“December 5–11. Haggai; Zechariah 1–3; 7–14: ‘Holiness unto the Lord,’” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: Old Testament 2022 (2021)
“December 5–11. Haggai; Zechariah 1–3; 7–14,” Come, Follow Me—For Primary: 2022
December 5–11
Haggai; Zechariah 1–3; 7–14
“Holiness unto the Lord”
Prayerfully read Haggai and Zechariah, pondering the impressions you receive. How can the truths in these books help meet the needs of the children?
Record Your Impressions
Invite Sharing
Draw a happy face on a piece of paper, and allow the children to take turns holding it. During their turn, invite them to share something they are learning about Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ that makes them happy.
Teach the Doctrine: Younger Children
I can put God first in my life.
Learning about the Lord’s counsel to “consider your ways” is an opportunity for the children to make sure they are doing the important things God has asked us to do.
Possible Activities
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Explain to the children that the Lord wanted the Israelites to build the temple, but they were doing other things instead. Read aloud Haggai 1:7, and explain that “consider your ways” means that the Lord wanted the Israelites to think about whether they were doing the most important things. Read verse 8 to the children, and invite them to pretend to “go up to the mountain,” “bring down wood,” and “build the house [of the Lord].” What important things does God want us to do?
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Put pictures face down on a table that represent some of the things that are important to God, such as the scriptures, prayer, and the temple. Allow the children to take turns choosing a picture and showing it to the class. Help them understand why it is important to ensure that we make time for each of the things in the pictures.
Jesus Christ can make my spirit clean.
The high priest Joshua’s dirty clothes, described in Zechariah 3:1–7, symbolize what happens when we sin. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we can be made clean, as Joshua was made clean when he received new clothes.
Possible Activities
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Let the children pass around a dirty shirt, and read Zechariah 3:3. Then pass around a clean shirt, and read verse 4. Talk with the children about how making wrong choices is like becoming dirty spiritually, but the Savior can make us clean again. How do we feel when we are clean? Share your testimony that because Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, we will be clean from our sins as we repent.
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If possible, show the children a picture of someone they know dressed in white at his or her baptism (or see Gospel Art Book, nos. 103, 104). Why do we wear white at our baptisms? Sing a song about baptism, such as “When I Am Baptized” (Children’s Songbook, 103). Invite the children to draw themselves being baptized and share how they feel about being baptized someday.
Prophets teach us about Jesus Christ.
Like other Old Testament prophets, Zechariah prophesied of Jesus Christ. What can the prophecies in Zechariah 2:10; 9:9; 14:3–9 teach the children about Him?
Possible Activities
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Display a picture of Jesus Christ entering Jerusalem on a donkey (see Gospel Art Book, no. 50). Tell the children that many years before Jesus came to earth, Zechariah prophesied that Jesus Christ would ride a donkey into Jerusalem before He died for us. As you read Zechariah 9:9, ask the children to point to people in the picture who “rejoice greatly” and also point to the “King.” Who is the King? Ask the children to share why they are thankful for Jesus.
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Read to the children some of the prophecies Zechariah made about the Savior’s Second Coming, such as those in Zechariah 2:10; 14:9. Ask the children to draw pictures of what they think it will be like when Jesus comes again, or sing together a song about the Second Coming, such as “When He Comes Again” (Children’s Songbook, 82–83).
Teach the Doctrine: Older Children
“Consider your ways.”
It is important for all of us to be aware of our priorities and take time to “consider [our] ways.” How can you inspire the children to make time in their lives for the things of God?
Possible Activities
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Invite the children to read Haggai 1:2–5 to find out why the Lord was not pleased with the Israelites. Ask the children to pick a phrase from verse 6 and draw a picture of it. Let the class guess what phrase each drawing represents. Talk about how spending time on things other than what the Lord wants is like eating but not being filled, dressing but not being warm, and so on. Why is it important to make time for the things that are important to the Lord?
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Write “Consider your ways” on the board (verse 7). Invite each child to make a list of things he or she might do in a typical day, including things the Lord has asked us to do. Ask the children to “consider [their] ways” by circling what the Lord might say are the most important things on their list. How can we make sure we give time each day for the things the Lord wants us to do?
We wear white at our baptisms to show that Jesus Christ can make us clean as we repent of our sins (see Zechariah 3:3–4).
Making and keeping covenants can help me be more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
In a vision, Zechariah saw a high priest named Joshua, who was “clothed with filthy garments” (Zechariah 3:3). An angel gave him clean clothing and explained that this symbolized being cleansed from his sins. You could use this vision to help the children understand the covenants and blessings associated with baptism.
Possible Activities
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Read together Zechariah 3:1–7 and discuss questions like these: What did Joshua’s “filthy garments” represent? How do we become clean from our sins? How do our baptismal covenants help us “walk in [the Lord’s] ways”?
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A few days before class, invite a child to come prepared to talk about his or her baptism. Review together the covenant we make at baptism (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:37). How will keeping our promises help us become more like Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ? How does taking the sacrament each week help us keep our baptismal covenants?
Zechariah 9:9–11; 11:12; 13:6–7
Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah.
What can the children learn from Zechariah’s prophecies about Jesus Christ?
Possible Activities
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Divide the children into pairs. Give each pair one of the following prophecies from Zechariah, along with the New Testament verses describing its fulfillment: Zechariah 9:9 and Matthew 21:5–9; Zechariah 9:11 and 1 Peter 3:18–19; Zechariah 11:12 and Matthew 26:14–16; Zechariah 13:7 and Matthew 26:31. Ask each pair to share with the class what they learned about Jesus Christ from their verses and why they are grateful for Him.
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Display pictures 50, 60, and 64 from the Gospel Art Book. Write the following scripture references on the board, and invite the children to match the references to the pictures: Zechariah 9:9; 13:6; 13:7. Invite the children to share their feelings about Jesus Christ.
Encourage Learning at Home
Invite the children to write down a truth they learned in class. Invite them to discuss with their families how they can gain a stronger testimony of that truth.
Improving Our Teaching
Use your creativity. Let the ideas in this outline spark your own creativity. Think about what the children in your class will enjoy and what will help them find connections between the scriptures and their lives.