God Helps Hezekiah

There is a man praying to Jehovah? Why has he laid these letters in front of Jehovah's altar? The man is Hez-e- ki'ah.  He is king of the southern two tribes of Israel. And he is in a lot of trouble. Why?

Because the As-syr'i-an armies have already destroyed the northern 10 tribes.  Jehovah let this happen because those people were bad. And now the As-syr'i-an  armies have come to fight against the two-tribe kingdom.

The king of As-syr'i-a has just sent letters to King Hez-e-ki'ah.  These are the letters that Hez-e-ki'ah has put here before God.  The letters make fun of Jehovah,and tell Hez-e-ki'ah to give up. So this is why Hez-e-ki'ah prays:  'O Jehovah save us from the  king of As-syr'i-a.  Then all the nations will know that you alone are God.'  Will Jehovah listen to Hez-e-ki'ah?

Next time: Conclusion of God Helps Hezekiah

From the jw.org publications

Conclusion of God Promises a Paradise

God put Adam and Eve in a paradise. It is only because they disobeyed God that they lost their beautiful home, grew old and died. God promises  that he will give people who love him the very things that Adam and Eve lost.

In the coming new paradise nothing will hurt or destroy.  There will be perfect peace.  All people will be healthy and happy. It will just as God wanted it to be in the beginning. But we will learn later how God will bring this about.

Isaiah 11:6-9; Revelation 21:34.

Next time: God Helps King Hezekiah

God Promises a Paradise

Can you picture in your head what paradise will look like?  It will a place such as God may have shown to his prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah lived shortly after Jo'nah did.

Paradise means "garden" or "park."  Paradise looks much like the beautiful garden that Jehovah God made for Adam and Eve,  but will the whole earth ever be a paradise?

Jehovah told his prophet Isaiah to write about the coming new paradise for God's people. He said:  'Wolves and sheep will live together in peace. Young calves and baby lions will feed together, and little children will take care of them.  Even a baby will not be harmed if it plays near a poisonous snake.' 

This can happen,' many will says.  'There has always been trouble on earth, and there always will be.'  But I think about it:  What kind of home did God give Adam and Eve?

Next time: Conclusion of God Promises a Paradise

From the jw.org publications

Conclusion of Josh and the Big Fish

'Throw me into the sea, and the sea will become calm again,' Jo'nah says.  The sailors don't want to do it, but as the storm gets worse they finally throw Jo'nah overboard. Right away the storm sops, and the sea is calm again.

As Jo'nah sinks down into the water, the big fish swallows him.  But he doesn't die.  For three days and three nights he is in the belly of that fish.   Jo'nah is very sorry that he did not obey  Jehovah and go to Nin'e-veh.  So do you know what he does?

Jo'nah prays to Jehovah for help.  Then Jehovah makes the fish vomit Jo'nah onto dry land. After that  Jo'nah goes to Nin'e-veh.  Doesn't this teach us how important it is that we do whatever Jehovah says?

Bible book of Jonah

Next time: God Promises a Paradise

From the jw.org publications

Jonah and the Big Fish

Jonah is in the water. He is in  lot of trouble because there is big whale about to swallow him!  Let's see how he got into so much trouble.

Jo'nah is a prophet of Jehovah. It is not long after the death of the prophet E-li'sha that Jehovah tells Jo'nah:  'Go to the great city  of Nin'e-veh.  The badness of the people  there is very great, and I want to you to speak to them about it.'

But Jo'nah does not want to go. So he gets on a boat that is going the opposite direction from Nin'e-veh.  Jehovah is not  pleased with Jo'nah for running away. So he causes a big storm. It is so bad that the boat is in danger of sinking.  The sailors are very much afraid, and they cry out to their gods for help. 

Finally, Jo'nah tells them:  'I w0rship Jehovah, the God who made the heaven and the earth.  And I am running away from doing what Jehovah told me to do.'  So the sailors ask: What should we do to you to stop the storm?'

Next time: Conclusion of Jonah and the Big Fish

From the jw.org publications

Conclusion of A Girl Helps a Mighty Man

But one of his servants tells him:  'Sir, if E-li'sha told you to do something hard, you would do it.  Now why can't you just wash yourself as he said?' Na'a-man  listens to his servants and goes and dips himself in the Jordan River seven times.  When he does, his flesh becomes firm and  healthy!

