Large Group Lesson: Facts about the Bible

Our goal is to teach kids about the Bible, but how often do we teach them about the Bible – the book itself? Do your clubbers know that the Bible is God’s message to us? Do they know that God Words tells us what He wants us to know? Do they know that God inspired the men who wrote the Bible so that the words are all true?

Here are some fun facts about the Bible that you can combine into one Large Group Lesson. Or another option would be using them individually when you have an extra five minutes of teaching time and want to use those minutes wisely. Are these facts important to know? No, most of them really aren’t, but they’re fun and the more we can learn about the Bible, the better … even if they’re simply fun facts.

1. The longest book in the Bible is Psalms. Psalms means “songs” and is a book of songs. Read chapter 150 (the last chapter) to get a good summary of what the entire book is about. (You could sing a song or two that is directly taken from the Psalms.)

2. The shortest book is 3 John which has a total of 13 verses. Third John is a letter John wrote to his friend, Gaius. Gaius was active in the New Testament church and very hospitable.

3. The longest chapter in the Bible is Psalm 119 and is actually a Hebrew alphabet book/poem. Each section begins with a different letter of the alphabet.

4. The shortest chapter is Psalm 117. This chapter has only two verses: Praise the Lord, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord!

5. The longest verse is Esther 8:9 and is part of Esther’s history. (Ask the kids to look the verse up in their Bibles. How would they like THAT verse in their Awana books?)

6. The shortest verse is Job 3:2: “He said.” (Now, that’s a verse they probably WOULD like in their Awana books.) John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the King James version.

7. Middle chapter of the Bible is Psalm 118. Middle verse is Psalm 118:8. This is good to know because recognizing that Psalms is in the middle helps us quickly find verses. We know that anything before Psalms is in the first half of the Bible, anything after in the last half.

8. The longest word in the Bible is: Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz which means “spoil hastens, prey speeds.” Even more interesting – this is the name Isaiah gave to his son. (How would you have liked your parents to call you that?)

9. The Bible is written in three languages: Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. Revelation 22:13 reads: I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. That verse shows us that the Lord Jesus is the beginning and the end of all things.

10. Everyone does need to know this one. The most important message in the Bible is the gospel of Christ. John 3:16 summarizes this for us. God loved the world so much that He sent His Son to die for our sins so that we can have eternal life.

And THAT’S a fact.