This lesson teaches children that God cares about how we treat other people, and that being comfortable is not the same as being right with Him. It is made for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God sees how we treat others, and He wants us to be fair and kind, even when we have plenty of nice things.
Memory Verse
Amos 6:8
“The Lord the LORD has sworn by himself,” says the LORD, the God of Armies: “I abhor the pride of Jacob, and detest his fortresses. Therefore I will deliver up the city with all that is in it.
(WEB)
Put one hand on your heart and the other hand out in front of you, palm up, as if you are giving something away. Say the verse slowly with the motions, then do it again with your children until they can say it without looking.
The Story: Amos 6 for Kids
Long ago, the people of Israel lived in two places: the city of Zion and the land around Samaria. Many of them were rich and important. They had beautiful beds made of ivory, and they ate the best food, like lambs and calves from the farm. They sat around playing music on harps and drinking wine from big bowls. They even put expensive oil on their skin.
The prophet Amos noticed something sad. While these people were having a happy time, many of their neighbors were hurting and in trouble. The rich people did not feel sorry for them. They did not help. They acted as if the hard times of others did not matter at all.
Amos warned them that these good times would not last. God was not pleased with their pride, and He would bring their proud feasting to an end. Their big, strong houses would be broken into pieces, and the people would be taken away to other lands. The party was over.
Amos also reminded them that God had said it Himself. He told the people that He hated their pride and their strong buildings. The people had turned what was right into something bitter, like poison. They had forgotten that God wants people to be fair and good to one another.
Then Amos asked the people a question with a picture in it. He asked whether horses could run on rocky cliffs, or whether oxen could plow there. Of course they could not. The people were trying to live in a way that was never meant to work, just like plowing on a rock.
Read It Together
Amos 6:1
Woe to those who are at ease in Zion, and to those who are secure on the mountain of Samaria, the notable men of the chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel come!
(WEB)
Point out the words “at ease” and “secure.” Explain that these people felt safe and comfortable, and they stopped thinking about God and about other people. Ask the children how it feels to be comfortable and forget about someone who needs help.
Amos 6:6
Who drink wine in bowls, and anoint themselves with the best oils; but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph.
(WEB)
Show the children that the people were not grieved for Joseph, which means they did not care about the hurt of their own family and neighbors. Explain that God notices when we do not feel sad for people who are suffering.
Amos 6:12
Do horses run on the rocky crags? Does one plow there with oxen? But you have turned justice into poison, and the fruit of righteousness into bitterness…
(WEB)
Point out the picture of turning justice into poison. Explain that justice means doing what is fair and right. When we are unfair, it spoils good things, just like poison spoils food that should be healthy.
Talk About It
- What are some good things that God gives us, and how can we share them with others?
- How do you feel when someone is mean to you, and what can you do to be kind when someone else is treated badly?
- Why do you think the people in the story forgot about their neighbors?
- What is one way you could help someone who is having a hard time this week?
- Why does God care about how we treat other people, even when we are not in trouble ourselves?
Activity Ideas
Craft: Two Houses
You will need paper, crayons, glue, and a few cotton balls or fabric scraps. Have each child draw a big house and a small house on the paper. On the big house, they can draw things that show comfort, like a bed, food, or a harp. On the small house, they can draw a friend who needs help. Talk about how the two houses are connected and how we can care for both.
Game: Pass the Bowl
You will need a bowl, a few small pieces of paper, and a timer. Write a simple way to help someone on each slip of paper, such as sharing a toy or saying a kind word. Pass the bowl around in a circle while music plays. When the music stops, the child holding the bowl picks a slip and acts it out. The others guess what kind thing they are showing.
Take Home: Kindness Calendar
You will need a piece of paper, a pencil, and a few stickers if you have them. Draw a simple calendar with seven boxes for the week. Each day, your child can draw or place a sticker in a box to show one kind thing they did for someone else. At the end of the week, sit together and look at the calendar, talking about how each act of kindness helped someone.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Amos 6 warns that comfort can make people careless about others. Wealth and ease are not wrong in themselves, but when they lead people to ignore the suffering of their neighbors, God takes it seriously. The chapter calls us to examine our hearts and to remember that God cares about justice as much as worship.
When teaching children, avoid making the lesson sound like a threat that God is waiting to punish every child who has nice things. Focus instead on the simple truth that God loves fairness and kindness, and He wants His people to care for one another.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for loving us and for caring about every person in the world. Help us to notice when others are sad or hurting, and show us how to share what we have. Teach us to be fair and kind in everything we do. Amen.
