CHILDREN’S SUNDAY SCHOOL MANUAL ASSEMBLIES OF GOD CHURCH 2ND APRIL 2023

SUNDAY, 2ND APRIL, 2023.

BIBLE TEXT: 2 Kings 22; 23:1-24

MEMORY VERSE:

I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word. Psalm 119:16 (NIV).

TARGET:

To help the child know what made Josiah a good king and how he or she, too, can be a good person.

During and after the lesson, each child will show that he or she understands the lesson by:

1. Retelling the story of the lesson.

2. Reciting the Memory Verse correctly.

3. Sharing what he or she has learnt from the lesson.

OUTLINE:

1. Josiah Is King in Judah – 2 Kings 22:1-2

2. God’s Word Is Found – 2 Kings 22:3-10

3 Huldah Confirms What God Said – 2 Kings 22:11-20

4. Josiah Brings Back True Worship – 2 Kings 23:1-24

How old are you? Have you given your life to Jesus? Do you think you are too young to do so or to work for the Lord? Many great men and women of God gave their lives to the Lord when they were quite young. Some did it before they were ten years. You are not too young to serve or work for God. Samuel began to work as soon as he was weaned from his mother’s breast.

There are people like king Josiah in the Bible. His father and grandfather were bad kings. But he was one of the kings that decided that the temple should be cleaned and the broken parts repaired. There was no king that turned to the Lord with all his heart. And that was why he succeeded where others failed.

LESSON COMMENTARY:

1. JOSIAH IS KING IN JUDAH – 2 Kings 22:1-2

Josiah was the last king of Judah who tried to bring the people of Israel back to the worship or God and who took strong action against idol worship in Judah. His mother’s name was Jedidah, which to means beloved. And she probably, was a godly woman who taught Josiah the fear of the Lord.

Josiah was only eight years old when he became king. his means that he was just a little kid. And what would such a little kid do in the midst of all the evil in the nation of Judah? Be it as it may, Josiah did what was right in the sight of the Lord and walked in the ways of David who was his ancestor. He did not turn aside to the right or to the left.

2. GOD’S WORD IS FOUND – 2 Kings 22:3-10

In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah started a programme of having the temple that had been neglected for a long time cleaned and repaired. He sent three government officials to go to the temple. They were to tell Hilkiah, the priest to count the money the people had given which the doorkeepers had brought in the money was to be given to the workmen for the things that were needed for the work in order to get the work done.

As the workers were doing the work of cleaning the temple, they found a copy of the Law. Perhaps this was the book of Deuteronomy or all the five books of Moses. Hilkiah told Shaphan, the secretary, about it and gave it to him. Shaphan went to the king and told him about the book of the law the priest had found in the temple. He then read it to the king.

3. HULDAH CONFIRMS WHAT GOD SAID – 2kings 22:11-20

When the king heard the content of the book, he tore his clothes. He immediately sent Hilkiah and four other officials including the secretary to go to a woman prophet called Huldah. They were to seek God concerning the people since they had sinned against Him.

When they got there, Huldah gave them a message for the king Josiah. She said that God would surely bring calamity on Judah and the people of Judah because they forsook Him and served other gods. His anger that would not be quenched would be poured on the place. But the king will not see the evil days. He would die in peace. His eyes would not see the calamity God would bring upon the people of Judah.

4. JOSIAH BRINGS BACK TRUE WORSHIP – 2 Kings 23:1-24

King Josiah went to the house of God with his people- men, women and children. It was a great gathering. They all came to listen to the Word of God. The king read the Word to them from the book that had been found in the temple. Everybody listened carefully. Then the king stood beside a pillar and made a covenant with God to obey and do everything written in the book. Everybody, small and great, also made the covenant.

Then the temple was cleaned. All the objects made for idols were taken out and destroyed. He destroyed altars used for idol worship and stopped the priests of idol worship from working as priests. He even went, as far as, other parts of Israel to cleanse them. He later returned to Jerusalem and commanded the people to keep the Passover feast. And they did so according to what was written in the law they had read.

We don’t need to wait until we are adults to do valuable things for God. Childhood is the time to seek the Lord. It is our first business as children to seek the Lord while He may be found. Josiah sought and found God as soon as he was old enough to understand. We, too, can decide to do what is right for God now that we are just kids. We can also work to correct things that are wrong in the society.

Josiah worked hard to be a good king. He paid attention to the temple and also to the Word of God. If we too are to be good children or even good Christians, we need to pay attention to the Word of God. We should read it and encourage others to do so. Obeying what the Bible says is also very important. The Memory verse says we should not forget or neglect the Word of God.

Again, we must seek God with all honesty. He requires us to be honest in all we do.

1. How old was Josiah when he began to reign?

(A) 28

(B) 18

(C)8

(D) 80

2. What was Josiah’s mother’s name?

(A) Jedidah

(B) Judah

(C) Joanah

(d) dead.

3 Mention two among three changes made in Josiah’s time.

(A) Building of good roads

(B) Brought back true worship

(C) B and D

(D) God’s Book was found.

4. What was the greatest discovery in the reign of Josiah?

(A) Best farmer

(B) Best houses

(C) Book of the Law

(D) No discovery.

DAILY BIBLE DOSE:

Monday: Ministering from Childhood – 1 Samuel 2:18

Tuesday: Panting for the Living Water – Psalm 42:1-2

Wednesday: Loving God’s Word – Ps 119:97-100

Thursday: The Greatest Treasure – Psalm 119:162

Friday: Becoming a Role Model – 1 Timothy 4:12

Saturday: Starting Early in Life – 2 Timothy 3:15