How to Teach a Character Series: What Hezekiah Can Teach Youth

The “What I’m Teaching at Youth Group” series presents a snapshot of a recent series the author has taught in their own ministry. Our goal is to present a helpful model for what it looks like to practice biblical and theological depth in youth discipleship.

Short series can be really beneficial. This is an opportunity to take a character from the Bible and have a more in-depth look at them and their walk with the Lord. Our youth have much to learn not only from these Bible characters’ successes, but also their failures and weaknesses. Thankfully, God hasn’t filled the Bible only with stories of heroes of unattainable valour, perfect people we struggle to identify with. There are also many flawed individuals who, by the grace of God, occasionally reach heights of godliness that we can aspire towards. 

Here’s an example of one such character study, about King Hezekiah. His story appears across three completely different books of the Bible, each with a slightly different take on his reign. 

Helpful Context: Who was Hezekiah and Why Choose Him?

I taught a four-part series looking at the life of Hezekiah, talking through the topic of “Choices” through examining the life of this King. Choices are something that everyone faces every day, and the choices we make help shape the kind of people we become. This is certainly true for Hezekiah, and it is no less true for the young people to whom we’re ministering. This Old Testament king provided a nice foil through which our students could examine their own lives. 

In this series, I decided to read longer sections of narrative than a typical series to help them get the flow of the passage. I felt the story was really gripping, but I wondered how our young people would stay focused. However, the feedback I got from them was positive and they seemed to enjoy the Bible being read in such an engaging way before getting into some exposition of the text. Emphasizing the narrative like this helped provide the necessary context for understanding the passages.

Hezekiah was a bright spot in a pretty terrible age of kings in both Judah and Israel. He was used by God in some incredible ways to bring reform to a nation, often through him showing some monumental acts of faith. His choices shaped the history of the nation! But his choices were not always honoring – which makes him a fascinating character for teenagers to look at. In all of Hezekiah’s stories – whether he was faithful or not – God proved Himself to Hezekiah. In the obedient times, God was faithful, merciful, powerful to act, quick to heal; and in the disobedience, He was also swift to judge and remained totally holy. 

How Did this Series Benefit My Students?

One of the parts of this series that I loved was its effectiveness. Even though it sounds a bit harsh, the flow of the series did a great job of lifting up Hezekiah as an example to follow, only to expose his disobedience right at the end. In the first three talks, I really set Hezekiah up as the hero, a “golden boy” of the Bible, a total legend. But then, as with most characters in the Bible, his flaws were exposed in the final talk, and we proved he was not so perfect after all.

However, the reason I think this was so helpful in a character study is that, regardless of the greatness of the Old Testament characters we may want to highlight: Moses, Abraham, David, etc., we want to show that they are only ever, at best, a glimpse of what Christ is like. They accomplish some incredible things, and captivate our imaginations with stories of miracles and iconic moments. But they also embody the deceptive nature of sin and its consequences, the difficulty of trusting God, and even what losing God’s favor looks like. In all their goodness, they point us to Jesus and what faithfulness to God can look like. In their failures, they leave us wanting more: the One who never lets us down. The one who is always good and faithful and true, whose legacy is never tainted and whose kingdom will last forever. 

Hezekiah, and others like him, in their victories and their failures, should ultimately point us to Jesus. I think character studies done this way can be incredibly beneficial for our students, drawing them into a world that they find unfamiliar so that we can point them to the One they need the most. 

How Might You Do a Character Study?

Obviously, you may not choose to study Hezekiah yourself - the Bible has a plethora of fascinating characters to choose from. But how do you go about constructing your character series?

1) First, pray. What might God be leading you to study with your young people? Is there a particular character or characteristic that you think your students will benefit from?

2) Second, think through length. You probably don't want to spend 10 weeks looking at Boaz - as you'll probably be over-playing your hand. But you also don’t want to spend only 2 weeks looking at Abraham, since it probably won’t do him justice.

3) Third, look for God. As much as you can, look for characters whose stories point you more to the greatness of God than to the characters themselves. Good characters to study are often ones who are flawed in themselves, and the benefit we glean is that they show how it is only God who is always faithful.

4) Fourth, remember your students. Think about how these characters might engage your youth - either in the way that their stories have points of contact with culture (like Daniel and his defiance against what was expected of him in a pagan society), or because they are so wildly different from what we know (like... well... all of the characters in Judges!).

5) Lastly, pray again. Offer your work to God and pray that he'll use it to bring glory to His name and engage the hearts of your young people.

“Choices” Series Lesson Plan

Week 1: 2 Chronicles 28-31 - Context and the Start of Hezekiah’s Reign: Choosing Who to Follow

Main Points:
1. You don’t have to choose to follow ungodly examples
2. You can choose to live for God
3. Choosing to live for God means removing everything that gets in your way
4. Jesus is the one who reforms our hearts

Week 2: Isaiah 36-37 - Sennacherib’s Attempted Siege and God’s Deliverance: Choosing Who to Trust

Main Points:

1. Who do you trust?
2. Choosing to trust God will always find him faithful.
3. God sent a greater deliverer.
4. If God is for us, who can be against us?

Week 3: 2 Kings 20:1-19 - Hezekiah’s Illness and Prayer of Faith: Choosing to Run to God

Main Points:

1. You can always be honest with God about how you’re feeling!
2. The sovereign God hears and answers prayers
3. Jesus took the consequences for our self-centred lives so that we would receive only God’s blessings

Week 4: 2 Chronicles 32:25-33 - The end of Hezekiah’s life, his mistake, and the rise of Manasseh: Choosing Your Legacy

Main Points:

1. What kind of legacy do you want to leave?
2. You’ve got to make your own choices; will you worship God or will you worship something else?
3. Jesus is the better Hezekiah