In this lesson, children learn that God sometimes asks his people to do unusual things to show them what is coming, and that God’s messengers obey him even when it is hard. The lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God’s prophet Ezekiel obeyed God in strange ways, so God’s people could see that God keeps his promises, even the hard ones, and that obeying God matters.
Memory Verse
Ezekiel 4:14
Then I said, “Ah Lord the LORD! Behold, my soul has not been polluted; for from my youth up even until now I have not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn of animals. No abominable meat has come into my mouth!”
(WEB)
Put one hand on your chest, then lift it up high, like you are saying “I obey.” Say the verse together, and do the motion each time you say the word “Ah Lord” so children link the words to the action.
The Story: Ezekiel 4 for Kids
God spoke to a man named Ezekiel and told him to do something very strange. He was to take a flat clay tile and draw a picture of the city of Jerusalem on it. Then he was to build little walls, ramps, and camps around the picture, as if an enemy army were attacking the city. Ezekiel did exactly what God said, even though it looked silly to the people watching.
Next, God told Ezekiel to lie down on his left side for many days. Each day stood for a year of the people’s sin. Ezekiel had to lie there a long time, and God had tied ropes around him so he could not roll over. Lying still like that was not easy, but Ezekiel stayed with it because God asked him to.
Then God told Ezekiel to lie on his right side for forty days, one day for each year of sin in the land of Judah. God also gave him a small meal to eat, made from wheat, barley, beans, and a few other grains. Ezekiel had to weigh his food and measure his water carefully. God even told him to bake the bread over cow dung instead of wood.
Ezekiel was upset by this. He cried out, “Ah Lord God! I have never eaten anything unclean in my whole life!” God heard him and said, “Then bake your bread over cow dung instead of man’s dung.” God was kind to Ezekiel and let him use something cleaner than what he first was told to use.
God explained why he gave these signs. The people of Jerusalem would soon run out of food and water, and they would be afraid and sad. They had turned away from God, and now they would suffer for it. God wanted them to see this and turn back to him.
Read It Together
Ezekiel 4:1-3
1 “You also, son of man, take a tile, and lay it before yourself, and portray on it a city, even Jerusalem. 2 Lay siege against it, build forts against it, and cast up a mound against it. Also set camps against it and plant battering rams against it all around. 3 Take for yourself an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between you and the city. Then set your face toward it. It will be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
(WEB)
Point out that God told Ezekiel to draw a picture and make it look like a battle. Ask the children what it would feel like to make a picture of a place that was going to be attacked.
Ezekiel 4:9-11
9 “Take for yourself also wheat, barley, beans, lentils, millet, and spelt, and put them in one vessel. Make bread of it. According to the number of the days that you will lie on your side, even three hundred ninety days, you shall eat of it. 10 Your food which you shall eat shall be by weight, twenty shekels a day. From time to time you shall eat it. 11 You shall drink water by measure, the sixth part of a hin. From time to time you shall drink.
(WEB)
Show how God told Ezekiel exactly how much bread and water to have each day. Explain that God cares about small details, and that he gives us what we need one day at a time.
Ezekiel 4:15
Then he said to me, “Behold, I have given you cow’s dung for man’s dung, and you shall prepare your bread on it.”
(WEB)
Point out that God listened when Ezekiel was upset and changed what he had asked. Remind children that God hears us too when we tell him how we feel.
Talk About It
- What did God ask Ezekiel to do that seemed strange to you?
- How do you think Ezekiel felt about lying still for so many days?
- Why do you think Ezekiel obeyed even when it was hard?
- What did Ezekiel say when he didn’t want to eat the bread the way God first told him?
- What is one thing God has asked you to do that was hard, and how can you do it with God’s help?
Activity Ideas
Draw the Clay Tile
You will need paper, crayons, and some cardboard or a paper plate. Have each child draw a simple city on the paper, then glue a few paper walls or tiny triangles around the edge to show an army. Talk about how Ezekiel drew his picture of Jerusalem and why God wanted him to show the people what was coming.
Lie Still Game
Play a quiet game where children lie on the floor on their side and stay still for one minute while the teacher counts slowly. Then have them stand and say how hard it was to stay still. Explain that Ezekiel stayed still for much longer, because God asked him to.
Take-Home Bread Measure
You will need a small cup, a bowl, and a few dry snacks like crackers or cereal. Ask the child to measure out one cup of snacks each day for a week to remember that God gives us what we need. Ask them to share at dinner one thing God has given them that day.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this passage shows that God’s messages sometimes came through unusual actions that set the prophet apart as a sign. Ezekiel’s obedience in lying still, rationing food, and enduring discomfort pointed to the coming siege of Jerusalem and to the people’s need to repent. The passage also shows that God is sovereign over his messengers and over the nations.
When teaching children, avoid overstating the exact meaning of each number, such as the three hundred ninety days and forty days. Focus instead on the main idea that Ezekiel obeyed God and that God’s warnings are real.
A Prayer to Close
Dear Jesus, help us to listen to you and obey you, even when it feels hard or strange. Thank you that you hear us when we are upset and that you care about the small details of our lives. Help us to trust you each day. Amen.
