Isaiah & King Hezekiah

Holy Word Cinema

Overview: Students will watch the Superbook video, “Isaiah” and answer PowerPoint review questions.

Memory Verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him." 2 Chronicles 32:7 (NIV)

Supplies:

• TV/DVD Player
• Superbook DVD “Isaiah”
• PowerPoint presentation “Isaiah King Hezekiah Review Questions”
• Laptop Computer

Lesson Plan

Show the movie “Isaiah.”

After the movie, use the PowerPoint review questions to test the kids’ comprehension of the story.  When there is any doubt in the answer, show the Scripture verse onscreen to connect the video to the Bible.  It may be a good thing to do that whether kids know the answers or not to strengthen their Bible knowledge.

Once review questions have been answered, close the session with prayer.

A Lesson written by Rev. Ron Shifley of Immanuel Evangelical Church, Needville, TX

Permission to copy materials granted for non-commercial use provided credit is given
and all cited references remain with this material.
Printed from Rotation.org

Isaiah & King Hezekiah

Art

Overview: Students will learn about the seals of Isaiah and King Hezekiah and make their own seals with clay and use sealing wax to seal a word of good news for today.

Memory Verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him." 2 Chronicles 32:7 (NIV)

Supplies:

• Oven-bake Polymer clay
• Clay tools
• Toaster oven
• Low temp glue gun
• Wax seal sticks
• Isaiah seal (pre-made)
• Scrolls with Isaiah 37:21-22,29-35 printed on them
• Blank scrolls for kids to write on
• Rope to tie scrolls
• Poster with Isaiah and King Hezekiah seal impressions
• TV/DVD Player

Leader Preparation

• Familiarize yourself with the Scriptural Passage; bookmark it in your Bible.
• Familiarize yourself with the lesson plan.
• Watch the video “DIY Wax Seal Stamp Tutorial” to familiarize yourself with how to do the craft project.

Welcome and Introduction

Welcome students. Ask students what they remember about the story of Isaiah and King Hezekiah.

Say: How many of you have ever signed your name? Your signature is very special. It represents who you are when you sign your name on a work sheet at school, on a birthday card, at the end of a letter that you might mail to a family member or friend, or when you write a check or have to sign a electronic screen to pay for something at the store to validate payment for things you buy.

During Bible times, like when King Hezekiah and Isaiah the prophet were alive, instead of writing their name, they would use a clay seal with their name engraved on it and press that seal on to wax or wet clay that to place a personal stamp on a sealed document to show that the document had indeed come from them.

In our Bible story this month, Isaiah sent a message to King Hezekiah with a prophecy, or Word from the Lord, that God had given to him that he then sent on to the king. This message would have included a personal stamp with Isaiah’s signature on it. Well, you know what? Archaeologists have found clay seal impressions that were personally made by Isaiah and King Hezekiah nearly 2,500 years ago in Jerusalem. Let’s watch a short video about these personal stamps so you can see them for yourself.

The Art Project

Say: Today we’re going to get to make our own personal stamps, like Isaiah and King Hezekiah had. Have student roll out their Oven-bake polymer clay to make clay stamps and decorate them with their own design following the basic instructions from the “DIY Wax Stamp Tutorial” video that the leader previewed before class. Remind students that they can decorate it their own way, by putting their name or initials on it and other designs. Once clay stamps have been made, place stamps on tray of toaster oven. Bake for 15 minutes at 275 degrees to harden clay stamps.

The Bible Lesson

While personal stamps are baking in the oven, show the premade Isaiah stamp and pass out the scrolls with Isaiah 37:21-22, 29-35 printed on them.

Say: When Hezekiah was king of Judah, the Assyrian army, led by King Sennacherib, invaded the land of Judah and attached its fortified cities. After destroying the Judean stronghold city of Lachish, the Assyrian kind set his sights on Jerusalem. The Assyrian commander stood outside the city walls of Jerusalem and boasted that the God of Israel was powerless before this invading army. In fact, all the other gods of the peoples that Assyria had conquered could do nothing to stop their invasion. So too, the Assyrians said, the God of Israel and King Hezekiah will be powerless before the army that was beginning to set up camp outside Jerusalem’s city walls. King Hezekiah encouraged the people who defended Jerusalem with these words, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him. With him is only the arm of flesh, but with us is the Lord our God to help us and to fight our battles.” (2 Chronicles 32:7-8)

Then, King Hezekiah “went up to the temple of the Lord… and prayed to the Lord… (Isaiah 37:14, 16-20) 16 “Lord Almighty, the God of Israel… you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 17 Give ear, Lord, and hear; open your eyes, Lord, and see; listen to all the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God. 18 “It is true, Lord, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste all these peoples and their lands. 19 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 20 Now, Lord our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you, Lord, are the only God.

