This lesson teaches children that God keeps his promises, even when things look very bad for his people. It is written for children about 5 to 11 years old and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God is faithful. Even when his people made bad choices and were carried away from home, God still kept his promise to care for them and to remember them.
Memory Verse
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth.”
(WEB)
Have children hold both hands up high, then slowly bring them down and fold them together on their chest while they say the verse. Repeat it three times, getting slower each time, so the words sink in.
The Story: 2 Kings 25 for Kids
A long time ago, the people of Judah lived in the city of Jerusalem. Their king was named Zedekiah, and he did not listen to God. The king of Babylon, whose name was Nebuchadnezzar, came with a huge army and surrounded the city. For a long time, the army stayed outside the walls, and the food inside the city ran out.
The people became very hungry. Finally, a gap was made in the wall, and King Zedekiah tried to run away at night. But the soldiers from Babylon caught him near the city of Jericho. They took him to the king of Babylon, and the king was very angry with him.
Then the Babylon soldiers came into Jerusalem. They burned the house of the LORD, the king’s house, and all the big houses in the city. They broke down the walls around the city, and they took many of the people far away to Babylon. But the army left some of the poorest people behind to work in the fields and vineyards.
Many years later, the king of Babylon was kind to a man named Jehoiachin, who had been a prisoner for a long time. The king took off his prison clothes and gave him a seat at the king’s table. Jehoiachin ate with the king every day for the rest of his life. God had not forgotten his people, even in a faraway land.
Read It Together
2 Kings 25:1-2
1 In the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and encamped against it; and they built forts against it around it. 2 So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of king Zedekiah.
(WEB)
Point out how long the siege lasted, about a year and a half. Ask the children what it might feel like to wait that long inside a city with no food. Remind them that the people were waiting, and God was still watching over them.
2 Kings 25:27-30
27 In the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, Evilmerodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison; 28 and he spoke kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings who were with him in Babylon, 29 and changed his prison garments. Jehoiachin ate bread before him continually all the days of his life; 30 and for his allowance, there was a continual allowance given him from the king, every day a portion, all the days of his life.
(WEB)
Show the children how the story ends on a kind note. Explain that a prisoner was given a new place at the king’s table. Tell them this is a small sign that God was still caring for his people, even far from home.
2 Kings 25:8-9
8 Now in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. 9 He burned the LORD’s house, the king’s house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, even every great house, he burned with fire.
(WEB)
Point out that the house of the LORD was burned. Explain that this was a very sad moment for the people because the temple was where they went to worship God. Help the children see that God’s people did not stop belonging to him, even when their home was taken away.
Talk About It
- How do you think the people in Jerusalem felt when they were hungry and waiting for so long?
- Why do you think King Zedekiah tried to run away instead of trusting God?
- What is one thing that helps you feel safe when something scary happens?
- How did God show that he still cared for Jehoiachin in a faraway land?
- What is one promise of God that you can remember when you feel afraid?
Activity Ideas
Paper Plate Walls
You will need paper plates, markers, and glue. Have each child draw a picture of the city of Jerusalem on a paper plate, with walls and houses. Then glue the plates together into a big class wall. Talk about how the walls kept the city safe, and how God is like a strong wall that keeps his people safe.
Wait and Watch Game
Choose one child to be the king of Babylon and have him stand at the front of the room. The other children tiptoe quietly toward him, slowly, like an army surrounding a city. When the king says “Stop,” everyone freezes. Talk about how waiting can be hard, and remind the children that God is always watching over them while they wait.
Promise Card for Home
You will need index cards, crayons, and a hole punch with string. Have each child write or draw a simple promise of God on the card, such as “God is with me.” Punch a hole at the top and tie on a string so the child can hang it on a bedroom door or wear it as a necklace. Encourage them to read it aloud before bed.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter is a sober account of Jerusalem’s fall and the exile of Judah. Many of the people lost their homes, their temple, and their king, yet the chapter closes with a quiet sign that the line of David was not forgotten. Adults can see this as a reminder that God’s faithfulness holds steady through seasons of loss and rebuilding.
With children, avoid suggesting that every hard thing happens because someone disobeyed God or that a faithful child will always be spared hardship. The people of Judah did face real suffering, and the lesson should focus on God’s enduring care and faithfulness rather than on promising that trouble will never come.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you that you keep your promises, even when we feel lost or scared. Help us to trust you when we have to wait, and help us to remember that you are always with us. We love you and want to follow you. Amen.
