Background Scripture (read 2-3 times during the week)
2 Kings 21-23; 2 Chronicles 34-35
Story Summary
King Josiah is one of the most famous kings of Judah (the Southern Kingdom), both for his age when he became king (only 8!!) and for his reforms. He was one of only a few kings of Judah to follow God and lead his nation to do the same.
Who Was King Josiah? The Boy Who Became King at 8
Josiah's father (Amon) and grandfather (Manasseh) were kings before him and were evil kings, leading Judah astray, having them worship false gods and other evil things.
His grandfather, Manasseh, was the most evil of all the kings of Judah. Manasseh was only 12 when he became king, but we don't talk much about him because of all the evil he did. In 2 Kings 21, he is compared to the evil king Ahab of the northern kingdom of Israel.
His father, Amon, was assassinated by his own officials and they set up Josiah to become king when he was only 8 years old!
Repairing the Temple
As Josiah grew, he began to lead Judah back to the Lord, driving out evil people from the temple and removing the items they were using to worship other gods. Remember, these items were put there by his grandfather!
When he was 26 (18 years into his reign), he took money that had been collected at the temple to pay skilled workers to repair and renovate it.
The Lost Book of the Law
When the workers were doing the temple renovations, the priest at the time came across the Scroll of the Law. We don't know exactly what part of the law this was. It could have been the Torah (the first 5 books of the Hebrew Bible), or the whole scroll of Deuteronomy or just part of it.
He read it and then gave it to Josiah's secretary (or 2nd in command) who read it. Both men realized how big of a discovery this was. Josiah's secretary went and told Josiah, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book" and then he read from the book to Josiah.
Apparently what Josiah heard from the Book of the Law was so shocking to him, such new information, that he immediately realized that they hadn't been obeying hardly any of it! He tore his robes (a sign of despair) and told his servants to go inquire of the Lord what to do next. He recognized the sins of the people.
Perhaps the portion of the book that Josiah's secretary read to him was from Deuteronomy 27-28, the curses and blessings on Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim?
Josiah's officials inquired of the Lord by asking a prophetess named Huldah what it meant. She said that God was going to judge Judah for all the wickedness they had done, but because Josiah had repented and led Judah to come back to the Lord, he would not see the destruction God had planned for Judah as a consequence of their sin.
Josiah's Reforms
So Josiah brought together everyone in Judah: priests, prophets, and everyone who lived in Jerusalem for a special service. Josiah read out loud what was written the Scroll of the Law and publicly recommitted Judah to follow God's law.
He also had them celebrate Passover for the first time in a long time. He finished removing all the items from the temple they used to worship false gods.
Josiah was a very important king in Judah because of how he brought them back to the Lord. He was even listed in Jesus' genealogy in Matthew 1:10.
Why King Josiah Matters for Kids Today
Most likely some of the kids in your class will be around the age Josiah was when he became king. How would they react if they became President or Prime Minister or King at their age? Would they follow God? Would they encourage their people to do the same?
(Note: the story of Josiah actually occurs chronologically much later in Old Testament history during the period of the Divided Kingdom, but is presented here as part of the unit on Kings).
My Notes
1 Warm Up get your kids talking and engaged
What do you want to be when you grow up? What if you could already be that by the time you were 8 years old?
Today, we're going to learn about a boy who became king of Judah when he was only 8 years old.
2 Teach the Story teach a holistic story
Consider using the "Child Teacher" reinforcement activity before you teach the lesson.
Read story from a Children's storybook Bible for younger children.
For older children, read story from an age-appropriate Children's storybook Bible or tell the story yourself.
3 Bible Mastery give them basic Bible skills
Scripture for Kids to Read Aloud 2 Kings 22:1-11; 23:1-3; 23:21-25
4 Comprehension Questions make sure they understand the story
First, ask the children if they have any questions about the story. What to do if you don't know the answer?
- Which kingdom was Josiah king of?
- Judah, the Southern Kingdom
- Were Josiah's father and grandfather good kings or bad kings?
- Bad
- How old was Josiah when he became king?
- 8 years old
- What did Josiah want to do with the money that had been collected in the temple?
- He wanted to repair the temple
- What did the workers find when they were repairing the temple?
- A Scroll or Book of the Law, probably Deuteronomy
- What did Josiah do with the scroll?
- He read it to all of Judah and recommitted them to the Lord
- What celebration did Josiah read about in the scroll that he had Judah celebrate?
- The Passover feast
- What did he do with all the items they used to worship false gods?
- He removed them from the temple and destroyed them
5 Faith Questions open up a conversation about faith and the gospel; close with prayer
- God gave us the Bible as his word to us.
- Do you read the Bible?
6 Memory Verse hide God's Word in their heart
Child Teacher
- Josiah was made king at the age of 8.
- Josiah was young, but had a big job.
- He turned away from the path his father and grandfather had been leading the people. Josiah led the people back to God.
- Choose a student in your class to be in charge.
- Choose wisely. A student that is fairly calm, but willing to speak up.
- (You don't want a student that will yell at the other students.)
Fix your Church
- Find a project your students can do to help work on their church building.
- It can be a small project, such as a small cleaning project or a large project, like painting.
- The ideas will vary depending on the age of your students.
Making Matzah
- Matzah is the Jewish name for unleavened bread. It is a thin, wafer-like cracker. The process of making Matzah should be completed in no more than 18 minutes from start to finish, including baking time. This is to represent the dough that didn't have time to rise as the Hebrews quickly left Egypt. They put the dough on their backs, and while they were walking, the sun baked in into hard crackers. Matzah is eaten by Jews during the week-long celebration of Passover.
- 2 cups unbleached flour
- 1/2 cup water (more , if needed)
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees
- Place flour in bowl
- Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in water, Mix.
- Add more water, as needed until flour in mixed. Knead dough until soft, not sticky
- Roll into a ball. Divide into quarters.
- Roll each quarter into a circle. Place matzah on baking sheet and prick all over with a fork.
- Bake for 5 minutes on each side, or until edges are golden.
Connect to Jesus
- King Josiah
- Turned to God with all his heart (2 Kings 23:25).
- Renewed the Old Covenant with the people.
- Repaired the temple building.
- Provided lambs for Passover from his own flock
- King Jesus
- Perfectly obeyed the Father in all things.
- Established the New Covenant in His blood.
- He was the temple
- Became the Lamb of God who takes away sin.
Hide and Seek Scroll
- Hide the scroll or Bible and have the students find it.
Paper Bag Scroll
- Give each student a piece of the paper bag.
- Have students crumble the paper to make it look worn.
- Glue 10 commandments paper strips to the crumbled paper bag.
- Wait for it to dry .
- Roll up scroll.
- Tie with ribbon or string.
Judah, Judah (to tune of Teddy bear, Teddy bear)
Sing to the tune of teddy bear, teddy bear, turn around.
Judah, Judah, turn around.
Judah, Judah, don't fall down.
Judah, Judah, read the scroll,
Judah, Judah, do what you're told.
Judah, Judah, eat the feast.
Judah, Judah, don't use yeast!
Judah, Judah, do what's right.
Love The Lord with all your might!
Make Scrolls
- Other versions refer to the found material as being the Book of Law. The Ten Commandments were part of the Book of Law.
- Print 10 commandments onto white paper.
- Glue dowel rods to the top and bottom of the scroll.
- Wait for it to dry and roll it up.
- Tie a ribbon around the scroll to hold it closed.
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