Ask: Why do you think King Hezekiah went up to the temple to pray to God for help? After King Hezekiah prayed to God at the temple, God sent a message to the prophet Isaiah which he wrote down in a letter and sent on to King Hezekiah. It was a message of good news, that God would, in fact, deliver his people and save the city of Jerusalem. The prophecy read in part,

21 “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Because you have prayed to me concerning Sennacherib king of Assyria, 30 “This will be the sign for you, Hezekiah: 32 For out of Jerusalem will come a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. 33 “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria: “He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it. 34 By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city,” declares the Lord. 35 “I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant!”

Ask: Have you ever gotten good news in the mail? How did it make you feel?

Ask: What do you think it was like for King Hezekiah to open this sealed letter from the prophet Isaiah and get such good news? He was thankful that God heard his prayer. His faith was renewed that God was indeed by his side. He was hopeful that the word of the Lord that Jerusalem would be saved might come true.

Ask: Why do you think that Isaiah would have placed his personal stamp on the seal of this letter that he sent to the king? To let King Hezekiah know that this letter was indeed a word from God sent via the prophet Isaiah and was not sent by someone else.

Say: You want to know some good news? God kept his promises to Isaiah and King Hezekiah. He sent his angel to the Assyrian camp and placed an illness on the army that killed many and sent the King and the rest of the army back to their home in Assyria. God sent good news to King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem when they needed it most. What good news do you think God might want to send us, the Church, your family, to his people today?

Today I’d like to invite you to write a short letter, to a member of your family, to our pastor, or to a member of our church that contains the promise that God is with us and that God will help us when we go through difficult situations. While you write your letter of good news, I want to play the music video for the song “God of Angel Armies” to help give you remind you of the kind of songs of praise that Isaiah, King Hezekiah and the people of Jerusalem might have sung when they heard that God would save his people.

Play the music video “Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)” as kids write their letters.

As the music video concludes, and the kids finish their letters, the personal clay stamps should be ready to take out of the toaster oven. Distribute the clay stamps to the students. Have them fold their letters and wrap and tie them with the twine provided. Then let the kids help the kids use the Low Temp Glue Gun to discharge a enough seal wax on top of their letter so that they can impress their personal stamp into the wax and make a seal impression.

Say: You’ve written a short note of good news about God. Now we want to invite you to seal that letter, with your own personal stamp that you created. After class today, I want to challenge you to take that sealed note and give it to the person you wrote it for. Tell them it is good news, like the letter from the prophet Isaiah, good news from God that you want to share with them.

A Lesson written by Rev. Ron Shifley of Immanuel Evangelical Church, Needville, TX

Permission to copy materials granted for non-commercial use provided credit is given
and all cited references remain with this material.
Printed from Rotation.org

Isaiah & King Hezekiah

Construction/Hands on Discovery

Overview: Students will learn about the water tunnel designed by King Hezekiah, build their own model of Jerusalem under siege and water tunnel with clay and learn how to tap into God’s provision during difficult times.

Memory Verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him." 2 Chronicles 32:7 (NIV)

Supplies:

• Block of clay
• Clay working tools
• LOD Trojan War Greeks vs. Trojans plastic soldiers (2 bags)
• two bowls
• Pitcher of water
• TV/DVD Player
• DVD • MP3 sound “Babbling Brook” on CD
• Index cards with the words of 2 Chronicles 32:7 printed individually on them.

Intro

Welcome the students. [If you’re on week 2 or later, ask them what they’ve learned about King Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah so far.]

Ask: Have you ever been afraid that you might lose something? What did you do to protect that item?

Say: In our Bible story this month, King Hezekiah was afraid that the bully Assyrian army might come in, attack Jerusalem, and steal their homes. They had done that to other cities before, and King Hezekiah knew that the Assyrians wanted to take over Jerusalem as well. But he didn’t want that to happen. Today we’re going to learn what King Hezekiah did to protect his city. Let’s watch a recap video of this month’s Bible story.

Show the video “Isaiah and King Hezekiah” to give a overview of the Bible story.

After showing the video, say: When King Hezekiah heard that the Assyrian army had come to make war against the city of Jerusalem, not only did he pray to God to protect the city, but he also led the people in a couple of building projects to help make Jerusalem secure from attack.

Let’s take a look at that the Bible says about these building projects as recorded in the book of 2 Chronicles chapter 32:

1 After all that Hezekiah had so faithfully done, Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah. He laid siege to the fortified cities, thinking to conquer them for himself. 2 When Hezekiah saw that Sennacherib had come and that he intended to wage war against Jerusalem, 3 he consulted with his officials and military staff about blocking off the water from the springs outside the city, and they helped him. 4 They gathered a large group of people who blocked all the springs and the stream that flowed through the land. “Why should the kings of Assyria come and find plenty of water?” they said. 5 Then he worked hard repairing all the broken sections of the wall and building towers on it. He built another wall outside that one and reinforced the terraces of the City of David. He also made large numbers of weapons and shields. 30 It was Hezekiah who blocked the upper outlet of the Gihon spring and channeled the water down to the west side of the City of David. He succeeded in everything he undertook.

