5 Easy VBS Lessons for 2025

Theme: Floating Down a Lazy River

Summary: In the Old Testament, the people of Israel were being oppressed and serving as slaves in Egypt. Pharaoh saw how the people were growing daily, increasing in size, and he grew afraid that they would soon outnumber the Egyptians and take over the kingdom.

In an attempt to limit the Israelites’ growth, he ordered midwives to let baby boys die during childbirth. But the Israelite women feared God and wouldn’t follow his orders. Because of this, Pharaoh ordered all the Israelite baby boys to be thrown into the Nile.

During this time, one Israelite mother gave birth to a baby boy and hid him for three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she got a papyrus basket, coated it with tar and pitch to make it waterproof, and placed her baby inside, hiding it among the reeds of the Nile River.

To guard over him in the water, the mother sent his older sister, Miriam, to watch him from a distance. When the Pharaoh’s daughter came to the river, she found the baby boy and felt compassion and sorrow for him, causing her to decide to adopt him. When the sister saw what was happening, she came forward, approaching Pharaoh’s daughter, offering to find her a nurse maid for the baby.

Because of his sister’s careful watch and quick thinking, she was able to reunite him with his mother, who was paid as a nurse to take care of him. Because she found him floating in the river, Pharaoh’s daughter was inspired to name him Moses, which means, “I drew him out of the water.”

Relevant Bible passages: Exodus 1; 2:1-8

Memory verse: “His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him” (Exodus 2:4).

Key takeaway: Does God call kids to watch over their siblings? Yes, He does, as Miriam watched over Moses. So don’t be surprised if He asks you at times to keep an eye on your sisters or brothers.

Likewise, if your sister or brother is keeping track of you, be thankful God has someone there for you who loves and cares for you.

Conclusion: At times, God has others watching over us. Sometimes, He also wants us to watch over, help, and lead those who can’t help themselves. 

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Theme: Facing Supersized Troubles

Summary: In the Old Testament, we find the story of the Philistines who challenged Israel in war, wanting to take them captive. Their Philistine champion, Goliath, was a giant who taunted the Israelites each day to fight him, but the army was too afraid to face him.

After 40 days of no one stepping up to fight Goliath, a young boy, David, the youngest in his family, was sent to deliver lunch to the troops. While there, he volunteered to face Goliath.

David was young and spent much of his time in the fields shepherding his sheep. But through that, God taught him how to take care of and defend the sheep against wild animals who sought to capture and carry them away.

When David volunteered to fight Goliath, King Saul, seeing he was just a boy, didn’t want to send him. Still, David put his trust in the Lord. He convinced the king by telling him how, as a shepherd, he had fought both lion and bear and was not afraid to face Goliath.

Having convinced Saul to send him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to face Goliath. He took his sling and five smooth stones, and without using a sword, he struck the giant down.

Relevant Bible passages: 1 Samuel 17:1-58

Memory verse: “But David said to the Philistine, ‘You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied’” (1 Samuel 17:45).

Key Takeaways: When facing supersized troubles, God doesn’t have a height, strength, or age requirement. To King Saul and his army, David seemed too little and too young. Even though David had slingshot skills, he didn’t depend on himself; he put his faith in God to defeat Goliath.

Conclusion: David had to convince King Saul that he could face Goliath. He knew God had been preparing him to make a difference, even though others didn’t think he was old enough or had the skills to accomplish it. But David put his trust in God to help him and knew he could depend on Him.

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Theme: Dip Your Toes in the River and See What Happens 

Summary: The Old Testament tells us of Naaman, the army commander for King Aram. Aram was known as a great man and highly respected. He led his troops to victory because the Lord gave him success in battle.

Although he was known as a valiant soldier, tragically Naaman had leprosy, an incurable, infectious skin disease.

At the time, there was no hope or cure for those who had leprosy. However, an Israeli servant girl who had been taken captive to serve Naaman’s wife heard of his condition and made sure to tell her mistress about the prophet Elisha in Samaria. She said that he could cure her husband of the leprosy.

