In this lesson, children learn that God helps His people when they turn back to Him and remember what He has done. This lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God helps us when we turn back to Him with our whole hearts. He is faithful, and we can trust Him to be with us in hard times, just as He was with Israel.
Memory Verse
1 Samuel 7:12
Then Samuel took a stone, and set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called its name Ebenezer, saying, “The LORD helped us until now.”
(WEB)
Teach the children to hold up a stone in one hand and place it on the other palm as they say the verse together. Each time they say “helped us,” they can lift the stone up high like a flag of thanks.
The Story: 1 Samuel 7 for Kids
For a long time, the people of Israel had been away from God. They had been worshiping other gods, and they felt sad and far from the LORD. The ark of God, the special box that showed God was with His people, had been sitting in a house on a hill in Kiriath Jearim for twenty years. The people missed Him very much.
Samuel was a faithful leader who loved God. He told all the people, “If you want to return to the LORD with your whole heart, you must throw away your idols. Turn your hearts to God, and serve Him alone.” So the people did just that. They put away their false gods and started serving the one true God.
Samuel called all the people together at a place called Mizpah. They poured out water before the LORD as a sign of their sorrow, and they went without food all day. They said, “We have sinned against the LORD.” Samuel prayed for them, and he offered a young lamb to God.
Then the Philistines, their enemies, came to fight against Israel. The people were scared. They begged Samuel, “Please don’t stop praying for us!” Samuel kept calling out to God. Suddenly, God thundered loudly from the sky, and the Philistines were confused and fled. Israel chased them away and won the battle.
To remember this great help from God, Samuel took a big stone and set it up between two towns. He named it Ebenezer, which means “stone of help.” He said, “The LORD helped us until now.” God kept protecting His people while Samuel was alive, and Samuel kept leading them faithfully.
Read It Together
1 Samuel 7:3
Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you, and direct your hearts to the LORD, and serve him only; and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.”
(WEB)
Point out that Samuel told the people to turn to God with all their hearts. Ask the children what it means to give God our whole heart and not just part of it.
1 Samuel 7:6
They gathered together to Mizpah, and drew water, and poured it out before the LORD, and fasted on that day, and said there, “We have sinned against the LORD.” Samuel judged the children of Israel in Mizpah.
(WEB)
Show how the people admitted their sins and said sorry to God. Explain that saying sorry to God is a good and brave thing to do, and that He always listens.
1 Samuel 7:10-11
10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines came near to battle against Israel; but the LORD thundered with a great thunder on that day on the Philistines, and confused them; and they were struck down before Israel. 11 The men of Israel went out of Mizpah, and pursued the Philistines, and struck them, until they came under Beth Kar.
(WEB)
Point to the way God answered Samuel’s prayer with thunder and won the battle for His people. Help the children see that God is powerful and can help us even when we feel afraid.
Talk About It
- What kinds of things do people sometimes put in God’s place, and how can we keep God first in our hearts?
- How did the people of Israel show that they were sorry for their mistakes?
- Why do you think Samuel prayed for the people even when they were scared?
- What is a time when you felt afraid, and what could you say to God in that moment?
- Why did Samuel build a stone to remember what God had done, and what is one thing you could remember about God?
Activity Ideas
Ebenezer Stone Craft
You will need paper plates or small gray paper circles, crayons or markers, and glue. Let each child draw a simple stone or rock on the paper and write or draw one way God has helped them this week. Glue the paper to a cardboard strip so they can take it home and place it somewhere they will see it often.
Thunder and Scatter Game
You will need a open space and a few soft balls or beanbags. Choose one child to be Samuel and the rest to be the Philistines. When the leader shouts “Thunder,” the Philistines run away and hide, while the children playing Israel chase them gently. Afterward, talk about how God fights for His people.
Take-Home Reminder Card
You will need index cards or paper strips, a pen, and tape or string. Write “The LORD helped us until now” on each card and let children decorate it. Encourage them to tie it to their bedpost or bag and read it aloud when they feel worried or need help remembering God’s faithfulness.
Teacher Notes
This chapter shows that God’s people find strength and peace when they return to Him with their whole hearts. Samuel leads by calling people to repent, to pray, and to trust God alone. For adults, it is a reminder that God remains faithful even after long seasons of drifting away, and that remembering His past help builds faith for the future.
Be careful not to suggest that children must earn God’s help by behaving perfectly. The chapter emphasizes turning to God and trusting His mercy, not earning His favor through our own efforts. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness and His desire to help His people.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for always being with us and helping us. Help us to turn our hearts toward You and to keep You first in everything we do. When we feel scared, remind us that You are powerful and You love us. Help us remember all the ways You have helped us. Amen.
