The Gospel Project at Home: Israel's Evil Kings

Read Scripture

​Read all or parts of 1 Kings 14–15; 2 Chronicles 12–13 from your Bible or watch the Bible story video.

Preschool Bible Story Video

Elementary Bible Story Video

Talk About Scripture

Did you know there are thousands of different types of road signs around the world? These signs—like stop signs, speed limit signs, and road hazard signs—are all designed to keep people safe. There’s even a llama crossing sign in the country of Bolivia! Can you imagine the chaos if these signs weren’t there? Or even worse, think about what would happen if the signs were giving the wrong instructions—like telling you to “Go” instead of “Stop”! 

Over and over, God instructed His people to remember His power and faithfulness. Instead of pointing the Israelites to the one true God, Jeroboam pointed the people away from God. Jeroboam led the people to worship false gods. Even after God sent a prophet to confront Jeroboam about his sin, Jeroboam continued to sin against God. Ultimately, his disobedience would lead to the destruction of his kingdom. 

Like a bad road sign that leads to chaos, our sin leads us away from God and breaks our relationship with Him. Ultimately, our disobedience leads to eternal separation from God. Thankfully, God loved us—even while we were sinners—enough to send Jesus as the one to rescue us and lead us back to God. 

The first kings of Israel led the people to disobey God and to worship idols. Israel's kings suffered the consequences of their sin. We all sin when we disobey God and worship other things. Jesus died and rose again to pay for our sin and bring us back to God.                      

Pray: Jesus, thank You for being the true King whose kingdom lasts forever. Your life, death, and resurrection have made the way for sin to be forgiven and brings salvation to all who believe in You. Help us to turn away from sin and to follow You. Amen.

---

Learn Scripture

Preschool Scripture Music Video

Elementary Scripture Music Video

Family Prayer

Mornings: Praise God for giving the Bible to show us His power, His goodness, and His faithfulness. Ask God to give you a passion for reading His Word every day. How does reading the Bible help us know God and trust Him more?  

Evenings: Thank God for the leaders in your life who help you grow closer to Jesus. Praise Him for parents, teachers, pastors, and others who share about Jesus and remind you of how much He loves you.  

---

Family Activities

For Fun: Take the family for a drive to get ice cream or a special treat. On the way, ask kids to point out various road signs as you pass them. Discuss the message each sign gives to drivers and how that message keeps us safe. Remind kids that God’s Word points us toward worship of the One True God, and ultimately it points us to Jesus as the Savior we all need.   

To Serve: Choose a stretch of road in your community and spend an afternoon collecting trash and litter along the roadside. Be sure that young kids are a safe distance from the road. Talk about how the trash reminds us of sin and how sin ruins the relationship we were created to have with God. Remind kids that Jesus is the sacrifice who brings forgiveness to all who believe in Him.

This is a resource provided by LifeWay. For more great resources, click here.