FAITH CHALLENGE

Exile

Week 1: Mission Impossible

Scripture: 2 Kings 23:31-25:30

Memory Verse: Joshua 1:9 Be strong and courageous: do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. (NRSV)

Concepts:

· It is sometimes hard for us to see God at work in crises, but God is with us all the same.

· If we are heading in the wrong direction, it sometimes takes a terrible crisis to turn us around

· Remembering past crises is one way to help us avoid future crises

· Learning and remembering stories in the Bible and our Christian history are ways to be faithful.

Objectives:

· Through a crime scene investigation exercise, students will learn about the scripture (2 Kings 23:31-25:30) before reading.

· Students will read the scripture: 2 Kings 23:31-25:30.

· Students will become familiar with the exile of Judah, theologically and geo-politically

· Students will learn how to use resources for Bible study: a concordance, a Bible atlas, a Bible dictionary.

Gathering Time: (Guide and Coach)

1. At the beginning of class, the Coach greets arriving students and supervises snacks.

2. The Guide and Coach remind students to write prayer joys and concerns on the Prayer Wall and to place their offering in the offering jars.

3. After most students have arrived and snacks are ended the Guide asks the Coach to lead an opening prayer. This can be brief and may or may not involve the prayer chain.

Workshop Lesson Procedure: (Guide takes over from here)

Scripture/Bible Story: This week the reading of the Bible scripture will follow the “Application activity.”

Application:

Prior to the students’ arrival, the guide will have set up the room to look like a crime scene in Jerusalem where families had left unexpectedly and by force (the exile). The students are to go around looking for evidence and gathering information about what happened. The Sunday school room is a shambles. One area of the room is outside a home and the other area is inside the home.

This activity has four phases:

· Introduction

· Investigation

· Sharing clues

· Putting the clues together

Introduction: (5 minutes)

To begin the lesson, the guide plays a tape with the “Mission Impossible” theme music followed by a voice: “Good morning, Super Spy Students, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is extremely dangerous but very important. It requires your investigative experience, forensic knowledge, and expertise in time travel. To complete your mission you will have to enter Jerusalem, travel to a time before Christ, and figure out what has happened, who did what, and why? As always, should you or a member of your team be capture, you coach will deny any knowledge of your actions. This tape will self destruct in 5 seconds. Good luck Super Spys.” Tape ends with sounds of crackling and frying to simulate self-destruct.

Investigation: (10 minutes)

Students can then choose if they want to work in the house area or in the “outside” area. (Students often do better if given choices.) There need to be some students working in each area. If all the students want to work together in one area at a time, that would be ok. Each group will fill out the chart for their area, listing the clues (evidence) and what information they gained from that piece of evidence. Example:

Piece of evidence	Information gained
Coin	Jehoiakim was king
Letter to Sarah	Sarah is daughter Her parents were taken to Babylon or Riblah Gold, silver and bronze things have been taken They may be killed

The chart paper should be posted on the wall in each area so students can write on them.

A cheat sheet for the teachers is attached to the end of this lesson.

The following clues are in the house.

• Some chairs are turned over.
• Table is set as though the family was about to sit down to eat.
• Some incense could be left burning in the house
• Length of chains with shackles.
• Hidden under a plate or basket, is a piece of a hastily written note from the parents to their daughter. The remainder of the note is scattered elsewhere in the room.

Dear Daughter,

They have taken us. I don’t know where we are going—maybe Riblah or Babylon. This necklace is the only gold or bronze we have left. They have taken the rest. Do not try to follow us! You may be killed. Take care. We love you.

Mom and Dad

• Also, hidden elsewhere in the room are coins with “King Jehoiachin” and “King Zedekiah, son of Josiah.”
• Another letter is in an envelope to show it was mailed:

Dear Mom and Dad,

Beside the rivers of Babylon

We thought about Jerusalem:

and we sat down and cried.

We hung our small harps

on the willow trees.

Our enemies brought us here

as their prisoners,

and now they want us to sing

and entertain them.

They insult us and shout,

“Sing about Zion!”

I hope they will not bring you to this foreign land!

Do not let them know you are potters! They are taking

all of the craftsmen away! Lead them to believe that you

are among the poorest of the land and tend to crops.

This may be your only hope of being allowed to stay at home.

With love,

Your son, a prince in our king’s army

• Pieces of a flier that reads:

Escape to Egypt!

Nebuchadnezzar’s forces are on the move!

Get out while you can!

Our hope is in Egypt, which will shelter us from the Chaldees! Meet outside the city gates and we will help you escape!

Clues outside the home in the city:

• Pieces of paper covering some people in the wall mural, showing that many of the people are no longer here.

• A scroll pinned to the wall. It is a decree: “All princes, and all the mighty men of valour, and all the craftsmen and smiths report immediately to the temple square.” The scroll could have splotches that look like blood on it. The signature says “Nebuchadnezzar.” Tear this scroll in half vertically and pin one half to the wall. Hide the other half among the rubble.

