Leader Guide

Video Leader Guide

Welcome back, everyone! Today is the second lesson of our Superbook adventure, “Nehemiah.” In the story today, we will learn about being prepared and ready for challenges that come our way. Now, are you ready to give thanks to God who gives us the courage and wisdom to meet every challenge? Our music video today is called “Trust and Obey.” Let’s stand and worship God together!

Play Video 11: (Song) Trust and Obey (2.5 minutes)

Be sure to preview the song so you can sing along with the children.

Trust and Obey

SuperTruthnand Discussion (2 minutes)

Let’s say today’s SuperTruth together: “I will be prepared and ready for challenges.”

Can someone share a challenge that you or someone in your family faced this week?

We all face challenges every day. Challenges come in many different forms. Some challenges are fun, like friendly competition with friends. Others are more serious and difficult like temptations or people mocking us for our faith. Can you guess a powerful and effective way to prepare for any challenge? Prayer.

If you were here for our video last time, who wasn’t ready to face a challenge at school? Chris wasn’t ready for the challenge of tutoring two misbehaving boys.

It’s important to be ready for challenges that we know about—and also to be prepared for any challenges that may surprise us.

Introduce Condensed Bible Story (1 minute)

If all children watched the Bible story video in the previous lesson, you may skip it here and go straight to the Bible Background Video.

If you saw the full video last time, what did Chris stop the two boys from doing to Gizmo? Pouring a chemical from a science class beaker into Gizmo.

Yes, Chris faced a big challenge dealing with those two unruly boys! He was ready to quit until he was whisked away by Superbook!

For those who haven’t seen our Superbook video yet, we are going to watch a short version of “Nehemiah.” If you have already seen the full video, look for different challenges that Nehemiah faced as he worked for God.

Play Video 4: Condensed Bible Story (11 minutes)

Condensed Bible Story

Superbook takes Chris, Joy and Gizmo to meet Nehemiah. He creates a daring plan to rebuild Jerusalem’s ruined walls, even though wicked men mock him—and plot to kill him! The children discover how to find courage to overcome every challenge.

Discussion (1 minute)

What was the news that Nehemiah’s brother brought that made him so sad? The people in Jerusalem were having all kinds of trouble, and they were disgraced. Jerusalem’s walls were broken down, and the gates had been burned.

Who wrote a letter to help Nehemiah on his journey? The king of Persia.

Nehemiah really faced some unexpected challenges when he arrived in Jerusalem. God gave Nehemiah wisdom to organize the work and prepare for anything that might stop his work!

Introduce Bible Background Video (1 minute)

In the Bible Background video, we’ll learn more about Nehemiah and the challenge of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. We will also learn about the king of Persia. When Gizmo asks a question in the video, wait for him to suggest some answers, then call out the one you think is right!

Play Video 5: Bible Background (9 minutes)

Bible Background

Play Video 10B: SuperVerse Graphic 2

Graphic loops 2.5 minutes without audio; turn off or freeze video after children repeat the verse.

SuperVerse Graphic 2

SuperVerse Discussion (1 minute)

Let’s say our SuperVerse together. Nehemiah 4:17:

The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.

The workers who were rebuilding the wall did not stop when they were threatened by Sanballat and Tobiah. It is easy to just give up and quit when things get difficult. No one can stop God’s work from being completed when we focus on God’s work and trust Him to help and protect us! If we rely on God, He will give us the wisdom and strength to continue with His plan.

Children will have more time to learn the SuperVerse in Small Group. If younger children are not able to memorize the entire verse, be sure they understand its meaning.

Prayer and Send-Off (1 minute)

Let’s pray: Heavenly Father, help us follow Nehemiah’s example and always come to You in prayer when we face challenges. You gave Nehemiah courage, favor and wisdom to be prepared for the challenges he faced. Help us to stand up for You and to complete the work that You give us to do, no matter what happens! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Let’s go to Small Group where you will play a game called Up in Arms. Do you have any idea what that could mean? Let’s go and find out now!

Teachers take children to Small Group classes for Grades 1–3 and 4–6. If the combined group is small, all children may stay together for Small Group time.

