The lesson of Esther from chapter 5 shows the children the way that anger and vengeance grows in the heart when left unchecked and the wisdom of patience even in desperate situations. This lesson would work for children’s church or you can use it for ideas with a children’s Sunday School lesson about Esther.
Note: The book of Esther can be difficult to relate back to Jesus and his Good News. One clear connection is the promise that the Savior would be born from the family of Abraham. The plot to eliminate the Jews (the promised family) was a threat to God’s promise. When God saved Esther and the Jews in Persia, he was also protecting the future birth of Jesus according to his promises. The saving work of Christ was directly tied to God’s saving work in the book of Esther.
Bible Story: Esther’s Request
Scripture: Esther 5:1-14
Target Age Group: Age 7 – 12 (U.S. 1st – 6th Grade)
Time: 20 Minutes
Learning Context: Children’s Church
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Learning Objectives: After this lesson…
- Children express their knowledge of the key people and events in this passage by retelling the story.
- Children express what they learn about unchecked anger and grudges by identifying the way Haman responded to banquet he attended.
- Children express their understanding of patience in a situation by observing Esther’s method of handling her situation.
Material Needed:
- [print_link] this lesson plan
- Bible: Esther 5:1-14. Prepare beforehand a copy of the important points in the lesson to ensure explaining them.
- Visual Aids: Pictures of Esther, King Ahasuerus, Haman, Zeresh, and Haman’s friends. Try searching those names on Google Images.
Children’s Church Teaching Plan:
Establish the lesson briefly by explaining the key people with the pictures of Esther, King Ahasuerus, Haman, Zeresh, and Haman’s friends. Review previous lessons for any children that missed the lesson and to help them recall the story so far. Make sure they children repeat the names.
Prior to reading the story, divide the group of children into two groups and ask one half to listen for what they learn about anger and holding grudges. Ask the other half of the children to identify the way that Esther shows wisdom in revealing Haman’s plan against her people.
Read (and Recap) Esther 5:1-14. Read using different voice inflections and stop to involve the children into the story. Reinforce the lesson by asking questions. How did Esther prepare to go before the king? She put on her royal robe and stood in the inner court. How did the king respond when he saw Esther? He held out the scepter and permitted her to come to him. What did Esther request? She wanted the king and Haman to attend her banquet that day. How did Haman respond to his invitation to the banquet? He was impressed with himself. How did Haman respond to seeing Mordecai? He became angry and sought comfort and advice from his wife and friends. What did they advise him to do? They suggested he hang Mordecai as soon as possible.
When you’re finished reading the story, use the pictures to review the important people and events in this story.
Ask for a response from the children regarding their listening assignment. What did they learn how people respond when they hold a grudge? What did they learn about patience from Esther’s actions?
Children’s Church Lesson Evaluation
Ask for volunteers to retell the story, pretending to be Esther, Haman, the king, Mordecai, and the wife and friends of Haman. Have the children watching help fill in the areas that might be forgotten or overlooked by those acting out the story. Remember to prompt the children by asking, “What happened next?”
Ask for a volunteer to explain what happens to a person when they hold a grudge and another volunteer to explain ways to show patience.
Give a list of possible lessons and ask the children to clap their hands if it was from the story.
- Mordecai wept in the streets because of the decree Haman made. True, but not part of this lesson.
- Esther prepared to see the king. Yes.
- Haman receives bad advice from his wife and friends. Yes.
- The king decides he wants a new queen to replace the one he dismissed. True, but not part of this lesson.
- A banquet was thrown to honor as the new queen. True, but not part of this lesson.
- Esther invites the king and Haman to a banquet. Yes.
Need More Ideas? Then browse our list of kids Sunday School lessons or check out our suggestions for Kids Bible Trivia