This lesson teaches children that God sees everything that is happening in the world and that he tells his people what is coming. It is made for children ages 5 to 11, and it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach. Keep the pace slow and the voice calm, because parts of this chapter are sad and heavy, and young children need to feel safe while they listen.
Big Idea
God sees everything, even when we cannot see it ourselves. A watchman stands guard and tells the truth about what he sees, and God asks us to be people who watch and wait faithfully for him.
Memory Verse
Isaiah 21:6
For the Lord said to me, “Go, set a watchman. Let him declare what he sees.
(WEB)
Have the children stand tall, cup one hand over their eyes like a lookout, and slowly turn in a full circle. Then have them pat their heads three times. Say the verse together, and each time someone says “watch,” they should lift their hand to their eyes again.
The Story: Isaiah 21 for Kids
Long ago, the prophet Isaiah received a message from God about faraway lands. Some of these places were Babylon, Elam, and Media, and they were places where people often fought and made trouble for God’s people. God showed Isaiah a frightening vision, and it made Isaiah feel shaky and sick inside. He said his heart was fluttering and that he could not even see clearly.
God then gave Isaiah a job. “Go, set a watchman,” God told him. A watchman is someone who stands high on a tower and looks far away. His job is to tell everyone what he sees coming. So Isaiah set up a watchman, and the watchman started to shout what he saw.
The watchman said, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon!” He was telling the people that Babylon, a proud and powerful city, had been defeated. Its statues of false gods were broken on the ground. The watchman had been faithful, standing at his post every day and every night, and he kept reporting what he saw.
Later, a voice called out from Seir and asked the watchman, “What about the night?” The watchman answered that morning would come, but night would come too. He told them to ask questions and to come back again. Then the chapter tells about Arabia and the people of Kedar, who would soon lose their strength and their glory. God had spoken it, and so it would happen.
Read It Together
Isaiah 21:8
He cried like a lion: “Lord, I stand continually on the watchtower in the daytime, and every night I stay at my post.
(WEB)
Point out that the watchman says, “I stand continually on the watchtower.” Ask the children what it would feel like to stand guard all day and all night. Explain that faithful waiting means doing your job even when it is long and tiring.
Isaiah 21:11-12
11 The burden of Dumah. One calls to me out of Seir, “Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night?” 12 The watchman said, “The morning comes, and also the night. If you will inquire, inquire. Come back again.”
(WEB)
Show the children how someone keeps asking the same question, “What of the night?” Explain that the watchman gives an honest answer, that morning and night both come. Help them see that life has good and hard times, and that God is with us through both.
Isaiah 21:16-17
16 For the Lord said to me, “Within a year, as a worker bound by contract would count it, all the glory of Kedar will fail, 17 and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, will be few; for the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken it.”
(WEB)
Point out the phrase “the LORD, the God of Israel, has spoken it.” Remind the children that when God says something, it is true, even when it is not what people want to hear. God keeps his word from beginning to end.
Talk About It
- What do you think it felt like for Isaiah to see such a frightening vision?
- Why is it important for a watchman to tell the truth about what he sees?
- How can you be a faithful watcher, waiting and trusting God when you feel tired?
- What does the watchman’s answer about morning and night teach us about hard days?
- How do you know that God sees everything, even the things that scare you?
Activity Ideas
Watchtower Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and tape. Have each child draw a tall watchtower with a small window at the top. Inside the window, they can draw a face looking far away, and outside they can draw something they trust God to see, such as a family member or a pet. Tape the drawings to the wall so the children can see the watchtowers together during the week.
Watchman, What Do You See?
Choose one child to be the watchman and have them stand on a chair or step. The other children stand at the far side of the room as travelers. The watchman calls out, “I see a troop of camels!” or “I see horsemen!” and the children act out what the watchman describes. Play several rounds, and at the end, have everyone cheer for the faithful watchman.
Watch and Wait Card
You will need an index card, a pencil, and a small piece of string. Write the words “Watch and wait for God” on the card, and punch a hole in one corner. Thread the string through the hole so the card can hang on a doorknob, bedpost, or the car mirror. Encourage the child to look at the card each morning and night as a reminder that God is watching over them.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Isaiah 21 is a burden, a word of judgment against nations that oppressed God’s people. The chapter shows that God is sovereign over all the nations and that he speaks clearly about what is coming. It also shows the value of faithful watching and honest reporting, even when the news is hard. Adults can hear in the watchman’s steady presence a picture of prayerful patience while waiting on God.
When teaching children, avoid overstating the exact historical details of Babylon, Elam, Media, Dumah, Arabia, and Kedar. Children do not need to know every place name. Focus on the watchman’s faithfulness and God’s control over every nation, and avoid suggesting that the story is a prediction about any modern country or event.
A Prayer to Close
Lord, thank you that you see everything and that you never stop watching over us. Help us to wait for you faithfully, even when we feel tired or scared. Teach us to trust you in the morning and in the night. Amen.
