Week 910 · about 45 minutes
Hosea 14
Hosea 14 · Memory verse Hosea 14:3
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Queues the lesson plan, this story’s coloring page (Hosea 14), the matching word search and answer key (Hosea 14 word search), the memory-verse tracer, and a parent slip.
Five-minute object lesson
Prop: a ribbon
Hold a ribbon. Read Hosea 14 in about four minutes, stopping at Hosea 14:3: “Assyria can’t save us. We won’t ride on horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Our gods!’ for in you the fatherless finds mercy.”” Ask, “What does this prop have to do with Hosea 14?” Let two children answer, then say the memory verse together.
Story script
Hosea 14 is a real chapter from the Old Testament. It starts, “Israel, return to Yahweh your God; for you have fallen because of your sin.” That is not a motto invented for a poster. It is the first sentence a family hears when this page is opened at night.
Keep going a little further. The chapter also says, “I will be like the dew to Israel. He will blossom like the lily, and send down his roots like Lebanon.” Hosea 14 opens with these words: “Israel, return to Yahweh your God; for you have fallen because of your sin.” The line to keep is Hosea 14:3: “Assyria can’t save us. We won’t ride on horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Our gods!’ for in you the fatherless finds mercy.”” Carry the word “assyria” from that verse into the rest of the day.
The line worth learning out loud is Hosea 14:3: “Assyria can’t save us. We won’t ride on horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Our gods!’ for in you the fatherless finds mercy.”” If the rest of the chapter feels crowded, hold that one sentence until the room is quiet.
What happens first in Hosea 14? Then try this: Read “Assyria can’t save us. We won’t ride on horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Our…” once more. What does it show you about God? You do not have to finish every verse. You can close the book after the memory verse and still have read the Bible together.
Group game
Walk the room as if you are moving through Hosea 14. Every time you freeze, a child says one word from Hosea 14:3. The last child says the whole verse.
Craft
On a US Letter sheet, draw one picture from Hosea 14 and write Hosea 14:3 under it. Send it home as tonight’s reminder, not as a decoration contest.
Memory verse
Hosea 14:3
“Assyria can’t save us. We won’t ride on horses; neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, ‘Our gods!’ for in you the fatherless finds mercy.””
Take-home prayer
Father, thank you for Hosea 14. Help us remember Hosea 14:3 when we wake up, and teach us to notice you in an ordinary night. Amen.