This lesson teaches children that God keeps His promises to bring His people back, even when they are far from home. Children ages 5 to 11 can learn it in 20 to 30 minutes, using a simple picture of two baskets of figs.
Big Idea
God loves His people and keeps His promises, even when they make bad choices and end up far from home. He can always be trusted to bring them back to Him.
Memory Verse
Jeremiah 24:7
I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God; for they will return to me with their whole heart.
(WEB)
Put one hand on your chest, then open both hands wide like you are giving a gift. Say the verse with your hands as you say it, so children feel that God gives them a new heart to know Him.
The Story: Jeremiah 24 for Kids
A long time ago, the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, took many people away from the city of Jerusalem. He took King Jeconiah, the leaders of Judah, and the skilled workers, and marched them all the way to Babylon. These people were far from their home and their Temple.
Then God showed the prophet Jeremiah a vision. In front of the Temple were two baskets of figs. One basket had very good figs, the kind that ripen first and taste sweet. The other basket had figs so rotten that no one could eat them.
God asked Jeremiah, “What do you see?” Jeremiah answered, “The good figs are very good, and the bad figs are so bad no one can eat them.” God told Jeremiah what the baskets meant. The good figs were the people taken away to Babylon. God said, “I will look on them with kindness and bring them home again.”
God made a promise. He said, “I will give them a heart to know me. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” God wanted His people to come back to Him with their whole heart.
The bad figs were the king Zedekiah, his leaders, and the people who stayed in Jerusalem or ran away to Egypt. God said they had chosen wrong, and He would let hard things happen to them. These were sad and serious words, and they show that God takes choices seriously.
Read It Together
Jeremiah 24:5-6
5 “The LORD, the God of Israel says: ‘Like these good figs, so I will regard the captives of Judah, whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans, for good. 6 For I will set my eyes on them for good, and I will bring them again to this land. I will build them, and not pull them down. I will plant them, and not pluck them up.
(WEB)
Point out that God says He will look on His people “for good.” Ask children what it means to look at someone with kindness, and show them that God is always watching over His people with love.
Jeremiah 24:3
Then the LORD asked me, “What do you see, Jeremiah?” I said, “Figs. The good figs are very good, and the bad are very bad, so bad that can’t be eaten.”
(WEB)
Show children how Jeremiah simply answered what he saw. Explain that God invites us to look carefully at the world and tell Him what we notice, the same way Jeremiah did.
Jeremiah 24:10
I will send the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, among them, until they are consumed from off the land that I gave to them and to their fathers.’”
(WEB)
Be honest and gentle here. Explain that God’s words about the bad figs show that people are responsible for their choices, and that God is fair. Keep the focus on how God still loved His people even when judgment came.
Talk About It
- What did Jeremiah see in the two baskets, and how were the figs different from each other?
- How do you think the people felt when they were taken far away from their home?
- What did God promise to do for His people who were far away?
- What does it mean that God would give His people a heart to know Him?
- How can you show God that you want to come back to Him when you have made a wrong choice?
Activity Ideas
Draw Two Baskets
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw two baskets, one filled with round, healthy figs and one with spotted, shriveled ones. Let them label the baskets “God’s Promise” and “Our Choices,” then talk about what each one shows.
Walk Them Home
You will need a few small objects, like a toy or a shoe, and a open space in your room. Hide the objects in different corners and have children walk toward them while you call out “Come back to me.” Explain that God keeps calling His people home the same way, and that He never stops calling.
Fig Snack Card
You will need dried figs, paper plates, and index cards. Give each child a few dried figs to taste and a card to take home. On the card, write “God loves me and keeps His promises,” and encourage them to read it to a family member at dinner.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God’s judgment and God’s mercy stand side by side. The exile was a real and painful consequence of the people’s disobedience, yet God promised to restore a faithful remnant and to give them a new heart. The passage reminds us that God knows who belongs to Him and that His purposes hold even in hard seasons.
Avoid overstating the bad figs to children. The point is not to frighten them with punishment but to show that God is serious about faithfulness and always keeps His promise to bring back those who return to Him.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for loving us even when we wander far from You. Thank You for promising to give us a new heart and to bring us back home. Help us to come back to You with our whole heart each day. Amen.
