Lesson Objective:

The children will see how God meant it for good by learning the final part of Joseph’s story.

Scripture:

Genesis 40-50

Arrival:

Greet the children and sing a few songs. Sing the Joseph song you learned the week prior.

Prayer:

Thank the Lord for trials that end up being good in the end.

Lesson:

Review with the children where you left Joseph in the last lesson (he had just interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and was made second-in-command of the entire nation of Egypt). Ask the children what the dream’s interpretation was (there would be seven years of plenty and then seven years of famine). Review what a famine is. Then resume the story.

As Joseph predicted (with God’s help), the next seven years brought great harvests, plenty of food, and a lot of wealth. In his role as second-in-command, Joseph kept a fifth of all of the harvest throughout the land. Any time a farmer brought in crops, he had to give a fifth of the crops to Joseph. Joseph stored that food for the seven years of famine.

Soon the rains stopped falling, the food stopped growing, and the people got hungry. When they used up their own reserves, they came to Joseph to buy food. He had plenty stored up and he sold it to the hungry people.

Eventually Joseph’s brothers came to buy grain from Joseph. Remember, they thought he had become a slave and they assumed by now he was dead. When they saw Joseph, they did not recognize him. You might be thinking that’s strange. After all, you would recognize your brother or sister, right? Remember, Joseph was just a teenager when he was sold into slavery, and now he was a grown up. Also, he was dressed like an Egyptian, not a Hebrew, so he looked different to them.

Joseph, however, recognized his brothers. How would you have felt if you saw these people who had sold you into slavery? (take responses) Joseph did not let on that he recognized them and spoke through an interpreter. He asked about his father, and was so happy when he learned that his elderly father was still alive. They did not have his brother Benjamin, the other son of Rachel and Joseph’s closest brother, with them, so he accused them of being spies and sent them back to get Benjamin. He knew they were not spies, but he was testing them to see how they responded. He kept the oldest, Simeon, in jail until they returned with Benjamin.

It took a while, because Jacob did not want to let Benjamin go, but eventually they ran out of food again and the brothers headed to Egypt with Benjamin. Joseph tested them to see if they were still as hateful as they were when he was a child, but when he saw that they had changed, he fed them a huge meal and told them who he was. They were scared at first, wondering what Joseph would do to them for selling him into slavery.

Joseph assured them “As for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.” (Genesis 50:20 NKJV).

Remember when Joseph was a child and dreamed that his brothers were serving him? Well, now it had happened! Joseph told Pharaoh about his family, and Pharaoh gave them land in Egypt. Joseph got to see his father again, and his father got to see Joseph’s two sons before he died.

If Joseph had not been in Egypt and in that prison, he would not have been ready to interpret Pharaoh’s dream. He would not have been made second in command, and thousands would have died during the famine years. In the end, God had a perfect plan, even through all of the hardship Joseph went through in his life.

Memory Verse:

Genesis 50:20 – Play Balloon Bible Verse Review with the kids as you practice this verse again.

Craft/Game:

Play Battle of Knowledge using review questions from Joseph’s story (all of the lessons, not just this one).

Dismissal:

Remind the children to look for the good in bad situations in the upcoming week, just like Joseph.

Lesson Objective:

The children will see that God’s plan always comes to be, even when it doesn’t make sense.

Scripture:

Genesis 40-41.

Arrival:

When the children arrive, take them to the sitting area and sing with them.

Prayer:

Take prayer requests and pray with the children.

Lesson:

Review with the children what you have learned so far about the story of Joseph. Remind them about his dreams, the coat of many colors, and the way his brothers sold him into slavery. Review the way he fled from sin with Potiphar’s wife, only to end up in prison. Resume the story at that point:

When Joseph was in prison, God still remembered him. At this time, God would sometimes give people messages through their dreams. One night, God sent a dream to two other prisoners, the Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker (explain what a cupbearer is if you need to). These two men came to Joseph and told him about their dreams. Joseph, with God’s help, knew the meaning of the dreams. The cupbearer would be found not guilty of his crime and would be let out of jail. The baker would be found guilty. Joseph asked the cupbearer, “when you get out of prison, tell Pharaoh about me and how I am innocent, and ask him to let me out too.”

Sure enough, the cupbearer was let out, but he forgot about Joseph. In fact, for two years nothing happened. That’s a long time!

Then, one night Pharaoh had a dream, and none of the wise men could help him understand what it meant. He was complaining about it, and his cupbearer suddenly remembered how Joseph had told him the meaning to his own dream. He told Pharaoh, and Pharaoh sent for Joseph.

