Take a look at our FREE Nehemiah Sunday School Lesson! Teach kids that like a police officer, they too can grow up to protect others. By the end of this lesson, kids will learn that God can use them to protect others as Nehemiah did. This lesson is great for every Children's Ministry, Kids Church, and Sunday School! When enemies threatened to stop the reconstruction of the wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah stepped in to protect the people. He devised a plan to make sure the people were safe and that the work was able to continue. Today, God uses police officers to protect people. Whatever you want to be when you grow up, you can use your job to glorify God. Maybe you know a friend who is getting picked on or bullied at school. You can help by letting your teacher know what is happening. Or maybe it's your friend who is doing the bullying. If you encourage your friend to treat others with respect, you're helping to keep everyone safe. And each of us can do what Nehemiah did. We can pray to God that he would keep our friends and family safe. Just like God used Nehemiah to protect the people of Jerusalem, God uses police officers every day to keep us safe and sound. And God can use you too – not just when you grow up, but starting today! And, if you like this lesson we have over 100 more free Sunday School Lessons for Kids! You're going to want to check out our When I Grow Up 12-Week Children's Ministry Curriculum. 

Nehemiah Sunday School Lesson For Kids:

BOTTOM LINE:

Like a Police Officer, you can grow up to protect others.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will learn that God can use them to protect others.

KEY PASSAGE:

Nehemiah 4. Nehemiah protects the people.

MEMORY VERSE:

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

SUMMARY:

When enemies threatened to stop the reconstruction of the wall around Jerusalem, Nehemiah stepped in to protect the people. He devised a plan to make sure the people were safe and that the work was able to continue. Today, God uses police officers to protect people. Whatever you want to be when you grow up, you can use your job to glorify God.

SIMPLE PRAYER:

Dear God,

Thank you for police officers who protect us and keep us safe. Use us to bring you glory, not just when we grow up, but today too.  

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

MEMORY VERSE

“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” - Colossians 3:17 (NIV)

“Do everything you say or do in the name of the Lord Jesus. Always give thanks to God the Father through Christ.” - Colossians 3:17 (NIrV)

LARGE GROUP:

Put the verse on the big screen and read it aloud several times with the kids.

SMALL GROUP:

Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to today’s story.

SKIT

MINDY MEDDLESOME, CAREER COUNSELOR: POLICE

ITEMS NEEDED:

Business card

Purse

Policeman's uniform

CHARACTER BREAKDOWN:

1M, 2F

CHARACTERS:

Mindy Meddlesome – Career Counselor

Lieutenant Paul – Police Officer

Agnes – Old Lady

A concerned Agnes stands center stage. Mindy stands off to the side watching her. Lieutenant Paul jogs on, carrying a purse. He hands the purse to Agnes.

PAUL: Here you are, ma'am.

AGNES: My purse.

PAUL: We were able to chase down the man who took your purse.

AGNES: Oh, thank you.

PAUL: The gentleman in question has been apprehended and arrested. You don't need to worry, ma'am, he will soon be behind bars. You're safe now.

AGNES: Oh, thank you, officer. You are my hero.

PAUL: Just doing my job, ma'am. You have a good rest of your day.

As Agnes exits, Mindy comes up to Paul.

MINDY: That was very impressive, what you did back there.

PAUL: All in a day's work.

MINDY: You're being modest. That was very heroic.

PAUL: Thank you.

MINDY: I'd like to help you out.

PAUL: Pardon?

MINDY: I believe one good deed deserves another. You helped out that little old lady, and now I'm going to do a something nice for you.

PAUL: What's that?

MINDY: I'm going to offer my services free of charge. My card.

Mindy hands Paul her card.

PAUL: Mindy Meddlesome. Career Counselor. What's a career counselor?

MINDY: I help people find the perfect job based on their strengths and interests. I've helped hundreds of people and now I'm going to help you.

PAUL: No, thanks. I'm happy with the job I have.

MINDY: Nonsense. Why have a good job when you could have the perfect job? Let me tell you what I see in you. . .

PAUL: Lieutenant Paul.

MINDY: Lieutenant Paul. Nice to meet you. What I see is that you are a man with a strong sense of right and wrong.

PAUL: That's true.

MINDY: And you care about people. You want to make sure they are protected.

PAUL: Definitely.

MINDY: And that they feel safe, like that little old lady.

PAUL: You've got me pegged right on all accounts.

MINDY: Well, have I got the perfect job for someone with your qualities.

PAUL: What is it?

