The Walls Rebuilt
March 18, 2020 • Brennan Westerman
After watching the video, work through the following passages and questions with your kids. Some basic answers are provided below, but remember that your kids' answers are going to be all over the map! Do your best to encourage and affirm them as you steer them toward a simple and clear understanding of the text.
READ NEHEMIAH 2:17-18
How did Nehemiah encourage the people of Jerusalem to get to work building the walls?
[He pointed them to God, saying that God had helped him before and would help them again; he also said that the king supported them]
How can we encourage the people in our lives to do good things?
[We point them to God and to Jesus, sharing our stories about the good things he has done, how he has helped us, and how he has promised to be our Rescuer]
READ NEHEMIAH 4:14-23
[Setup the story that there were enemies planning to attack them while they were building]
How did Nehemiah motivate the workers in v.14?
[By reminding them that God is great and awesome]
Did God protect the city while they were building, or did the people protect it?
[Both! God worked “behind the scenes” to keep their enemies away, but the people worked by getting organized, having a battle plan, and keeping guard, carrying their weapons while they built]
We know that Jesus saves us from even greater enemies—the enemies of sin and death. And we know that God also gives his people a role to play. What does God’s Word say about what our role is in defeating sin?
[We’re told to trust Jesus, to repent or “turn away” from sin, to delight in God and his laws, to encourage one another, to remember that God lives inside Christians, to resist, to flee from temptation, and a whole bunch of other ways to say those things!]
Point your kids back to Nehemiah’s words in v. 14: “Do not be afraid of [sin]. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight!” We work to defeat sin primarily by remembering the strength and might of our God and Savior, Jesus!