This lesson teaches children that God is pleased when we finish the work he gives us and use what we have to honor him. It suits children aged 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God helps us finish the good work he gives us, and we can do our work for him and for others with care and thankfulness.
Memory Verse
2 Chronicles 8:16
Now all the work of Solomon was prepared from the day of the foundation of the LORD’s house until it was finished. So the LORD’s house was completed.
(WEB)
Have children stand tall with arms stretched wide, then bring their hands together slowly, like finishing a big building block by block. Say the verse together while they move their hands, and ask them to sit down when they reach the word “finished.”
The Story: 2 Chronicles 8 for Kids
King Solomon had been working for twenty years. He had built the LORD’s house in Jerusalem, and he had built his own house too. Now he had many more jobs to do, and he was busy and careful about each one.
Solomon built strong cities in the land. He built walls, gates, and bars to keep people safe, and he built cities where his horses and chariots could stay. He also built storage cities to keep grain and other good things safe for his people.
Some people in the land were not from Israel. Solomon gave them hard jobs to do, but the people of Israel were not made to be servants. They were soldiers and leaders, and they helped Solomon run the kingdom well. Solomon’s chief officers numbered two hundred fifty, and they helped look after the people.
Solomon also made sure the worship of God went on as it should. He offered burnt offerings to the LORD every day, as Moses had commanded, and he set up the priests and Levites to serve in the house of the LORD. Solomon said, “The places where the LORD’s ark has come are holy,” so he gave his own wife a house of her own.
When all the work was done, the LORD’s house was finished. Solomon sent his ships with his helpers across the sea to Ophir, and they came back with a great amount of gold for the king. Everything was finished the way God wanted it to be.
Read It Together
2 Chronicles 8:1
At the end of twenty years, in which Solomon had built the LORD’s house and his own house…
(WEB)
Point out that it took twenty years to finish these buildings. Ask children what hard job they have stuck with for a long time, and remind them that God cares about faithful, steady work.
2 Chronicles 8:13
Even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the Sabbaths, on the new moons, and on the set feasts, three times per year, during the feast of unleavened bread, during the feast of weeks, and during the feast of tents.
(WEB)
Show children that Solomon kept offering to God regularly, following the instructions God had already given. Explain that doing the right things again and again, like praying or going to church, is one way we show we love God.
2 Chronicles 8:14
He appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the doorkeepers also by their divisions at every gate, for David the man of God had so commanded.
(WEB)
Point out that there were many helpers, from priests to doorkeepers, each with a job. Talk about how every person in a church family has a part to play, even the small jobs no one notices.
Talk About It
- What is a job you have been given at home or at school, and how can you do it well this week?
- Why do you think Solomon kept worshiping God every day even when he was busy with many other things?
- How did the people in the story help one another to get the work finished?
- What is something you could build or make to show God thank you for what he has given you?
- How can you tell that someone is being faithful to God when they keep doing the right thing over a long time?
Activity Ideas
Build a Paper Tower
You will need paper, tape, and a few cups or small boxes. Have each child build a small tower together, one piece at a time, and talk about how it took patience to finish. When the tower is done, thank God together for helping you keep working until the job was complete.
Stack the Blocks Game
Use wooden blocks, empty cans, or shoe boxes. Divide children into two teams and have each team stack their blocks as high as they can, taking turns with one piece at a time. Stop the game and say that just like Solomon’s helpers, each person’s part matters for the whole building to stand.
Take-Home Thank You Card
Give each child a sheet of paper and crayons. Ask them to draw something they are working on, such as a school project, a chore, or a building, and write or draw one way they can be faithful this week. Encourage them to share the card with someone at home as a reminder to finish their work with care.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God cares about the details of how his work is done, from the buildings and cities to the daily offerings and the assignment of priests and doorkeepers. It reminds us that faithful, steady obedience over many years matters just as much as one great moment of effort.
Be careful not to suggest to children that finishing a job well always brings rewards or that God makes faithful people rich. The chapter describes Solomon’s activity and records his accomplishments without promising that every faithful person will see such results.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank you for the work you give us to do each day. Help us to be faithful, to keep going when we get tired, and to do our jobs with care for you and for others. Help us finish well, as you finish the good things you start in us. Amen.
