Children's Sunday School Lesson 13: 24th September, 2023.

ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH, NIGERIA.
CHILDREN'S SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 13.
JUNE – DECEMBER, 2023.
SUNDAY, 24TH SEPTEMBER, 2023.

TOPIC: How The Bible Was Preserved

BIBLE TEXT: 2 Chronicles 34:8-21

MEMORY VERSE:
I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you (Psalm 119:11, NIV).

TARGET:

To help the child understand that God preserved the Bible from being destroyed because it is His Word and He valued it and that God expects him/her to help preserve the Bible through reading it, obeying it and handling it carefully.

OBJECTIVES:

During and after the lesson. Each child will show that he/she understands the lesson by:

1. Re-enacting the story of how the Bible was discovered in the Temple.

2. Thanking God for preserving His Word throughout history and asking for His help in order to obey the instructions in His Word.

3. Mentioning ways they themselves can help preserve the Bible.

OUTLINE:

1. Repairing and Restoring God's House - 2 Chronicles 34:8-13.
2. Finding and Recovering God's Word - 2 Chronicles 34:14-17.
4. Reading and Hearing God's Word - 2 Chronicles 34:18-21.

INTRODUCTION:

No one has been able to destroy the Bible. Though many people including cruel rulers, for many years tried in the past to destroy it, none of them succeeded. The reason is that the Bible cannot be destroyed. First Peter 1:23-25 tells us the Word will live and abide forever. Everything else might be destroyed, but God's Word will never be destroyed. It will always remain.

Again the Bible never grows old. Even though it was written thousands of years ago, it is still new. Its message is still as important today as it was in the past. Its truth never changes. It still meets the needs of people today just as it did many years ago.

The Bible has overcome all obstacles and outlived all its enemies. God preserved it from the Old Testament times because it is His world. Today He provides people with ways to read and understand the Bible.

READ ALSO>>> Teens Sunday School Unit 4, Study 3: Sunday, 24th September, 2023.

LESSON COMMENTARY

1. Repairing and Restoring God's House - 2 Chronicles 34:8-13.

Josiah the king of Judah had just finished purging the land and the temple of God. It was the eighteenth year of his reign. One day, He called Shaphan, the governor of the city of Jerusalem and one other man called Joah. He sent them to go and repair the house of God. These two men collected the money that had been brought into the house of God. This money had been collected from the people by the Levites who kept the door of the temple. Shaphan and Joah handed the money over to Hilkiah the high priest and then to the foremen who were in charge of the house of the Lord to repair and store it. The foremen gave the money to the workmen who worked in the house of the Lord and the workmen in turn delivered the money to the builders and craftman. These used the money to buy materials needed for reparing the temple that the kings of Judah had destroyed. The workers did their work faithfully and had overseers that supervised what they were doing.

2. Finding and Recovering God's Word - 2 Chronicles 34:14-17.

When the money that was brought into the house of the Lord was brought out something happened. Right there in the temple, Hilkiah the high priest discovered the Book of the Law of God that Moses had given the people of Israel. Hilkiah told Shaphan the governor about it and gave t to him. Shaphan took the book to the king. He first of all reported to him that they were doing all that he asked them to do. He said they had | collected all the money and gave it the overseers and the workmen. Then he told the king that the high priest gave him a book, which he found in the house of the Lord. Shaphan then went ahead and read the contents of the book to the king.

3. Reading and Hearing God's Word - 2 Chronicles 34:18-21.

When the king heard what was written in the book Shaphan read to him he tore his clothes. This was because he discovered to his sorrow that they all had long departed from the laws of the Lord. Realising the depth of Israel's sins, the king immediately commanded Hilkiah the priest, the secretary and three other officials to go and consult a woman who was a prophetess on his behalf and on behalf of those remaining in Israel and Judah. They were to seek God concerning the things that were written in the book they had just discovered and read. The reason was that the anger of God against them was very great because of the sins of their fathers who failed to keep the word of the Lord and to do all He has Commanded them as it was written in the Book of the Law.

READ ALSO>>> Adults Sunday School Lesson 13: Sunday, 24th September, 2023.

APPLICATION:

A Bohemian girl helped preserve the Bible several hundreds of years ago. At this time Bohemia was under Austrian rule. The emperor had given an order that no one was to own or read the Bible. One day, soldiers sent to search people’s house came to the house of this girl. Not knowing what to do with her Bible. She quickly placed her Bible in the centre of the bread dough she was kneading. She folded the bread dough over the Bible, placed it in a large bread pan and put it into the oven. When the soldiers came and searched everywhere including the oven they did not see the Bible.

Some of us take our Bibles for granted. We fail to read or memorise the Scripture. We should be thankful that we are free to have God's Word and we should study it.

God's Word hidden in our hearts can help keep us from sinning. And as we learn God's Word, we find it easier to resist temptation. We should value our Bible and handle them carefully and not put them where water or ants or any other thing will destroy them. We should also read our Bibles to remind ourselves daily of the laws of the Lord. Again we should obey the Bible and put into practice the things we read from it. Reading and obeying it, and hiding it in our hearts through memorising verses are some of the ways we can help preserve the Bible.


QUESTIONS:

1. How did the workers who were asked to repair the temple at the time of Josiah do their work?

(A) They ran away.
(B) They were careless with their work.
(C) They did their work carefully.
(D) They did not do their work carefully.

2. What did Hilkiah the high priest discover in the temple and what did he do?

(A) He found the Book of the Law of God that Moses had given the people of Israel. He hid it.
(B) He found the leper that was healed by Jesus. He told him to always come to church.
(C) He found the Book of the Law of God that Moses had given the people of Israel. He took it to the king and read the contents to him.
(D) He found an envelop in the temple. He went home with it.

3. Why did the king tear his clothes when he heard the words of the Book?

(A) Because he discovered to his sorrow that they all had long departed from the Laws of the Lord.
(B) Because he discovered that the Lord is good to them.
(C) Because he discovered that his people were faithful to God.
(D) Because he discovered that his people were ready to follow him.

4. What did the king do when he realised the depth of Israel’s sin?

(A) He immediately told them to prepare for war.
(B) He immediately commanded Hilkiah the priest, the secretary and three other officials to go and consult a woman who was a prophetess on his behalf and on behalf of those in Israel and Judah.
(C) He immediately told them to bring some gifts to come and see him.
(D) He immediately resigned as the king and ran to his mother.

READ ALSO>>>Children's Sunday School Lesson 11: Sunday, 10th September, 2023.

DAILY BIBLE DOSE:

Mon: God's Word ls Purified - Psalm 12:6.
Tues: God's Word ls Eternal - Psalm 119:89:92.
Weds: God's Word Is True - Psalm 119:160.
Thurs: God's Word Is Exalted - Ps 138:2.
Fri: God's Word Is Living - 1 Peter 1:23; Hebrews 4:12.
Sat: God's Word Stands Forever - 1 Peter 1:24-25.