Game

First, let’s begin with the question about the Bible video in Large Group. What were some of the challenges that Nehemiah faced? He had to organize mostly untrained workers to do different tasks to rebuild the walls. Many of the materials he reused were burned and damaged. He had to convince the leaders and people of Jerusalem around him to undertake the task. They faced constant opposition from Sanballat and Tobiah. The people grew weary as they worked night and day on the wall.

One challenge was to build the wall while also being ready for an attack. What was one way that Nehemiah prepared for that challenge?

Look at the board as we say our SuperVerse together. Nehemiah 4:17:

The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.

This was a smart way to be ready for an attack and still continue progress on the wall—and that’s what our game is about.

Hold up a paper towel tube. This tube represents a weapon. You will hold it with one hand and carry a load with your other hand! What kind of load do you think the laborers carried? Large stones; wooden beams; buckets of mortar, dirt, sand, and water; etc.

Hold up a plate with a balloon on it. Demonstrate the game as you explain it. The balloon represents a large stone you need to carry to the box for the builders. You may only use the hand holding the plate to carry the load. You cannot use the hand carrying the weapon to help balance or steady the load at any time. If the stone falls off the plate, you must wait for the team assistant to load the stone back onto your plate before you can continue. One more important thing; you must be prepared and ready for an attack! At the X on the floor, you must turn completely around in a circle to look for enemy attackers! Then you may continue to the box to drop off your stone. Once you complete your work, you must return home walking backward, and also turn around at the X, still on the alert for attackers! The first team that has all of their workers carry a load and return home wins.

Divide the class into two equal teams. One player may need to play twice.

For larger classes, add paper towel tubes and supplies to make more teams and courses.

Teams line up behind the mark.

Give a tube, plate and balloon to the first player on each team.

Give a balloon to the next four players on each team.

Choose a volunteer to be an assistant for each team. They will pick up any “stones” that are dropped and load them back on the plates for the laborers to continue their work. Also, the assistants must quickly carry balloons back to their teams since there are only five per team. This is a very important job so the work does not stop!

Upon completing the course, each player gives the plate and “weapon” to the next player in line.

For an added challenge, turn the plates over and balance the balloons on the back of the plates!

Optional: you may have a volunteer be an “enemy attacker” to try to blow balloons off the plates while the players are turning at the X. The “enemy attacker” should not actually touch the players.

Conclusion: That looked like fun! What part of the challenge was the most difficult?Was it hard to use only one arm to carry the load?

Teaching

What is our SuperTruth? “I will be prepared and ready for challenges.”

I will hold up an item and you guess what I could be preparing for.

Hold up each item and discuss why you might need it.

1. Umbrella. Rainy weather.

2. Sunglasses and/or sunscreen. Bright sun.

3. School textbook. Taking a quiz or test at school.

4. Sewing kit, tool kit, first aid kit, or other items. Being prepared for various emergencies.

Very good! In our lives, we will face some challenges that can be handled easily. We may think, “I’ve got this!” However, other challenges will come up that are much bigger and more important—and we need to be ready.

Nehemiah knew that he faced a big challenge; much larger than he was! Why was it so important to Nehemiah to go to Jerusalem? It was his homeland and his people were suffering. His brother Hanani, who brought the message, lived in Jerusalem. He knew God’s promise about returning His people to their home. His ancestors were buried there. Nehemiah served God and wanted to do His will.

Nehemiah had an important job of authority and honor in the king’s palace. Even so, he willingly stepped down from his position with the king to do a very difficult and dangerous task for God. However, he would not attempt to do it without knowing God’s plan and timing. He needed to prepare for the challenge!

Sometimes when people are upset about something, they rush off to fix it on their own. They don’t think it through or plan ahead; they simply react and are driven by their emotions. Oftentimes, that can make things even worse! As much as Nehemiah’s heart ached to help his people, he took the time to prepare for the challenge. He gave God time to speak to his heart and reveal His plan to him. He also waited for God to work in the king’s heart. (See Nehemiah 1:10.)

