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Good Kings of Israel and Judah: Josiah & Joash

To Remember: Good rulers honor God

Lesson Handout Pages (.pdf) or use as lesson text

Lesson Focus: Josiah
Josiah was a young man who was King of Judah. He honored God and repaired His temple. during the repairs, workers found an old book of the law of Moses. No one had read this book in a very long time. Josiah was eager to hear God's law, but when he heard it, he was scared. He realized that Judah had not obeyed many laws! He directed that the whole country begin obeying the laws at once. God was pleased with Josiah's eagerness to do all that God had said.
Discussion: Was it Josiah's fault that the law had been ignored so long? No. Did he use that as an excuse to keep ignoring the law? No. He realized his responsibility to act upon what he learned. We, too, should act upon what we learn, when we learn it. We cannot blame others for not teaching us, or say that since our parents did not know it, we are not responsible. Josiah knew he was guilty of breaking God's law, even though he did not intentionally do it. And his response was repentence and obedience.

Worksheet:
Memory Work:

               2 Kings 23:25 "Before him there was no king like him, who turned to the Lord with all his heart, soul and might...nor did any like him arise after him."

Craft: Making Scrolls

Cut a piece of paper in half length-wise. Have students write in the middle. Make a scroll from the paper by wrapping the ends around craft sticks and rolling towards the center. Discuss how books were very different then.

Lesson Focus: Joash
Joash's family was killed in an attempt to take over the kingdom, but he was hidden in the Temple until he was seven years old. Then he became king. Joash led an effort to rebuild God's Temple in Jerusalem. He placed a large chest outside for people to donate money for the work. He himself donated a large amount to start the work. People would add more money as they had it available. God has always expected His people to use their resources to accomplish spiritual work. And He expects it to be a regular, on-going part of our life. Not just a once-in-a-while, large donation. Everyone can help, even this seven year old boy.

Note: Joash could have taxed the people to raise the money, but he didn't. His heart was like God's - in that he wanted voluntary donations - sincere contributions.
Worksheet:
Craft: Print on stiff paper and have students assemble to act out the donations made at the Temple.

Memory Work:

               2 Chronicles 24:2 "Throughout the time of Jehoida the priest, Joash did what was right in the Lord's sight."

Sing: "Only a little boy David"

Review Questions for gameboard

linguistic questions

  1. What was the Temple? the building where Jews worshipped God
  2. What is a scroll? a rolled up piece of parchment with words written on it
  3. What is a King? a ruler or leader of a country

activity questions

  1. Act out Joash hearing the law the first time.
  2. Quickly sketch a scroll.
  3. Locate Jerusalem on a map.

 emotion questions

  1. How did Josiah feel when he heard that God's law had been ignored? scared, sad, repentant
  2. How do you think Joash felt when he no longer had to live hidden in the Temple? excited, scared
  3. What feelings led people to donate to the Temple? respect for God, desire to see his Temple restored, generosity

 application questions

  1. In what ways can I help God? obey new commands as I learn them, be a good example to others
  2. Give two examples of young people whom God used? Josiah, Joash, Miriam, the boy with loaves and fishes...
  3. How should I respond when I learn that something I've been doing is wrong? I should stop doing it, ask God for forgiveness, and restore any damage I've done

fact questions

  1. Why did Joash live in the Temple? because the queen would have killed him
  2. Where did the workers find the law of God? buried in the Temple
  3. How did Joash raise money to rebuild the temple? He placed a box outside and asked the people to give.

review questions

  1. Why was Josiah eager to hear the law read? because it was the very words and will of God revealed to man
  2. Why was Josiah scared when he learned that they had broken God's law? because disobedience is punished (God's covenant to protect his people was contingent upon their obedience).
  3. Why did Joash donate to the rebuilding of the Temple? because it was important to him and he had the resources to do it.