“Lesson 37: Josiah and Ezra Read the Scriptures to the
People,” Primary 6: Old Testament, (1996),162
*Do you remember what the first
lessons were about earlier this
year in our class?
*Do you remember the topics?
*Do you remember
the specific details?
*It is hard for us to
remember information that
we learned a long time ago.
*Some children asked their mother
to tell them about what they said
and did when they were younger.
*Their mother had written a journal
of some of those experiences.
*The family read the journal
together.
*
*The oldest boy learned that the
first talk he gave in Primary was
about two brothers who decided
not to quarrel with one another.
*He liked knowing
this because he
always tried to
be a peacemaker
in his family.
*One daughter learned that when
she was three years old she prayed
every night for her neighbors to
learn not to smoke and for them to
be kept safe from harm.
*This concern
showed the same
sensitivity toward
others that she
continued to have
as an older child.
*Another child learned that in her
baby blessing her father had
blessed her to have an especially
close relationship with her mother.
*Throughout her
life, that
blessing had
been fulfilled.
*Even the mother was surprised at
some of the stories. Over time she had
forgotten many of them.
*Both the mother and her children felt
joy as they read the journal and
remembered experiences from their
past.
*It is easy to forget things that we
aren’t constantly reminded of.
*Important information should be
studied and reviewed continually so
that we do not forget it.
*These are my
scriptures.
*These books contain
Heavenly Father’s
words to all of us.
*Diligent daily
study of the
scriptures will
help us
remember and
keep his
commandments.
*In this lesson we will learn about
the people of Judah at two
different historical times:
1.
During the reign of King Josiah
(about 640 b.c.)
2.
The time of Nehemiah and Ezra
(about 450 b.c.)
*(b.c. means before the birth of
Christ).
*Both groups of
people had lost the
book of the law—
the scriptures the
Lord gave to them
through Moses—so
they forgot the
commandments
and did not obey
them.
*When Josiah was
only eight years
old, he became
king of Judah. He
was a good king,
and he wanted to
follow the Lord.
*However, Josiah had never been
taught from the scriptures, because
they had been lost.
*After Josiah
had ruled for
eighteen years,
he told the
high priest
Hilkiah to take
the silver
collected from
the people and
use it to repair
the temple.
*Hilkiah found “the
book of the law” (the
scriptures) in the
temple and had
Shaphan, the scribe,
read it to King Josiah.
*King Josiah was very interested to
hear the scriptures for the first
time in his life.
*The scriptures said,
“Thou shalt have no
other gods before me,”
and Josiah’s people had
been worshipping idols.
*Josiah was sad because
his people had been
doing evil for so long.
*He knew that the Lord would be
angry with his people.
*The scriptures
were taken to
the prophetess
Huldah.
*She prophesied
that all of the
words of the
scriptures would
be fulfilled.
*Judah would be
destroyed because
of the wickedness
of the people.
*King Josiah would
die first so he
would not have to
witness the
destruction and
suffering of his
people.
*Josiah gathered his people and
read the scriptures to them.
*King Josiah promised that he
would walk in the ways of the Lord
and obey His commandments.
*The people of Judah promised that
they would be obedient, too, and
that they would stop worshiping
false gods.
*Josiah told them to once again hold the
feast of the Passover in remembrance
of the Lord’s goodness in leading the
people of Israel out of Egypt.
*This was the
greatest celebration
to be held in Judah
for many years as
the people gladly
turned to the Lord.
*Josiah then traveled
throughout the
kingdom, destroying
the idols and the
places where they
had been worshipped.
*Josiah loved his
people and taught
them to worship the
true and living God.
*Even though Josiah
was only eight years
old when he
became king, he
grew to be one of
the best kings
Judah ever had.
*He served the Lord with all his
heart, with all his soul, and with all
his might.
*What kind of person was King Josiah?
*Let’s read 2 Kings 22:2 & 2 Kings
23:25
*Note: The David mentioned in 2
Kings 22:2 is King David, who was
Josiah’s forefather, not his actual
father. Josiah’s father was Amon.
*Josiah’s father was a wicked king who
was killed by his servants when Josiah
was eight years old.
