RCCG LOWER JUNIOR ZEAL AGE 6-8 TEACHER’S MANUAL SUNDAY 18TH OF DECEMBER 2022 LESSON SIXTEEN (16

BIBLE TEXT: 2 Chronicles 20:1-29

[1]It came to pass after this also, that the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and with them other beside the Ammonites, came against Jehoshaphat to battle.

[2]Then there came some that told Jehoshaphat, saying, There cometh a great multitude against thee from beyond the sea on this side Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar, which is Engedi.

[3]And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah.

[4]And Judah gathered themselves together, to ask help of the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

[5]And Jehoshaphat stood in the congregation of Judah and Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before the new court,

[6]And said, O LORD God of our fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand thee?

[7]Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend for ever?

[8]And they dwelt therein, and have built thee a sanctuary therein for thy name, saying,

[9]If, when evil cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or pestilence, or famine, we stand before this house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is in this house,) and cry unto thee in our affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.

[10]And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not;

[11]Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit.

[12]O our God, wilt thou not judge them? for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.

[13]And all Judah stood before the LORD, with their little ones, their wives, and their children.

[14]Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in the midst of the congregation;

[15]And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.

[16]To morrow go ye down against them: behold, they come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall find them at the end of the brook, before the wilderness of Jeruel.

[17]Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the LORD will be with you.

[18]And Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell before the LORD, worshipping the LORD.

[19]And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high.

[20]And they rose early in the morning, and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa: and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so shall ye be established; believe his prophets, so shall ye prosper.

[21]And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed singers unto the LORD, and that should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD; for his mercy endureth for ever.

[22]And when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten.

[23]For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, every one helped to destroy another.

[24]And when Judah came toward the watch tower in the wilderness, they looked unto the multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies fallen to the earth, and none escaped.

[25]And when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take away the spoil of them, they found among them in abundance both riches with the dead bodies, and precious jewels, which they stripped off for themselves, more than they could carry away: and they were three days in gathering of the spoil, it was so much.

[26]And on the fourth day they assembled themselves in the valley of Berachah; for there they blessed the LORD: therefore the name of the same place was called, The valley of Berachah, unto this day.

[27]Then they returned, every man of Judah and Jerusalem, and Jehoshaphat in the forefront of them, to go again to Jerusalem with joy; for the LORD had made them to rejoice over their enemies.

[28]And they came to Jerusalem with psalteries and harps and trumpets unto the house of the LORD.

[29]And the fear of God was on all the kingdoms of those countries, when they had heard that the LORD fought against the enemies of Israel.

MEMORY VERSE: Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”

LESSON AIM: The children will know that God has given them the Holy Spirit to help them

CHILD-RELATED TRUTH: God wants you to know that the Holy Spirit is your helper

RCCG LOWER JUNIOR ZEAL AGE 6-8 TEACHER’S MANUAL SUNDAY 18TH OF DECEMBER 2022 LESSON SIXTEEN (16

Sometimes situations seem overwhelming and it may appear that there is no way for good to come from it. Every difficult situation gives people a choice. Who will they turn to for help in difficulty? As children of God, who should we turn to for help in every situation? (God). Can you give some examples of other people/things that we can turn to for help? (Allow children to respond) When we turn to other people/things without looking to God first to help us in our difficulty we miss the opportunity to see God’s great power to use that difficult situation and turn it into a blessing.

Today’s Bible lesson is a perfect illustration of how God shows His mighty power when His people turn to Him when faced with a very difficult situation. Let’s turn in our Bibles to 2 Chronicles 20

RCCG LOWER JUNIOR ZEAL AGE 6-8 TEACHER’S MANUAL SUNDAY 18TH OF DECEMBER 2022 LESSON SIXTEEN (16

1. King Jehoshaphat has been told some very serious news.

2. He was facing a very difficult situation that alarmed him.

3. Although Jehoshaphat was alarmed by the news he showed his devotion to the Lord by resolving to seek God’s help.

4. Not only did He personally turn to God for wisdom, he led the people in his kingdom to fast and look to God for help.

5. Jehoshaphat publicly prayed and called upon God for His help.

6. God heard Jehoshaphat’s prayer and He sent Jahaziel to give him His answer.

Jehoshaphat and Judah responded to God’s answer by worshipping and praising Him.

Jehoshaphat chooses to send his army into their positions with a group of men singing praises to God.

The enemies turned against one another and defeated themselves

GOSPEL CONNECTION: God is our helper because He created you and me, and He loves you. The bible says in John 3:16 that God’s love is so great that He sent His Son Jesus to die for our sins by shedding His lifeblood. Jesus died and was buried and came alive again on the third day. When Jesus was leaving for heaven, He also left a helper which is the Holy Spirit to be our comforter.

CLIMAX: Not only did God rescue Jehoshaphat from this large army, He also gave them a large amount of treasure left behind. There was so much treasure it took three days to collect.

CONCLUSION: God showed His mighty power to His people by rescuing them from a large army. Jehoshaphat and all his soldiers responded by praising God.

RCCG LOWER JUNIOR ZEAL AGE 6-8 TEACHER’S MANUAL SUNDAY 18TH OF DECEMBER 2022 LESSON SIXTEEN (16

CHALLENGE: When we choose to seek God’s help in our difficulties we can trust that He will help us. Not only will we see His mighty power but each person that is watching our lives will see how great and awesome He is. Your faith in the Lord will be richly rewarded and your response will be one of joy and praise to the One who rescued you. We will never know how many people may turn from their sin and believe in Jesus simply because they saw God help us as we trusted Him in all of our circumstances.

INVITATION: You need to trust in Jesus as Lord and Saviour to be your helper (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).

SUNDAY – ACTS 10:7-9

MONDAY – ACT 10:10-12

TUESDAY – ACTS 10:13-15

WEDNESDAY – ACTS 10:16-18

THURSDAY – ACTS 10:19-21

FRIDAY – ACTS 10:22-24

SATURDAY – ACTS 10:25-27

RCCG LOWER JUNIOR ZEAL AGE 6-8 TEACHER’S MANUAL SUNDAY 18TH OF DECEMBER 2022 LESSON SIXTEEN (16