This lesson teaches children that God cares about how people treat one another, especially those who are weak or easily hurt. It works well for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including the story, the discussion and a short activity.
Big Idea
God wants everyone to be treated fairly, and He sees and cares when people are hurt or taken advantage of. Children can understand this as “God cares about being fair and kind to everyone.”
Memory Verse
Exodus 21:1
“Now these are the ordinances which you shall set before them.
(WEB)
Say the verse slowly and hold up one hand, palm open, as if offering a gift to someone. Then ask the children to do the same motion while they repeat it with you, so the open hand reminds them that God’s rules are given to help people.
The Story: Exodus 21 for Kids
A long time ago, God gave His people many rules to help them live well together. He spoke these rules to Moses, who was the leader of the people of Israel. God wanted His people to know how to be fair with one another.
One rule was about servants. Sometimes a person had to work for someone else to pay back a debt. God said that such a servant should not be kept forever. After six years of work, the servant was to go free. If the servant came in alone, he left alone. If he had a wife when he came, she left with him.
God also cared about people who were hurt. If someone hit another person and caused harm, the rules said the wrong had to be made right. The Lord said, “You must take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth.” This rule was meant to be fair, so that punishment would not go beyond the harm that was done.
God also taught about animals and about property. If an ox hurt someone, the owner had to answer for it. God wanted people to be careful and responsible. He wanted His people to look out for one another and not to be careless with things that could hurt others.
These rules showed that God is fair and kind. He does not want anyone to be treated as if they do not matter. Even the servants and the weak people were important to Him.
Read It Together
Exodus 21:2
“If you buy a Hebrew servant, he shall serve six years and in the seventh he shall go out free without paying anything.
(WEB)
Point out that the rule gave the servant a clear end date and a promise of freedom. Ask the children what it would feel like to know that the hard work had an ending, and that God cared about that person’s freedom.
Exodus 21:26-27
26 “If a man strikes his servant’s eye, or his maid’s eye, and destroys it, he shall let him go free for his eye’s sake. 27 If he strikes out his male servant’s tooth, or his female servant’s tooth, he shall let him go free for his tooth’s sake.
(WEB)
Show the children that God’s rule protected a servant who was hurt by his master, and that the servant was set free because of the harm. Explain that God wanted people to be treated with respect and fairness, even when they were in a lower position.
Exodus 21:33-34
33 “If a man opens a pit, or if a man digs a pit and doesn’t cover it, and a bull or a donkey falls into it, 34 the owner of the pit shall make it good. He shall give money to its owner, and the dead animal shall be his.
(WEB)
Point out that a person who made a dangerous pit had to make it safe and pay for any harm. Help the children see that being responsible for others’ safety is part of loving our neighbors.
Talk About It
- Why do you think God made rules to protect people who could not protect themselves?
- What does it mean to be fair to someone, even when they are different from you?
- How did God show that He cared about the servants in this story?
- What is one way you can be careful so that you do not hurt someone by accident?
- How can you show kindness to someone who is in a weaker position than you?
Activity Ideas
Fair Scales Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a ruler. Ask each child to draw a simple balance scale on the paper, with one side labeled “Hurt” and the other labeled “Make It Right.” Explain that God wants us to make things right when we have hurt someone. Let the children draw a picture of one way they could make things right.
Safe Path Game
You will need a few pillows or chairs, and a blindfold or a folded cloth. Set up an obstacle path around the room. Pair the children up, and have one child guide the other, who is blindfolded, safely through the path using only words. Afterward, talk about how the guide was responsible for keeping their partner safe, just as God asks us to take care of one another.
Kindness Card at Home
You will need a sheet of paper, a pencil, and an envelope. Ask each child to write a short note to a family member saying one way they will be fair or kind this week. Have them decorate the envelope and take it home. Encourage the family to talk about the note together at dinner, reminding everyone that God cares about how we treat each other.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this passage shows that God’s law was given to protect people, especially the vulnerable, and to make wrongs right. The rules about servants, injuries and property reveal God’s concern for justice and for the dignity of every person. Adults can see in these laws a picture of God’s heart for fairness and compassion, which points forward to the way Jesus later taught us to love our neighbors.
Be careful not to overstate the harsher punishments in this chapter to young children. Some of the rules, such as “eye for eye,” are about limiting punishment to fit the harm, not about encouraging revenge. Focus on God’s care for fairness and protection rather than on the details of penalties that children may find frightening or confusing.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank You for caring about fairness and kindness. Help us to treat everyone with respect, to be careful not to hurt others, and to make things right when we do wrong. Thank You that You see every person and love them. Help us to love others the way You do. Amen.
