Passages: Isaiah 1-39
Big idea: God separates people from their sin, so they can live with him, in peace and without fear.
Ages: 5-11
Nine lessons exploring Isaiah chapters 1 to 39.
Note: These lessons are yet to be upgraded to the new Kidswise format. Each lesson contains two parts: K-2 is for children aged 5-7 and 3-5 is for children ages 8-11.
Isaiah is like the Romans of the Old Testament. After Psalms, it is the second most quoted OT book in the New Testament. The first half of the book is marked by judgement (chapter 1-39), the second half marked by salvation (chapters 40-66).
The book begins with a vision given to Isaiah the prophet in the time of four Kings of Judah: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah. By this time, Israel in the north (the ten tribes, sometimes referred to as Ephraim) has separated from Judah (includes the tribe of Benjamin) in the South. The book of Isaiah contains God’s words to Judah and Jerusalem in particular.
Isaiah is set in the context of sin and war (8th century BC). God uses other nations to punish his people for their disobedience. The Assyrian nation shadows over Israel during chapters 1-39, eventually taking them out in 722BC. The Babylonian nation shadows over Judah during chapters 40-66, eventually taking them into exile 586BC. Isaiah’s preferred titled for God is... “The Holy One Of Israel” (found 26 times in Isaiah, only 5 other times sin rest of OT). This title is a striking contrast to the Kings who lead the people astray by their repeated disobedience.
Isaiah outlines what the Holy One of Israel will do for his people: clean their sinful hearts, give them true peace that lasts, gather them to himself and live with them. He will remove sin and death – they will have nothing to fear! How awesome is God!
The unit comes complete with stories, pictures, suggested songs/memory verses, games, drama activities, crafts, large and small group activities. A resource pack full of crafts and worksheets is also included.