This lesson teaches children that God can change a hard heart into a soft, loving one, and that He keeps His promises even when His people have done wrong. It suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes, including the story, questions, and prayer.
Big Idea
God takes away our hard hearts and gives us new hearts that want to love and obey Him. He never gives up on His people.
Memory Verse
Ezekiel 11:19
I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh…
(WEB)
Put one hand flat on your chest, then slowly turn your palm up and open it wide, like you are giving your heart to God. Say the verse together as you do the motion, then try it again with your eyes closed.
The Story: Ezekiel 11 for Kids
God’s prophet Ezekiel was living far from home, in a land called Babylon. But God’s Spirit picked him up and carried him back to Jerusalem, to the east gate of the Lord’s house. There, Ezekiel saw twenty-five men standing at the gate. Two of them were leaders named Jaazaniah and Pelatiah.
God told Ezekiel that these men were giving wicked advice to the people of the city. They said that it was not time to build new houses. They thought the city was a cooking pot and the people inside were the meat, safe from harm. But God was not pleased with their proud, sinful thinking.
So God told Ezekiel to speak to them. “You have filled the streets with the dead,” God said. “You thought the city would protect you, but I will bring the sword on you. I will bring you out of the city and judge you at the border of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.”
While Ezekiel was speaking, Pelatiah fell down and died. Ezekiel was so sad that he fell on his face and cried out, “Lord, will You destroy all the people who are left?” God answered him with a promise of hope. He said that even though the people had been scattered far away, He would be a safe place for them, and one day He would bring them home again.
God said something wonderful: “I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them. I will take out their hard, stony hearts and give them hearts that are soft and alive. Then they will walk in My ways, and they will be My people, and I will be their God.” After that, God’s glory rose up from the city, and Ezekiel was taken back to the people in Babylon to tell them everything God had shown him.
Read It Together
Ezekiel 11:14-16
14 The LORD’s word came to me, saying, 15 “Son of man, your brothers, even your brothers, the men of your relatives, and all the house of Israel, all of them, are they to whom the inhabitants of Jerusalem have said, ‘Go far away from the LORD. This land has been given to us for a possession.’” 16 “Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord the LORD: “Whereas I have removed them far off among the nations, and whereas I have scattered them among the countries, yet I will be to them a sanctuary for a little while in the countries where they have come.”’
(WEB)
Point out that even when people had turned away from God, He still called Ezekiel to speak and reminded everyone that He was still their safe place. Ask children what it feels like to be far away from home and how God stays close.
Ezekiel 11:17-18
17 “Therefore say, ‘Thus says the Lord the LORD: “I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.” 18 “‘They will come there, and they will take away all its detestable things and all its abominations from there.
(WEB)
Show children that God promised to gather His people back together and bring them home to their own land. Explain that God’s plans to bring people back to Him are bigger than the trouble they caused.
Ezekiel 11:20
That they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them. They will be my people, and I will be their God.
(WEB)
Point out the big promise at the end: “They will be my people, and I will be their God.” Help children see that God wants a close, loving relationship with each of us, and that He helps us want to follow Him.
Talk About It
- What did the men at the gate say about the city, and why was that wrong?
- How do you think Ezekiel felt when Pelatiah died, and what did he ask God?
- What does it mean to have a hard heart, and how can a heart become soft again?
- How did God show that He still loved His people, even though they had done wrong?
- What is one way you can ask God to give you a new heart this week?
Activity Ideas
Paper Heart Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a big heart on the paper, then color one side hard and gray like a rock and the other side soft and bright like a flower. Talk together about how God changes the gray heart into the bright one, and let children add a word or picture of how God helps them.
Stone to Soft Game
You will need a few smooth stones and a soft cloth or small bowl of cotton balls. Have children pass a stone around in a circle while you play music, and when the music stops, the child holding the stone says one way God helps us be kind. Then let them trade the stone for a cotton ball to show how God makes hearts soft.
Take-Home Heart Reminder
You will need cardstock, scissors, and a marker. Cut out a heart shape for each child and have them write the words “God gives me a new heart” on one side. Encourage children to tape the heart to their bedroom door or lunchbox so they can see it and remember God’s promise through the week.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that God is holy and that sin has real consequences, yet He never stops loving His people and making a way back to Himself. The promise of a new heart points forward to the inner change God works by His Spirit, something no one can achieve on their own. It also reminds us that God keeps His word even when His people fail.
With children, avoid suggesting that God is only angry or that the men at the gate represent every person who makes a mistake. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness and His offer of a new heart, rather than on the details of the judgment. Remind them that God’s love and forgiveness are for everyone who turns back to Him.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank You that You never give up on us. Please take away our hard hearts and give us hearts that love You and want to obey You. Help us walk in Your ways every day. Amen.