• A memo from Nebuchanezzar saying “To My soldiers. These are your orders: Break down all walls. Break down the temple. Destroy the king’s palace. Destroy all important buildings and houses. Bring back everything that is gold, bronze, or silver that Solomon made for the temple.” This memo could be torn in pieces so that it must be pieced together to make sense.

• Road signs posted to Riblah(north), Babylon(east), Egypt (southwest). Tear these signs in half and post only half on the wall. Scatter the other halves around the room.

• Some rocks and burnt wood. (can be construction paper “wood” with ‘burnt wood” written on it).

• A map of the temple that shows where Babylonian soldiers are most likely to find silver, gold, and bronze.

• Rubble and broken sign made of “rock” on the floor that says “Solomon’s Temple” written in “Hebrew”. (Some seventh-graders may recognize Hebrew characters from a Hebrew memory verse they learned last year).

Sharing Clues: (5 minutes)

After the students have compiled their lists of at least twelve pieces of evidence, six in the house and six outside, have each group share the clues they found and what information they gathered from them. They can just read their lists off of the flip-chart paper.

Putting the clues together: (15 minutes)

Draw the students’ attention to a third piece of flip-chart paper posted on the classroom wall (you may need to use more than one piece to allow room for student answers). It contains six questions that the children need to answer. Show the children the Bible concordance, the Bible atlas, and the Bible dictionary. Divide the children into three groups and hand one book to each group. Show them briefly how to use the books:

- Concordance –contains an alphabetical list of all of the words in the Bible. They can use it to look up names and places listed on the evidence sheets to figure out which part of the Bible the crime scene depicts.

- Atlas – contains an index in the back. They can use it to look up place names. Most maps will also be dated.

- Bible dictionary – contains an alphabetical list of people, places, and things in the Bible. They can use it to look up people, places, and things mentioned in the clues.

See the “cheat sheet” for hints that you can give the students to help them research their clues.

What crime took place here? (The people have been captured and taken away; the temple has been destroyed and its gold carried off.)

Where has this crime taken place? (In Jerusalem)

Who used to live here? (The Israelites; the people of Judah; God’s chosen people)

When did this happen? (597-586 BCE)

Who did this? (Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon)

Where did everyone go? (Some were taken away to Babylon, some were taken to Riblah and killed, some fled to Egypt)

Scripture/Bible study (10 minutes)

At about 9:35, read the Bible scripture to the students as they read along. You may want them to raise their hand if they hear something that relates to the information that they found or if there is a lot of time left, have them write the Bible verse numbers beside the corresponding pieces of evidence they apply to (see cheat sheet for hints).

Wrap-up:

1. Bring closure to the activity by talking about the scripture, its sadness, and tragedies. Explain that next week we will discuss some of the reasons and how it was explained in Old Testament times.

2. Ask students to tidy up.

Closing (Coach):

1. The Coach conducts the closing prayer time. All students and adults gather around the prayer chain. This is a good time to talk about how the prayer chain represents a positive connection between one another. Then make connections to the Bible scripture by discussing the use of chains and slavery. Maybe in the future each time they use the prayer chain, they will be reminded of the Exile and will feel some connection to the people of that time The Coach begins and ends the prayer. The Coach asks each student to contribute a joy, thanksgiving or concern in turn.

2. Close/lock the door and turn off the lights.

Guide preparation in advance:

· Practice reading the scripture aloud and become familiar with the three exiles.

· Read the attached Bible study notes and practice looking up information from the cheat sheet in the concordance, dictionary, and atlas.

· Prepare the pieces of paper information by printing or handwriting them on separate pieces of paper and tearing them up to strew around the room as indicated in the “Application” activity. It might help the students match the pieces if you put each one on a different color of paper.

a. Make the decree on the scroll as described above. Tear it in half and post one half to the wall. Hide the other half among the rubble.

b. Make the two letters and memo as described above. Tear them up so that students will need to piece them together.

c. Copy and enlarge a map of the temple (you should be able to find a map of Solomon’s temple in the bible dictionary) and label some of the store rooms “Gold in here” “Here is where they keep the silver” “Bronze bowls” “Grain” “Coin offerings.” Tear this map into pieces and scatter it in the outside area.

· Prepare road signs pointing to Riblah (north), Babylon (east), Egypt (southwest) on poster board or scraps of brown cardboard. To make these more cryptic, you might tear them in half so that students need to find the other half to figure out where people might have gone.

• Prepare some coins with “King Jehoiachin” and “King Zedekiah, son of Josiah.” You can make these by wrapping aluminum foil around a wooden disk and writing on it with marker.

· Cover half of the people on the mural on the walls.

