This lesson teaches children that God made a safe place for people who hurt someone by accident. Children ages 5 to 11 can follow it in about 20 to 30 minutes, and the teacher can keep the story short and the questions simple.
Big Idea
God cares about fairness and safety. He gave His people special cities where anyone who caused an accidental harm could run to be protected while the truth came out.
Memory Verse
Joshua 20:3
That the man slayer who kills any person accidentally or unintentionally may flee there. They shall be to you for a refuge from the avenger of blood.
(WEB)
Teach the verse one phrase at a time. For each phrase, have children hold out both hands like a open door, then sweep them toward their chest as if pulling someone safely inside. Say it together three times, getting slower each time.
The Story: Joshua 20 for Kids
A long time ago, God’s people were settling into the land He had promised them. God spoke to Joshua and told him to set up special cities of refuge. These were safe places for anyone who had accidentally hurt another person. The cities were not for people who had done something on purpose. They were for people whose hands had slipped or whose accidents had gone wrong.
God explained to Joshua how the safe city would work. A person who caused an accident would run to the gate of one of these cities. He would stand at the entrance and tell the leaders of the city what had happened. The leaders would let him come inside and gave him a place to live. God said, in simple words, that the family of the one who died could not chase him into the city and hurt him.
The person had to stay in that city until the people gathered together to decide what was true. The story says he would stay there until the high priest who was alive in those days died. After that, he could go home safely to his own house and his own town.
Joshua and the people then chose six cities in different parts of the land. Some were on the west side of the Jordan River, and some were on the east side. This meant that people from every part of the land could reach a safe city quickly. God wanted everyone to have a place to run to when they needed help.
The chapter ends with the people doing exactly what God said. They set apart these cities for all of the children of Israel and for the outsiders who lived among them. Everyone was welcome to find safety there.
Read It Together
Joshua 20:1-2
1 The LORD spoke to Joshua, saying, 2 “Speak to the children of Israel, saying, ‘Assign the cities of refuge, of which I spoke to you by Moses…
(WEB)
Point out that God started this chapter by speaking first. Ask children to notice that God gave Joshua clear directions, and that the people obeyed what God said to do.
Joshua 20:4-5
4 He shall flee to one of those cities, and shall stand at the entrance of the gate of the city, and declare his case in the ears of the elders of that city. They shall take him into the city with them, and give him a place, that he may live among them. 5 If the avenger of blood pursues him, then they shall not deliver up the man slayer into his hand; because he struck his neighbor unintentionally, and didn’t hate him before.
(WEB)
Show children that the city leaders would welcome the person in and protect him. Point out the words about not having hated the person before, and explain that God looked at the heart and the truth of what happened.
Joshua 20:7-9
7 They set apart Kedesh in Galilee in the hill country of Naphtali, Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the hill country of Judah. 8 Beyond the Jordan at Jericho eastward, they assigned Bezer in the wilderness in the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bashan out of the tribe of Manasseh. 9 These were the appointed cities for all the children of Israel, and for the alien who lives among them, that whoever kills any person unintentionally might flee there, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he stands trial before the congregation.
(WEB)
Help children find the names of the cities on a simple map if you have one. Explain that these cities were spread out so that every family could reach one quickly, and that God wanted safety to be close to everyone.
Talk About It
- Why do you think God wanted His people to have a safe place to run to?
- What would it feel like to accidentally hurt someone and be afraid of what might happen next?
- How did the leaders in the city show kindness to the person who ran to them?
- Why did God want the truth to be told before anyone was punished?
- Who are some people today who help keep us safe when we are scared?
Activity Ideas
Draw a Safe City
Give each child a sheet of paper, crayons, and a pencil. Ask them to draw a city with a strong gate, walls, and houses inside. Have them draw one person standing at the gate with open arms, showing that the city is ready to welcome someone who needs help. Let children explain their drawing to a partner.
Run to the Gate
Mark two spots on the floor or in a yard, one as the starting line and one as the city gate. Have children stand at the start, and call out a safe word. Each child runs to the gate, touches it, and says the phrase “I am safe here.” Play several rounds so every child gets a turn to run and feel welcome at the end.
Safe Place Card
Give each child an index card or a small piece of cardboard. Have them write or draw one safe place they know, such as home, a grandparent’s house, or a classroom. Let them keep the card in a pocket or backpack. Explain that God is our safe place all week long, and that the card is a reminder to talk to someone trusted when they need help.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows how God balances justice and mercy. He made sure that accidental harm was not treated the same as harm done on purpose, and He created a process where the truth was heard before any decision was made. The cities also reveal that God’s care reaches beyond one group, since outsiders living among the people were welcome too.
When teaching children, avoid overstating the details of ancient law or how these cities worked in daily life. Keep the focus on God’s kindness and the idea of a safe place. Children do not need to understand every legal detail to learn that God protects people who need help.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You that You are a safe place for us. Help us remember that You care when we make mistakes and when we feel scared. Teach us to be kind and fair to others, and to run to You when we need help. We love You. Amen.