Why was it such a big deal for Nehemiah to ask the king for permission to go rebuild the wall in Jerusalem? One reason is that the Jewish people had started to rebuild the city before. (See Ezra 4:1–23.) The king of Persia had issued orders to stop all construction in Jerusalem! He saw this as rebellion against his authority, so the Jews were forced to stop building.

The Persians were known for not reversing their laws. Perhaps you remember the stories of Esther and Daniel in the Bible. They both served under Persian kings who were tricked into signing bad laws that could not be changed—yet God spared their lives. (See Daniel 6, Esther 8.)

Now Nehemiah was about to ask the king to reverse his own law. This was a challenge too big for Nehemiah to overcome without God’s help. And God answer Nehemiah’s prayers! The king gave him permission to rebuild the city walls. The king even wrote letters to ensure safe travel for his trip and provided supplies. (See Nehemiah 2:7–8.) Nehemiah said that the gracious hand of God was upon him. Nehemiah was ready for the challenge!

When Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, what did he do to prepare before he started to work? He inspected the walls.

He inspected the walls and prepared a plan to organize the people and the project. As work progressed, Nehemiah faced many other challenges from enemies who mocked him and tried to stop his work. Nehemiah continued to pray so he was ready for their attacks, traps and tricks.

Our SuperVerse tells us how Nehemiah prepared his workers for an attack. Let’s say it together. Nehemiah 4:17:

The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.

Nehemiah gave the people weapons to carry as they worked. He also assigned guards to watch over them. Nehemiah made sure everyone was alert and ready!

Optional: read Nehemiah 4:23:

During this time, none of us—not I, nor my relatives, nor my servants, nor the guards who were with me—ever took off our clothes. We carried our weapons with us at all times, even when we went for water.

Nehemiah was so serious about being prepared that he stayed dressed and ready for battle at all times!

Like Nehemiah, we want to be ready for anything. Earlier, I held up some items for you to guess what they might prepare us for. I have one more to show you. Hold up the Bible.

What challenges can the Bible prepare us for—and give us the victory over? Struggles with sin and temptation, the tricks and traps of the devil. Discerning truth vs. false teaching, fear and anxiety, physical challenges like sickness. Adversity, obstacles, suffering, and trials we face in life. Any challenge that we face physically, mentally or spiritually.

The most important thing we can do to be ready for anything is to spend time with God by reading His Word and praying. As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 16:13–14:

Be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be courageous. Be strong. And do everything with love.

Speaking of standing firm in faith, let’s discuss our Discipleship Challenge!

Discipleship Challenge/Practical Application

Give a Faith Wall and Stones Pattern to children who missed the previous lesson so they may assemble their crafts at home.

Our Discipleship Challenge is about building up our faith in God! Why is it important to build rock-solid faith? To stand against attacks and temptations of the enemy. To be ready for any challenges that come our way. To grow closer to God and learn more about Him. The more we know, the more we can trust Him in new ways.

Who can fill in the blanks of the Discipleship verse for Lesson 1? 2 Timothy 2:19:

God’s ____stands _____ like a foundation _____. Truth, firm, stone.

Where do we find God’s truth? In the Bible. The Holy Spirit also speaks truth to our hearts.

Why is it important to have our spiritual foundation built only on God’s truth? So we don’t stray from His truth. So we are not led astray by other doctrines or false teachings. Only faith in Jesus can save us — there is no other way to God.

The Discipleship Challenge is to fill in the blanks for Matthew 7:24, the next verse on the craft, then discuss the questions on the back at home.

SuperVerse

The people had worked with enthusiasm. The wall around Jerusalem was now half the height needed to rebuild it. When their enemies heard that the wall was progressing, they threatened to attack the city and end their work on the wall. Nehemiah prayed and prepared his workers for an attack. As they continued to work on the wall, they also held a weapon to fight if needed.

God’s work did not stop! Nehemiah encouraged the workers because God would fight for them. Nehemiah was a great leader who trusted God and equipped his workers as they accomplished God’s work!

Read the SuperVerse on the board with the children. Have them turn around, look down at the floor, and/or close their eyes as you erase a key word in the verse—such as laborers, work, or weapon. Then, have them open their eyes and raise their hands to tell you what you erased. Write the word on the board as the children answer. Erase more than one word at a time as they become familiar with the game.

