This lesson teaches children that God cares about fairness, about protecting people who make honest mistakes, and about telling the truth. It suits children aged 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God wants us to be fair and honest, and He wants every person to be safe. Telling the truth and treating others kindly helps keep our whole community safe and good.
Memory Verse
Deuteronomy 19:13
Your eye shall not pity him, but you shall purge the innocent blood from Israel that it may go well with you.
(WEB)
Ask the children to hold both hands open in front of them, palms up, like they are carrying something gently. Then have them move their hands together in a slow, careful circle while they say the verse with you.
The Story: Deuteronomy 19 for Kids
God was preparing His people to live in a new land. Before they moved in, He gave them a special plan for taking care of people. Moses told the people that God wanted them to set apart three cities where someone could run for safety.
Imagine a man chopping wood in the forest with his friend nearby. His axe head flew off the handle by accident and hit his friend, and his friend died. The man had never hated his friend. He had not planned anything bad at all. God said this man could run to one of the safe cities and be protected there.
God also told the people to make the roads to these cities easy to travel, so no one had far to run. The people were to keep the road signs clear so everyone could find the way. God wanted every person to know where safety was.
God warned that some people might be unkind on purpose. If someone hated a neighbor and planned to hurt him, that was not an accident, and the safe city would not protect him. God told His people, “Do not feel sorry for the one who did this wrong,” so that the wrong would be stopped. The community was to make sure the truth came out.
God also said a person must not lie about someone else. If two or three people agreed on the truth, a matter could be settled fairly. If a person lied to get someone else in trouble, the lie would be turned back on the liar. God wanted everyone to see that lying is serious.
God wanted His people to remember that He is fair, and that they should be fair too. They were to be honest, to protect the innocent, and to love the Lord with their whole hearts.
Read It Together
Deuteronomy 19:1-3
1 When the LORD your God cuts off the nations whose land the LORD your God gives you, and you succeed them and dwell in their cities and in their houses; 2 you shall set apart three cities for yourselves in the middle of your land, which the LORD your God gives you to possess it. 3 You shall prepare the way, and divide the borders of your land which the LORD your God causes you to inherit into three parts, that every man slayer may flee there.
(WEB)
Point out that God planned ahead to keep people safe. Ask the children what it would feel like to know exactly where to go if something scary happened. Notice that God gave the people a plan before they needed it.
Deuteronomy 19:10
This is so that innocent blood will not be shed in the middle of your land which the LORD your God gives you for an inheritance, leaving blood guilt on you.
(WEB)
Explain that God does not want innocent people to be hurt. Show the children that God cares about every life and wants His people to protect one another. Ask how we can help keep our friends and family safe.
Deuteronomy 19:18-19
18 And the judges shall make diligent inquisition: and behold, if the witness is a false witness, and has testified falsely against his brother; 19 then you shall do to him as he had thought to do to his brother. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
(WEB)
Point out that God wants people to find the truth and to stop lies. Help the children see that a fair judge looks carefully before deciding. Talk about why telling the truth matters even when it is hard.
Talk About It
- Why do you think God wanted His people to have safe places to run to?
- What can we do when someone makes a mistake that hurts another person?
- How does it make you feel when someone tells a lie about you?
- What is one way we can be fair to our friends at school or at home?
- How can we show God that we love Him and want to follow His ways?
Activity Ideas
Draw a City of Refuge
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a safe city with walls, a gate, and a road leading to it. Have them write or draw a few people walking into the gate, and talk about how God keeps them safe there.
Safe Zone Game
You will need chairs, a few pieces of tape or string, and an open floor space. Set up a “safe zone” with the chairs and tape. Let one child be the runner and another child try to tag them gently. When the runner reaches the safe zone, they are protected. Talk about how God gives us places of safety.
Take-Home Truth Card
You will need index cards and a marker. Write “I will tell the truth and be fair” on each card. Let each child decorate it and take it home. Encourage them to place it where they will see it each morning and to read it aloud with their family.
Teacher Notes
This chapter shows that God is both just and merciful. He makes a difference between an accident and a deliberate wrong, and He protects those who did not intend harm. Adults can see in this passage a picture of God’s care for people who need refuge, and a call to honesty in every part of life.
When teaching children, avoid suggesting that God’s protection means a person can never face consequences for mistakes. Keep the focus on God’s kindness, fairness, and the value of telling the truth, rather than on the harsh penalties described in the chapter.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You for being fair and kind. Help us to tell the truth, to protect people who are hurt, and to treat others the way You treat us. Keep us safe in Your care, and help us love You every day. Amen.
