In Jeremiah 27, God tells his prophet to wear a yoke and warn the kings around Judah that they must trust God’s plan, even when other voices promise something easier. Children learn that God is in charge of every nation and that we should listen to the one who tells the truth. This lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God is in charge of everything, so we should listen to his true word instead of people who tell us what we want to hear.
Memory Verse
Jeremiah 27:5
‘I have made the earth, the men, and the animals that are on the surface of the earth by my great power and by my outstretched arm. I give it to whom it seems right to me.
(WEB)
Have the children stretch both arms out wide like a giant, then put their hands on their hearts. Say the words together while you stretch, and then the words while you rest your hands on your heart. Repeat it three times, getting slower each time.
The Story: Jeremiah 27 for Kids
A long time ago, the king of Judah was named Jehoiakim, and later a king named Zedekiah ruled. God told a man named Jeremiah to make a wooden yoke, the kind of heavy frame an ox wears on its neck to pull a plow. Jeremiah put the yoke on his own neck so everyone could see it. God wanted a message sent to the kings of nearby countries like Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon.
God told Jeremiah to send messages to those kings through their messengers. The message was simple: God made the earth and everything in it, and God gives it to whomever he chooses. God had handed these lands to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, and God’s plan was for those nations to serve him for a time.
Some people in those countries had prophets and dream-readers who promised the nations they would not have to serve Babylon. Those voices sounded happy, but God said they were telling lies. Jeremiah said to the people, “Do not listen to those who tell you that you will not serve the king of Babylon.”
Jeremiah spoke to King Zedekiah too. He said, “Bring your neck under the yoke and live.” God was not trying to hurt them. He was giving them a way to be safe if they trusted his word.
Jeremiah also warned the priests and the people. False prophets were saying that the valuable things taken from the Temple would soon come back. God said those promises were false. Jeremiah told them that one day God would bring those treasures back himself, but only in God’s own time.
Read It Together
Jeremiah 27:2-3
2 The LORD says to me: “Make bonds and bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Then send them to the king of Edom, to the king of Moab, to the king of the children of Ammon, to the king of Tyre, and to the king of Sidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.
(WEB)
Point out that God told Jeremiah to make a yoke and send a message to the kings. Explain that God often used object lessons, like this yoke, to help people remember a message. Ask the children what a yoke is for and why it might be a surprising thing for a prophet to wear.
Jeremiah 27:9-10
9 But as for you, don’t listen to your prophets, to your diviners, to your dreams, to your soothsayers, or to your sorcerers, who speak to you, saying, “You shall not serve the king of Babylon;” 10 for they prophesy a lie to you, to remove you far from your land, so that I would drive you out, and you would perish.
(WEB)
Show the children that some people speak with confidence but are not telling the truth. Help them see that God calls those voices false because they lead people away from God’s plan. Encourage children to notice that a happy-sounding message is not always a true one.
Jeremiah 27:22
‘They will be carried to Babylon, and there they will be, until the day that I visit them,’ says the LORD; ‘then I will bring them up, and restore them to this place.’”
(WEB)
Point out the ending of the chapter, where God promises to bring the treasures back to the place they belong. Explain that God keeps his promises, even when we have to wait a long time to see them. Let the children hear that God’s timing is good, even when it feels slow.
Talk About It
- What did Jeremiah wear to show the kings what God wanted them to do?
- How can you tell when someone is telling you the truth and when they are not?
- Why do you think God wanted the kings to listen to him instead of the false prophets?
- What is something you have had to wait for, and how did waiting feel?
- How can you ask God to help you listen to his true word?
Activity Ideas
Paper Yoke Craft
You will need strips of cardboard, paper, tape, crayons, and string. Have each child decorate a paper yoke with crayons and write the memory verse on one side. Tape string to each end so the yoke can hang around a neck like a necklace. Talk together about how God’s word can feel heavy but is also helpful.
Truth or Lie Movement Game
You will need a open space and a few chairs. Say a short statement out loud, like “God made the sky” or “God has no plan.” If the statement is true, children stand up tall and stretch their arms wide. If the statement is false, they sit down and cross their arms. Use the game to talk about how we know which voices to trust.
Take-Home Promise Card
You will need index cards, markers, and a small hole punch with ribbon. Have each child write the memory verse on one side and draw a picture of God holding the world on the other. Punch a hole and tie the ribbon so they can hang it on a bedroom door. Encourage them to read it each morning this week.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God is sovereign over all nations, and he calls his people to trust his word over the appealing messages of their culture. Jeremiah’s yoke was a costly and public act of obedience, showing that God’s truth is sometimes hard to hear. The chapter also reminds us that God keeps his promises to restore what he has allowed to be taken, even when that restoration is delayed.
When teaching children, avoid making the chapter sound like a simple rule about politics or about every hard thing in life being God’s punishment. Keep the focus on listening to God’s true word and trusting his good plan, which is the heart of the passage.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, we thank you that you are in charge of everything and that you always tell the truth. Help us listen to your word and not to voices that lead us away from you. Teach us to trust your good plan, even when we have to wait. Amen.
