This lesson teaches children that God sees everything and that he keeps his promises, even when people turn away from him. It is written for ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach, with time for questions and one simple activity.
Big Idea
God sees everything we do, and he always keeps his word. When people choose to do wrong, God is still faithful, and he tells the truth about what is right.
Memory Verse
2 Kings 21:2
He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, after the abominations of the nations whom the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.
(WEB)
Hold your hands in front of your eyes like binoculars, then point to your eyes and say “God sees.” Do the motion each time you say the verse so children connect the words with looking and seeing.
The Story: 2 Kings 21 for Kids
A boy named Manasseh became king of Judah when he was only twelve years old. He ruled in Jerusalem for fifty-five years, which is longer than most people live in a lifetime today. Manasseh’s father, King Hezekiah, had tried to tear down the idols in the land and bring the people back to God. But Manasseh did the opposite. He built altars to false gods and filled the land with wrong things.
Manasseh even built altars for false gods inside the Lord’s own house in Jerusalem. God had said that his name would be honored in that house forever. Manasseh still did what was evil in the Lord’s eyes, and he led many of the people into sin too. He was cruel, and he hurt innocent people until the city was full of their blood.
God sent his prophets to speak to the people. The message was clear: “Because Manasseh has done these terrible things, I will bring trouble on Jerusalem and Judah.” God said that he would wipe Jerusalem clean like a person wipes a dish and turns it upside down. That is how serious the Lord was about sin, and how much he hated it.
When Manasseh died, his son Amon became king. Amon was twenty-two years old, and he was just as wicked as his father. He worshiped the same idols and did not follow the Lord. After only two years, some of Amon’s own servants plotted against him and killed him in his house.
The people of the land were angry about this, so they put Amon’s son, Josiah, on the throne. Josiah was just eight years old, and he would later become a king who loved God. The story of the wicked kings does not end with them. God was still at work, and his plan was still going forward.
Read It Together
2 Kings 21:3-4
3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he raised up altars for Baal, and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel did, and worshiped all the army of the sky, and served them. 4 He built altars in the LORD’s house, of which the LORD said, “I will put my name in Jerusalem.”
(WEB)
Point out that Manasseh rebuilt the very places his father had torn down, and that he even put altars in the Lord’s house. Ask children why it matters that God had chosen Jerusalem as the place where his name would be honored.
2 Kings 21:7-8
7 He set the engraved image of Asherah that he had made in the house of which the LORD said to David and to Solomon his son, “In this house, and in Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, will I put my name forever; 8 I will not cause the feet of Israel to wander any more out of the land which I gave their fathers, if only they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and according to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them.”
(WEB)
Show children the promise God made. He would not cause his people to wander from their land if they would obey his commands. Explain that God’s promises depend on his people’s faithfulness, and that God is always faithful even when his people are not.
2 Kings 21:12-13
12 Therefore the LORD the God of Israel says, ‘Behold, I bring such evil on Jerusalem and Judah that whoever hears of it, both his ears will tingle. 13 I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of Ahab’s house; and I will wipe Jerusalem as a man wipes a dish, wiping it and turning it upside down.
(WEB)
Help children picture the image of a dish being wiped clean and turned over. Explain that this is a picture of how God would deal with the sin of Jerusalem. Keep the focus on God’s justice and his seriousness about sin.
Talk About It
- What did Manasseh do that made God unhappy, and what could he have done instead?
- Why do you think God wants to see what we do even when no one else is watching?
- How did King Hezekiah, Manasseh’s father, show that he loved God?
- What is one thing you can do this week to follow God, even when it is hard?
- Why is it good to know that God keeps his promises?
Activity Ideas
Draw a Clean Dish
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a clean plate for children to look at. Ask each child to draw the plate, then draw a second picture of the same plate being wiped and turned over. Talk about how God wanted to clean up the sin in Jerusalem and how he always cares about what is right. Let children color their pictures and take them home.
Eyes That See Game
You will need a blindfold or a scarf and a few small toys hidden around the room. Have one child wear the blindfold and try to find the toys while the others stay quiet. Then remove the blindfold and let children hunt for the toys with their eyes open. Connect this to the memory verse: God sees everything, even when we cannot see him, and nothing is hidden from him.
Eyes on God Card
You will need an index card or a small piece of paper and a pencil for each child. Have children write or draw one thing they can do this week to follow God, and tape the card to their bathroom mirror or their bedroom door. Encourage them to look at the card each morning and remember that God sees how they live. Let them share their cards with family members at dinner.
Teacher Notes
This chapter shows that sin has real consequences, and that God takes his covenant seriously. Adults can see in Manasseh’s story the way a nation can turn away from God even after a good king leads them, and how God’s justice and mercy both remain true. The chapter also shows that God’s plan continues even through a series of wicked rulers, pointing forward to the faithful kings who would come later.
Avoid suggesting to children that God is only angry or that he delights in punishment. Remind them that God’s warnings come from his love for his people and his desire for them to come back to him. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness and his character rather than on the violence in the story.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank you for seeing everything we do and for loving us even when we make mistakes. Help us choose what is right and turn to you when we go wrong. Thank you that you always keep your promises and that you are faithful to us. Amen.
