Ezekiel 22 teaches children that God sees every wrong thing people do, and He cares about the people who get hurt. This lesson works well for ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes. Keep it simple and let the children move, point and answer as you go.
Big Idea
God sees everything, and He cares when people are unkind or unfair. He is always looking for people who will do what is right.
Memory Verse
Ezekiel 22:30
“I sought for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I would not destroy it; but I found no one.
(WEB)
Have the children stand tall with their arms out like a wall. Then ask them to take a step forward and say the last words together while they stand in the gap. Repeat it three times until the whole class knows the motion and the words.
The Story: Ezekiel 22 for Kids
God spoke to a prophet named Ezekiel, and He told him to look at the city of Jerusalem. The people there had been doing many wrong things. Some of them hurt others, and some of them forgot to honor God’s holy days. God wanted Ezekiel to tell them the truth about what they had done.
The leaders of the city were supposed to protect the people, but they did the opposite. They took things that did not belong to them, and they hurt the poor, the orphans and the widows who had no one to stand up for them. Some people even treated their own parents with disrespect. God saw every bit of it.
God said that He was angry, and He would not let the wrong go on forever. He compared the people to metal in a hot furnace. When metal is put in fire, the dirty parts rise to the top and burn away. God said that the people would be tested like that because of how they had lived.
Then God looked for someone who would stand up for what was right. He said, “I looked for a man to stand in the gap before me for the land.” God wanted someone brave who would pray for the people and speak up for what was good. But God did not find anyone who was willing to do that.
Read It Together
Ezekiel 22:6-7
6 “‘“Behold, the princes of Israel, everyone according to his power, have been in you to shed blood. 7 In you have they treated father and mother with contempt. Among you they have oppressed the foreigner. In you they have wronged the fatherless and the widow.
(WEB)
Point out that the leaders were supposed to help the people, but instead they hurt them. Ask the children what it looks like when someone uses their power to be unkind. Help them see that God notices when people are treated badly.
Ezekiel 22:12
In you have they taken bribes to shed blood. You have taken interest and increase, and you have greedily gained of your neighbors by oppression, and have forgotten me,” says the Lord the LORD.
(WEB)
Explain that the people had forgotten God even while they were doing wrong. Point out how easy it is to forget God when we get busy or when we want something that is not ours. Remind the children that God never forgets us.
Ezekiel 22:14
Can your heart endure, or can your hands be strong, in the days that I will deal with you? I, the LORD, have spoken it, and will do it.
(WEB)
Show the children that God asks a serious question about whether people can stand strong when He deals with their sin. Talk about how important it is to live in a way that pleases God now, so we are ready to trust Him later.
Talk About It
- What did God see that made Him unhappy with the people of Jerusalem?
- Who did the people hurt in this story, and why do you think God cared about them?
- What does it mean to stand in the gap for someone, and how could you do that at home or at school?
- How can we remember that God sees what we do, even when no one else is watching?
- What is one kind thing you can do this week to help someone who is treated unfairly?
Activity Ideas
Build a Wall of Kindness
You will need paper, crayons, tape and a few cardboard tubes or blocks. Ask each child to draw a brick on paper and write one kind action on it, such as sharing a toy or helping a neighbor. Tape the bricks together on the wall to show how each kind choice helps build something strong. Talk about how God wants people to be like the builders who protect others.
The Furnace Game
You will need a few small objects like coins, paper clips and rocks, plus a bowl or box to be the furnace. Have the children take turns dropping a “good” item and a “dirty” item into the bowl while you explain that God wants to remove what is wrong from our lives. Let them move around the room like the fire is getting hotter, and then talk about how God helps us grow and become clean.
A Week of Standing Up
You will need a small notebook or a sheet of paper for each child and a marker. Ask each child to write or draw one way they will stand up for someone this week, such as including a classmate or speaking kindly to a sibling. Encourage them to bring the page back next week and share what they did. Pray together that God will help them be brave.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Ezekiel 22 is a sobering picture of a community that has lost its moral center. The leaders had power and used it to exploit, and the people had forgotten God in the middle of their wrongdoing. The chapter also shows God looking for an intercessor, someone willing to stand before Him on behalf of others, which points to the value of faithful prayer and courageous righteousness.
With children, avoid overstating the imagery of God’s anger or the furnace. Keep the focus on God’s love and His desire for people to do what is right, rather than on fear or punishment. Emphasize that God is always looking for people who will stand up for others, and that the children can be part of that.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for seeing everything we do and for caring about people who get hurt. Help us to be kind, fair and brave, and to stand up for others when they need us. Give us hearts that want to please You every day. Amen.