Remember, God will help us and fight for us; yet, we are responsible to prepare ourselves and to be alert!

Younger children may not be able to memorize the entire SuperVerse. Be sure all children understand its meaning.

Prayer

Nehemiah sat down and wept for the people of Jerusalem when he heard the news about Jerusalem. What did he do next? He prayed.

Yes, He prayed! What might have happened if Nehemiah had tried to rush off and fix things by himself? He most likely would have failed and possibly been hurt on his way to Jerusalem. He needed God to give him favor with the king to get safe passage to Jerusalem. The king also arranged to send lumber and supplies.

Nehemiah’s prayers prepared him and others for the work God called him to do. Have you ever prayed and waited on God to give you guidance and help? Can you share the experience with us?

When we wait on God, He will give us what we need: a plan, supplies, and even the words to speak. God prepares us for the challenge!

In our prayer time, let’s bow our heads and silently pray about the things I will mention. Begin the prayer, then allow a few moments for children to pray silently after each item.

• Ask the Lord to prepare you for the challenges of today and the week ahead.
• Ask Him to reveal truth as you read His Word to prepare you for what is ahead.
• Ask God to prepare the hearts of others so you can share Jesus with them.
• Ask Him to give you success in the work you do for Him.

Allow children time to pray and then close in prayer: Dear God, Nehemiah prepared himself for the challenges he faced by seeking you in prayer. He waited on You to work in the hearts of others and to reveal Your plan to him. Please help us remember to pray and read Your Word each day to prepare us for the challenges and opportunities we will face. Give us favor and success as we do Your work! In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.

Inspection Game

Read Nehemiah 2:11–15:

So I arrived in Jerusalem. Three days later, I slipped out during the night, taking only a few others with me. I had not told anyone about the plans God had put in my heart for Jerusalem. We took no pack animals with us except the donkey I was riding. After dark I went out through the Valley Gate, past the Jackal’s Well, and over to the Dung Gate to inspect the broken walls and burned gates. Then I went to the Fountain Gate and to the King’s Pool, but my donkey couldn’t get through the rubble. So, though it was still dark, I went up the Kidron Valley instead, inspecting the wall before I turned back and entered again at the Valley Gate.

Nehemiah and a few select people secretly went out at night to inspect the gates and walls of Jerusalem. Nehemiah needed to see the challenge he was up against before revealing to the leaders and people in Jerusalem the work God called him to do. Inspecting the walls and gates was one way that he prepared himself for the challenge. The Bible passage we read lists three gates. For our game, we will add one more gate of Jerusalem that Nehemiah repaired, to give us four gates. Read the Gate Signs on the wall aloud in order: 1. Valley Gate 2. Dung Gate 3. Fountain Gate 4. Water Gate.

Have a sixth grade helper or another older child play a Jerusalem guard. Have the guard stand in the center of the room as you explain the game.

Have you ever played a game called Four Corners? The game we are about to play is very similar. All of you are people who accompanied Nehemiah as he secretly inspected the walls and gates at night. Your goal is to avoid being caught by a guard who is watching the city. The guard will close his/her eyes and slowly count aloud to 10. As the guard counts, you will quietly move to the Gate Sign of your choice. Now, remember to move very quietly so the guard doesn’t hear you! When the guard is finished counting to 10, he/she with eyes still closed will say “I think someone is hiding at Gate number 1, 2, 3, or 4.” You never know which number the guard will pick! Everyone who is caught hiding by that sign is arrested and must sit down in the middle of the room near the guard. The game continues until only one player remains and is the winner. Let’s play two practice rounds to make sure everyone understands the game. If you’re caught in the first two rounds, you don’t need to sit down.

To shorten the game, once a gate is named, you may announce that the gate is closed for repairs so players may no longer hide there. This limits play to three turns per round, after which there will probably be a group of winners in the fourth gate. You can say that Nehemiah and this group of inspectors successfully accomplished their mission and now are ready for their next challenge. Choose another guard for Round 2. Children who were “arrested” are freed to play again.

