Series
The Gates of Jerusalem
Bible lessons for kids on the gates of Jerusalem in Nehemiah 3. Walk around Nehemiah's rebuilt wall one gate at a time, from the Sheep Gate where the building began to the Valley Gate, the Fountain Gate and back again. Each lesson tells what really happened at the gate and connects it to Jesus, with real-life practice, crafts, science and printable activity sheets for preschool through 6th grade.
11 lessons
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 1The Gates of Jerusalem: The Sheep GateNehemiah 3:1-2; Nehemiah 1:3; Nehemiah 3:32; John 10:7-11; John 1:29The walls of Jerusalem were broken down, and the gates were burned. God sent Nehemiah to rebuild them. The work started at the Sheep Gate, probably where the lambs came in for the temple. The priests built it first and gave it to God. Nehemiah's list of builders starts at the Sheep Gate and ends back at the Sheep Gate. Jesus said, "I am the gate," and He is the Lamb of God. We come to God through Jesus, by faith, not by being good enough.Old TestamentFaith
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 2The Gates of Jerusalem: The Fish GateNehemiah 3:3; Nehemiah 13:16; Luke 5:1-11; Mark 1:16-18The Fish Gate was a busy market gate where fish came into Jerusalem. Nehemiah's builders set up its beams, doors, bolts and bars. Hundreds of years later, Jesus met some fishermen who had caught nothing all night. At His word, their nets filled so full they began to tear. Then Jesus said, "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." Jesus makes us people who share Him, and He is the One who brings people in.Old TestamentSharing Jesus
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 3The Gates of Jerusalem: The Old GateNehemiah 3:5-12; Nehemiah 3:27; Jeremiah 6:16; Hebrews 13:8; 1 Corinthians 3:11Next along Nehemiah's wall came the Old Gate. Builders gave it new beams and doors. They built the wall back on its old foundations. Some important men refused to help, but goldsmiths, perfume makers and a ruler's daughters picked up stones. God's way is like that old gate. It's not good because it's old. It's good because it's God's. Jesus never changes, and He is the foundation we build our lives on.Old TestamentObedience
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 4The Gates of Jerusalem: The Valley GateNehemiah 2:11-18; Nehemiah 3:13; Psalm 23:4; John 10:11Nehemiah rode out at night through the Valley Gate to see Jerusalem's broken walls. He saw rubble everywhere, and in one place his donkey couldn't even get through. Then he came back in through the Valley Gate and told the people, "Come, let us rebuild!" because God's hand was on him. The Valley Gate builders took the biggest job of all. Valleys are the low, hard places in life. God doesn't skip them. He walks through them with us, so we can have hope.Old TestamentHope
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 5The Gates of Jerusalem: The Dung GateNehemiah 3:14; Nehemiah 2:13; Nehemiah 12:31; Philippians 3:7-9; 1 John 1:9The Dung Gate was Jerusalem's garbage gate. Every day, trash was carried out through it. A city leader named Malchijah rebuilt it himself. At the wall's big celebration, a choir marched toward the Dung Gate singing thanks to God! Our sins are like trash that piles up inside us. We can't clean ourselves up. When we turn to God and tell Him our sins, He forgives us and takes them away because of Jesus.Old TestamentRepentance
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 6The Gates of Jerusalem: The Fountain GateNehemiah 3:15; John 9:1-7; John 7:37-38; Jeremiah 2:13; 2 Kings 20:20The Fountain Gate stood next to a pool of fresh water at the bottom of Jerusalem. A leader named Shallun rebuilt it and fixed the wall around the pool. Hundreds of years later, Jesus sent a blind man to wash in that same pool, the Pool of Siloam. He came back seeing! Siloam means "Sent." Jesus, the One God sent, said, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink." Only Jesus can fill our hearts. When we come to Him, we find He is enough.Old TestamentContentment
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 7The Gates of Jerusalem: The Water GateNehemiah 8:13-18; Nehemiah 3:26; Nehemiah 8:1-3; James 1:22; John 1:14The Water Gate had a big open square in front of it. All the people gathered there to hear Ezra read God's Word. The next day, the leaders studied more. They found a command no one had obeyed in about a thousand years, to live in little huts called booths for a week. They obeyed right away! They built booths everywhere, even in the square by the Water Gate, and their joy was very great. God's Word isn't just for hearing. It's for doing.Old TestamentGod's Word
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 8The Gates of Jerusalem: The Horse GateNehemiah 3:28; Psalm 20:7; Zechariah 9:9-10; Matthew 21:1-9; Deuteronomy 17:16The Horse Gate was near the king's palace, where war horses went in and out. The priests fixed the wall above it, each one in front of his own house. In Bible times, horses and chariots were the strongest weapons on earth. But David wrote, "Some trust in chariots, and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God." Long after, Jesus, the true King, rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, not a war horse, just as God promised. We don't trust our own strength. We trust God.Old TestamentTrust
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 9The Gates of Jerusalem: The East GateNehemiah 3:29; Mark 13:3-4, 32-37; Acts 1:9-12; Titus 2:13Shemaiah was the guard of the East Gate. His job was to keep watch. The East Gate faced the sunrise and the Mount of Olives. On that same hill, Jesus told His friends a story about a doorkeeper who was told to keep watch. Later, from that hill, Jesus went up to heaven. The angels said, "This same Jesus… will come back." While we wait, we stay faithful. We do the jobs Jesus gave us, glad and not afraid.Old TestamentFaithfulness
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 10The Gates of Jerusalem: The Inspection GateNehemiah 3:31-32; Jeremiah 33:10-13; Luke 15:3-7; John 10:3, 14; Romans 8:1The Inspection Gate was the last gate before the wall came back around to the Sheep Gate. Its name has to do with counting or checking. A goldsmith fixed the wall across from it. God sees and knows everything about us. But He isn't a scary inspector. He is like a shepherd who counts his sheep so none is lost, and calls each one by name. Because of Jesus, "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." We can have peace with God.Old TestamentPeace
The Gates of Jerusalem · Lesson 11The Gates of Jerusalem: Back to the Sheep GateNehemiah 4:1-6; Nehemiah 6:15-16; Nehemiah 3:32; Jeremiah 31:38-40; 1 Peter 2:4-5; Philippians 1:6When God's people rebuilt the wall, their enemies laughed. "Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?" But the people prayed and kept building. In just 52 days, the wall was finished! Even the enemies knew God had done it. The walk around the wall ended right back at the Sheep Gate, where it began. God brings burnt stones back to life. Jesus makes us living stones, and He never gives up on us. So we don't give up either.Old TestamentPerseverance