Elementary Level, Block 7—Salomon, Kings and Prophets
Week 63
Jehoshaphat—Fearing God and Behaving before Him
Point to Emphasize: We can be those who behave properly and get to enjoy many things.
Reference Reading: 2 Chronicles 17:1-19; 19:10
Memory Verse: But pursued the God of his father and walked in His commandments…
(2 Chronicles 17:4)
Story Sample:
Today we are going to talk about a king named Jehoshaphat—Je-ho-sha-phat. Can you say his name? Good job! This king Jehoshaphat was a person who feared God and behaved before Him. Because of this, Jehoshaphat was able to enjoy the good land, the land God had given to the children of Israel.
I think we have all heard the word behave before, right? I know I have. When I was young, I heard it A LOT. Before we went somewhere, my mom would always tell me, “You need to behave when we are there.” Why do our parents say this? Well, actually how we behave matters a lot. Let me give you an example. Let’s say we are going to the library. How should we behave in a library? That’s right—we should whisper and be quiet, and we should be careful with the books. When we behave properly at the library, we have such a nice time. When we’re quiet and respectful, everyone enjoys having us there. And when we are gentle with the books, many other children can enjoy them, too. As long as we behave properly, the library is such an enjoyable place to visit.
We can say the same thing about being at the playground. How do we behave on a playground? Right! We share the equipment with other children, and we use it safely and properly. When we do that, we make it easier for everyone to have a good time at the playground—no one gets hurt, and no one is left out. The playground is a lot of fun, and whenever we behave properly we get to enjoy all of those fun things!
One time when I was young, I was not behaving very well at school. The teacher sent me to the principal’s office. While I was in there, the other students got to have some fun lessons and do crafts and play. They got to do that because they had been behaving, but I had to miss out on learning something new and on having a lot of fun because I had not behaved! That taught me a good lesson—when we behave, we get to enjoy many things with others, but when we misbehave, we often miss out. [Storyteller, insert your own example of the benefits of behaving.]
Just like there are proper ways to behave at the library, on the playground, and at school, there is also a way that we should behave before God. God wants His people to love Him and keep His commandments. Jehoshaphat did that. The Bible tells us that Jehoshaphat walked in the former ways of David; he followed God the way David did and he also made the decision to pursue Jehovah. Because he feared God and followed Him, God was with Jehoshaphat. God made the way for Jehoshaphat and his people to enjoy the benefits of the good land.
There are other kings in the Bible who did not behave so well, and they did not get to enjoy so much either. They also ruined things for many people. Jehoshaphat was a different man and a different king. Because of that, when Jehoshaphat was king, the children of Israel got to rest and enjoy the good land. We can be like Jehoshaphat! We can be those who behave properly and get to enjoy many things.