This lesson teaches children that God keeps His promises and that we should trust Him, not things we make ourselves. It is designed for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God is our strong rock, and we can trust Him more than anything we build or own. When we forget Him, we are like people planting seeds in the wrong place, and God is always faithful to bring what He says.
Memory Verse
Isaiah 17:10
For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the rock of your strength. Therefore you plant pleasant plants, and set out foreign seedlings.
(WEB)
Hold both fists together in front of your chest, then slowly open them wide like a flower blooming. Say the words along with the motion, then shake your hands gently in the air to show the wind and the storm.
The Story: Isaiah 17 for Kids
Long ago, a prophet named Isaiah told the people of God a message from the LORD. He spoke about the city of Damascus, a big and busy city that was very proud of its strong walls. God said that Damascus would be taken away and become a pile of ruins, with only sheep resting where people once lived.
Isaiah also spoke about the people of Israel. God said that their glory would become thin and weak, like a field after the harvest when only a few grains are left behind. Even so, God promised that a few gleanings would remain, just like two or three olives hanging on a tree after the picking is done.
Then God said something wonderful. In that day, the people would look up to their Maker and respect the Holy One of Israel. They would stop bowing down to the idols their own hands had made, the wooden poles and little altars that could not help them at all.
God gently asked His people why they had forgotten Him. He reminded them that He is the rock of their strength. They had been planting pretty plants and foreign seeds, but their harvest would fly away like dust in a storm. God wanted His people to come back home to Him.
Isaiah told the children of Israel that the nations roar like loud, crashing waves. But God only has to speak, and those nations will run away like chaff blowing off the mountain in the wind. At evening, they could be full of fear, and before morning, they would be gone.
Read It Together
Isaiah 17:7
In that day, people will look to their Maker, and their eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel.
(WEB)
Point out that people turn to their Maker when they remember who really takes care of them. Ask the children who they look to when they feel scared or sad, and gently point them back to God.
Isaiah 17:8
They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands; neither shall they respect that which their fingers have made, either the Asherah poles, or the incense altars.
(WEB)
Explain that the people made altars and idols with their own hands and then trusted them. Help children see that toys, games, and even money can never save us the way God can.
Isaiah 17:13
The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters: but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far off, and will be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before the storm.
(WEB)
Show children that God is stronger than any big or scary thing in the world. Remind them that God can rebuke the nations with just a word and bring peace to His people.
Talk About It
- What did the people of Israel forget about God in this story?
- What are some things people today might trust instead of God?
- How can a rock be a good picture of how God takes care of us?
- When have you felt safe because you remembered God was with you?
- What is one thing you can do this week to remember God every day?
Activity Ideas
Rock and Seed Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a few small pebbles. Ask each child to draw a large rock in the middle of the page and write the words “God is my rock” across the top. Then have them draw small seeds and plants around the rock, and talk about how God helps everything we grow.
Wind and Chaff Game
You will need a few sheets of tissue paper cut into small pieces and a fan or a open window. Have the children stand in a circle and toss the paper bits into the air while you gently blow with the fan. As they watch the chaff scatter, say that this is how God scatters the nations that are against Him. Let the children cheer each time the paper flies away.
Trust Jar at Home
You will need an empty jar, paper slips, and a pencil. Each day this week, have your child write one thing they trusted God with on a slip of paper and place it in the jar. At the end of the week, read the slips together and thank God for being our faithful rock.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Isaiah 17 is a warning against trusting in human strength, idols, or false security while forgetting the Lord who saves. The chapter also holds a promise that a remnant will turn back to the Holy One of Israel. God’s judgment and His faithfulness are both on display, and His people are called to return to Him.
Be careful not to overstate the details of the nations and cities named in the chapter with young children. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness and our call to trust Him, rather than on specific historical events or political situations that children cannot yet understand.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank You that You are our strong rock and our faithful Savior. Help us remember You every day and not trust in toys, things, or our own strength. Keep our hearts close to You, and help us look to You when we feel afraid. Amen.
