This lesson teaches children that God shows Amos what is true and right, and that God is patient and listens to his people. Children ages 5 to 11 can learn it in about 20 to 30 minutes, using the story, a short memory verse, and simple activities.
Big Idea
God shows us what is right, and he listens when we ask him to be kind. Even when we are small, God pays attention to us and hears us.
Memory Verse
Amos 7:3
The LORD relented concerning this. “It shall not be,” says the LORD.
(WEB)
Teach the children to hold both hands out flat, then slowly bring them together as if they are saying “sorry” to God. Say the verse slowly while you move your hands, and let the children copy you until they know the words by heart.
The Story: Amos 7 for Kids
Long ago, a man named Amos was a shepherd and a farmer who took care of sycamore fig trees. One day God showed Amos a vision of locusts, a huge swarm of insects that could eat a whole field of grass. The locusts were just starting to grow up, and they were ready to eat everything the land had to offer.
Amos was worried for the people of Israel, who were called Jacob’s family. He said to God, “Please forgive them! How can they stand if they are so small?” God listened to Amos, and God changed his plan. The locusts did not come.
Then God showed Amos a second vision, a great fire that dried up the deep water and almost burned the land. Amos asked God again to stop, and God listened once more. The fire did not come either. God is patient and kind, and he listens to the prayers of his servants.
Next God showed Amos a wall built with a plumb line, which is a string with a weight on the end that helps builders make a wall straight. God said, “Amos, what do you see?” Amos answered, “A plumb line.” God explained that he was checking his people the way a builder checks a wall, to see whether they were straight and true.
Amos told the people what God had shown him, and a priest named Amaziah did not like what Amos said. Amaziah told Amos to go away and not to speak at Bethel anymore. Amos answered that he was a shepherd, and God had sent him to speak. Amos did not stop telling the truth, even when it was hard to hear.
Read It Together
Amos 7:1-3
1 Thus the Lord the LORD showed me: and behold, he formed locusts in the beginning of the shooting up of the latter growth; and behold, it was the latter growth after the king’s harvest. 2 When they finished eating the grass of the land, then I said, “Lord the LORD, forgive, I beg you! How could Jacob stand? For he is small.” 3 The LORD relented concerning this. “It shall not be,” says the LORD.
(WEB)
Point out that Amos saw the locusts and then asked God to forgive. Show the children that Amos talked to God honestly and that God answered him. Ask them to notice that God listened to a person who cared about others.
Amos 7:7-8
7 Thus he showed me and behold, the Lord stood beside a wall made by a plumb line, with a plumb line in his hand. 8 The LORD said to me, “Amos, what do you see?” I said, “A plumb line.” Then the Lord said, “Behold, I will set a plumb line in the middle of my people Israel. I will not again pass by them any more.
(WEB)
Point out the plumb line and the wall. Explain that God checks his people to help them grow straight and true, the way a builder checks a wall. Let the children see that God cares about their hearts and their choices.
Amos 7:14-15
14 Then Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son; but I was a herdsman, and a farmer of sycamore figs; 15 and the LORD took me from following the flock, and the LORD said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel.’
(WEB)
Point out that Amos was a farmer and a herdsman, not a famous prophet. Show the children that God can use ordinary people to do important work. Encourage them to think about how God might use them too.
Talk About It
- What did Amos see when God showed him the locusts, and how did he feel about it?
- Why do you think God listened when Amos asked him to forgive the people?
- What is a plumb line, and how is it like God checking our hearts?
- How did Amaziah treat Amos, and what did Amos do about it?
- What is one way you can ask God to help someone you care about?
Activity Ideas
Plumb Line Drawing
You will need paper, a pencil, a piece of string, and a small washer or bead. Tie the bead to the end of the string and let it hang straight down. Help the children draw a straight wall by following the string, then talk about how God helps us stand straight and true. Let each child decorate their wall with a picture of something God helps them with.
Locust Hop Game
You will need an open space and a few soft toys or pillows to mark the grass. Children pretend to be locusts and hop from one spot to the next, eating the grass. When you say “Stop, please!” the children freeze, just as Amos asked God to stop the locusts. Play a few rounds and talk about how God listened to Amos.
Take-Home Prayer Card
You will need an index card, markers, and a pen. Let each child draw a simple picture of a person they want to pray for, then write or draw one word that tells God what they need. Encourage them to show the card to a family member at home and pray together. Keep the card in a special place as a reminder that God listens.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this passage shows a prophet who spoke honestly to God and to the people, even when the message was hard. Amos asked God for mercy on behalf of others, and God listened and relented. The plumb line image reminds us that God measures his people against his own righteousness, and that he calls them back to what is true.
With children, avoid overstating the story of the locusts and the fire as direct lessons about how God punishes people today. Keep the focus on God’s patience, his willingness to listen, and his care for his people, rather than on frightening images of judgment.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank you for listening to us, even when we are small. Help us to tell you what we need and to care for the people around us. Show us what is right, and help us to stand straight and true like the wall in Amos’s vision. Amen.
