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Unlike his evil grandfather and father, King Josiah tried to lead the people of Judah back to God. He cleared Judah of all forms of idol worship. When he ordered the temple of the Lord cleaned and repaired, the high priest found the Book of the Law that had been lost and forgotten. Convicted by the words in the book, Josiah gathered all the people and read the Book of the Law to them. For the first time in hundreds of years, God’s people celebrated the Passover according to God’s law. Although the Word of God had been in the temple all along, it had not been read.

Bible verses used in this episode:

2 Kings 22-23:30

Outline:

1. The Book of the law is found when King Josiah orders the Temple repaired. (2 Kings 22:1-23:3)
2. Hezekiah orders the systematic removal of false worship in Judah and celebrates the Passover with the people. (2 Kings 23:4-25)
3. King Josiah dies. (2 Kings 23:26-30)

Tips for teaching children:

• King Josiah is the last good king of Judah. Children can decorate crowns.
• Create a “holy space” in the area where you are teaching. This is not to be a re-creation of the temple but an area the children know is “special”. This might be sitting on a beautiful blanket or cloth. It may be a table with a shiny tablecloth. In this space talk about God and how holy he is.
  • First, enjoy and appreciate God’s presence. Read some scriptures. Talk about the amazing things he has done. Pray.
  • Next, introduce “idols” into the space. This could be as simple as writing the word “IDOL” on papers and then placing them in the holy space. Allow a few moments for the children to be offended by these being in an area devoted to God.
  • Finally, talk about Josiah being so angry because people had placed unholy things in God’s space. He set out to remove all of these throughout his kingdom. Allow children to crumple up and “destroy” the idols you introduced.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Begin class by asking for personal stories of finding something significant or interesting when doing repairs on something.
• Prepare yourself to summarise the story: read the story through several times and use the outline in the show notes to guide you through the summary.
• Ask following discussion questions: What was successful about Josiah’s reform? What was unsuccessful? Why?
• Organise a time and place for the class members to come together to share a meal together. During the meal, ask each other to recommit themselves to one another – to love and honour one another and to commit themselves to continue to follow God.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: King Josiah

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

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King Hezekiah became deathly ill, and the prophet Isaiah delivered a message from God that he would die. Hezekiah knew there was still much work to do in Judah. He wanted to help the country be better and teach the people to love God. Hezekiah could not do that if he were dead! Hezekiah prayed that the Lord would give him a longer life. The Lord stopped Isaiah before he had even left Hezekiah’s palace. He told Isaiah to go back and tell Hezekiah that he would live 15 more years. A sign of this healing was a miraculous moving of a shadow on steps.

Bible verses used in this episode:

• 2 Kings 20:1-11
• Isaiah 38 (Isaiah’s version)

Outline:

1. Hezekiah’s Illness and Healing (2 Kings 20:1-7)
2. The Sign of the Shadow on the Steps (2 Kings 20:8-11)

Tips for teaching children:

• Talk about how Hezekiah prayed, and God heard him. God always hears our prayers, and he answers our prayers according to what he knows is best for us. A simple song about this can be found at God Answers Prayer.
• Guide the children in writing prayer requests on index cards or paper. They can shuffle the cards and then select one card at a time and pray.
• Take time to notice shadows caused by lights or the sun. Making shadow figures with hands is fun. Guide children to notice how shadows are caused by an object blocking the sun or light. A shadow cannot form behind a light. When God gave Hezekiah a sign with a shadow, the shadow defied science. It was a miracle.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Read this text read in the classroom. Choose two people to read the two sections outlined in the show notes.
• Ask these discussion questions: What makes Hezekiah’s prayer so powerful? What does this say about our prayers? What can we learn about prayer from Hezekiah?
• God changed his mind as a result of Hezekiah’s prayer. What do we learn about God? What can we learn about our relationship to God?

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: King Hezekiah Prays for Health

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org

Send a text

Hezekiah (the 13th king of Judah) had just begun to rule. He was a good king and restored true worship among his people. The Assyrian king, Sennacherib, attacked Judah. He mocked God and King Hezekiah. Hezekiah prayed for God’s protection. Isaiah, the prophet, told Hezekiah that the Lord had heard his prayer. Just as Isaiah prophesied, Sennacherib was defeated. The angel of death wiped out his army, and he ended up being murdered by his own sons.

Bible verses used in this episode:

2 Kings 18-19

Outline:

1. The kingdom of Israel falls, and good King Hezekiah rules Judah. (2 Kings 18:1-12)
2. The Empire of Assyria besieges Judah’s capital, Jerusalem, and pressures the people to accept its rule. (2 Kings 18:13-37)
3. Isaiah prophesies Assyria’s defeat. (2 Kings 19:1-7)
4. Assyria increases the pressure, and King Hezekiah prays. (2 Kings 19:8-19)
5. Isaiah prophesies, and then God causes the army to retreat. (2 Kings 19:20-37)

Tips for teaching children:

• Younger children can make a crown and talk about good King Hezekiah.
• Talk about praying when we are afraid. Experiment with a new kind of prayer method. Click here for Prayer Methods.
• For older children: Draw a vertical line down the centre of a whiteboard or piece of paper to form two columns. In the left column, list the ways the Assyrians made fun of God and his followers in 2 Kings 18:19-25; 28-33. Then, ask the children to list ways that people today might make fun of God and his followers. Allow the children to express their reactions to these and suggest possible coping strategies if appropriate. Complete this activity with a prayer to God to ask for his help.

Tips for teaching adults:

• Summarise these two chapters (2 Kings 18-19) in the classroom time. Before the class, read the chapters two or three times to get familiar with how the story develops. Using the outline in the show notes, add sub-points to help you retell the story. You could choose important verses to read as you present. Take about 15 minutes to summarise.
• Here is a link to an article that will give some context for the story we read in the Bible.
• Using Hezekiah’s prayer as a model, rewrite this prayer in your context (as a class or as individuals – whichever you choose). Have someone volunteer to pray their prayer on behalf of the class members.
• Ask the class members to name several things that people in our culture put their trust in to save them (i.e. money, jobs, pleasure, etc.). Lead the class in prayer and renounce these false gods and reaffirm your trust in the true and living God and promise to follow him.

Full teaching instructions free from Mission Bible Class:

Bible Lesson: God Protects King Hezekiah and His

Scriptures quoted from The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.

Excerpts from Mission Bible Class used by permission.

Music: Upbeat Positive Culture (Acoustic Corporate Travel Promo Christian Rock), Individual License, Stock Media provided by HumansWin, pond5.com

For questions or comments email: mary@missionbibleclass.org