nehemiah was a priest.
Cyrus and Darius were kings of Persia. Cyrus was king of Babylon.
Darius sent the captives back. Darius killed all the Jewish people.
- This is a good time to review this very difficult period in Jewish history. Remind the children of the line of kings from Saul to David to Solomon and the glory of the temple in Jerusalem. Review the split of the people into the northern kingdom, Israel, with its capital in Samaria and the southern kingdom, Judah, with its capital in Jerusalem. With older children, you can make comparisons with our own Civil War. God was not happy! He sent prophets to both kingdoms – Elijah and Elisha to Israel and Isaiah, Amos, Micah, and Jeremiah to Judah. Review the fall of Israel to the Assyrians and of Judah to the Babylonians. Who was the king of Babylon? (Nebuchadnezzar). Who were some of the prisoners taken back to Babylon? (Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, Daniel, Ezekiel) Review their stories from captivity. Now Nebuchadnezzar’s heir Belshazzar has fallen to Cyrus of Persia (He sneaked into Babylon in the riverbed!) and Cyrus and his heir, Darius, are allowing the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah. Many remained in Persia, however, including Esther.
- Make Nehemiah’s wall:
Fold a piece of construction paper
like a fan.
Color a figure and staple to the
bottom edge of the fan.
Pull on the top edge to see the wall
grow!
- Close with prayer.