God's People Were Taken Captive:    

The focus of this family time is to use five easy steps to teach your family that God was right to punish His people for their sin, but He kept His promise to provide a king through David’s family. Ultimately, God punished our sin through His Son, Jesus, and made Him our King forever.

MEMORY VERSE: 

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are.”

Psalm 139:12-13

Learn the Memory Verse together and say it throughout the week to help your family remember and apply what they have learned.

STEP 1. GATHER!

Use this time to begin Family Worship Night and have fun!

Play “Simon Says” as a family; however, when “Simon” says to do something, everyone should do the opposite. Make the motions easy for younger kids but work up to harder actions as the game progresses. Talk about how the Israelites faced consequences when they didn’t listen to God. End the discussion by reminding kids that Jesus took our punishment and provided us a way to be brought back to God’s presence.

STEP 2. WORSHIP!

• Sing and have fun while worshiping then pray. Take a moment here to thank God for your family and your time together!! 

STEP 3. BIBLE!

Watch the Bible story video or read 2 Chronicles 36 from the Bible:

Preschool:

Elementary:

STEP 4. DISCUSSION! 

Use these questions and points to have a conversation with your children about the Bible story. 

Preschool Discussion:

• Instead of helping God’s people follow Him, the kings encouraged the people to do what? bad things. 
• God even sent prophets to warn the people, did they listen? No, they ignored
them. 
• Finally, God had enough. It was time to punish His people for their sin. Did God love His people? Yes! It is important to remember that God loved His people, but He could not allow them to keep doing wrong. God allowed the king of Babylon to destroy Jerusalem and take the people captive. 
• God was right to punish His people because they sinned. Because God loved His people, He promised to send them a good king. Many years later, God sent who? Jesus! He sent Jesus to be our perfect King forever. 

Elementary Discussion

• Time and time again, the kings of Judah chose to disobey God. And even though God loved His children like a father, the people did not listen to His warnings, and they forgot about their God. God judged the people of Judah for their sin. They were attacked by the armies of Babylon and lived as slaves in a foreign land.  
• The northern kingdom of Israel was attacked and conquered by the Assyrians. The southern kingdom of Judah was attacked and conquered by the Babylonians. Because they had disobeyed, God’s people were slaves in other countries for centuries. But what about God’s promise to Abraham to bless all nations through his descendants? What about the promise to David that his descendants would sit on the throne forever? Had God forgotten about these promises?  
• Isaiah 40:8 says, “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” These words remind us that every promise God has spoken is true, and He will always keep His promises. When God poured out His judgment on the people for their sin, the kingdom of Judah was no more. But even then, God was working out His plan to send a greater king to save His people. God would send His own Son, Jesus—who was from the family of Abraham and David—to bring forgiveness and peace to all who trust in Him.  
  
• God was right to punish His people for their sin, but He kept His promise to provide a king through David’s family. Ultimately, God punished our sin through His Son, Jesus, and made Him our King forever.

STEP 5. Pray!

• Pray: God, we know that You always keep Your promises. Help us to trust in You even when we don’t see how You’re working. Thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross and to save all who believe in Him.