In this lesson, children learn that God is powerful and holy, and that no person is as strong or as pure as He is, so we can trust Him instead of trying to be perfect on our own. This lesson is for children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes.
Big Idea
God is far greater than we are, and we can trust Him because He is good, strong, and holy.
Memory Verse
Job 25:2
“Dominion and fear are with him. He makes peace in his high places.
(WEB)
Hold both hands out wide like a big circle, then bring them slowly together over your heart. Say “God is strong, God is peace” as you do it, and let the motion remind you that God is always holding everything together.
The Story: Job 25 for Kids
Job had friends who came to sit with him after many hard things happened to him. One of them was a man named Bildad. Bildad was thinking about how big and powerful God is, and he wanted his friend to remember it. He spoke slowly and kindly, as though he were sharing a secret about the sky.
Bildad told Job that God has power and fear, which means God is wonderful and worthy of respect. He said God makes peace in the highest places. Then he pointed up at the night sky. He asked a question that made the listeners think: could anyone count God’s armies, or could anyone say where His light fails to shine? Nobody can.
Next, Bildad asked how any person could stand right before God and be fully good. He looked at the moon and the stars and told everyone that even they are not pure in God’s sight. “How can a person be clean?” he seemed to ask, and everyone knew the answer was that no one can be clean on their own.
Bildad ended by saying that people are like small worms next to God. He was not trying to be cruel. He wanted Job and his friends to see how big God is and how small we are, so they would trust Him instead of thinking they could fix everything by themselves.
Read It Together
Job 25:1
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered…
(WEB)
Point out that Bildad is the one speaking, and he is a friend trying to teach Job something about God. Ask children what it feels like to have a friend who is trying to help you understand something big.
Job 25:4-5
4 How then can man be just with God? Or how can he who is born of a woman be clean? 5 Behold, even the moon has no brightness, and the stars are not pure in his sight…
(WEB)
Point out the moon and the stars, which shine brightly for us but are not pure in God’s sight. Explain that this shows how completely God is above everything He made, and that no one can stand before Him by their own goodness.
Job 25:6
How much less man, who is a worm, the son of man, who is a worm!”
(WEB)
Point out the word “worm” and explain that Bildad uses it to show how small people feel next to God. Remind children that God still loves us, even though we are small, and that He cares about each one of us.
Talk About It
- What is the biggest thing you have ever seen, and how did it make you feel?
- Why do you think God can make peace in high places?
- How does it feel to know God is stronger than anything that scares you?
- Why is it good to know that we cannot be perfect on our own?
- What is one way you can trust God this week?
Activity Ideas
Night Sky Drawing
You will need dark blue or black paper, white crayons or chalk, and a pencil. Ask children to draw the moon and a few stars on their paper, then talk about how God made every one of them. Let them write or draw one thing about God’s greatness in the corner of the picture.
Strong and Small Game
Have children stand in a open space and call out “Strong!” to make a big, tall pose with arms raised. Then call out “Small!” and have them crouch down like a little worm. Switch quickly between the two, and talk about how God is always strong even when we feel small.
Trust Jar at Home
You will need an empty jar, paper slips, and a pen. Each day, have the child write one thing they are trusting God with on a slip and put it in the jar. At the end of the week, read the slips together and thank God for each one.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter shows that no human being can stand before God by their own strength or goodness, and that God is wholly above His creation. Bildad’s point is true, even though his friend Job later pushes back on the way he speaks. Read the passage with the whole of Job in mind so you do not present Bildad as the final word on God.
Avoid overstating to children that they are worms or that they are worthless. Bildad uses the image to describe human smallness before a holy God, but Scripture elsewhere tells us God loves and values each person deeply. Emphasize God’s greatness and His care together so children feel safe rather than afraid.
A Prayer to Close
Dear God, we know You are bigger and stronger than anything we can imagine. You made the moon and the stars, and You hold them all in Your hands. Help us to trust You every day, even when we feel small. Thank You for loving us. Amen.