Na'a-man is very happy.  He returns to E-li'sha and tells him:  'Now I know for sure that the God in Israel is the only true God in all the earth. So, please, take this gift from me.'  But E-li'sha answers:  'No, I will not take it.'   E-li'sha knows that it would be wrong for him to take the gift, because it was Jehovah who had healed Na'a-man.  But E-li'sha's servant want the gift for himself.

So this is what Ge-ha'zi does.  After Na'a-man leaves, Ge-ha'zi runs to catch up with him. E-li'sha sent me to tell you  that he would like some of your gift for friends who come to visit,' Ge-ha'zi says.  This, of course, is a lie.  But Na'a-man  doesn't know that it is a lie, so he gives Ge'ha'zi some of the things.

When Ge-ha'zi returns home, E-li'sha knows what he has done. Jehovah has told him.  So he says:  'Because you did this bad thing, Na'a-man's leprosy will come upon you. '  And it does it right away!

What can we learn from all of this?  First, that we should be like this little girl and talk about Jehovah.  It can do  much good. Secondly, we should not be proud as Na'a-man was at first, but we should obey God's servants. And thirdly, we should not  lie as Ge-ha'zi did.  Can't we learn a lot from reading the Bible?

 2 Kings 5:1-27. 

Next time: Jonah and the Big Fish

From the jw.org publications

A Girl Helps a Mighty Man

There is a little girl telling a lady about Jehovah's prophet E-li'sha, and the wonderful things that Jehovah helps him do. The lady does not know about Jehovah because she is not an Israelite. Let's see, then, why the girl is in the lady's home.

The lady is a Syrian. Her husband is Na'a-man, the chief of the Syrian army. The Syrians had captured this little Israelite girl, and she was brought to Na'a-man's  wife to be her servant.

Na'a-man wants very much to be healed; so he decides to go to Israel.  When he gets there, he goes to E-li'sha's house.  E-li'sha has his servant go out and tell Na'a-man to go wash in the Jordan River seven times.  This makes Na'a-man very angry, and he says:  "The rivers back home are better than any river in Israel!'  After saying this, Na'a-man leaves.

Next time: Conclusion of  A Girl Helps a Mighty Man

From the jw.org publications

Conclusion of Two Boys Who Live Again

One morning, after the child has grown older, he goes out to join his father who is working in the field.  Suddenly the boy cries out: 'My head hurts!'  After he is taken home, the boy dies. How sad his mother is!  Right away she goes and gets E-li'sha.

When E-li'sha arrives, he goes into the room with the dead child. He prays to Jehovah, and lies down over the boy.  Soon the boy's body becomes warm, and he sneezes seven times. How happy his mother is when she comes home and finds her boy alive!

Many, many people have died.  This has made their families and friends very sad.  We don't have the power to raise the dead.  But Jehovah does. Later we will learn how will bring back millions of people back to life.

1 Kings 17:8-24; 2 Kings 4:8-37. 

Next time: A Girl Helps a Mighty Man

From the jw.org publications 

Two Boys Who Live Again

IF YOU died, how would your mother feel if you were brought back to life?  She would be very happy! But can a person who has died live again?  Has it happened before?

There is a man, a  woman and her son.  The man is the prophet E-li'jah.  The woman is a widow of the city of Zar'e-phath.  Well, one day the boy gets sick. He gets worse and worse until he finally dies. E-li'jah takes him back downstairs and says to the mother:  'Look, your son is alive!' The mother is so happy.

Another important prophet of Jehovah is named E-li'sha. He serves as E-li'jah's helper.  But in time Jehovah also uses E-li'sha to do miracles. One day E-li'sha goes to the city of Shu'men, where a woman is very kind to him.  Later this woman has a baby boy. 

Next time: Conclusion of Two Boys Live Again

From the jw.org publications

Conclusion of Jehoshaphat Trusts Jehovah

Jehovah listens, and he has one of his servants tell the people. 'The battle is not yours, but God's. You will not have to fight. Just watch and see how Jehovah will save you.'

So the next morning Je-hosh'a-phat tells the people: 'Have trust in Jehovah !'  He then puts singers out in front of the soldiers, an as they march along, they sing praises to Jehovah.  Do you know what happens when they get near the battle?  Jehovah causes the enemy soldiers to fight among themselves.  And when the Israelites arrive, every enemy soldier is dead. 

Wasn't Je-hosh'a-phat wise to trust in Jehovah?  We will be wise if we trust in Him too? 

1 Kings 22:41-53; 2 Chronicles 20:1-30.

Next time: Two Boys Who Live Again

From the jw.org publications