Hezekiah is one of those people in the Bible your children may never learn about in Bible class or church. Yet he is one of the more well known kings of Judah and has several fascinating stories of his reign told in the Bible.
Perhaps the most well known story about Hezekiah is found in 2 Kings 20. Hezekiah had become ill. The prophet Isaiah came to him and told him we was indeed dying. Hezekiah pleaded for the Lord to spare him. Isaiah told him that God had decided to let him live for fifteen more years. Here’s where it gets really interesting. Hezekiah asked for a sign that the Lord would indeed let him live several more years. Isaiah offered to make the shadow on the steps move either direction. Hezekiah wanted it to move backwards, because that was more difficult – and it did.
Your kids may not understand the idea of shadows going backwards and forwards. Making a sundial is a great way to teach them how shadows move and why Hezekiah knew going backwards was more difficult than forwards. You can find instructions for making a simple sundial here. You can also take note of how the shadows move over time on the steps of your porch if you have them. (If you want to go deeper, try making a wall sundial and note how you have to position the numbers differently for it to be accurate.)
As you reflect on the lesson and activity, discuss the power of prayer. Ask them to think of other times when God did what seemed impossible in the Bible. Talk about the amazing things you have seen God do today. End with a prayer asking God to help your family remember the power of God and the importance of praying to Him.
You and your children may want to explore the next story about Hezekiah in chapter twenty. Note not only the pride Hezekiah had and the consequences of it, but Hezekiah’s somewhat strange reaction to God’s consequence. How can our pride be our downfall? Why is it easy to pretend not to care about negative consequences that will happen in the future? Have they ever done something they knew would have negative future consequences, because they wanted to do what they wanted to do so badly? What happened when the consequence finally came? This is a great second lesson to introduce the concept of making good choices, in part, so you don’t have to experience those negative consequences in the future.