Elementary Level, Block 8—Ezra / Nehemiah / Esther
Week 79
Nehemiah—Seeking Help
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who are willing to seek help when we need it.
Reading Reference: Nehemiah 8:1-2 (and footnote 1 on verse 2)
Memory Verse: And he who has understanding may acquire sound counsel… (Proverbs 1:5b)
Story Sample
Do you remember Nehemiah? Who remembers who he was? That’s right! Well, there is something else that’s really special about Nehemiah; he was a person who could ask others for help! Though he was once a cupbearer, he now had a high position as the governor, but he didn’t let that stop him from seeking help. He knew that there were things he could not do himself, and he was willing to ask others to help him!
Nehemiah wanted to help the children of Israel know God’s Word in a proper way, but he was not the best person to do this. Do you remember the stories we told you about Ezra? Well, Ezra and Nehemiah were both alive at the same time! Ezra was famous for his knowledge of the Word of God, and Nehemiah knew that he could not help God’s people without Ezra. Ezra knew God’s word so well, so Nehemiah asked him for help!
This makes me really admire Nehemiah! It is not easy to ask someone else for help, especially if we have been given some authority or power. Recently, I was watching two little brothers play together. The older one liked to do everything first. He liked to choose what game they would play, he liked his cars to drive first in the line, and he liked his toy soldiers to march in front of his brother’s soldiers. The younger brother didn’t seem to mind, though, but let his brother be first. At one point, they decided they wanted to play with different toys. But, the problem was that those toys were in the closet, and the closet was dark! The older brother was afraid of the dark, and he did not want to go in there alone. But the younger brother was not afraid of the dark. I watched to see what these two boys would do. On one hand, the older brother needed the younger brother’s help to get into the closet, but if the younger brother helped, the older brother wouldn’t get to be first. The younger brother would go into the closet first, because he wasn’t afraid. The older brother had to make a choice—was it more important to him to be first, or was it more important to get the toys and keep playing? In the end, he chose to ask his brother for help! I was so proud of him! The older brother realized he needed help, and he was willing to ask for it! And the younger brother kindly gave the help. They got the toys and played together for a while. One could do what the other couldn’t. This always makes a good team! [Storyteller, insert your own story about asking someone for help.]
Nehemiah and Ezra were like this. Nehemiah couldn’t do what Ezra could do, but he wasn’t worried about losing his high position because of it. He just wanted to lead God’s people and was willing to ask Ezra for help. Because of that, God’s people were able to hear God’s word! Let’s be like Nehemiah! We can ask for help when we need it!