In 2 Chronicles 29, King Hezekiah leads the people to clean up God’s temple and worship him again, and children learn that God wants our hearts ready to worship him. This lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God wants his people to keep their hearts clean and to worship him with joy. When we turn back to him, he welcomes us, and our worship makes us glad.
Memory Verse
2 Chronicles 29:11
My sons, don’t be negligent now; for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him, to minister to him, and that you should be his ministers, and burn incense.”
(WEB)
Teach the children to stand tall with their hands at their sides, then bend a little at the waist as they say the words, and stand back up on the last word. Repeat the motion together three times so the verse sticks.
The Story: 2 Chronicles 29 for Kids
A young king named Hezekiah became king of Judah when he was twenty-five years old. He reigned in Jerusalem for twenty-nine years. He loved God and did what was right, just as his father David had done. Hezekiah wanted his people to remember that God was still with them.
In the first month of his first year as king, Hezekiah opened the doors of God’s house, the temple. The doors had been shut for a long time, and the temple was dirty. Lamps were out, and no one was bringing offerings there anymore. Hezekiah called the priests and the Levites together and said, “Listen to me! Make yourselves clean, and clean out the temple of God.”
The Levites got to work. They cleaned every room of God’s house, and they carried the dirt out to the brook Kidron. It took them eight days to clean the house, and they finished on the sixteenth day of the month. They went to King Hezekiah and told him the temple was clean and ready for worship again.
Hezekiah got up early the next morning and went to the temple with the leaders of the city. They brought animals to offer to God as a sign that the people were sorry and wanted to be close to him again. Hezekiah asked the priests to offer the animals on God’s altar, and they did.
Then the singers and musicians began to play. Some played cymbals, some played harps, and some played trumpets. The people bowed down and worshiped God with gladness. Hezekiah said, “Now you have given yourselves to the LORD. Come near and bring your thank offerings into his house.” The people brought many gifts, and the whole city was filled with joy.
Read It Together
2 Chronicles 29:5
And said to them, “Listen to me, you Levites! Now sanctify yourselves, and sanctify the LORD, the God of your fathers’ house, and carry the filthiness out of the holy place.
(WEB)
Point out that Hezekiah asked the Levites to make themselves clean first before they cleaned God’s house. Ask the children what it means to get ready before we come to God, such as quieting our hearts or saying sorry for wrong things we have done.
2 Chronicles 29:30
Moreover Hezekiah the king and the princes commanded the Levites to sing praises to the LORD with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer. They sang praises with gladness, and they bowed their heads and worshiped.
(WEB)
Show the children that the people sang praises to God with gladness and bowed their heads in worship. Explain that worship can include singing, bowing, and simply thanking God for who he is.
2 Chronicles 29:36
Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced, because of that which God had prepared for the people; for the thing was done suddenly.
(WEB)
Point to the end of the chapter, where Hezekiah and all the people rejoiced. Help the children notice that God had prepared this good thing for the people, and that their joy came from his kindness.
Talk About It
- What did the people need to clean up in God’s house, and why do you think it mattered to God?
- How do you think the Levites felt when they finished cleaning the temple?
- What are some ways we can get our hearts ready to talk with God?
- Why did the people bring animals to God, and what did that show about their hearts?
- What are some things that make you want to sing or celebrate God’s goodness?
Activity Ideas
Temple Cleaning Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a clean, bright temple with open doors and lamps lit inside. Encourage them to draw something they can clean up in their own lives, like a messy room or a sorry heart, and to add a small picture of the sun or a smile to show the joy in God’s house.
Musicians in the Temple Game
You will need a few pots, wooden spoons, a tambourine or shaker if you have one, and a small open space. Let each child choose an instrument to pretend to play, then march in a circle while everyone makes music together. When you say “Stop,” everyone bows their head and whispers “Thank you, God.”
Thank You Jar at Home
You will need an empty jar, paper scraps, and a pen. Place the jar in a spot where the family will see it each day. Each night, have everyone write or draw one thing they are thankful to God for and drop it in the jar. Read the notes together once a week as a family, just as the people rejoiced together over God’s goodness.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God’s people are called to return to him with clean hearts and sincere worship, especially after a time of neglect. Hezekiah did not just make a plan, he led the people to repent and restore worship, and the joy that followed came from God’s faithfulness rather than from the people’s own effort.
With children, avoid suggesting that God only welcomes us when we are perfectly clean, or that worship is a performance we must get right. Keep the focus on God’s kindness and his desire to be near his people, and let children know that coming back to him is always possible.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for loving us and wanting to be close to us. Help us keep our hearts clean and ready to worship you. Fill us with joy as we sing and thank you for all the good things you give us. Amen.
