This lesson teaches children that God notices the choices we make, and that turning away from him leads to trouble while turning back to him brings help. It suits children aged 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach, including the memory verse and one activity.
Big Idea
God sees what we do, and when we walk away from him, we get into trouble. When we turn back to him, he is ready to help.
Memory Verse
2 Chronicles 28:1
Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. He didn’t do that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, like David his father…
(WEB)
Teach the children to stand tall, then slowly bend forward at the waist as they say “Ahaz did not do what was right.” Have them stand up straight again on “in the LORD’s eyes,” so they learn the difference between going the wrong way and going the right way.
The Story: 2 Chronicles 28 for Kids
Once upon a time, a young king named Ahaz began to rule over the land of Judah. He was only twenty years old, and he ruled in the city of Jerusalem for sixteen years. Sadly, Ahaz did not follow God the way his father David had. Instead, he copied the bad kings who lived around him.
Ahaz built statues of false gods and even burned incense in high places where people worshiped idols. He did terrible things that God had told his people never to do. Because Ahaz turned away from God, God let enemies come and fight against Judah. The king of Syria took many people away, and the king of Israel also struck Judah hard.
One day, a prophet named Oded stood up in Samaria and spoke to the army that had captured many people from Judah. Oded said, “Why are you keeping these people as slaves? God is angry, and you have gone too far.” The soldiers listened, and some leaders of Israel stepped forward to agree with Oded.
So the soldiers let the captives go. The leaders gave them clothes, shoes, food, and water, and carried the weak ones on donkeys back to their families. It was a kind and good thing to do, and it showed that God cares about people who are hurting.
But Ahaz did not change his heart. In his time of trouble, he turned even further away from God. He closed the doors of God’s house, took its treasures away, and built altars to other gods all over Jerusalem. He did not turn back to the one true God, and his story ends sadly.
Read It Together
2 Chronicles 28:2
But he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and also made molten images for the Baals.
(WEB)
Point out that Ahaz chose to copy the bad kings instead of following God’s ways. Ask the children how it feels when someone picks a path that they know is wrong, and help them see that God wants us to choose his ways every day.
2 Chronicles 28:9
But a prophet of the LORD was there, whose name was Oded; and he went out to meet the army that came to Samaria, and said to them, “Behold, because the LORD, the God of your fathers, was angry with Judah, he has delivered them into your hand, and you have slain them in a rage which has reached up to heaven.
(WEB)
Show the children that God sent a prophet named Oded to speak up for the captives. Explain that God uses people to speak the truth and help others do what is right, even when it is hard.
2 Chronicles 28:15
The men who have been mentioned by name rose up and took the captives, and with the plunder clothed all who were naked among them, dressed them, gave them sandals, and gave them something to eat and to drink, anointed them, carried all the feeble of them on donkeys, and brought them to Jericho, the city of palm trees, to their brothers. Then they returned to Samaria.
(WEB)
Point out how the leaders cared for the captives by giving them clothes, food, and rest. Explain that doing good for others is one way we show that we belong to God.
Talk About It
- What did Ahaz choose to do instead of following God like his father David did?
- Why do you think God was unhappy with the way Ahaz was ruling Judah?
- Who did Oded speak up for, and why was that brave?
- How did the leaders show kindness to the people who had been captured?
- What is one good choice you can make this week to follow God?
Activity Ideas
Draw a Two-Path Picture
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Draw a line down the middle of the paper, then draw a path on one side leading to a house with a cross and a path on the other side leading to a broken wall with a frowning face. Let the children draw a simple picture of a choice they can make to follow God, and talk about which path it belongs on.
Stand Tall or Bend Low Game
No special supplies are needed, just open floor space. Call out choices like “following God” or “copying a bad example.” When the children hear a choice that follows God, they stand tall with their arms up, and when they hear a choice that turns away, they bend low. Repeat a few times, then finish by reciting the memory verse together with the motions.
Take-Home Promise Card
You will need an index card, a pen, and a small piece of ribbon or tape. Have each child write or draw one way they will choose to follow God this week, such as sharing, being kind, or telling the truth. Tie or tape the card somewhere they will see it, like a bedroom doorknob or a lunch box, and encourage them to show it to a parent at home.
Teacher Notes
This chapter shows that a nation’s choices, and the choices of its leaders, have real consequences. Ahaz repeatedly turned from the LORD, and the story records the hardship that followed, yet the chapter also shows God’s concern for captives and the willingness of some people to do what is right. For adults, it is a reminder to examine our own patterns and to recognize that faithfulness is a daily decision.
Avoid suggesting to children that every hardship is a direct punishment for a specific sin. The chapter describes Ahaz’s own rebellion and its results, but the wider lessons about suffering are more complex, and children should be encouraged to trust God rather than to search for reasons behind every difficulty.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for seeing everything we do and for loving us even when we make mistakes. Help us choose to follow you every day, the way the good people in the story did. When we get it wrong, help us turn back to you, because you are always ready to help us. Amen.