Naaman asked King Aram to contact the King of Israel, but the king became distressed over the request. When the prophet Elisha heard the king was upset, he told him to send Naaman to him.

After Naaman arrived, Elisha told him to dip in the Jordan River seven times to be cleansed. This made Naaman angry at first and he refused to follow his instructions. He even asked if he could dip in a different river, one that seemed cleaner to him. But eventually, Naaman gave in and did as Elisha instructed. Immediately, he saw his skin clear up and become like new before his very eyes – he was healed!

Relevant Bible passages: 2 Kings 5:1-14

Memory verse: “So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy” (2 Kings 5:14).

Key takeaway: Although the Bible doesn’t tell us her name, this Israeli servant girl, taken captive from Israel, helped lead Naaman to healing and restored health. Just like God worked through her to help him, God will work through us, too, when we take the extra effort to tell others what we know.

Conclusion: God works through us to help others, to let them know they can turn to Him with their biggest problems. Even though she was just a kid, by telling Naaman’s wife what she knew, she helped lead Naaman to God and to healing.

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Theme: King for the Day 

Summary: King Saul was followed by David as King of Israel, but not all of Israel’s kings served God. One kid, Josiah, became king at eight years old after the people killed his father King Amon. Amon had done evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh before him. They served and worshipped idols, abandoning the Lord, the God of their fathers, not walking the way of the Lord.

But Josiah wasn’t like his father and grandfather. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, following Him completely and not turning aside right or left to do evil. King Josiah got rid of all the false gods and idols and every wicked thing that his father and grandfather had brought into the land.

He also brought the people back to serving God, reading all the words of the Book of the Covenant to the priests and the prophets and all the people, small and great. He renewed the covenant before them and the Lord, to follow Him and keep His commandments, decrees, and statues with all his heart and all his soul. He also vowed to carry out the words written in the book and lead all the people to enter the covenant, too.

Although Josiah started out as a kid-sized king, 2 Kings 23:25 tells us, “Neither before nor after Josiah was there a king like him who turned to the Lord as he did — with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his strength, in accordance with all the Law of Moses.”

Relevant Bible passages: 2 Kings 21:19-26; 2 Kings 22:1-2; 2 Kings 23

Memory Verse: “He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord and followed completely the ways of his father David, not turning aside to the right or to the left” (2 Kings 22:2)

Key takeaway: Like Josiah, even if our family isn’t serving God, it doesn’t mean we can’t. And we don’t have to wait until we’re grown-ups to serve Him and lead others to serve Him, too.

Conclusion: Although Josiah was a kid when he became king, he was just the right size for God to work through him. Even though his father and grandfather were wicked rulers, it didn’t stop Josiah from serving God and walking in his ways, just like it doesn’t have to stop us from doing so, too. We can follow God and help to lead other people around us to follow Him, too, even if our family isn’t.

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Theme: Let’s Do Lunch

Summary: As Jesus traveled around Israel ministering to the people, he crossed to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee, followed by a great crowd of people. They saw the signs He performed and how he was healing the sick.

Jesus wanted to feed them, so He asked Philip about buying lunch for them. But He did this to test him, as Jesus already knew what He was going to do about lunch.

Philip told him it would take too much money even to buy a bite for each person there. He didn’t see how they could possibly feed them all.

Overhearing their conversation, another disciple, Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, spoke up and told Jesus there was a boy in the crowd who had brought lunch with him. He had just five small barley loaves and two small fishes.

Jesus didn’t hesitate in hearing of the small lunch, but asked the disciples to sit the people down. Once they did, He took the loaves, gave thanks, and distributed it to all who were seated, doing the same with the fish.

Amazingly, they not only all had plenty of food for everyone to eat, but had enough leftovers to fill twelve basketfuls.

Relevant Bible passages: John 6:1-13

Memory verse: “Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?” (John 6:9).

Key takeaway: A little can turn into a lot when we put it in God hands.

Conclusion: Has God ever asked us to give something small to Him? Although we may think we don’t have much to offer at times, He can take what little we have in our hands and multiply it more than we can imagine!

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