Elisha’s Last Arrows Preschool Lesson
Preschool lesson (ages 3–6, 20 minutes)
1. Welcome (3 min)
Sit in a circle, greet every child by name and show one thing from the story to touch.
2. The little story (5 min)
Teach the refrain first: “Victory is with the LORD.”
Elisha the prophet was very old now. A prophet is a man who tells people God’s words. Elisha was very sick. He had to lie in bed.
Israel was in trouble at that time. The king of Syria had a strong army. He was hard on God’s people, year after year.
Joash, the king of Israel, came to see Elisha. The king cried over him. “My father, my father!” he said. “The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!” Elisha had once said these same words himself, when his teacher Elijah went up to heaven.
What did the king mean? Maybe he meant this: Elisha was like a whole army for Israel. God spoke through Elisha and helped his people. And now Elisha was very sick.
Elisha said to the king, “Take bow and arrows.” So the king took a bow and some arrows. A bow is for shooting arrows far away. Victory is with the LORD.
Elisha said, “Put your hand on the bow.” The king did. Then old Elisha laid his own hands on the king’s hands. Can you put your hands on top of each other, like that?
“Open the window eastward,” said Elisha. East is where the sun comes up in the morning. The land of Syria was that way. The king opened the window.
Then Elisha said, “Shoot!” Whoosh! The arrow flew out of the window, far away. Can you pull back a pretend bow and let go? Whoosh!
Elisha said, “The LORD’s arrow of victory, even the arrow of victory over Syria! For you will strike the Syrians in Aphek.” Victory means winning. God would help Israel win against Syria. Victory is with the LORD.
Then Elisha said, “Take the arrows.” The king took them. “Strike the ground,” said Elisha. So the king hit the ground with the arrows. Tap! Tap! Tap! Three times. Then he stopped. Can you tap the floor three times?
The man of God was angry. “You should have struck five or six times,” he said. “But now you will strike Syria just three times.” The king had stopped too soon.
Five or six times! Can you hold up five fingers? Now six! But the king hit the ground only three times.
Soon after that, Elisha died, and they buried him. The old prophet was gone. But God was still with his people.
The king of Syria was still hard on Israel. But the LORD was gracious to his people. Gracious means kind and loving. The LORD had compassion on them. That means he felt for them and cared. He remembered his promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Then the king of Syria died. His son became the new king of Syria. King Joash fought against him. One, two, three times Joash won, just as Elisha had said. He got back the cities of Israel. Victory is with the LORD.
The LORD was kind to his people. He kept his promise, and he cared for them. Victory is with the LORD.
3. Talk together (3 min)
- Why do you think Elisha put his hands on the king’s hands?
- What do you think the king thought when Elisha said he stopped too soon?
4. Move (3 min)
Refrain Freeze: move around the room; when you say the refrain, everyone freezes and says it together.
5. Make (4 min)
Draw a line to who said it.
6. Verse and prayer (2 min)
“The LORD’s arrow of victory” — 2 Kings 13:17 (The LORD’s → point up; arrow → pull back a pretend bow; victory → both arms up high)
Dear God, thank you that you are kind to your people. Thank you that you help us. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: Never Give Up Too Soon
Memory verse: “The LORD was gracious to them, and had compassion on them, and favored them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” — 2 Kings 13:23 · WEB
The Bible story
Old and sick, the prophet Elisha has one last gift for a frightened young king, hidden inside a bow, some arrows, and a promise that God always keeps.
Talk about it
- What did King Joash cry when he saw Elisha? — "My father, my father!"
- How was Elisha feeling at the start of the story? — Very old and sick
- Which young king came to visit Elisha? — King Joash
- Why was the king so frightened? — Enemies from Aram
- What did Elisha tell the king to pick up? — A bow and arrows
- Which window did Elisha tell him to open? — The window facing east
Where is Jesus in this story?
Elisha helped King Jehoash, but soon Elisha died and was buried (2 Kings 13:20). Even the best helper on earth cannot stay forever. Jesus is different. He died but rose again, and the Bible says He “always lives to intercede” for His people (Hebrews 7:25). His help never runs out, and He never stops praying for you.
What God wants to tell us
The young king struck the ground only three times, and then he stopped believing there was more that God could do. But God wanted to give him so much more! When we pray, or try our best, or trust God with a big worry, we can keep going with hope instead of stopping too soon. God is never tired, never too old, and never too weak to help us. His love keeps working even when we feel small, and He loves to give His children more than we dare to ask.
Prayer
Dear Lord, thank You for staying close to Elisha even when he was old and tired. When I feel small or frightened, please put Your strong hands over mine and help me not to give up too soon. Thank You for always keeping Your promises. Amen.
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