In this lesson, children learn that God wants his people to know him, love the truth, and do what is good. This lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach, using a short story, a memory verse, and a simple activity.
Big Idea
God wants us to know him and to choose what is true and good, because when we forget him, everything around us goes wrong.
Memory Verse
Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you, that you may be no priest to me. Because you have forgotten your God’s law, I will also forget your children.
(WEB)
Teach children to hold both hands open in front of them, then slowly close them into fists as they say the verse. Open them again slowly as they say “knowledge,” showing that God wants us to open our hearts to learn about him.
The Story: Hosea 4 for Kids
Long ago, God spoke to the people of Israel through a prophet named Hosea. God had a serious message for them. He said, “Listen to me, children of Israel, because I have something to say.” The people had stopped living God’s way. They lied to one another, stole from their neighbors, and hurt each other. Nobody seemed to remember the God who had rescued them from slavery in Egypt.
God told them that the land would suffer because of their choices. The ground would dry up and mourn. Even the animals in the fields, the birds in the sky, and the fish in the sea would be affected. When people turn away from what is right, the whole world feels the trouble.
The priests, who were supposed to teach God’s people, had also turned away from God. They were leading the people down the wrong path instead of showing them the way back. God said that he would not let these leaders go unpunished. He did not want the people to be lost, so he kept calling them to come back to him.
Many of the people chased after wooden idols, which were statues that could not hear, see, or help them. They trusted things that could never save them. God felt sad that his people had forgotten him, the one true God who loved them and cared for them. Even so, God never stopped wanting them to come home.
Read It Together
Hosea 4:1
Hear the LORD’s word, you children of Israel; for the LORD has a charge against the inhabitants of the land: “Indeed there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land.
(WEB)
Point out the words “Hear the LORD’s word.” Ask the children what it means to really listen to someone who loves us. Explain that God speaks to us through his Word, the Bible, and that we can listen to him every day.
Hosea 4:12
My people consult with their wooden idol, and answer to a stick of wood. Indeed the spirit of prostitution has led them astray, and they have been unfaithful to their God.
(WEB)
Show children how the people went to wooden statues for help instead of asking the living God. Explain that anything we trust in place of God, like money, popularity, or toys, can leave us empty, just like those statues.
Hosea 4:13-14
13 They sacrifice on the tops of the mountains, and burn incense on the hills, under oaks and poplars and terebinths, because its shade is good. Therefore your daughters play the prostitute, and your brides commit adultery. 14 I will not punish your daughters when they play the prostitute, nor your brides when they commit adultery; because the men consort with prostitutes, and they sacrifice with the shrine prostitutes; so the people without understanding will come to ruin.
(WEB)
Help children see that the people were wandering far from God and making their families unhappy. Point out how God’s people were pulled off track, and explain that we need friends and family who help us stay close to God.
Talk About It
- What do you think it means to really know God, and how can we get to know him better?
- Why did the people in the story stop telling the truth and start hurting each other?
- What are some things people sometimes trust in instead of God, and why can those things let us down?
- How do you think God felt when his people forgot him, and what did he keep doing for them?
- What is one way you can choose what is good and true this week?
Activity Ideas
Open and Closed Hands Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to trace one hand on the paper, then draw a heart in the palm to show that God wants our hearts. On the back, have them write or draw one thing they can do to get to know God better, such as reading a Bible story or praying each morning. Let them take it home as a reminder.
Stop, Listen, Choose Game
Ask children to stand in a open space. Call out true statements like “Be kind” or “Tell the truth,” and have them jump forward. Call out harmful things like “Tell a lie” or “Take what is not yours,” and have them freeze and stand still. Ask them to listen carefully before moving, just as Hosea called the people to hear God’s word.
Family Knowledge Jar
You will need a clear jar, slips of paper, and a pen. Each day for a week, ask family members to write one thing they learned about God on a slip of paper and place it in the jar. At the end of the week, read the slips together at the dinner table. This helps children see that knowing God is something we grow in day by day.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Hosea 4 is a sober reminder that a lack of knowing God affects every part of life, including truth, love, justice, and even the health of the land. The chapter shows that God’s people are responsible for the spiritual leadership they give and receive, and that the loss of true knowledge of God leads to moral collapse. Yet God’s heart in the chapter is still one of longing for his people to return to him.
With children, avoid making the chapter sound like it is only about punishment or that God is angry and unloving. Keep the focus on God’s desire for his people to know him and his faithful love. Be careful not to suggest that every hardship a child faces is a direct punishment from God. Instead, emphasize that God invites us to come close to him.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for speaking to us and for wanting us to know you. Help us listen carefully to your Word and choose what is true and good. When we are tempted to trust in things that cannot help us, bring us back to you. Help us love you more each day. Amen.
