This lesson teaches children that God wants us to trust Him, not other people or powers, when we are scared. It is written for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach. The story is a sad one, so you may want to keep the tone gentle and focus on the hope that comes from God.
Big Idea
When we are scared, we can ask God for help instead of trusting in people who cannot really save us. God is always able to keep His promises, even when we make bad choices.
Memory Verse
Psalm 46:1
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
(WEB)
Have the children stand up and put both hands on their hearts. As they say the verse, have them raise their hands up high like a roof over their heads, showing that God is our safe place. Repeat it together three times, getting a little softer each time.
The Story: 2 Kings 16 for Kids
A young man named Ahaz became the king of Judah. He was only twenty years old when he began to rule in the city of Jerusalem. Ahaz did not follow God the way his father David had. Instead, he copied the bad things the kings of Israel were doing, and even worshiped idols in the hills and under the green trees.
One day, two enemy kings, Rezin of Syria and Pekah of Israel, marched toward Jerusalem to fight against Ahaz. They surrounded the city, but they could not win. Ahaz was afraid. He said to himself, “I need someone stronger to save me.” So he sent messengers to a powerful king named Tiglath Pileser of Assyria.
Ahaz told the messengers, “I am your servant and your son. Please come and rescue me.” To pay this king, Ahaz took gold and silver from God’s own house and from the king’s treasure room. He sent it all as a gift. The Assyrian king listened, went to Damascus, and took the city.
Ahaz traveled to Damascus to meet the Assyrian king. There he saw an altar that was not the one God had told His people to use. He sent a drawing of it back to Jerusalem, and the priest Urijah built a copy just like it. Then Ahaz started offering sacrifices on this new altar, and he moved God’s bronze altar out of the way.
Ahaz had made many choices that pleased people more than God. When he died, he was buried in the city of David, and his son Hezekiah became the next king. The chapter reminds us that trusting the wrong things always leads to trouble.
Read It Together
2 Kings 16:2
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 his God’s eyes, like David his father.
(WEB)
Point out that the verse says Ahaz did not do what was right in the Lord’s eyes. Ask the children what it means to do what is right, and give simple examples like telling the truth or being kind. Explain that Ahaz was the king, so his choices affected a whole nation.
2 Kings 16:7
So Ahaz sent messengers to Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria, saying, “I am your servant and your son. Come up and save me out of the hand of the king of Syria, and out of the hand of the king of Israel, who rise up against me.”
(WEB)
Show the children that Ahaz asked a strong human king for help instead of asking God. Ask them who they usually turn to when they feel scared, and gently guide them toward praying first. Remind them that people can be helpful, but only God can always keep us safe.
2 Kings 16:10-11
10 King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath Pileser king of Assyria, and saw the altar that was at Damascus; and king Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest a drawing of the altar and plans to build it. 11 Urijah the priest built an altar. According to all that king Ahaz had sent from Damascus, so Urijah the priest made it for the coming of king Ahaz from Damascus.
(WEB)
Point out how Ahaz liked the foreign altar so much that he had a copy built. Explain that copying things we see, even things that look nice, is not the same as obeying God. Encourage the children to think about whether they copy things that are good or things that are not.
Talk About It
- What did Ahaz do when he felt scared, and what could he have done instead?
- How can you tell when you are trusting a person more than you are trusting God?
- Why do you think Ahaz wanted to copy an altar he saw in another city?
- What is one thing you could pray about the next time you feel afraid?
- How do you think God felt when His people stopped listening to Him?
Activity Ideas
Paper Plate Fortress Drawing
Give each child a paper plate, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask them to draw a picture of a strong fortress or safe place, and write or draw a small picture of God standing inside it. Let them share their drawing with a partner and explain why God is their safe place.
Stand Strong Game
Ask the children to stand in a circle. Call out “Enemy!” and have them crouch down like they are scared, then call out “God is our strength!” and have them stand tall with hands raised. Play a few rounds, faster each time, and talk about how we stand strong when we trust God.
Take-Home Thankful Jar
Give each child an empty jar, slips of paper, and a marker. Ask them to write one thing they are scared of on a paper and one way God has helped them on another. Encourage the family to read the notes together each week and remind one another that God is faithful.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter is a clear warning about where we place our trust. Ahaz chose to rely on a powerful foreign ruler and copied the practices of surrounding nations, rather than trusting the God who had made promises to David’s line. Adults can see how fear often pushes us toward quick solutions that cost us our faithfulness.
When teaching children, avoid overstating the idea that bad things always happen to people who make mistakes. Keep the focus on trusting God and asking Him for help, rather than suggesting that every hard event is a punishment. Children need to hear that God is faithful and near, even in scary moments.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, we know that You are our safe place when we feel scared. Help us to trust You and ask You for help first, before we look anywhere else. Thank You that You always keep Your promises and always love us. Amen.
