This lesson teaches children that God cares for people who are poor, lonely, or easily forgotten, and that he wants his people to care for them too. It works well for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including the story, questions, and a short activity.
Big Idea
God loves the people who are often overlooked, and he wants us to be kind and fair to them. When we remember how God has been kind to us, we want to share that kindness with others.
Memory Verse
Deuteronomy 24:18
But you shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt, and the LORD your God redeemed you there. Therefore I command you to do this thing.
(WEB)
Hold both hands out in front of you, palms up, like you are receiving a gift. Then slowly place one hand on your heart as you say the verse together. Repeat it three times, each time a little softer, until the whole class can say it with their hands on their hearts.
The Story: Deuteronomy 24 for Kids
Long ago, God gave his people Israel a big list of rules to help them live well together. He wanted them to be fair, kind, and honest with one another. He knew that some people in their community had very little, so he gave special instructions to protect them.
One rule was about a neighbor who needed to borrow something. If you lent a poor neighbor something and they gave you a cloak as a promise to pay you back, you had to give the cloak back before night came. God said, “Let him sleep in his cloak and bless you.” A poor person might have no other blanket to keep warm, so this rule kept them from being cold.
God also told the people to pay their workers on the same day they worked. A worker who was poor needed that money to buy food for his family that night. God did not want anyone to be cheated or left hungry.
Next, God gave a rule for the farm. When the farmers gathered their crops, they were not supposed to pick every last grain or olive or grape. They had to leave some behind on purpose. The leftovers were for the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow, who had no fields of their own to harvest.
God reminded his people of something important. They had once been slaves in Egypt, with no one to help them. But God rescued them and gave them a home. Because God had been so good to them, they were to be good to others.
Read It Together
Deuteronomy 24:19
When you reap your harvest in your field, and have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to get it. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.
(WEB)
Point out the word “forgotten” in this verse. Explain that God wanted the farmers to leave the forgotten sheaf in the field on purpose, so someone in need could find it. Ask the children what it feels like to be forgotten, and how they could help someone who feels that way.
Deuteronomy 24:14
You shall not oppress a hired servant who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers, or one of the foreigners who are in your land within your gates.
(WEB)
Show the children that God says a poor worker should not be treated unfairly, whether he is a neighbor or a stranger. Explain that God cares about how we treat people who work hard for us, and that fairness matters to him.
Deuteronomy 24:21
When you harvest your vineyard, you shall not glean it after yourselves. It shall be for the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.
(WEB)
Read this verse slowly and point out the repeated words “the foreigner, for the fatherless, and for the widow.” Ask the children to name people in their own town who might need help, and explain that God’s rule was a way of making sure those people were never left out.
Talk About It
- Why do you think God wanted his people to remember that they were once slaves in Egypt?
- How did God take care of the people who had very little in this story?
- What is one way you could be fair to someone who works hard for your family?
- Who is someone you know who might feel left out or forgotten, and what could you do to help them?
- What is something God has given you that you could share with someone else this week?
Activity Ideas
Leftover Harvest Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a few small pictures of fruit or grain from a magazine or printed online. Ask each child to draw a field with a basket in one corner, then glue or draw a few pieces of fruit inside the basket and leave some pieces scattered on the ground. Explain that the scattered pieces are for people who need them. Talk about who the children would want to share their leftovers with.
Stop and Share Game
Set up a simple game where one child is the “farmer” and the others are “gleaners” who follow behind. Use a bag of dried beans or small toy blocks as the harvest. The farmer walks forward and scatters a few beans on the floor on purpose, and the gleaners pick up only the beans they find. Stop after a few minutes and talk about how it felt to leave some behind for others.
Take-Home Kindness Jar
You will need an empty jar, a marker, and slips of paper. Write “Leave Some for Others” on the jar and ask each child to write or draw one kind act they can do for someone this week. Fold the slips and place them in the jar. Encourage families to pull out one slip each day and do that act together before bedtime.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God’s law was never only about individual behavior. It was about building a community where the poor, the foreigner, the orphan, and the widow were protected and cared for. The rules about lending, wages, and gleaning all point to a God who sees the vulnerable and calls his people to reflect his generosity.
With children, avoid suggesting that these rules apply in exactly the same way today. Some instructions were given to an ancient farming community with its own customs. Focus instead on the heart behind the rules: God cares about fairness, generosity, and remembering that every good thing we have comes from him.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for loving everyone, even people who are often forgotten. Help us to be fair and kind, to share what we have, and to remember how you rescued us. Teach us to care for others the way you care for us. Amen.
