In this Job 15 Sunday school lesson, children learn that God wants us to speak honestly and humbly, because he knows everything and we do not. This lesson is for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God is wiser and bigger than we are, so we should listen to him, speak truthfully, and be humble when we talk about him.
Memory Verse
Job 15:4
Yes, you do away with fear, and hinder devotion before God.
(WEB)
Put your hand over your heart, then slowly bring both hands down and fold them, as if you are showing respect to someone much bigger than you. Say the verse together as you do it.
The Story: Job 15 for Kids
Job had been through a very hard time. He lost his animals, his children, and his health, and his friends came to sit with him. One of them, a man named Eliphaz, began to speak. Eliphaz thought Job must have done something very wrong to suffer so much, and he wanted Job to admit it.
Eliphaz used many big words, but his words did not help Job very much. He said that a wise person should speak with good sense, not with empty talk that blows around like the wind. He told Job that his own mouth was condemning him, because Job had been speaking as if he knew more than God.
Then Eliphaz asked Job some questions. He asked whether Job had heard God’s secret counsel, and whether Job thought he alone understood wisdom. Eliphaz said, “What do you know that we do not know?” He was reminding Job that nobody is perfect or clean in God’s sight.
Eliphaz also talked about what happens to wicked people. He said they live in fear and trouble, and that their plans come to nothing. He believed Job’s hard days were the result of sin. Eliphaz was not right about Job, but he did remind everyone that God is holy and that humans are not.
The chapter shows us a friend who spoke with too much confidence about things he could not fully know. It is a story that helps us see why we must be careful with our words when we talk about God and about other people’s pain.
Read It Together
Job 15:11
Are the consolations of God too small for you, even the word that is gentle toward you?
(WEB)
Point out that Eliphaz asks whether God’s comfort is too small for Job. Ask the children what kinds of comfort God gives us, such as his presence, his promises, and friends who pray with us.
Job 15:14
What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
(WEB)
Show the children that no person is perfect on their own. Explain that this is why we need God’s help and forgiveness, not because we are bad at everything, but because God alone is completely good.
Job 15:31
Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself; for emptiness shall be his reward.
(WEB)
Explain that trusting in things that are empty, like lies or pride, leads to empty results. Point out that trusting God is never empty, even when we feel confused.
Talk About It
- What are some ways we can speak kindly and truthfully about God?
- Why do you think it is important to listen before we talk?
- How did Eliphaz get Job’s situation wrong, and what could he have done instead?
- What is one thing you know about God that makes you feel safe?
- When someone is hurting, what is a helpful thing to say or do?
Activity Ideas
Hands Up Humble Drawing
You will need paper, crayons or markers, and a pencil. Ask each child to trace one of their hands and then draw a small picture inside it of something God has made, like a tree, a star, or a pet. Talk about how our hands can help others, and how God is the one who made everything we see.
Listen and Speak Game
Gather the children in a circle. One child stands in the middle and says a simple true sentence about God, such as “God made the sky.” Everyone else repeats it back slowly, then the next child takes a turn. Remind them to listen carefully before they speak, just as wise people do.
Take-Home Prayer Card
You will need index cards, a marker, and a pen. Write the words “Speak truth, listen well, trust God” on the card and help the child decorate it. Ask them to keep it near their bed and read it together with a family member each night this week.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows how easy it is to speak with confidence about God while misunderstanding a person who is suffering. Eliphaz speaks sincerely, but his conclusions are wrong, and God later corrects his friends. It is a reminder to be honest, humble, and slow to judge.
Avoid telling children that every hard thing that happens to them is caused by sin. Job’s story teaches that suffering does not always have a simple explanation, and God’s care for us does not depend on us having all the answers.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, you know everything and we do not. Help us to listen well, to speak truthfully, and to be humble when we talk about you. Thank you that you are wise, good, and always near to us. Help us trust you every day. Amen.
