In this lesson, children learn that God set up a special year of rest and fresh starts for His people, so that no family would be forgotten. It suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including the story, a verse, and an activity.
Big Idea
God takes care of His people. He gave them rest, fair dealing, and fresh starts so that everyone could live well and remember that the land and everything in it belong to Him.
Memory Verse
Leviticus 25:10
You shall make the fiftieth year holy, and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee to you; and each of you shall return to his own property, and each of you shall return to his family.
(WEB)
Hold both hands out in front of you, palms up, like you are receiving a gift. Then raise them above your head and wiggle your fingers as you say the words together. Ask the children to say the verse once softly and once loudly.
The Story: Leviticus 25 for Kids
God spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai and gave a message for the people of Israel. Soon they would enter the land God was giving them. God told them that the land itself needed a rest, just as people did. Every seventh year, the fields were not to be planted, and the vines were not to be pruned.
Imagine a farmer named Asa who has worked his field for six years. In the seventh year he does not plant seeds. He does not gather grapes from his vines. Some of the plants grow on their own, and God said that everyone could eat from them, including servants, visitors, and even the animals. God promised that He would send extra blessing in the sixth year, so there would be enough food.
After seven sets of seven years, forty-nine years had passed. Then came the fiftieth year, called the Year of Jubilee. A trumpet sounded on the Day of Atonement, and God told the people to proclaim freedom throughout the land. Families returned to the land that had belonged to their ancestors, and people who had lost their property got it back.
God also taught the people to be fair to one another. If a neighbor was poor and had to sell some land, a relative could buy it back. If someone in trouble borrowed money, they were not to charge interest or take advantage of them. God said, “Fear your God,” which means trust Him and honor Him in how you treat others.
God reminded them why these rules mattered. He had rescued them from slavery in Egypt, so they were not to treat their brothers and sisters like slaves. He said, “For to me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants.” The people belonged to God, and so did the land.
Read It Together
Leviticus 25:4
But in the seventh year there shall be a Sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a Sabbath to the LORD. You shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard.
(WEB)
Point out that God gave the land a Sabbath of rest, just as He gave people a day of rest. Ask the children what it would feel like to stop working for a whole year and trust God to provide.
Leviticus 25:35-36
35 “‘If your brother has become poor, and his hand can’t support himself among you; then you shall uphold him. He shall live with you like an alien and a temporary resident. 36 Take no interest from him or profit, but fear your God; that your brother may live among you.
(WEB)
Show the children that God asked His people to help a neighbor who had become poor. Talk about simple ways they can help someone in their own class, family, or church who needs a hand.
Leviticus 25:55
For to me the children of Israel are servants; they are my servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.
(WEB)
Explain that the people belonged to God because He rescued them from Egypt. Remind the children that God has rescued them too and that they belong to Him.
Talk About It
- Why do you think God wanted the land to rest every seventh year?
- What would you have felt like if you were given back something that had been taken from your family?
- How can you show kindness to someone who is having a hard time right now?
- Why did God remind the people that He had rescued them from Egypt?
- What is one thing you can trust God to provide for you this week?
Activity Ideas
Draw a Jubilee Trumpet
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a paper towel tube if you have one. Have each child draw and decorate a trumpet or horn on paper, then roll it into a cone and tape it closed. As they blow or call out “Freedom!” through their trumpet, talk about how the trumpet announced the Year of Jubilee to everyone in the land.
Seven Years Relay
Clear a space in your room or yard and set up a line of cones or chairs. Children take turns running to the end, touching the cone, and running back, while others count aloud. Explain that the people counted seven years, then seven sevens, and finally forty-nine years before the Jubilee arrived.
Freedom Bag Take-Home
Give each child a small paper bag and a few dried beans or pieces of paper. Ask them to decorate the bag and write or draw one way they can share with someone this week. Encourage them to take the bag home as a reminder that God cares for everyone and wants us to care for others too.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God’s law touched every area of life, including land, money, debt, and how people treated one another. The Year of Jubilee pointed to God’s generosity and His desire for justice, and it reminded the Israelites that all they had came from Him. Christians often see in it a picture of the freedom and restoration that God later offered through Jesus.
When teaching children, avoid making the chapter sound like a simple formula for earning God’s favor or a guarantee that prosperity will follow obedience. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness, His care for the poor, and the fact that He is the true owner of everything.
A Prayer to Close
Father, thank You for taking care of us and everyone around us. Help us rest in You, be fair and kind to others, and remember that everything we have comes from You. Thank You for setting us free. Amen.
