4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 17, Session 2: Joshiah’s Reforms TEACHER BIBLE STUDY Josiah was 8 years old when he became king. His father, Amon, had been assassinated by his own servants, and the people of Judah made Josiah king. (2 Kings 21:23-24) Think of the 8-year-olds you know. Are any of them suited to rule over a kingdom? Josiah did well as king of Judah, and he didn’t step into the easiest of circumstances. Amon’s reign was short, but he was a wicked king, and Judah was corrupt with idolatry. Amon “abandoned the Lord God of his ancestors and did not walk in the way of the Lord” (2 Kings 21:22). Josiah was not like his father. When he was a teenager, he began to seek God—the God of his ancestor David. Then Josiah made changes in Judah. He tore down the altars and idols of false gods, and he initiated the repairing of the Lord’s temple. During the temple repair, the high priest found the book of the law of the Lord. The court secretary read the book of the law to Josiah, and Josiah tore his clothes. He knew the Lord’s righteous requirements, and the people of Judah fell short. Josiah gathered the people and read the law aloud. He made a covenant to follow God and obey His commands, and then those listening vowed to do the same. When Josiah died, he was remembered as the greatest king in Judah. (2 Kings 23:25) When we stand before the law, we too should mourn over our sin. We have fallen short of God’s standard and are cursed. (Romans 3:23; Galatians 3:10) But the gospel is good news. When Jesus came to earth, He fulfilled the law by obeying it perfectly. He died on the cross to pay for our sins. When we trust in Him, His righteousness is credited to us. Our debt is laid on Him, and He redeems us. (Galatians 3:13) LESSON OVERVIEW/SCHEDULE Session Title: Josiah’s Reforms Bible Passage: 2 Chronicles 34–35 Big Picture Question: How did Josiah help the people of Judah? Josiah led the people to obey the Word of God. Key Passage: Zephaniah 3:17 Unit Christ Connection: God judges sin but redeems those who faithfully follow His commands. Redemption for all comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Transition Time Welcome time 1 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 17, Session 2: Joshiah’s Reforms Activity Sheet/Table Centers Session starter (10 minutes) Lesson Countdown Introduce the session (2 minutes) Timeline map (2 minutes) Tell the Bible Story (10 minutes) Big picture question (1 minute) The Gospel: God’s Plan for Me (optional) Key passage (5 minutes) Discussion starter video (4 minutes) Sing (4 minutes) Prayer (2 minutes) Table Time Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes) Key passage activity (5 minutes) Activity choice (10 minutes) Prayer (5 minutes) THE BIBLE STORY/OVERVIEW Josiah’s Reforms 2 Chronicles 34–35 Josiah became king of Judah when he was a young boy—just 8 years old! He was a good king like his ancestor David. Josiah lived in a way that pleased God. He did what was right. When Josiah was a teenager, he started to follow God. And a few years later, Josiah started to make changes around his kingdom. He decided to get rid of the things in Judah that were not pleasing to God. Josiah watched as the people tore down the altars to false gods. They broke the idols and crushed them until they were dust. When Josiah was a young man, he wanted to repair the temple of the Lord. He put three men in charge of making it happen. Money was collected from all the places in the kingdom, and the men took the money to the high priest. The money was for the builders, carpenters, and workmen who would fix up the temple and make it like new again. As the temple was being repaired, the high priest found a very important document. “I have found the book of the law in the Lord’s temple!” the high priest said. He gave the book to Shaphan (SHAY fan), the secretary. Shaphan took the book to King Josiah. “Everyone is working in the temple and doing just what you said to do,” Shaphan reported. “And here is a book the high priest gave to me.” 2 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 17, Session 2: Joshiah’s Reforms Shaphan read from the book of the law. When King Josiah heard the words of the law, he tore his clothes! He told Shaphan, the high priest, and some other men to go and ask God about the book of the law. “God is very angry with us!” Josiah said. “Our ancestors did not obey God. They did not do everything this book says to do!” So the men went to a prophetess named Huldah (HUHL duh). Huldah gave the men a message from God. God said, “I am going to punish the people of Judah because they turned away from me and worshiped other gods.” But God had a special message for Josiah: “Because you were humble and were sorry for your sin when you heard the law, you will die in peace. You will not see the punishment I am bringing on the people.” Then the men told Josiah what God said. Josiah went to the temple and gathered all the men of Judah and all the people in the city of Jerusalem. He read the words of the law that had been found. Then Josiah made a promise to God. He promised to follow God and obey Him like the book of the law said to do. The people at the temple also agreed to follow God and obey Him. And as long as Josiah was king, the people followed God and obeyed Him. When it was time to celebrate Passover, King Josiah wanted to do everything just like God wanted. Josiah and the priests made sure everything was ready. The priests made offerings for the people and killed the Passover lambs. Everything was done as God said to do in the law. All the people celebrated the Passover like they were supposed to, remembering the first Passover when God passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt and struck down the firstborn of the Egyptians. Christ Connection: Josiah had great respect for God’s law. He allowed God’s word to control what he did as a king. Josiah wanted God’s people to love God and obey the law too. When Jesus came to earth, He fulfilled the law by obeying it perfectly. TRANSITION TIME Session Title: Josiah’s Reforms Bible Passage: 2 Chronicles 34–35 Big Picture Question: How did Josiah help the people of Judah? Josiah led the people to obey the Word of God. Key Passage: Zephaniah 3:17 Unit Christ Connection: God judges sin but redeems those who faithfully follow His commands. Redemption for all comes through faith in Jesus Christ. Welcome time Bibles, 1 per kid Greet each kid as he or she arrives. Use this time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new kids connect to your group. Invite kids to share about a favorite Bible verse or Bible story. 3 © 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 17, Session 2: Joshiah’s Reforms Activity page Table Centers (Miscellaneous Activities) “In the Bible?” / “Who’s In Control?” activity page, 1 per kid Bibles pencils markers Lead girls and boys to identify the words of wisdom they believe are found in the Bible on the activity page “In the Bible?” Review the Scriptures to locate the answers. Say • Sometimes people think they know what the Bible says, but they are confused. In our Bible story today, people found a copy of God’s law. When they read the law, the people were sad to discover they had not been obeying God’s rules. As time allows, lead kids to complete the activity page “Who’s in Control?” Session starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Simon Said What? OPTION: Play a traditional game of “Simon Says.” Play a version of “Simon Says” using unusual commands. Suggested commands: hug your knee, sit down and close your eyes, use your hands to make a fish face, squint your eyes while hopping on one foot, and so forth. Say • What is the goal of “Simon Says?” Yes. The goal is to listen carefully so you can follow the instructions. How did you know what instructions to follow? Simon told you. Why do you want to obey Simon’s instructions? Do you obey Simon because you love him? No. Why do we want to obey God’s instructions? We obey God because we love God. How do we know what instructions God wants us to follow? We can know what God wants by reading the Bible. In our Bible story today, the people learned about God’s laws when someone read God’s Word. Option 2: Magnet Bible Bookmark self-adhesive button magnets elastic jewelry string scissors circle stickers markers (optional) OPTIONS: Adapt this craft in a number of ways. Substitute a washer for one of the magnets. Tie the end of the string around the washer and secure with a dot of glue. Substitute scrap paper for the stickers.