Conclusion: That looked like a lot of fun. Was it hard to be quiet as you moved around?

Imagine walking around with Nehemiah and discovering how much needed to be done to complete God’s work!

Craft

Give each child a Ruined Wall Pattern and a Gate and Stone Pattern. Have children carefully cut out the gates and stones, then glue them onto the matching outline on the Ruined Wall Pattern. If the patterns are in black and white, children may color the gates and stones before cutting them out. After the pieces are glued in place, children may color the rest of the picture.

Conclusion: Nehemiah was determined to do God’s work even when he was mocked and threatened. With God’s help, Nehemiah and the workers succeeded in rebuilding the Jerusalem wall!

Activity

Let’s say the SuperVerse together. Nehemiah 4:17:

The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon.

Name some ways that Nehemiah prepared for the challenges they would face. He always prayed for God’s help and protection. He prayed for wisdom to make difficult decisions. He worked alongside the people and always encouraged them to trust God. He placed guards around the wall and gave the laborers and workers weapons to hold as they worked.

Yes, Nehemiah stayed alert and focused on God’s work. He listened and watched alongside the workers as the walls were repaired.

Read Nehemiah 4:15–18:

When our enemies heard that we knew of their plans and that God had frustrated them, we all returned to our work on the wall.But from then on, only half my men worked while the other half stood guard with spears, shields, bows, and coats of mail. The leaders stationed themselves behind the people of Judahwho were building the wall. The laborers carried on their work with one hand supporting their load and one hand holding a weapon. All the builders had a sword belted to their side. The trumpeter stayed with me to sound the alarm.

What was the job of the trumpeter; why did he stay with Nehemiah? The trumpeter was ready to sound an alarm at Nehemiah’s command if the enemy attacked. He needed to be with Nehemiah so no time was lost in warning the people.

Give children a coloring page and crayons, colored pencils, or washable markers. Have them color their page and write their names on the back.

Conclusion: Nehemiah was a faithful and compassionate leader. He trusted God and received courage, guidance and strength to accomplish the work.

Building Game

Nehemiah had all of the people work together. They had one common purpose—to rebuild the walls! This game will be played as a large group, working together to keep the wall from being torn down! This game is played much like the game of Hangman. You will guess letters of important things or people in the Bible story. When you guess a correct letter in the word, a box is added to the wall. When you guess incorrectly, a block is removed from the wall. We will start with three blocks on the wall. Why do you think we are starting with just part of a wall? Parts of the wall were still standing when Nehemiah came to Jerusalem.

Nehemiah made sure that the work did not stop even when they were threatened by Sanballat and Tobiah. Your challenge is to keep the wall from being torn down and to build it even higher!

Select a word from the list. Make a blank line on the board for each letter. (For the word “mock,” make four blanks.)

The first child guesses a letter.

If that letter is in the word, write it in the correct blank on the board, then add another block to the wall. If a letter is in the word more than once, write it in all the places it is used. (For Sanballat, write the letter “a” in the three corresponding blanks.)

If a child guesses a letter that is not in the word, knock one box from the wall (as if it was destroyed by the enemy). Write the incorrect letter below the blanks so children will not guess it again.

Play continues until the blanks are filled in and the word is revealed or the word is guessed.

A child may guess the complete word only on their turn.

Be careful; an incorrect guess removes two blocks from the wall! If there are two or fewer boxes, an incorrect guess may cause the group to lose that round!

Do not allow children to shout words while others are playing, as this is disrespectful and takes away from the game experience.

If the wall still has blocks remaining when the word is guessed, Nehemiah is happy! If all of the boxes are torn down before the word is guessed or revealed, Nehemiah is behind schedule!

Play again with another word, beginning with three boxes in the wall.

Word List: they do not need to be used in order.

• Mock
• Pray
• Nehemiah
• Stones
• Jerusalem
• Celebrate
• Guard
• Laborers
• Trumpet
• Alarm
• Destroy
• Builders
• Weapons
• Rebuild
• Succeed
• Challenges
• Strength
• Weeping
• Sanballat
• Tobiah