MINDY: You should be a police officer.

PAUL: I am.

MINDY: Police officers work hard to ensure the safety of the entire city. They put away the bad guys in order to protect us.

PAUL: I am a police officer.

MINDY: I know it sounds like a pretty big job, but I think it will be right up your alley.

PAUL: I agree.

MINDY: You do? So you're interested in becoming a police officer?

PAUL: I already am a police officer.

MINDY: What?

PAUL: I am a policeman. Didn't you see me running after that purse snatcher?

MINDY: I thought you were just a good Samaritan.

PAUL: And I told that woman that we had arrested the purse snatcher.

MINDY: I thought it was a figure of speech.

PAUL: And I said I was a lieutenant.

MINDY: Oh, I thought “Lieutenant” was your first name.

PAUL: I'm wearing a policeman's uniform.

MINDY: Now that did seem a little strange, but I'm not one to question a person's wardrobe choices. If you like to dress up in weird costumes, that's your business.

PAUL: This isn't a costume. It's my work uniform.

MINDY: My mistake. Could happen to anybody.

PAUL: Well, if you'll excuse me Mindy, I have to get back to work. At my job. As a police officer.

MINDY: Okay, then.

PAUL: You're a very confused woman. But I hope you have a nice day.

Paul exits. Mindy clenches her hand into an enthusiastic fist.

MINDY: Another satisfied client. Mindy, you still got it.

End.

OBJECT LESSON

ITEMS NEEDED:

Policeman's badge (plastic toy badge will suffice)

Can anyone tell me what this is?

Show the badge. Give kids a chance to answer.

This is a police officer's badge. What kinds of words or images do you think of when you hear “police officer”?

Allow the kids to answer.

This is a badge, but there is also another name for it. Sometimes you hear this referred to as a shield. A police officer's shield. I like that word “shield”. It's a word that describes the police pretty well.

If you were in battle, you'd find a shield very helpful. You can hold it up to stop the enemies weapons from getting to you. A shield is there to protect you. A shield keeps you safe.

That's what police officers do. They protect us by catching the people who are breaking the law and stopping them. They keep us safe. Police are like a shield.

If you like the idea of being a shield – of keeping people safe and secure – you might want to become a police officer. Your work can bring glory and honor to God.

The Bible tells us that God is our strength and our shield. He gives us the strength to fight the battles we need to fight, and he shields us from the things that could harm us. He keeps us safe and protected.

LARGE GROUP GAME

EGG RACE

ITEMS NEEDED:

Eggs

Spoons

INSTRUCTIONS:

Choose 4 players. On your mark, players will race from one end of the stage and back again, holding a spoon with an egg balanced on it. If the egg falls off of the spoon and breaks, that player is out. The first player to finish the race with a safe egg is the winner.

VARIATION:

For a less messy option, use ping pong balls or hard boiled eggs. If you use ping pong balls, kids can continue to race by retrieving their ball and returning to the starting point.

WHAT’S THE POINT?

The goal of this race isn't just to be the first to finish, but also to keep your fragile egg safe. Police officers help to keep us safe. God used Nehemiah to protect the people of Jerusalem and keep them safe.

LARGE GROUP LESSON

BOTTOM LINE:

Like a Police Officer, you can grow up to protect others.

OBJECTIVE:

Kids will learn that God can use them to protect others.

KEY PASSAGE:

Nehemiah 4. Nehemiah protects the people.

INTRO

What do you want to be when you grow up? It's a question that adults ask kids all of the time. Do you want to be a doctor? A firefighter? Or maybe a teacher? There are a lot of different jobs out there to choose from. Over the next few months, we're going to look at just a few of the many careers you might choose to have when you grow up.

Whatever job you have, you can use it to bring glory to God. Would you like to grow up to be a police officer? That's a job that can bring God glory. A police officer works hard to maintain law and order. They are there to protect the people who need it and to keep everyone safe.

If you woke up in the middle of the night and heard an intruder trying to break into your house, who would you call? You'd call the police to come and help you.

Today's Bible story is about a man who protected the people of Jerusalem and kept them safe. He was sort of like a policeman for them. That man's name was Nehemiah.

Years earlier, the people of Jerusalem had been captured by the Babylonians and everyone had been taken away to cities in Babylon to live. After much time, the people were starting to return to Jerusalem. But they had a problem: the wall around Jerusalem had been destroyed in the war with Babylon. The city was completely defenseless against their enemies.

Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem with a plan to rebuild the wall. The people were excited that they would soon be safe again. But rebuilding the wall took a long time to finish. During that time, the people were still vulnerable. They needed someone to protect them and keep them safe.

That's when Nehemiah stepped in to help.

READ Nehemiah 4.

MAIN POINT

Sanballat, Tobiah, and the other enemies of Jerusalem were plotting to stop the wall from being rebuilt. When Nehemiah learned of this, he got to work on a plan that would keep the people safe.

The first thing Nehemiah and the people did was pray. Whatever our plans, we need to commit them to God. And whenever we feel frightened or sad, we should turn to God first.

The next thing Nehemiah did was post a guard day and night. This guard would be able to see any enemy coming from a long way off and warn the people of the danger.

Nehemiah knew that some parts of the wall were more vulnerable than others – so he posted people at the weakest parts of the wall with spears, swords, and bows to make sure no enemies got through.

From that point on, Nehemiah had half of the men work on rebuilding the wall and the other half stationed around the wall with spears, shields, bows, and armor. This was to protect the people from any enemy attack. Even the men who were building the wall were given weapon.

Nehemiah loved the people of Jerusalem and wanted to keep them safe. His plan to protect the people worked. The enemies of Jerusalem turned away when they saw how well protected the city was. The people were able to rebuild the wall and feel safe again in Jerusalem for the first time in many years.

DRIVE IT HOME:

If you want to help people feel safe and protected, then you might want to be a police officer when you grow up. But you don't have to wait until you grow up to help people and bring glory to God. You can do that right now.

Maybe you know a friend who is getting picked on or bullied at school. You can help by letting your teacher know what is happening. Or maybe it's your friend who is doing the bullying. If you encourage your friend to treat others with respect, you're helping to keep everyone safe. And each of us can do what Nehemiah did. We can pray to God that he would keep our friends and family safe.

Just like God used Nehemiah to protect the people of Jerusalem, God uses police officers every day to keep us safe and sound. And God can use you too – not just when you grow up, but starting today!

CLOSE WITH A SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Thank you for police officers who protect us and keep us safe. Use us to bring you glory, not just when we grow up, but today too.  

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (K-2ND)

ICEBREAKER

What do you want to be when you grow up?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY

Colossians 3:17

Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to today’s story.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY

Using brick sized building blocks or cardboard boxes, have 1/3 of your group go about building a wall. The rest of the kids will be either intruders trying to tear down the wall or police officers trying to protect it. Once an intruder is tagged by an officer, he is out. See how long it takes to build your wall.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Read Nehemiah 4.

Why did Nehemiah want the wall of Jerusalem to be rebuilt?

Who were Sanballat and Tobiah?

What were Sanballat and Tobiah threatening to do?

Why were only half of the men working to rebuild the wall?

What weapons were the people given to protect the city?

SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Whatever we do, we want to bring glory to you. Help us to be people that protect others and keep them safe.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION (3RD-5TH)

ICEBREAKER

What do you want to be when you grow up?

MEMORY VERSE ACTIVITY

Colossians 3:17

Ask the kids what they think the writer was trying to say when he wrote these words. Then ask them how this verse is connected to today’s story.

SMALL GROUP GAME/ACTIVITY

Using brick sized building blocks or cardboard boxes, have 1/3 of your group go about building a wall. The rest of the kids will be either intruders trying to tear down the wall or police officers trying to protect it. Once an intruder is tagged by an officer, he is out. See how long it takes to build your wall.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Read Nehemiah 4.

Why did the wall around Jerusalem need to be rebuilt?

Why were Sanballat and Tobiah trying to stop the rebuilding of the wall?

Why were only half of the men working to rebuild the wall?

What weapons were the people given during this time?

What do you think of Nehemiah's plan to protect the city while the wall was being built?

What kind of plan would you have made?

SIMPLE PRAYER

Dear God,

Whatever we do, we want to bring glory to you. Help us to be people that protect others and keep them safe.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen

 

For your convenience, you can also download the entire PDF version of this Nehemiah Children's Ministry Lesson (just click the link). 

Here's a video from Crossroads Kids Club that you might find helpful to go along with your Sunday School Lesson on Nehemiah. 

Take a look at the links below for other ideas for teaching a Nehemiah Sunday School Lesson: 

Bible Lesson: God uses Nehemiah to lead His people to rebuild 

Nehemiah Bible Lesson - Danielle's Place 

'Prepare in Prayer' Sunday School lesson (Nehemiah 1) • MinistryArk