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King Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah delivered a message from God that he would die. Hezekiah knew there was still much work to do in Judah. He wanted to help the country be better and teach the people to love God. Hezekiah could not do that if he were dead! Hezekiah prayed that the Lord would give him a longer life. The Lord stopped Isaiah before he had even left Hezekiah’s palace. He told Isaiah to go back and tell Hezekiah that he would live 15 more years. A sign of this healing was a miraculous moving of a shadow on steps.

Bible verses used in this episode:

• 2 Kings 20:1-11
• Isaiah 38 (Isaiah’s version)

Outline:

1. Hezekiah’s Illness and Healing (2 Kings 20:1-7)
2. The Sign of the Shadow on the Steps (2 Kings 20:8-11)

Tips for teaching children:

• Talk about how Hezekiah prayed, and God heard him. God always hears our prayers, and he answers our prayers according to what he knows is best for us. A simple song about this can be found at God Answers Prayer.
• Guide the children in writing prayer requests on index cards or paper. They can shuffle the cards and then select one card at a time and pray.
• Take time to notice shadows caused by lights or the sun. Making shadow figures with hands is fun. Guide children to notice how shadows are caused by an object blocking the sun or light. A shadow cannot form behind a light. When God gave Hezekiah a sign with a shadow, the shadow defied science. It was a miracle.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Read this text read in the classroom. Choose two people to read the two sections outlined in the show notes.
• Ask these discussion questions: What makes Hezekiah’s prayer so powerful? What does this say about our prayers? What can we learn about prayer from Hezekiah?
• God changed his mind as a result of Hezekiah’s prayer. What do we learn about God? What can we learn about our relationship to God?

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: King Hezekiah Prays for Health

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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Hezekiah (the 13th king of Judah) had just begun to rule. He was a good king and restored true worship among his people. The Assyrian king, Sennacherib, attacked Judah. He mocked God and King Hezekiah. Hezekiah prayed for God’s protection. Isaiah, the prophet, told Hezekiah that the Lord had heard his prayer. Just as Isaiah prophesied, Sennacherib was defeated. The angel of death wiped out his army, and he ended up being murdered by his own sons.

Bible verses used in this episode:

2 Kings 18-19

Outline:

1. The kingdom of Israel falls, and good King Hezekiah rules Judah. (2 Kings 18:1-12)
2. The Empire of Assyria besieges Judah’s capital, Jerusalem, and pressures the people to accept its rule. (2 Kings 18:13-37)
3. Isaiah prophesies Assyria’s defeat. (2 Kings 19:1-7)
4. Assyria increases the pressure, and King Hezekiah prays. (2 Kings 19:8-19)
5. Isaiah prophesies, and then God causes the army to retreat. (2 Kings 19:20-37)

Tips for teaching children:

• Younger children can make a crown and talk about good King Hezekiah.
• Talk about praying when we are afraid. Experiment with a new kind of prayer method. Click here for Prayer Methods.
• For older children: Draw a vertical line down the centre of a whiteboard or piece of paper to form two columns. In the left column, list the ways the Assyrians made fun of God and his followers in 2 Kings 18:19-25; 28-33. Then, ask the children to list ways that people today might make fun of God and his followers. Allow the children to express their reactions to these and suggest possible coping strategies if appropriate. Complete this activity with a prayer to God to ask for his help.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Summarise these two chapters (2 Kings 18-19) in the classroom time. Before the class, read the chapters two or three times to get familiar with how the story develops. Using the outline in the show notes, add sub-points to help you retell the story. You could choose important verses to read as you present. Take about 15 minutes to summarise.
• Here is a link to an article that will give some context for the story we read in the Bible.
• Using Hezekiah’s prayer as a model, rewrite this prayer in your context (as a class or as individuals – whichever you choose). Have someone volunteer to pray their prayer on behalf of the class members.
• Ask the class members to name several things that people in our culture put their trust in to save them (i.e. money, jobs, pleasure, etc.). Lead the class in prayer and renounce these false gods and reaffirm your trust in the true and living God and promise to follow him.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: God Protects King Hezekiah and His

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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Nineveh was the capital city of Israel’s enemy, Assyria. The Lord commanded Jonah to go and tell the people in Nineveh that their city would be destroyed if they did not repent of their wickedness. Jonah did not want to teach the people of Nineveh because he thought they would never change. He headed in the opposite direction – away from Nineveh – to try to hide from God. When the boat he boarded ran into a storm, Jonah was thrown overboard and swallowed by a big fish. Jonah spent three days praying inside the fish, and then he was spit out. When Jonah finally went to Nineveh and preached, the wicked people repented and turned to God. The Book of Jonah ends with Jonah still resentful that these evil people received God’s mercy.

Bible verses used in this episode:
Jonah 1-4

Outline:

1. God calls Jonah but Jonah runs from God. (Jonah 1:1-16)
2. Jonah’s three days inside a fish. (Jonah 1:17-2:10)
3. Jonah goes to Ninevah. (Jonah chapter 3)
4. God’s mercy makes Jonah angry. (Jonah chapter 4)

Tips for teaching children:

• Guide children in drawing a fish. Once they have finished, they can add a stick figure inside the fish to represent Jonah.
• Make a boat from paper.
• Talk about the fact that all people deserve to hear about God. Make a collage or draw pictures of different kinds of people.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Read the book of Jonah during the class session. Choose an easy to read from a simple translation such as the English Standard Version or the International Children's Bible and select four people to read the four chapters.
• This story confronts us with our prejudices and smug privileges as God’s people. Make a list of people groups that would be very different (ethnically, socially, morally) from the group in the classroom. Pray for them for God to bless them.
• This story confronts the church, too. Is your church a welcoming church? How would the church respond if someone from the list you created in the previous question came into your assembly? As a class, brainstorm different ways to make your congregation more welcoming to outsiders? In other words, think about how you can communicate to visitors that you were expecting them and you are so glad they came.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:
Bible Lesson: Jonah and the Big Fish

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org