This lesson teaches children that God is faithful, even when His people choose to follow other gods, and that He always keeps His promises. It is best for ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God always keeps His promises, and He wants His people to love Him and not chase after things that cannot help them. When we turn away from Him, we lose the good things He gives.
Memory Verse
Hosea 9:1
Don’t rejoice, Israel, to jubilation like the nations; for you were unfaithful to your God. You love the wages of a prostitute at every grain threshing floor.
(WEB)
Put one hand over your heart and then open both hands wide like a bird spreading its wings. Say the verse slowly together, and make the wide-open motion on the words that talk about joy and faithfulness.
The Story: Hosea 9 for Kids
Long ago, God’s people, Israel, lived in the land God had given them. God had cared for them like a loving father, but they often forgot Him. Instead of trusting Him, they went after other gods and wanted other things to make them happy.
The people loved to celebrate at harvest time. They gathered grain on the threshing floors and made new wine, and they were glad for the food. But they were not thanking the true God for these gifts. God told them that their celebrations would not last, because they had turned away from Him.
God said that the people would lose their homes and their feasts. Some of them would be carried off to faraway lands, and they would eat food that was not clean. Their gifts to God would no longer please Him, because their hearts were far from Him. The prophet Hosea warned them that the time of reckoning was coming.
God was sad about how His people had behaved, but He had not forgotten them. Long ago He had found Israel like sweet grapes in the desert, and He had delighted in them. Now they had wandered away, and God said they would become wanderers among the nations. “They did not listen to Me,” God said, “so I will let them go their own way.”
This was a serious warning, but it also showed how much God cared. He wanted His people to come back to Him. The story reminds us that God means what He says, and He is always faithful to His word.
Read It Together
Hosea 9:10
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig tree at its first season; but they came to Baal Peor, and consecrated themselves to the shameful thing, and became abominable like that which they loved.
(WEB)
Point out that God remembered how sweet His people were at the beginning, like grapes in the wilderness. Ask children what it feels like to be remembered for something good, and let them see that God still loves His people even when they wander.
Hosea 9:15-16
15 “All their wickedness is in Gilgal; for there I hated them. Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of my house! I will love them no more. All their princes are rebels. 16 Ephraim is struck. Their root has dried up. They will bear no fruit. Even though they give birth, yet I will kill the beloved ones of their womb.”
(WEB)
Explain that these verses show what happens when people choose to turn away from God. Make sure children understand that the warning is serious, but that God’s warnings come from His love and His desire for His people to return to Him.
Hosea 9:7
The days of visitation have come. The days of reckoning have come. Israel will consider the prophet to be a fool, and the man who is inspired to be insane, because of the abundance of your sins, and because your hostility is great.
(WEB)
Help children see that the people refused to listen to God’s messengers and called them foolish. Talk about how it is important to listen carefully to those who speak God’s truth, even when the message is hard to hear.
Talk About It
- What are some good gifts God has given us, and how can we thank Him for them?
- Why do you think the people forgot about God when they had so many good things?
- How did God feel about His people, even when they turned away from Him?
- What can we do when we notice that we have stopped paying attention to God?
- How can you show God that He is the most important person in your life this week?
Activity Ideas
Grape Cluster Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a green pencil. Have each child draw a grape vine with a cluster of purple grapes, and write or draw one good gift God has given them on each grape. Talk together about how God gave the people of Israel sweet grapes, and how He gives us good things every day.
Wings and Wanderers Game
Clear a space in the room and mark a “home” spot with a towel or chair. Call out “Home!” and have children walk around like wanderers, then flap their arms like birds when you say “Return!” Each time children return home, talk about how God always welcomes His people back when they come to Him.
Thank You Jar at Home
You will need an empty jar, paper slips, and a pencil. Place the jar on the kitchen table and ask each family member to write one thing they are thankful for and drop it in. Read a few slips together at dinner, and remind your family that thankfulness helps us remember to trust God, just as He always keeps His promises.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Hosea 9 is a sober picture of a people who enjoyed God’s gifts but forgot the Giver. The chapter shows that God’s faithfulness includes both His justice and His persistent love, and that turning from Him has real consequences. It invites every reader to examine whether their joy rests on God or on things that cannot last.
With children, avoid overstating the harshness of the judgment or suggesting that God delights in punishing people. Keep the focus on God’s faithfulness and His desire for His people to return to Him, so that children understand warnings as an expression of love rather than cruelty.
A Prayer to Close
Father, thank You that You always keep Your promises and that You remember us with love. Help us to listen to You, to thank You for every good gift, and to come back to You whenever we wander. Keep our hearts close to You every day. Amen.