When Pharaoh met Joseph, he asked him, “Can you tell me what my dream means?” Joseph answered, “No, I can’t. It’s my God that gives me the meaning to the dream.” Pharaoh told Joseph his dream, and Joseph told the meaning.

“This is a warning from God. For the next seven years, the crops will grow well, but then after that there will be seven years of famine. During that time no crops will grow and the people will go hungry.”

Pharaoh was worried. He wondered what he should do. Joseph told him, “since there will be seven good years, store up all of the extra food. Then the people will have enough to get through the hard years.”

Pharaoh was so impressed with the wisdom God gave to Joseph, that he put him in charge of the entire land of Egypt. The only man on earth who was more important than Joseph was the Pharaoh himself!

Remember how we talked about God having a plan? Well, this was it! God took Joseph to Egypt and then to jail so he could meet the cupbearer, who would eventually bring him to Pharaoh. In the next lesson, we will see how this plan finally plays out, allowing Joseph to fulfill the dreams he had as a child.

Memory Verse:

Genesis 50:20 – Start learning this verse with the children.

Craft/Game:

Take the time to learn a new song:

Pharaoh’s Dream (Tune: Yankee Doodle)

Pharaoh had two dreams one night
That were so strange to him.
The wise men tried with all their might
To know what they must mean.

But Pharaoh’s dreams were strange to them
Their meaning was not clear.
So Pharaoh sent for Joseph
Who was inside the jail.

Then Joseph with the help of God
Interpreted the dreams
Seven years of plenty,
Then seven years of famine.

Dismissal:

Remind the children to come back the coming week in order to hear the final part of Joseph’s story. Have them watch during the week for times when something seems bad, like Joseph going to jail, but ends up working out well, like when Joseph was the second in command of the entire empire.

Lesson Objective:

The children will learn that tricking people is not kind.

Scripture:

Genesis 28-35

Arrival:

As the children arrive, ask them if they have ever had to wait for something. If you get some good responses, take a survey to see what the longest anyone had ever had to wait for something would be. Ask them how they would feel if after all of that waiting, someone tricked them out of the thing they were waiting for. Sing with the children.

Prayer:

Ask the Lord to help you clearly present the lesson.

Lesson:

Remember how Jacob tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing meant for Esau? Esau was so angry that he said he was going to kill Jacob, and he meant it. Rebekah had Jacob flee in order to save his life.

Jacob traveled many months until he reached Haran where his uncle Laban lived. He found some shepherds there, and he asked them if they knew his uncle. They said yes, and then pointed to a lovely young woman who was walking towards them “There is his daughter Rachel coming with the sheep.” Jacob felt love at first sight! Rachel was very beautiful, and she was in his family!

Laban was very happy to see is sister’s son, and he invited Jacob to live with him for a while. He worked hard for Laban, and after a month his uncle asked him what he wanted to be paid for the work he was doing. Jacob was so madly in love with Rachel, that he said, “I will work for you for seven years, if I can marry Rachel, your youngest daughter.”

Laban agreed. Jacob worked and worked, but with his eyes on the goal of marrying the woman he loved, the Bible says that the seven years seemed like just a few days to him! Finally, it was time to marry his girl!

As was the tradition, Laban had a huge feast. People came from all around to celebrate. The tradition dictated that the bride stayed covered with a veil during the big party. When evening fell, she was given to her husband.

When Jacob took his new bride home and lifted her veil, he was shocked to see that it wasn’t Rachel. It was Rachel’s older sister, Leah! Laban had tricked Jacob.

Jacob demanded to know why Laban had tricked him. Laban said that it was the custom in their country for the older daughter to be married first. He said that Jacob could marry Rachel a week later if he would take Leah as his wife, but he would also have to work seven more years.

What do you think Jacob said? He loved Rachel so much, that he said yes. His goal was to marry Rachel, and he pushed onward in spite of the problems. He had to work hard, and he was tricked, but in the end he got the bride he loved.

His favoritism for Rachel, however, was going to cause problems for the family later.

Jacob tricked Esau by stealing his birthright. Later, he was tricked by his father-in-law, Laban. Have you ever been tricked like Laban tricked Jacob? How did it feel? (Take some time to discuss these answers with the children)

Memory Verse:

Philippians 3:14 – Put the words to the verse on large slips of paper with magnets behind them. Give each child a slip or two, and then have the class race to put them in order. Quote the verse, each time removing a slip, until they can say it from memory.

Craft/Game:

Have the children color two parts of this story:

Jacob Meets Rachel http://www.calvary-kids-pages.com/5a198.html
Jacob’s Wife (this one shows the veiling very well for children who do not understand the tradition)

Dismissal:

Remind children that it never feels good to be tricked.

