In this lesson, children learn that God keeps His promises and that He wants His people to love and obey Him. This lesson is designed for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God keeps every promise He makes, and He asks us to walk with Him by obeying Him and trusting Him every day.
Memory Verse
1 Kings 9:4
As for you, if you will walk before me, as David your father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and will keep my statutes and my ordinances…
(WEB)
Have children stand up and walk in place slowly while saying the verse together. Then have them put their hands over their hearts and say “walk with God” as they keep walking. The motion helps them remember that following God means walking with Him every day.
The Story: 1 Kings 9 for Kids
King Solomon had worked for many years to build a beautiful house for God in Jerusalem. He also built a great palace for himself. When the work was finished, God appeared to Solomon a second time, just as He had done at Gibeon. God said, “I have heard your prayer, and I have made this house holy. My eyes and My heart will always be there.”
God made a promise to Solomon. He said that if Solomon walked before Him with a whole and honest heart, as his father David had done, then God would keep Solomon’s family on the throne forever. God also gave a warning. If Solomon and his children turned away and worshiped other gods, then God would have to take Israel out of the land He had given them.
Solomon had many cities, horses, and chariots, and he used workers from among the people who were not Israelites to help with his big building projects. King Hiram of Tyre helped Solomon with cedar wood, cypress wood, and gold. Solomon even gave Hiram twenty cities, but when Hiram saw them, he did not like them very much. He asked, “What cities are these, my brother?” and he named the land Cabul.
Solomon built many things in Jerusalem and in other places. He built a fleet of ships at Ezion Geber, on the shore of the Red Sea. Hiram sent his sailors to help, and together they sailed to a place called Ophir. They brought back a great amount of gold for King Solomon. The story shows that God was with Solomon as he built and ruled, but it also reminds us that God wanted Solomon to keep following Him.
Read It Together
1 Kings 9:3
The LORD said to him, “I have heard your prayer and your supplication, that you have made before me. I have made this house holy, which you have built, to put my name there forever; and my eyes and my heart shall be there perpetually.
(WEB)
Point out that God told Solomon He had heard his prayer. Explain that God listens when we pray, and He is always paying attention to His people.
1 Kings 9:5
Then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever, as I promised to David your father, saying, ‘There shall not fail from you a man on the throne of Israel.’
(WEB)
Show children that God made a promise to keep Solomon’s family on the throne. Explain that God keeps His promises, even when people do not always keep theirs.
1 Kings 9:6-7
6 But if you turn away from following me, you or your children, and not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them; 7 then I will cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and I will cast this house, which I have made holy for my name, out of my sight; and Israel will be a proverb and a byword among all peoples.
(WEB)
Help children see that God gave a warning about turning away from Him. Explain that obeying God matters, and that when we choose to follow Him, we stay close to Him.
Talk About It
- What is a promise you have made to someone, and how did you keep it?
- How did God show that He was listening to Solomon’s prayer?
- Why do you think God wanted Solomon to walk with Him with an honest heart?
- What are some ways we can walk with God every day at home or at school?
- Why is it good to know that God always keeps His promises?
Activity Ideas
Promise Keeper Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a picture of a promise they can keep this week, such as helping at home or sharing a toy. Let them write one word or short phrase at the bottom of the picture. Hang the drawings on the wall as a reminder that God keeps His promises and helps us keep ours.
Follow the Leader Walk
You will need an open space and a few blocks or chairs to mark a path. Choose one child to lead, and have the others follow in a line while copying the leader’s steps. After a few rounds, explain that following God is like following a trusted leader who always goes the right way. Talk about how walking with God each day keeps us close to Him.
Promise Stones Take-Home
You will need small smooth stones or pieces of cardboard, a marker, and a small bag. Let each child write the word “promise” or “God keeps His word” on a stone or card. Ask them to place it in their pocket or bag at home and show it to a family member. Encourage them to tell that person one thing God has promised us.
Teacher Notes
This passage shows that God is faithful to His promises, and that He set up a covenant with Solomon and his family based on obedience. Adults should see that the blessings God gave depended on Solomon’s continued faithfulness, and that Israel’s later troubles came from turning away from God. The passage also reminds us that God’s presence and His house matter more than human achievements.
Avoid suggesting to children that God will punish every person who makes a mistake, because this chapter speaks specifically to the covenant with Israel’s king and nation. Be careful not to present the warning as a threat hanging over every child. Instead, emphasize that God loves us and wants us to walk with Him.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank You for keeping every promise You make. Help us walk with You every day and love You with our whole hearts. Thank You for always listening when we pray. Amen.
