Josiah and the Lost Scroll 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: “Not to the right, not to the left!”
Josiah was only eight years old when he became king. Can you show eight fingers? Little King Josiah lived in Jerusalem. He did what was right in the LORD’s eyes.
Josiah walked in God’s ways, just like King David long before him. He did not turn away from God’s path. Not to the right, not to the left! Can you point to the right, and then to the left?
When Josiah was grown up, God’s house needed fixing. So the king sent his helper Shaphan to the temple. “Give the money to the workers,” he said. “Let them fix God’s house.”
The money went to the carpenters and the builders. It bought wood and cut stones. Bang, bang! Tap, tap! Can you hammer like a builder? The workers were honest. They used the money well.
Then Hilkiah the high priest found something. “I have found the book of the law in the LORD’s house,” he said. It was God’s law, written down long ago. Maybe the people had forgotten it.
Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan. Shaphan read it. Then he brought the book to the king. “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book,” he said. And he read it out loud to Josiah.
King Josiah listened to God’s words. Then he tore his clothes. That is what people did when they were very sad. His people had not listened to God’s words for a long, long time.
Josiah sent his helpers to ask the LORD. He sent Hilkiah, Ahikam, Achbor, Shaphan and Asaiah. That is five helpers! Let’s count them on one hand: one, two, three, four, five!
They went to Huldah, a prophetess – a woman who spoke God’s words. She lived in Jerusalem. God sent a message to the king: “Your heart was tender. I also have heard you.” A tender heart is a soft heart that is sorry. Not to the right, not to the left!
Then the king called all the people to God’s house. The priests came. The prophets came. Big people and small people came. Josiah stood up and read all the words of the book to them.
The king stood by the pillar in God’s house. He made a promise before the LORD. He would follow the LORD and keep his commandments with all his heart. And all the people said yes to the promise. Not to the right, not to the left!
Josiah took away the idols from the land. Idols are statues that people prayed to, instead of God. Josiah wanted to do all that was written in the book.
Then Josiah said, “Keep the Passover to the LORD your God, as it is written in this book.” The Passover is a big feast. It helps us remember how God saved his people from Egypt.
There had never been a Passover like it! Not since the days of the judges, long before the kings. Not to the right, not to the left!
The Bible says there was no king like Josiah. He turned to the LORD with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might.
God’s word was heard in the land again. Not to the right, not to the left!
3. Talk together (3 min)
- What do you think Hilkiah felt when he found the old book in God’s house?
- Why do you think King Josiah read the book to all the people?
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)
“I have found the book of the law in the LORD’s house.” — 2 Kings 22:8 (I have found → hands open in surprise; the book → hands open like a book; the LORD’s house → hands make a roof over your head)
Dear God, thank you for your word, the Bible. Thank you that we can listen to it. Amen.
Lesson for older kids (ages 6–10)
Big idea: God's Word Leads Us Home
Memory verse: “He did that which was right in the LORD's eyes, and walked in all the ways of David his father, and didn't turn away to the right hand or to the left.” — 2 Kings 22:2 · WEB
The Bible story
When workers found a forgotten scroll deep inside the dusty Temple, a young king named Josiah discovered words that would change his whole kingdom.
Talk about it
- How old was Josiah when he became king? — Eight years old
- What did Josiah want to do most of all? — Love God with his whole heart
- What did Josiah send the workers to do? — Repair God's Temple
- Who found the hidden scroll in the Temple? — Hilkiah the high priest
- What was the special scroll? — The Book of God's Law
- Who read the scroll aloud to King Josiah? — Shaphan the scribe
Where is Jesus in this story?
The scroll found in Josiah's temple was the Book of the Law given through Moses (2 Chronicles 34:14). Jesus said, “If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me” (John 5:46). The same Scriptures that turned Josiah's heart back to God point us to Jesus, so reading the Bible helps us know Him better.
What God wants to tell us
Josiah shows us that God's words are a treasure worth finding. When we listen to what God says and let it into our hearts, it helps us know the right way to go. God is always gentle with a heart that truly wants to do good, and He loves to welcome us close to Him again, just as He welcomed Josiah and his whole kingdom.
Prayer
Dear God, thank You for Your special words in the Bible. Help me to listen to them and let them fill my heart. Like Josiah, I want to follow You and do what is right. Thank You that You always welcome me home. Amen.
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