Today’s Reading:
Read II Kings 16:1-3a, 7-9, 10-14; 17:1-16, 18-23, 33-40
We’re building a tower today! If you have a JENGA game or a block stacking game, pull it out for today’s reading. As a family, build a tower then slowly begin the process of removing one block at a time until the tower falls down. Talk about what made the tower fall. Usually, a tower can stand with several pieces missing. However, when one crucial piece is removed, the tower falls down. In today’s reading, we read how the nation of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, collapsed.
We’ve read in Isaiah and Micah that there was a time coming when the Northern Kingdom and Southern Kingdom would fall. In today’s reading from II Kings 16-17 and II Chronicles 28, we read how the final piece of the tower was pulled out and the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell. Israel’s kings continued to do what was evil in the sight of the Lord. The people in the Northern Kingdom continued to worship false gods. King Hoshea of Israel was taken captive by the Assyrian nation because of his deceptive promises. God had promised the Israelites protection and provision, but they had to keep their part of the covenant as well for that protection and provision to remain. The Northern Kingdom did not obey God’s commands and continually allowed for false worship of pagan gods. God removed His presence, his protection and His provision from the people of the Northern Kingdom.
The people in Judah, the Southern Kingdom, were also not following God’s commands. However, because their King was of the line of David, God did not allow total destruction for Judah. Even though King Ahaz put his trust in the Assyrian king and not God.
Application/Prayer:
Read Deuteronomy 31:8 and Hebrews 13:5. Part of God’s covenant with Israel was that He would never leave them or forsake them. Remember that a covenant is two-way. Both people involved make promises to each other. The Israelites promised to follow God’s laws and be obedient. In today’s reading we see how the Israelites did not keep their promise and so God removed his presence. As a family, discuss that consequence. Thank God for the promise He made to us in Hebrews 13:5 that He will not leave us or forsake us.
July Memory Verse:
“Truly I tell you, anyone who hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not come under judgment but has passed from death to life.”
Using the daily reading prompts from George H. Guthrie’s Read the Bible for Life, here’s how to use this devotional:
- Bring your Bible! Your kids need to see that everything you are reading to them or learning about comes from an actual Bible!
- Each day starts with a reading prompt. Read the selection as a family. If your kids are readers, encourage them to read along with you.
- After you’ve read the passage, read the short devotional thought that goes along with each passage.
- Prayer and application are important any time we read God’s word! After each devotional, there is a challenge to help apply what your family has read that day.
- There is a reading for six days of the week. The last reading of the week is a Gospel Conversation Prompt to help you connect the reading from the week with God’s plan for salvation.
Other Resources:
July memory verse coloring sheet
July Fill-in the blank activity