What was a prophet and why were they so important in the scriptures? Use this what is a prophet Bible Object Lesson to teach children the purpose of prophets and that Jesus is the Ultimate Mediator between people and God.
Scripture Focus: Hebrews 1:1-2, Numbers 12: 5-8
Materials:
- Different objects that make sound (bell, pot with a spoon, shaker, etc.)
Geography: Kingdom of Israel and Judah
Background: God intended to lead His people. In the garden, He walked with Adam and Eve. When God called Abraham, He spoke directly to him. After Moses brought the people out of Egypt, God met them on the mountain, but they refused to go speak with Him because they were terrified. Therefore Moses mediated between God and the Israelites. Jesus is the Ultimate Mediator because He goes between God and all people.
What is a Prophet Object Lesson:
{Read Hebrews 1:1-2. Ask:}
- How many times did God speak? [Various times]
- Can you think of an example from the Bible when God, Himself, spoke? [Allow for answers; an example could be: creation, God spoke to Cain, Abraham, Moses, when Jesus was baptized, etc.]
- What does the author of Hebrews say is one way that God spoke in the past? [by the prophets]
- How does God speak now? [through His Son, Jesus]
The author of Hebrews tells us that in the past God spoke at various times and in various ways to His people. God still speaks to His people, only today He chooses to use the words of His Son Jesus. And because He is God, He can still use various ways and times to speak when He so chooses.
{Bring out the items. Tell the children to listen to the different noises made by the objects. If you like, choose a few student volunteers to play the items. Ask:}
- What types of sounds did you hear? [Possible answers: loud, soft, swish-swish, tapping, reverberations, vibrations, etc.]
Our ears are amazing creations. The outside of our ears gathers the vibrations from sounds. As those vibrations travel down the ear canal, eventually they turn into something our brains can understand. And then we are able to discern different sounds: loud, soft, whispering, yelling, a horn, a cat purring, and more!
{Ask:}
- What are some of your favorite sounds? [Allow for answers.]
What is a Prophet Bible Lesson:
In the Old Testament, God chose to speak to people directly, or to use specific people called Prophets. There was nothing particularly special about this group of people. They could be men or women. They were poor or rich, educated or not. What they all had in common was that God had chosen them to send a message to His people. Sometimes the people of Israel as a whole received a message; or sometimes it was a specific person, like a king. These people listened to God and took a message to the correct receiver.
Moses is considered the first Prophet.
{Read Numbers 12:5-8. Ask:}
- Who is speaking in verses 6 through 8? [God to Aaron and Miriam]
- How did God make Himself known to a prophet? [in a vision, or in a dream]
- How did God speak with Moses? [God spoke to him face to face and spoke plainly. Moses saw the form of the Lord.]
When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, God spoke to Moses and then Moses would either obey God or give a message to the people. Moses was a “mediator”. He was in the middle between God and the people. Sometimes the people would come to Moses with messages for God and then Moses would go to God and talk to Him for the people.
A prophet was a mediator.
A prophet was also a leader. Moses physically led the people to the Promised Land. Other prophets would lead the Israelites in different ways. Some would anoint kings. Some would mediate between God and the kings. Others would speak directly to the people the messages of God.
{Ask:}
- Did the people in the Bible have Bibles to read for themselves? [Allow for answers; Yes and No; Historically, people attribute the writing of the first five books of the Bible to Moses. Therefore, anyone who lived before he wrote those books would not have had scrolls or written words of God to read. The scrolls of Moses were placed in the ark of the covenant. Throughout the years, more and more people would write books of history, poetry, or prophecy, and the scribes or leaders would keep the writings. The priests would read the scriptures to the people, but they did not have their own copies to hold and read like you do today. Even during the time of Jesus, people would go to the temple or the synagogue to listen to the scripture.]
- So if the people did not have a Bible to read, how did they know what God wanted them to do? [Allow for answers; The WORD of the Lord would come to the prophets and they would speak to the kings or people. The kings and people would need to listen and then obey whatever the prophet said.]
- Did the kings and people ALWAYS obey the prophets? [Allow for answers; No. See if the children can brainstorm some examples of when the prophets, and therefore God, were disobeyed. Examples: the people refused to go into the Promised Land; during the books of Judges the people disobeyed God; during the periods of the kings there were many kings who refused to listen to the prophets and therefore the people were oppressed or exiled.]
When the prophets spoke, God expected the people to hear them, listen, and obey His words.
{Ask:}
- When your mom, dad, caregiver, teacher, or other authority figure tells you something important, what do they expect you to do? [Allow for answers, hopefully, they will say they need to listen and then do whatever is asked of them.]
- If a pot was hot and you refused to listen to your mom tell you the pot was hot, and you touched it, what would happen? [get burned; have a consequence]
The same thing happened when the people or the kings refused to listen to the Word of the Lord which was spoken by the prophet. The prophet would give a message or warn the people. Sometimes they would listen and other times they wouldn’t.
What is a Prophet Life Application:
{Ask:}
- Do you have a copy of the WORD of the Lord? [Help the children know that if they have a bible, then yes, they do. If you notice that one of the children does not have a bible, then try to give them one, if possible.]
- Do you need a prophet to tell you the words of God? [Allow for answers; explain that we do have prophets to listen to and their words are recorded in scripture; there are also people in the church who are gifted with prophecy, but we must be careful to make sure that the words from those people match the words in scripture.]
- Can we hear God without the Bible? [Allow for answers]
Some of the prophets from the Old Testament heard God by using their ears. We can hear from God by listening to Him as well, but we don’t usually use our physical ears, we use our heart. Not the pumping blood heart that you have, but what is called your soul-heart. Your soul-heart can hear from God, just like your physical ears can hear and discern different sounds. But in order for your soul-heart to hear well, you need to know God’s words from the Bible. It all works together.
Prophets in the Bible were important because they spoke words from God, led people, and mediated between God and people. Now that we have our own copies of the Bible, we don’t really need an actual PERSON to tell us the words of God because we can read those words for ourselves. And we should. The Holy Spirit can then speak to our soul-heart and help us figure out what is from God and what is not. We must be willing to listen and then obey just like the Prophets of old.
If Jesus is our Savior, then He becomes our mediator between God and us. When we read our bibles, the Holy Spirit uses those WORDS of God to teach and guide us.
What can we learn from the prophets? God wants to speak to His people. He wants us to listen to Him, take Him seriously, and do what He asks. Sometimes those messages are encouraging. Other times, God warns us about our choices and the consequences of those choices. Will you choose to listen to what God is saying?
Worship Songs and Videos for Prophets Bible Lesson:
