Day 4: The Word is a Hammer

CONNECT

Prepare a paper and pen for everyone. 

On the piece of paper the players will write two truths and a lie about themselves. Once everyone is done writing, each player will take turns reading their answers out loud. Everyone gets a turn to guess which one is the lie. Once everyone is done guessing, the player will reveal which of the three statements they made is a lie. The players that guessed right will get one point. The one with the most points at the end wins.

If you are good at spotting lies, so was the prophet Jeremiah. He was a prophet of God who wrote the Bible passage that we will read today.

READ THE WORD

Read Jeremiah 23:23–32.

“I have heard what the prophets have said who prophesy lies in my name, saying, ‘I have dreamed, I have dreamed!’ How long shall there be lies in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies, and who prophesy the deceit of their own heart, who think to make my people forget my name by their dreams that they tell one another, even as their fathers forgot my name for Baal? Let the prophet who has a dream tell the dream, but let him who has my word speak my word faithfully. What has straw in common with wheat? declares the LORD. Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces? Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who steal my words from one another. Behold, I am against the prophets, declares the LORD, who use their tongues and declare, ‘declares the LORD.’ Behold, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, declares the LORD, and who tell them and lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or charge them. So they do not profit this people at all, declares the LORD.” Jeremiah 23:25–32

 Have you ever been cheated out of something because you were lied to? This is where we find the people of Israel in Jeremiah 23. The prophets at that time were lying to the people and turning their hard hearts away from God. But God desired to correct the worship of Israel and restore His relationship with them. He chose Jeremiah to give warning and instruction to His people, giving them a chance to repent and change their ways. God used His word like a hammer to pound on and smash the hardness in their hearts.

HUDDLE

Parents to Kids

4–6 years old  

• When was the last time you lied? Why did you lie?

7–12 years old  

• Think carefully. Is there anything in your heart that seems hard and unbreakable right now? Perhaps it is something you are holding onto tightly and refusing to let go? What is it?     
• What have you been feeding your spirit lately? Is it more of the word of God or do you feed off the things you see on the Internet? Why? 

Kids to Parents     

• How do you let go of the hard things in your heart?      
• Can God really break the hardness in our hearts?

There are many things going on around us. The Internet is on 24/7 and when there are things we cannot understand, we try to find answers to our questions on the Internet. By itself, this is not harmful, but the danger comes when we constantly fill our minds and hearts with the things of this world. You see, the things of this world are like the false prophets during Jeremiah’s time. But the more we feed off these “false prophets,” the more our hearts become hard toward God. But God wants to break that in order that our hearts may be turned back to Him. God wants our hearts to be filled with things of Him because only through Him can we be truly satisfied. 

If you think or feel that you have veered off from following God and have started to follow the “false prophets,” perhaps God is calling your attention now. Go back to spending time in His word and allow it to be the “hammer” that will smash your hard heart and turn it soft for Jesus!

PRAY

Dear God, please give me a hunger for Your word. Help me to know You more by it. Increase my faith and understanding in Your word. Show me any area of hardness in my heart and change it by Your word and the Holy Spirit. Help me to grow in Your love and truth. In Jesus’ name, amen.

DISCOVER

There are many types of hammers that serve different purposes. 

Common ones would be:     

1. A ball and pein hammer for shaping metals     
2. A roofing hammer for putting on a roof     
3. A rubber mallet for assembling wood parts like your cabinets and shelves     
4. A welder’s hammer for welding

When we look back at the verse we talked about, we can imagine that the hammer could be like a sledgehammer which is used to break rocks and do demolition work—something like the one used in the home-themed TV shows doing house renovations!