Ask: Why do you think King Hezekiah had his army build stronger walls around the city and reroute the water from the Gihon spring to keep it within the city walls?

Ask: If we were put in charge of defending our town from an invading army, what kind of building projects you do you think we would need to do to protect the people who live here?

Say: Let’s take a closer look at the water tunnel that King Hezekiah built. Here’s a short video about how that tunnel was constructed.

Show the video: “The Siloam Inscription”

After the video is over, say: Although King Hezekiah believed in God, he took some steps to protect the city from the invading Assyrian army. The tunnel that he had constructed to divert the water of the Gihon spring is an amazing an feat of engineering, with workers digging the tunnel from both sides and meeting somewhere in the middle to let the water flow, protected, underground to the Pool of Siloam so that this water source remained within the city walls to provide water for the people who lived in Jerusalem and keep it out of reach from the invading Assyrian army.

What’s amazing is that if you were to visit the Holy Land and Jerusalem today, you could actually visit the water tunnel that King Hezekiah had constructed nearly 2,700 years ago. Even more amazing is that water still flows through it, providing water for the people of Jerusalem just like it did when King Hezekiah was alive.

Ask: What do you think inspired King Hezekiah to protect the water that flowed out of the Gihon spring? (Let students give answers.)

Say: We’re not sure who inspired King Hezekiah. Perhaps it the was the prophet Isaiah, who Hezekiah knew and trusted as an advisor, as someone who spoke the word of God. You see, Isaiah had earlier spoke a prophecy about how God would defend God’s people and give them water from wells of salvation. It is recorded in Isaiah 12:2-3:

2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.” 3 With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

Ask: How do you think it felt for the people to be able to draw water out of the Pool of Siloam, after King Hezekiah’s water tunnel was completed, knowing that the water was safe and secure from being taken by the invading Assyrian army?

Today, we’re going to have a chance to build our own replica model of Jerusalem under siege along with the water tunnel that King Hezekiah built to protect the city.

The Construction Project

Divide the students up to build various parts of the Jerusalem siege and Hezekiah’s water tunnel.

Divide block of clay so that some students will build walls of Jerusalem protecting the Gihon spring and Pool of Siloam. Have students tunnel through another block of clay to construct a mini replica of Hezekiah’s tunnel so that water poured into the Gihon spring and flow through the tunnel to the Pool of Siloam. Place toy soldiers so that one army is perched on inside on the wall to protect Jerusalem while the other army soldiers stand on the outside of the city walls as the Assyrians army did.

After the project is complete, take time to let kids pour water through the water tunnel and admire their work. Play the MP3 sound “Babbling Brook” on CD player or other device while kids are admiring their project to enhance the scene.

Ask: If you were the people living in Jerusalem as saw everything that King Hezekiah did to prepare the city to avoid an invasion from the Assyrian army, how would you feel? Do you think Hezekiah did enough? What more would you do?

King Hezekiah felt confident in what he did to protect the city, because he knew that he was not the only one working to protect it. God was there too, providing strength and inspiration to defend the city as well. Hezekiah shared that confidence in God when he shared our memory verse: “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged because of the king of Assyria and the vast army with him, for there is a greater power with us than with him." 2 Chronicles 32:7 (NIV)

Memory Verse Activity

Scatter index cards with the words of this month’s memory verse printed on them on a table. Have student work together to put the words of the memory verse in order.

Closing

Say: Chris Tomlin wrote a song that shares this confidence that King Hezekiah had when he was surrounded by his enemy, the Assyrian army. Let’s watch a music video of that song and take time to let its words give us confidence for us today.

Watch: “Whom Shall I Fear (God of Angel Armies)”

End with prayer:

Dear God, we thank you that you are always by our side. You give me strength when I feel weak. When I feel all alone, you stand by my side. Guide me and protect me with your word, just as you did Isaiah and King Hezekiah. Help me to trust in you so that I might proclaim you as my salvation and joyfully draw hope from the resources you give. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

A Lesson written by Rev. Ron Shifley of Immanuel Evangelical Church, Needville, TX

Permission to copy materials granted for non-commercial use provided credit is given
and all cited references remain with this material.
Printed from Rotation.org

Thanks for posting these Ron. King Hezekiah is such an interesting character and period in Israel's history.

I've walked Hezekiah's tunnel from the Gihon Spring to the Pool of Siloam. It was an amazing and kind of spooky experience (still has waist deep water in it on average, and you need to bring your own flashlight).

Surprisingly, it isn't straight. The tunnelers had to make several "course corrections."  Our Christian guide likened it to the spiritual journey -- tunneling through rock from our baptism (the Gihon Spring) to the healing pool. Because it's dark, narrow, and wet, you can feel a bit claustrophobic and anxious. in the tunnel. Those feelings prepare you for the sense of elation and joy when you begin to see the literal and proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel."