Teaching Habakkuk

[This is part 7 of the 10 minor prophets we're covering this term.]

Habakkuk for 5-11s

Theme: Trust that God is good even when times are bad

Intro:

·        Cut up the memory verse (3:17-19) and hide around the room. Split into teams, they need to find in their colour and put together.

Story:

[Need 2 actors, one to be ‘God’ and one to be Habakkuk]

Our next minor prophet is Habakkuk. He came a bit later than our other prophets. The northern Kingdom of Israel had been wiped out by the Assyrians, but the southern kingdom of Judah still hadn’t learnt their lesson [show map]. They are still doing terrible things and so Habakkuk complains to God:

Habakkuk:    ‘Lord, how long must I ask for help and you ignore me? I cry out to you about violence, but you do not save us! Why do you make me see wrong things and make me look at trouble? People are destroying things and hurting others in front of me; they are arguing and fighting.

God:               Look at the nations! Watch them and be amazed and shocked. I will do something in your lifetime that you won't believe even when you are told about it. I will use the Babylonians, those cruel and wild people who march across the earth and take lands that don't belong to them.

In reply to Habakkuk’s complaint about all the bad things going on around him, God says He will send the Babylonians to deal with it.

Habakkuk:    The Babylonians! The Babylonians! Are you kidding me? Are you not holy and good? And yet you’re going to use this horrible enemy to sort out your people? When? I will watch and wait.

God makes two replies. Here’s His first reply.

God:               It may seem like a long time, but be patient and wait for it,  because it will surely come;  it will not be delayed. The evil nation is very proud of itself; it is not living as it should. But those who are right with God will live by faith.

In other words, Be patient and trust me even though you might not understand what I am doing. Those who trust me will live and not die in this disaster. Then God give His second answer giving 5 judgements on Babylon after they have dealt with Judah.

God:               How terrible it will be for the greedy Babylonians!

                        How terrible it will be for the lazy Babylonians!

                        How terrible it will be for the boasting Babylonians!

                        How terrible it will be for the heartless Babylonians!

                        How terrible it will be for the idol worshipping Babylonians!

So even though God will use Babylon to punish His people He will also in turn punish Babylon for their sins. So Habakkuk turns and praises God that, even though he doesn’t understand His ways, He will trust Him.

Habakkuk:    Fig trees may not grow figs, and there may be no grapes on the vines. There may be no olives growing and no food growing in the fields. There may be no sheep in the pens and no cattle in the barns. But I will still be glad in the Lord; I will rejoice in God my Saviour. The Lord God is my strength.

Will you trust God even when you can’t see what He’s doing in your life? Will you still trust that He is good, even when life isn’t very nice for you? That’s what He longs for you to do!

Table Time:

·        Funsheets

·        Learn Memory verse (3:17-19)

[Sorry, but this week we’re wimping out of teaching the preschoolers Habakkuk. My feeling is it’s just too hard for the 3-5s conceptually. So we’ll do a week on God speaking and revealing Himself.]

3-5s

Theme: God speaks to His people

Intro: Chinese whispers? Some sort of speaking game

            Tell me about yourself. All about me sheet.

Do you remember some of the people we’ve been looking at this term?

There was Hosea, and Micah, and Zephaniah, and Jonah, and Joel. [Show pictures]

Can anybody remember their job? They were prophets. They came to bring God’s message to His people.

God loves to speak; He loves to tell us what He’s like and what He wants us to do. [Have speech bubble]

He tells us that He’s big and mighty and strong! [Get them to show their muscles and put on speech bubble]

He tells us that He’s loving and kind! [Get them to fold their arms across their chests and put on speech bubble]

He tells us that He’s forgiving when we say sorry! [Get them to put their hands together in prayer and put on speech bubble]

We wouldn’t know any of these things if God didn’t tell us. Which is why the prophets are so good.

But there’s an even more wonderful way that God has told us who He is; in the Lord Jesus. When we hear about what Jesus did, we hear about what God is like!

When we hear that Jesus died for us, we hear that God loves us in an amazing way. Isn’t it great that God tells us what He’s like?

Songs:

·        My God is so Big

·        Our God is a great big God

Activities:

·        Craft mouth – folded paper plate with tongue and bobbly eyes

·        Sticking pictures of all the prophets we’ve looked at onto large A3 sheet