Lesson Objective:

The children will learn that you should do right even when life isn’t fair. They will also learn that you should run from temptation to sin.

Scripture:

Genesis 39

Arrival:

As you sing with the children, sing “Be Careful Little Eyes What You See.”

Prayer:

When you pray, ask God to help you flee from temptation.

Lesson:

When Joseph was sold into slavery, it seemed as though his life was over. But God had a great plan for him. He ended up serving in the house of a man named Potiphar. Joseph worked hard, and eventually Potiphar put him in charge of his entire household.

Joseph tended the fields, took care of the other servants, made sure enough food was ready at all meals, and made sure the house was clean and tidy. In fact, the Bible says that nothing was kept from Joseph. He was basically the leader of the home!

The Bible also says that Joseph was very handsome. One day, Potiphar’s wife noticed Joseph. She thought he looked handsome, and she wanted him to show her special attention (teacher, make this as age appropriate as possible). Joseph knew this was wrong. He knew that God said that you should only show special attention to your own husband or wife.

Day after day Mrs. Potiphar asked Joseph for attention. “Come on, can’t I have a little kiss? No? How about a hug?” Every day she asked Joseph this, and every day his reply was the same: “Your husband has given me authority over everything in this house, except for you. How can I commit this great wickedness and sin against my God? I will not do it!”

This made Mrs. Potiphar angry. She was used to getting her way! One day when she was talking to Joseph, she grabbed his shirt and tried to make him come to her. He wiggled out of his coat and ran away! Suddenly, he heard her scream. The other servants came running, and she told them he had forced her to do wicked things. This was a lie, but because she said it, Potiphar had to put Joseph in prison.

In prison, Joseph still did what was right. It wasn’t fair that Joseph was a slave. It wasn’t fair that Joseph was in prison. But no matter what, he didn’t complain, and he did what was right. Soon the captain of the prison put Joseph in charge of the prison. As we will learn next week, God had a plan for Joseph, even in the prison where it seemed there was no hope.

When Mrs. Potiphar tried to get Joseph to sin, he not only said no, but he ran from her. When you are tempted to sin, you need to say no, and run away from the temptation. Maybe you are playing with your friends, and your friend decides it would be fun to throw rocks at the cars driving by on your street. Is this respectful to the drivers? No, so it is sin. Instead of just saying no, you should run home so that you will not be tempted to do wrong. Be like Joseph, and run from temptation.

Memory Verse:

Help the children learn the first sentence in II Timothy 2:22 – Talk to them about what “lusts” are (desires to sin). Remember to keep the discussion age-appropriate.

Craft/Game Time:

Practice “fleeing youthful lusts” with a relay game.

Dismissal:

Give the children time to calm down after playing the game by reviewing the story with them. Have a small prize for any child who can quote the memory verse at the end of the lesson time.

Lesson Objective:

The children will learn that tricking people is not kind.

Scripture:

Genesis 28-35

Arrival:

As the children arrive, ask them if they have ever had to wait for something. If you get some good responses, take a survey to see what the longest anyone had ever had to wait for something would be. Ask them how they would feel if after all of that waiting, someone tricked them out of the thing they were waiting for. Sing with the children.

Prayer:

Ask the Lord to help you clearly present the lesson.

Lesson:

Remember how Jacob tricked Isaac into giving him the blessing meant for Esau? Esau was so angry that he said he was going to kill Jacob, and he meant it. Rebekah had Jacob flee in order to save his life.

Jacob traveled many months until he reached Haran where his uncle Laban lived. He found some shepherds there, and he asked them if they knew his uncle. They said yes, and then pointed to a lovely young woman who was walking towards them “There is his daughter Rachel coming with the sheep.” Jacob felt love at first sight! Rachel was very beautiful, and she was in his family!

Laban was very happy to see is sister’s son, and he invited Jacob to live with him for a while. He worked hard for Laban, and after a month his uncle asked him what he wanted to be paid for the work he was doing. Jacob was so madly in love with Rachel, that he said, “I will work for you for seven years, if I can marry Rachel, your youngest daughter.”

Laban agreed. Jacob worked and worked, but with his eyes on the goal of marrying the woman he loved, the Bible says that the seven years seemed like just a few days to him! Finally, it was time to marry his girl!

As was the tradition, Laban had a huge feast. People came from all around to celebrate. The tradition dictated that the bride stayed covered with a veil during the big party. When evening fell, she was given to her husband.

When Jacob took his new bride home and lifted her veil, he was shocked to see that it wasn’t Rachel. It was Rachel’s older sister, Leah! Laban had tricked Jacob.

