Jeremiah

JEREMIAH

Objectives:

  1. Students should identify Jeremiah as a prophet who lived in Judah.
  2. Students should identify Jeremiah as author of the book of Jeremiah and of the Lamentations.
  3. Students should know that Jeremiah prophesied the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians and lived to see that fulfilled.
  4. Students should identify Nebuchadnezzar as King of Babylon and Zedekiah as the last king of Judah.

 

Possible Lesson Plan:

  1. Open with prayer.
  2. Scripture Reference: Jeremiah 13:1-11 and (if there’s time) chapter 28. Jeremiah like Isaiah preached in Judah, the southern kingdom, but later, under the reign of Zedekiah, the last king of Judah. Jeremiah, and his student Baruch, wrote down all that God had told him, but the king burned the scroll. They wrote the prophecies again for us to read. Jeremiah also wrote a letter, or epistle, and the book of Lamentations, lamenting the fate of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians. During this time, the Babylonians sacked the temple and took captives; later they returned and leveled the city. During this time, the Babylonians sacked the temple and took captives; later they returned and leveled the city.

 

  1. Learning Game: Out-lister – Give the students each a paper with three headings across the top: Kings, Prophets, Bible Places. Give them 5 minutes to write as long a list as they can for each category. The student with the longest total list is the winner, but he must be ready to identify the entry if questioned about its appropriateness.

 

  1. Discussion: What did God say to Judah with the belt (or girdle) demonstration? Was there truth to the statement? How did Jeremiah tell us how to tell a true prophet from a false one? Why was Jerusalem destroyed? Was God “fair” to the Jewish people? Jeremiah was persecuted throughout his life for obeying God – beaten and thrown in prison and tortured. Was God “fair” to Jeremiah? Why or why not? There are many countries today where Christians are still being persecuted – beaten, imprisoned, or even killed – for obeying God. Would you be willing to serve God, even to the point of persecution? Is there a time in your life when you could have stood up for your beliefs, e.g. in school, and didn’t? Why? 

  1. Make Jeremiah’s Girdle: Cut a 1x6-inch piece of felt. Punch 4 holes in each thin end and fringe with small pieces of yarn.

 

Close with prayer. Pray that we will have the strength to stand up for our beliefs, no matter what the cost.