*In the eighteenth year of King
Josiah’s reign, what was done to the
temple?
*Let’s read 2 Chronicles 34:8–11
*What did Hilkiah, the high priest,
find in the temple when it was being
repaired?
*Let’s read 2 Kings 22:8
*The book of the law was another
name for the scriptures.
*After King Josiah had
the book of the law
read to him, what did
he do that showed his
great sorrow?
*Let’s read 2 Kings 22:11–13
*“Rent his clothes” means he ripped
or tore his clothes to signify his deep
sorrow that his people had strayed
so far from God’s laws.
*How had the people shown they
had forgotten the Lord’s laws?
*Let’s read 2 Kings 22:16–17
*How did King Josiah
abolish idol worship
and the other evil
practices of his people?
*Let’s read 2 Kings
23:4, 24–25
*How did King Josiah help his people
repent of their sins?
*Let’s read 2 Kings 23:2–3
*What made the people realize they had
done wrong?
*Reading the scriptures taught the people
the Lord’s ways. Because the book of the
laws and covenants had been lost, the
people had forgotten the
commandments and had been led astray.
*How can the scriptures help us?
*What habits can we develop that
will help us remember God’s words?
*What righteous
practice did
King Josiah
reestablish?
*Let’s read 2
Kings 23:21–23
*I need a volunteer to choose a
paper and act out what it says to
do.
*The rest of us will try to guess
what is being done.
Enrichment Activity #4
*What similarities were there in
these different activities?
*In each case an object needs fuel
so that it will have the energy to
keep going.
*Just as a car, a plant, or our
physical bodies need fuel or food
for energy, our spirit needs to be
fed so that it too can be healthy.
Enrichment Activity #4
*How can we feed our spirits?
*How often do our spirits need to be
fed?
*Let’s read Deuteronomy 6:6–7
together.
*We should think of the Lord’s words to
us at all times in everything we do.
*I challenge each of you
to read from
the scriptures each day in the coming
week.
Enrichment Activity #4
*The kings who reigned after King
Josiah were not righteous and led the
Jewish people back into the worship
of idols and false gods.
*They were defeated in
battle and taken captive
by other nations.
*Most of the people who
were scattered never
returned.
*Some of the Jews, were
allowed to return to
Jerusalem to reestablish
their culture and religious
beliefs.
*They had been given
the treasures taken
from the temple to
put back in it. The
temple and city walls
needed to be rebuilt.
*The prophet Nehemiah
encouraged the people
and told them God would
help them.
*They believed him, and
though they had to post
guards to protect
themselves from their
enemies while they
worked, they sang
praises to God.
*It was to this temple and this city
that, many years later, Ezra the
priest, returned.
*The current king
in Babylon allowed
him to take back
to Jerusalem any
remaining Jews
who wished to
return.
*Ezra was also given
treasures for the
temple. Ezra praised
God for putting into
the heart of the king
the desire to
beautify the temple
of the Lord.
*Ezra asked his people to fast and ask
God for protection on their journey.
*After they had
arrived in Jerusalem,
Ezra taught the law
of Moses to the
people.
*They realized they
had done many things
that were against the
laws of God.
*The Jews made
a new covenant
with the Lord to
obey the
commandments,
to marry as He
asked them to,
to honor the
Sabbath, and to
pay their tithes.
*Who was Nehemiah?
*Let’s read Nehemiah
8:9
*Note: The footnote in
Nehemiah 7:65 shows
that Tirshatha means
governor.
*Nehemiah was a righteous leader
of his people. (See also “Nehemiah” in the LDS Bible
Dictionary [p. 738].)
*The Jews at this time (about 450
b.c.) had been in captivity in the
Persian Empire for many years.
*They had not been
allowed to have their
laws (scriptures) read
to them.
*They had fallen into
the evil ways of those
around them.
*Who was Ezra?
*Let’s read Nehemiah 8:9
*Ezra was a priest and a
scribe. As a scribe he was a
teacher of the law.
*To whom did Ezra read the
book of the law of Moses?
*Let’s read Nehemiah 8:1–
3, 5
*Before this time the law had been
available only to the priests.
