In this lesson, children learn that God made a way for His people to be clean and close to Him, through a yearly Day of Atonement that pointed to forgiveness. Children aged about 5 to 11 can enjoy it, and it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God gave His people a special way to say sorry and be made clean, so they could stay close to Him.
Memory Verse
Leviticus 16:30
For on this day shall atonement be made for you, to cleanse you; from all your sins you shall be clean before the LORD.
(WEB)
Have children cross their arms over their chest, then open their hands wide like a door swinging open. Say “clean” together as the hands open, reminding them that God makes us clean.
The Story: Leviticus 16 for Kids
God spoke to Moses after two of Aaron’s sons had died because they came near to God the wrong way. God told Moses to warn his brother Aaron that he could not walk into the most holy place whenever he wanted. Only once a year, and only in the right way, could he go in.
Aaron had to prepare carefully. He washed his body with water and put on plain linen clothes, the holy garments God had asked for. Then he brought a young bull for his own sin, and a ram for a burnt offering. He also took two goats from the people of Israel.
Aaron put two lots into a pot, one marked for the Lord and one for a scapegoat. He picked up the lots, and whichever goat got the Lord’s lot was offered as a sin offering for all the people. The other goat was brought alive before the Lord, so that it could be sent away into the wilderness carrying the people’s sins with it.
Aaron went inside the curtain with a burning pan of coals and sweet incense. The smoke covered the top of the box of the testimony so he would not die. He sprinkled blood from the bull and the goat on the mercy seat, and he cleansed the holy place, the tent, and the altar as well. God’s people were made clean from all their sins that day.
Then Aaron laid both his hands on the head of the live goat and confessed all the wrongs of the people. A man led that goat out into the wilderness, and it carried their sins far away. God told His people that this would be a law forever, a day to humble themselves and rest from their work.
Read It Together
Leviticus 16:2
And the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother, not to come at all times into the Most Holy Place within the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark; lest he die: for I will appear in the cloud on the mercy seat.
(WEB)
Point out that God told Moses to warn Aaron about coming into the holy place at any time he chose. Ask children why God wanted people to be careful when they came near Him, and remind them that God is holy and good.
Leviticus 16:21-22
21 Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins; and he shall put them on the head of the goat, and shall send him away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who is in readiness. 22 The goat shall carry all their iniquities on himself to a solitary land, and he shall release the goat in the wilderness.
(WEB)
Show children how Aaron put his hands on the goat and confessed the people’s sins, and how the goat carried them away. Explain that this was a picture of God taking our wrongs far away from us.
Leviticus 16:34
“This shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel once in the year because of all their sins.” It was done as the LORD commanded Moses.
(WEB)
Point out the word “forever” and tell children that God’s plan to make His people clean was a promise He kept. Aaron obeyed exactly what God said, and so should we.
Talk About It
- Why do you think God wanted His people to come near Him in a special way?
- What did the goat that was sent away into the wilderness show us about our sins?
- How did Aaron have to get ready before he went into the holy place?
- What is one thing you can do when you know you have done something wrong?
- How does it make you feel to know God makes us clean?
Activity Ideas
Scapegoat Drawing Craft
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and cotton balls. Have each child draw a goat on the paper, then glue a few cotton balls onto its back. Explain that the cotton balls stand for the sins the goat carried away, and talk about how God takes our sins far from us.
Carry the Sins Relay
You will need a small bag of dried beans or pebbles and a clear space in the room or yard. Have children take turns carrying the bag from one side to the other without dropping it, then leave it at a “wilderness” spot. Afterward, remind them that the goat carried the people’s sins far away, and that God does the same for us.
Take-Home Clean Heart Card
You will need an index card and a pencil for each child. Have children write “God makes me clean” on the card and draw a simple heart around it. Encourage them to put the card somewhere they will see it at home, such as by the bed or on the fridge, so they remember God’s forgiveness during the week.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that sin separates people from a holy God, and that God provided a way for atonement, a covering for sin, through the priest and the sacrifices. These rituals pointed forward to the perfect sacrifice of Jesus, who gives us lasting forgiveness and access to God.
With children, avoid overstating the details of the rituals or suggesting that the goat fully explains Jesus’s sacrifice. Keep the focus on God’s holiness, His kindness in making a way to be clean, and the simple truth that He forgives His people.
A Prayer to Close
Lord God, thank You that You are holy and that You made a way for us to be clean. Help us to come to You with honest hearts and to remember that You take our sins far away. Thank You for loving us so much. Amen.
