Week 957 · about 45 minutes
Zechariah 12
Zechariah 12 · Memory verse Zechariah 12:5
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Queues the lesson plan, this story’s coloring page (Zechariah 12), the matching word search and answer key (Zechariah 12 word search), the memory-verse tracer, and a parent slip.
Five-minute object lesson
Prop: a folded cloth
Hold a folded cloth. Read Zechariah 12 in about four minutes, stopping at Zechariah 12:5: “The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Armies their God.’” Ask, “What does this prop have to do with Zechariah 12?” Let two children answer, then say the memory verse together.
Story script
Zechariah 12 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “A revelation, Yahweh’s word concerning Israel. Yahweh, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the spirit of man within him says:” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.
Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “In that day Yahweh will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem. He who is feeble among them at that day will be like David, and David’s house will be like God, like Yahweh’s angel before them.” Zechariah 12 opens with these words: “A revelation, Yahweh’s word concerning Israel. Yahweh, who stretches out the heavens, and lays the foundation of the earth, and forms the…” The line to keep is Zechariah 12:5: “The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Armies their God.’” Carry the word “chieftains” from that verse into the rest of the day.
The line worth learning out loud is Zechariah 12:5: “The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Armies their God.’” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.
What happens first in Zechariah 12? Then try this: Read “The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.
Group game
Walk the room as if you are moving through Zechariah 12. Every time you freeze, a child says one word from Zechariah 12:5. The last child says the whole verse.
Craft
On a US Letter sheet, draw one picture from Zechariah 12 and write Zechariah 12:5 under it. Send it home as tonight’s reminder, not as a decoration contest.
Memory verse
Zechariah 12:5
“The chieftains of Judah will say in their heart, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem are my strength in Yahweh of Armies their God.’”
Take-home prayer
Father, thank you for Zechariah 12. Help us remember Zechariah 12:5 when we wake up, and teach us to notice you in an ordinary night. Amen.