· Prepare the City room to look a shambles –see lesson for details:

a. Turn over some chairs

b. Set the table in the house; light some incense

c. Spread rocks and burnt wood about

d. Spread around bits of torn up paper

· Make a chain and shackles (this can simply be a paper chain made from gray construction paper with paper wrist or ankle shackles on them)

· Make a sign that looks like a piece of stone and write on it (or you can enlarge this and paste it on the stone):

שלמנס תמפל

· Hang 2 poster papers with headings “Piece of Evidence” and “Information Gained” for the chart the students will fill out.

· Prepare flip-chart paper with the following questions on it. Allow space between the questions for writing students’ answers.

What crime took place here?

Where has this crime taken place?

Who used to live here?

When did this happen?

Who did this?

Where did everyone go?

Supply List

Clue props as described above:

• Incense
• Table settings
• Road signs
• Coins
• Decree
• Letters, memo, and flier
• Flip-chart or banner paper to cover people on the wall
• Flip-chart paper for evidence lists
• Flip-chart paper for answering questions
• Chain and shackles
• Temple map
• Rocks and burnt wood
• Temple sign

Reference Documents (Susan will leave her copies in the Kirk workroom):

• Harper’s Bible Dictionary
• Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and a King James Bible (Strong’s is keyed to King James)
• Maps in the back of the Bible
• A Bible atlas
• Hebrew letter chart that maps Hebrew letters to their Roman equivalents (Susan Mazzara will make this)

References

Faith Challenge Bible Study Notes “Exile” prepared by Susan Mazzara

Clue Gathering/Research “Cheat Sheet”

Clue	Information Gained	How to research it	Matching Bible verses
Chairs turned over	There was some kind of struggle.
Table set	The family was about to eat, going about their normal activities. The struggle must have happened unexpectedly.
Incense burning	When they left, they didn’t have time to put things away.
Chains and shackles	They were bound in chains.
Note to Daughter	Someone has taken the family They may be going to Riblah or Babylon They took the family’s gold and bronze. Their lives are in danger.	Look up Riblah and Babylon in the atlas, concordance, and dictionary.
Coins	There were two kings: Jehoiachin and Zedekiah	Look up Jehoiachin and Zedekiah in the Bible dictionary and concordance. (Watch out: there is a Zedekiah in 1 Kings as well. We wan the Zedekiah in 2 Kings.)
Letter from Son	Seems to contain a poem. Son is in a foreign land. Parents are potters and craftsmen. Poorest are allowed to stay at home. The son is a “prince”; princes must have already been taken away.	Look up words from the poem in the concordance: try “harps”, “willow/willows”, “Zion”. (Zion will show up in many psalms; harps and willows will probably get them closer to Psalm 137.) Look up “craftsmen” “poorest” and “prince/princes” in the concordance. (“Princes” will match many verses, but “craftsmen” and “poorest” will get them closer to the story in 2 Kings.	The poem is Psalm 137. Craftsmen, poorest, and princes refer to 2 Kings 24:14
Escape to Egypt flier	People are trying to escape from Nebuchadnezzar Egypt is seen as a place of shelter. The Chaldees are seen as a threat.	Look up “Nebuchadnezzar” “Chaldees” and “Egypt” in the atlas, dictionary, and concordance.	Nebuchadnezzar will get them to 2 Kings 24:1; Egypt and Chaldees will get them to 2 Kings 25:26
Paper covering the mural	Many people from the city are gone
Scroll	Nebuchadnezzar is ordering people around, especially “princes, and all the mighty men of valour, and all the craftsmen and smiths” There used to be a temple around here	Look up “princes” “valour” “craftsmen” and “smiths” in the concordance. Look up “temple” in the concordance, dictionary, and atlas.	2 Kings 24:13-14
Memo	Nebuchadnezzar ordered his soldiers to destroy the temple and palace. The gold, bronze, and silver were “brought back” to where Nebuchadnezzar is. The things that were destroyed or taken away were made by Solomon.	Look up Nebuchadnezzar and Solomon in the dictionary, atlas, and concordance.	2 Kings 24:13
Road signs	Someone needed directions to Riblah, Babylon, and Egypt. They must have gone to one of these places	Look up Riblah, Babylon, and Egypt in the atlas and Bible dictionary	Riblah: 2 Kings 23:33; 25:6, 20, 21 Babylon: 2 Kings 24 and 25 (many verses) Egypt: 2 Kings 23:34, 24:7, 25:26
Rocks and burnt wood	Buildings have been destroyed and burned
Temple map	Someone was looking for gold, silver, bronze, and money
Hebrew sign	The people of this place speak Hebrew	Use the Hebrew chart to transcribe the sign. Remind the children that Hebrew is read right to left and contains no vowels.

Hebrew-Roman Chart

Remember: Hebrew reads from right to left.

ל	L
מ	M
נ	N
פ	P
ס	S
ש	S
ת	T