This lesson teaches children that God wants his people to listen to him and turn back from wrong ways, even when the message is hard to hear. It works well for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach, including the story, the verses, and one activity.
Big Idea
God keeps telling his people the truth, and he wants them to listen and change their ways. He loves them enough to warn them when they are going the wrong way.
Memory Verse
Jeremiah 19:15
“The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says, ‘Behold, I will bring on this city and on all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it, because they have made their neck stiff, that they may not hear my words.’”
(WEB)
Hold both hands out in front of you, palms up, like you are carrying a heavy bowl. Then turn your palms over slowly to show that God’s words are never empty. Say the verse together three times while you move your hands.
The Story: Jeremiah 19 for Kids
God spoke to a prophet named Jeremiah and gave him a strange job. He said, “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter.” Jeremiah bought the jar and took some of the leaders of the people with him. They walked out to a valley just outside the city of Jerusalem, where a sad place called Topheth was.
There, Jeremiah spoke to the kings and the people of Judah. He told them that they had forgotten God. They had filled their city with wrong worship, and they had hurt innocent people. God said, “Listen to my words, because trouble is coming if you do not change.”
Then God told Jeremiah to do something surprising. “Break the jar in front of the people,” he said. Jeremiah lifted the jar and smashed it on the ground. Pieces of clay flew everywhere. The people watched, and they understood that God’s words were like that jar, and that the city would be broken if they kept ignoring him.
Jeremiah then walked back to the temple courtyard and stood up in front of everyone. He told them again what God had said. God was warning them so they could turn back before it was too late. Jeremiah did not want to scare them for no reason. He wanted them to listen.
The people did not want to hear it. They did not want to change. But God still loved them, and he still wanted them to come back to him. That is why he sent the warning.
Read It Together
Jeremiah 19:1-2
1 Thus said the LORD, “Go, and buy a potter’s earthen bottle, and take some of the elders of the people, and of the elders of the priests; 2 and go out to the valley of the son of Hinnom, which is by the entry of the gate Harsith, and proclaim there the words that I will tell you.
(WEB)
Point out that God gave Jeremiah a very specific command and that Jeremiah had to go out and do it. Ask the children what it would feel like to be told by God to do something unusual in front of other people.
Jeremiah 19:3-5
3 Say, ‘Hear the LORD’s word, kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem: The LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says, “Behold, I will bring evil on this place, which whoever hears, his ears will tingle. 4 Because they have forsaken me, and have defiled this place, and have burned incense in it to other gods, that they didn’t know, they and their fathers and the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents, 5 and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt offerings to Baal; which I didn’t command, nor speak, which didn’t even enter into my mind…
(WEB)
Show the children that God named the wrong things his people were doing, including forgetting him and hurting innocent people. Explain that God notices what is wrong and cares about it because he loves people and wants them to live rightly.
Jeremiah 19:10-11
10 “Then you shall break the bottle in the sight of the men who go with you, 11 and shall tell them, ‘The LORD of Armies says: “Even so I will break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel, that can’t be made whole again. They will bury in Topheth, until there is no place to bury.
(WEB)
Point out the moment Jeremiah breaks the jar in front of the people. Explain that the broken jar was a picture to help the people understand God’s warning. Ask the children how a picture or an object can help them remember something important.
Talk About It
- What did God ask Jeremiah to do with the clay jar, and why do you think God chose something like that to show his people?
- How do you think the people felt when they watched Jeremiah break the jar?
- What are some ways we can listen to God when he speaks to us in the Bible or through the people who love us?
- Why do you think God warned his people before the bad thing happened instead of just letting it happen?
- What is one thing you can change this week so you are following God more closely?
Activity Ideas
Clay Jar Craft
You will need modeling clay or play dough, a small bowl, and a plastic bag for each child. Have each child shape a small jar or bowl from the clay. Let it dry or harden, then carefully let them break it inside the bag. Talk together about how the broken pieces show what Jeremiah’s message was like.
Listen and Turn Game
Ask the children to stand in a line or circle. Call out simple directions like “Turn left” or “Sit down,” and have them follow only when they hear the word “God says” first. Explain that just as they had to listen carefully, God’s people needed to listen carefully to him. Play a few rounds, then talk about how listening well helps us follow God.
Take-Home Reminder Card
Give each child an index card and a crayon. Have them draw a jar on one side and write or draw a picture of one way they can listen to God this week on the other side. Encourage them to put the card somewhere they will see it each morning, such as on the bathroom mirror or by their bed.
Teacher Notes
For adults, Jeremiah 19 shows that God’s warnings come from his love and his desire for his people to return to him. The chapter reveals how seriously God takes sin, especially the worship of false gods and the harm done to innocent lives, while also showing that he gives time for people to listen and change. Adults can see in this chapter both the justice and the patience of God.
When teaching children, avoid overstating the harsh details of the judgment, such as the words about eating flesh or the terrible destruction of the city. Focus instead on God’s warning, his love, and the invitation to listen and turn back to him. Keep the emphasis on the hope of returning to God rather than on fear of punishment.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, thank you for loving us enough to tell us the truth. Help us listen when you speak and turn toward you when we have done wrong. Teach us to follow you each day with open ears and a willing heart. Amen.
