In this lesson, children learn that God made a special way for His people to be clean from their sins, and that He is holy and wants to be near them. This lesson is for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God is holy, and He made a way for His people to be clean from their sins. Jesus is the one who makes us clean forever.
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)
Put your hands together in front of your chest, then slowly open them wide like a book. Say the words “clean” and “sins” as you open your hands, so children link the motion to the idea of being made clean.
The Story: Leviticus 16 for Kids
A long time ago, God’s people, the Israelites, lived in a camp in the wilderness. God gave them a special tent called the Tent of Meeting, where He would be with them. Inside was a room called the Most Holy Place, and God’s presence was there in a cloud above a golden lid on a box. Only one person could go into that room, and only once a year.
That person was Aaron, the high priest, who was Moses’ brother. God told Moses that Aaron must not come into that room at any time he wanted, because God is holy and no one can come near Him carelessly. Aaron first had to bathe his body in water and put on holy linen clothes. Then he brought a young bull for his own sins and his family’s sins.
Aaron also took two goats from the people. He placed them before God at the door of the tent, and he picked one goat by lot for God and one goat to be the scapegoat. Aaron offered the goat for God as a sin offering, so that the people could be made right with God. Then he put his hands on the scapegoat’s head and confessed all the sins of the people over it.
A man led the scapegoat far away into the wilderness, to a place where no one lived. The goat carried the people’s sins away with it. Aaron then washed, put on his own clothes, and offered burnt offerings for himself and for the people. God said this would be a special day to remember every year, called the Day of Atonement.
God told His people to stop their everyday work on that day and to humble their hearts before Him. Their sins would be washed away, and they would be clean before the LORD. Even the strangers living among them were to remember this day.
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 not to let Aaron come into the Most Holy Place whenever he wanted. Explain that God is so holy that people must come to Him in the way He chooses.
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 laid his hands on the goat and confessed the sins over it. Explain that the goat carried the sins away into the wilderness, far from the people.
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 that God called this an everlasting statute, meaning it was to be done every year. Help children see that God’s plan for cleansing was faithful and complete, and that Moses and Aaron did exactly what God commanded.
Talk About It
- Why do you think God told Aaron he could not go into the Most Holy Place whenever he wanted?
- What did the goat carry away into the wilderness, and why was that important?
- How did the people feel when they knew their sins were taken away?
- What is one thing you could say to God when you have done something wrong?
- Who do you know that can help make us clean from our sins?
Activity Ideas
Draw the Scapegoat in the Wilderness
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a goat walking away into an empty desert, with a few rocks and a sun in the sky. Have them write one sin they want God to forgive on a small piece of paper and tape it to the goat’s back. Talk about how God takes our sins far away.
Goat Walk Game
You will need a stuffed animal or a small toy to be the goat, and a room with some open space. Choose one child to be the goat carrier and have them carry the toy goat across the room to a far corner, where you place a basket or box to represent the wilderness. Pause and explain that the goat carries sins away, then cheer when it reaches the far corner.
Clean Hands Card for Home
You will need a sheet of cardstock, a marker, and some soap and water. Write the words “God makes us clean” on the card and draw a simple hand outline on it. Ask children to take the card home and wash their hands together with their family each day while saying a short thank you prayer to God for making us clean.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God is holy and that sin separates people from Him, so He provided a way to atone for sin and make His people clean. The Day of Atonement pointed forward to the greater cleansing that Jesus would accomplish through His own sacrifice, which the New Testament explains at length.
With children, avoid overstating the details of the ritual or suggesting that children should attempt to imitate the priestly rites. Keep the focus on God’s holiness, His mercy in providing a way to be clean, and the joy of being forgiven.
A Prayer to Close
Holy God, thank You for making a way for us to be clean from our sins. Help us remember that You are holy and good, and that You forgive us when we ask. Thank You for Jesus, who makes us clean forever. Amen.
