In this lesson, children learn that God looks for people who do what is right and tell the truth, and that God keeps His promises even when His people turn away. This lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God sees whether people are honest and kind, and He always keeps His word. When we turn away from Him, He still wants us to come back to Him.
Memory Verse
Jeremiah 5:3
O the LORD, don’t your eyes look on truth? You have stricken them, but they were not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock. They have refused to return.
(WEB)
Ask the children to put one hand on their heart and then slowly turn it palm up, like giving something to God. Say the verse together while you do the motion, and let them repeat it with you until they can do it without looking.
The Story: Jeremiah 5 for Kids
Long ago, God sent a prophet named Jeremiah to speak to the people of Jerusalem. God told Jeremiah to run through the streets and look carefully. He wanted to find just one person who did what was right and wanted to know the truth. If Jeremiah could find even one such person, God said He would forgive the city.
Jeremiah searched the streets and the wide open places. But the people kept making promises in God’s name without really meaning them. They said, “As surely as the LORD lives,” but their words were false. Their hearts had become as hard as a rock, and they would not listen when they were corrected.
Jeremiah felt sad and thought the poor people did not know any better. So he went to the leaders, the important men, and said, “Surely you know the ways of God.” But these leaders had broken free from God’s rules, just like the others. Everyone had turned away together.
God was not happy about this. The people had been fed and cared for, yet they forgot the One who blessed them. They lived selfish, unkind lives and cheated those who were weak. God asked them, “Shouldn’t I do something about this?” He wanted them to change their ways.
God also told the people that He would not let them go without a warning. He promised to bring trouble if they kept refusing to return. But even then, God said He would not destroy them completely. He still loved them and wanted them to come home.
Jeremiah told the people the truth, even though many did not want to hear it. God’s words were meant to help them see their mistakes and turn back to Him. The story reminds us that God is always watching, and He always invites us to return.
Read It Together
Jeremiah 5:1
“Run back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in its wide places, if you can find a man, if there is anyone who does justly, who seeks truth, then I will pardon her.
(WEB)
Point out that God was looking for even one person who did right. Ask the children why God would care so much about one person, and remind them that God notices every honest heart.
Jeremiah 5:21
‘Hear this now, foolish people without understanding; who have eyes, and don’t see; who have ears, and don’t hear…
(WEB)
Show the children how the people had eyes and ears but did not really see or hear God. Talk about how we can pay attention to God by listening to Him in the Bible and when our parents and teachers help us.
Jeremiah 5:24
They don’t say in their heart, ‘Let us now fear the LORD our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; who preserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest.’
(WEB)
Explain that God gives us rain and food each season, and that He takes care of us every day. Ask the children to name something God gives them, and help them thank Him for it.
Talk About It
- What did God ask Jeremiah to look for in the streets of Jerusalem?
- Why do you think the people said they belonged to God but did not act like it?
- How do you think God felt when the people forgot Him?
- What is one way you can be honest and do what is right this week?
- Even when people turned away, God still wanted them back. What does that tell you about God?
Activity Ideas
Honest Heart Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a big heart and write or draw one honest thing they can do this week, such as telling the truth or sharing a toy. Have them tape the heart to the fridge so the family can see it every day.
Search the Room Game
You will need a few small objects, such as a spoon, a sock, and a button, hidden around the room. Tell the children they are Jeremiah searching the streets for an honest person, and they must look carefully for each hidden item. When they find one, have them say one true thing about God before they hide it again.
Thank You Jar at Home
You will need an empty jar, paper strips, and a pen. Each day, invite the family to write one thing God gave them and drop it in the jar. At the end of the week, read the notes out loud together and thank God for His care, just as the verses remind us that He provides rain and harvest.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God takes sin and hard hearts seriously, yet He keeps calling His people back to Him. The prophet’s search for one righteous person reveals God’s desire for justice and truth in everyday life. It also shows that God’s patience and His promise to restore remain even when judgment is coming.
With children, avoid making the passage sound like God is eager to punish or that children should fear Him in a way that drives them away. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness and invitation to return, rather than on the details of the coming judgment.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank You for seeing our hearts and for always keeping Your promises. Help us to be honest and kind, and to listen carefully when You speak to us. When we forget You, please help us come back to You. Amen.