*Reading the book of the law in the
open street made it available to
everyone.
*What was the people’s reaction to
hearing the book of the law?
*Let’s read Nehemiah 8:3, 9
*How should we read the scriptures?
*Who helped
the people
understand
the
scriptures?
*Let’s read Nehemiah 8:7–8
*The spirit of the Lord was with
the people as the priests explained
what was being read to them.
*How did the people feel when
they understood the scriptures?
*Let’s read Nehemiah 8:12
*How do you feel when you
read and understand the
scriptures?
*How can we develop the
kind of excitement for the
scriptures that these people
had?
Why might it be
hard to read the
scriptures?:
Ways to overcome
these difficulties:
Enrichment Activity #2
Enrichment Activity #2
*I am going to whisper a
short scripture into
each of your ears that I
want you to remember.
*Now everyone say it
out loud together.
*The value of having written
scriptures is that we can study
and read them often to help us
remember.
Enrichment Activity #1
*Let’s read the
verse together…
*“The king stood in his
place, and made a
covenant before the
Lord, to walk after the
Lord, and to keep his
commandments”
Enrichment Activity #1
*The honey is very sweet. Isn’t it?
*Let’s read Psalm 19:8, 10
*How can the
scriptures be
sweeter than
honey in our lives?
Enrichment Activity #3
*Through the scriptures we can
feel Heavenly Father’s love for us,
and we can receive help in facing
our problems.
*These and other things bring a
sweetness, or joy, in our lives.
*Share something
you love about the
scriptures.
Enrichment Activity #3
*To help you remember, we are
going to play a memory game!
Enrichment Activity #5
*These cards have the names of some
of the people from the Old Testament
we have learned about and something
that describes each person.
*Take turns matching the card with
the person on it with the card that
says what he or she did.
*Do you remember some of the
spiritual qualities of any of these
people?
Enrichment Activity #5
*How will the scriptures
“stand forever”?
Enrichment Activity #6
*The Ten Commandments
given to Moses thousands of
years ago “stand for ever”;
they are still commandments
in our time.
*Do you have a
favorite scripture?
*Why is it a
favorite?
Enrichment Activity #6
* 1. I love to read the holy scriptures,
And, ev’ry time I do,
I feel the Spirit start to grow within my heart—
A testimony that they’re true.
* 2. So, prayerfully I’ll read the scriptures
Each day my whole life through.
I’ll come to understand.
I’ll heed the Lord’s command
And live as he would have me do.
* Chorus
Search, ponder, and pray
Are the things that I must do.
The Spirit will guide, and, deep inside,
I’ll know the scriptures are true.
* Words: Jaclyn Thomas Milne, b. 1949. © 1986 IRI
* Music: Carol Baker Black, b. 1951. © 1986 IRI
Enrichment Activity #7
*Do you remember
the scripture I
whispered to each
of you earlier?
*We remember important truths
by hearing and reading them
again and again.
Enrichment Activity #1
*The scriptures are a great
blessing in my life.
*They bring joy and
peace to me and help
me to remember to
obey Heavenly
Father’s laws.
*I encourage each of you to read
the scriptures regularly at home.
* Images and clipart are from lds.org, sugardoodle.net, Microsoft Office, and
other websites indicating the images were in the public domain. The hymns
and lesson are from www.lds.org. The stories of Josiah and Ezra are
paraphrased from the following articles:
* Beverly Webecke, “King Josiah,” Friend, Jan 1990, 39
* Sherrie Johnson, “Scriptural Giants: The Boy King,” Friend, Apr 1986, 48
* “Josiah: Eight-Year-Old King,” Liahona, Oct 1986, 4
* Brian D. Garner, “Ezra Unfolds the Scriptures,” Ensign, Dec 2002, 47
* Robert D. Hales, “That Is Christian Courage,” NewEra, Jul 2009, 2–5
* Please do not use this presentation for commercial use. Feel free to alter
the presentation for use in church or home to suit personal preference.
* The presentation is intended to supplement, not replace, the lesson manual
or scriptures. Teachers should refer to the manual, scriptures and other
resources when preparing and conducting the lesson.