The Bible helps us do the right thing
key words
biblical reference
2 Chronicles 34
lesson objective
To help the children know that God uses his Word to teach His children to do the right thing.
memory verse
“Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path” (Psalm 119:105, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Your children are beginning to understand that the Bible is a special book because it is the revelation of God. They understand more of the Bible than we suppose. They do not question its teachings, nor compare them with ideologies or philosophies as many adults do. The time you spend ministering to them and telling them Bible stories will be of great value for their spiritual formation. Remember that not only will you impart knowledge, but also you will develop in them the spiritual sensitivity and desire to learn more about the kingdom of God.
This unit focuses on the response of people when they hear the message of the Word of God. Take advantage of this lesson to teach your group that the Bible is not just a book to read; we must believe it and put it into practice.
biblical commentary
King Josiah was cleaning up the nation, removing all the pagan idol altars. In addition, he began preparations to restore the temple of God. During the reconstruction work, the priest Hilkiah found the book of the law, where they could read about the covenant that God had made with his people. This book perhaps contained the Pentateuch or just the book of Deuteronomy.
When Shaphan the scribe read the book to the king, the king was troubled to hear the law of God. Realizing the difficulty and captivity that would come upon them because of their sins, Josiah asked the spiritual leaders of the people to consult God about the message of the book. God, pleased to see the king’s concern for the sins of his people, promised not to punish the people as long as Josiah reigned.
Instead of re-hiding the covenant book, Josiah called all the people to a meeting in the temple in Jerusalem to read the Word of God publicly. The king wanted his people to live according to the divine commandments. Upon hearing the words of the book, the Israelites renewed their commitment to faithfulness to God.
In gratitude to God, King Josiah increased his efforts to cleanse the country of every idol. In addition, he consecrated the people, the leaders and their government to God. While he lived, this king led all the people to obey the Lord.
introduce the lesson
Attendance sheet
You will need Student Activity Sheet #194-A and #194-B plus Student Activity Sheet #194-E with the attendance figure for this lesson (David playing harp). Help the children cut out the figure and paste it in the correct space on SAS #194-A. Use the attendance sheet to review what they learned in the previous lessons.
My Bible
Review the divisions of the Bible with the children. Ask them to locate the Old and New Testaments in their Bibles. Then, ask them to locate some books (for example, Genesis, Matthew, Revelation and Psalms). Then, tell them to look for 2 Chronicles, because that is the location of today’s story.
teach the lesson
Josiah finds the Word of God
Josiah began to reign in Israel when he was only 8 years old. His father and his grandfather had been evil kings who built idols of wood and other materials, and put them in the temple of God.
Josiah’s grandfather killed some of his children, offering them as sacrifices to the idols he worshiped.
When Josiah turned 16, he decided to follow and obey God. He did not want to do evil like his ancestors, but to follow the one true God.
Four years later, he removed the altars where false idols were worshiped and destroyed all the images.
In addition, he asked his messengers throughout the kingdom to give the following announcement: “From now on, no one in this kingdom will worship idols. We will only obey the living God, the only God of Israel.”
But Josiah’s work was not over. He knew that the temple of God was in ruins, so he ordered a man named Shaphan to repair it. He asked him to look for the best builders and carpenters to restore the temple so it would look as beautiful as before. A large number of people worked hard in the repair and decoration of the house of God.
Suddenly, the priest Hilkiah saw something in the rubble. “What is this?” he asked as he lifted a large scroll and shook off the dust.
Hilkiah could not believe what he had in his hands. It was the book of the Law of God! On that scroll were written the laws that God had given Moses long ago. These laws taught the people how God wanted them to live before him.
“Look what I found,” Hilkiah told Shaphan, showing him the parchment. When he recognized the book of the Law of God, Shaphan said, “We must show it to King Josiah at once!”
Upon receiving the news, the king was very moved and asked Shaphan to read it to him. That scroll said that God wanted his people to love him, obey him and serve faithfully.
Upon hearing these words, Josiah became very sad, knowing that everyone in Israel had disobeyed God.
The king tore his clothes in sadness and said to Shaphan, “God is angry with us because we have not listened to his Word or obeyed his commandments.”
Then he told Hilkiah and others to pray and ask what would happen to the kingdom.
Hilkiah and his companions went to speak with the prophetess Hulda, a woman who loved and obeyed God. The Lord revealed to her what to say to the messengers of King Josiah: “God does not like it when people do not listen to him or obey his words. Therefore, he had decided to send a great punishment upon the people of Israel. But now he has seen the heart of Josiah and knows that this king wants to obey him and love him. God wants all people to listen to him, obey him and love him.”
Then King Josiah called all the people together to read them the Word of God.
Then he promised: “I will do everything God wants me to do.”
And the people also promised: “We will obey and love God.”
The people of Israel followed God and obeyed him during all the time that Josiah reigned.
connect the lesson
Print Student Activity Sheet #196-A and #196-B back to back. Distribute the activity sheets and ask the children to cut out the shape following the outline. Then, have them fold it along the solid lines to form triangles (for a pyramid). Then they should cut the small lines in sections 1 and 5 of SAS #196-A. Explain how to assemble the figure by inserting section 1 into section 5.
Now, separate sections 1 and 5. Instruct the children to turn the picture over and write their names on the line in Student Activity Sheet #196-B. Then, refold along the solid lines, and form the pyramid again. Describe what the pictures represent and read the verse. Review the biblical story, discussing how the study of the Bible helps us to be different.
practice the memory verse
Ask the children to sit in a circle. Give a Bible to one of them, who must pass it to the next, and so on. When you say STOP, whoever has the Bible should say the verse. Let the group help the child who has difficulty memorizing it.
wrap-up
Pray
Lead the group to sing a song about the Bible. Ask the children to give their prayer needs. Then, have some volunteers offer short prayers to conclude.
Encourage
Encourage the children to read the Bible at home too.
Invite
Remind the students about the next session and encourage them to attend. Tell them they can also invite their friends.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™