Jacob demanded to know why Laban had tricked him. Laban said that it was the custom in their country for the older daughter to be married first. He said that Jacob could marry Rachel a week later if he would take Leah as his wife, but he would also have to work seven more years.

What do you think Jacob said? He loved Rachel so much, that he said yes. His goal was to marry Rachel, and he pushed onward in spite of the problems. He had to work hard, and he was tricked, but in the end he got the bride he loved.

His favoritism for Rachel, however, was going to cause problems for the family later.

Jacob tricked Esau by stealing his birthright. Later, he was tricked by his father-in-law, Laban. Have you ever been tricked like Laban tricked Jacob? How did it feel? (Take some time to discuss these answers with the children)

Memory Verse:

Philippians 3:14 – Put the words to the verse on large slips of paper with magnets behind them. Give each child a slip or two, and then have the class race to put them in order. Quote the verse, each time removing a slip, until they can say it from memory.

Craft/Game:

Have the children color two parts of this story:

Jacob Meets Rachel
Jacob’s Wife (this one shows the veiling very well for children who do not understand the tradition)

Dismissal:

Remind children that it never feels good to be tricked.

Lesson Objective:

The children will learn that God works everything out for good, even when we mess up.

Scripture:

Genesis 37-40

Arrival:

As the children arrive, greet them and sing with them. Sing a few favorite songs, and close with “God Is so Good.”

Prayer:

Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and thank Him for having a perfect plan for each person’s life.

Lesson:

Have a large version of the color sheet on the board, with a box of markers handy. Give each child a color sheet and some crayons. This is going to be an interactive lesson.

Review the story of Jacob with the children. Remind them that he had two wives (Rachel and Leah). He loved Rachel more than Leah, and this created problems for his family. Tell them the following story:

Because Jacob favored Rachel over Leah, God allowed Leah to have many children, but kept Rachel from having any. After several years and several sons, Rachel cried out to the Lord to give her a son. She had one, and his name was Joseph. Later, she had another son, Benjamin. She died while giving birth to Benjamin.

Between Jacob’s two wives and their servants, who were given to him as wives as well, he had 12 sons. However, because Joseph and Benjamin were Rachel’s sons, he played favorites. He gave them special gifts and privileges in the family. remember how his mom, Rebekah, had favored him over his brother Esau? Well, now he is doing the same thing.

One day, Jacob gave Joseph a special coat. The Bible calls it a “coat of many colors.” This showed his favor for Joseph, because colorful cloth was quite expensive at this time. When his brothers saw it, there were green with envy, or jealousy (color a part of the coat with a green marker. Instruct the children to color their pictures too).

Soon, Joseph started having dreams. In one dream, he and his brothers were out in the field harvesting grain. Suddenly, his grain stood up and all of the others bowed down to his. In another dream, Joseph dreamed that eleven stars as well as the sun and moon paid reverence to him (color part of the coat yellow). These dreams showed that his brothers and even his parents would one day bow down to him. When he told his brothers his dreams, they became angry (color part of the coat black).

One day, Jacob sent his sons to the field to watch the sheep. He wanted to see how they were doing, so he sent Joseph to check up on his brothers. As he approached with his beautiful coat, the brothers started to grumble. They talked about how unfair it was that Joseph was favored. When he arrived, they grabbed him, pulled off the special coat, and threw him into a pit. When some traders passed by on their way to Egypt, the brothers pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the traders to be a slave.

Of course, they needed a story to tell their father. They took a goat, killed it, and spread the red blood all over the coat (color part of it red). Then they tore the coat and took it to their father, telling him they found it that way. Jacob assumed his favorite son had been killed. This made him feel sad (color part of the coat blue).

It may seem that this story is sad. A family is broken apart, a man is sold into slavery, and a father thinks his son is dead. When we talk next week, we will learn how in spite of all of these problems, God has a perfect plan for Joseph and his family.

Game/Craft:

Let the children finish coloring the picture. Then, let them create their own coat of many colors. Let them act out the story of Joseph if there is more time.

Memory Verse:

Romans 8:28 – Practice the verse out loud, and offer an incentive to any child who can say the verse when they come the following week.

Dismissal:

Remind the children that they need to return the next week to find out the rest of the story!

Lesson Objective:

The children will learn that the choices we make are very important and have an affect on us and others.

Arrival:

Sing with the children, and ask them to sing “Oh Be Careful Little Eyes What You Do.” Then, offer a volunteer a choice. Show him two boxes, one that has one candy, and one that has enough candy for the entire class. He does not know which one is which. Have him choose a box, and then offer the reward. If he chooses the box with one candy, he gets the candy. If he chooses the other box, he and everyone in the class gets the candy. Talk about how choices have an affect on everyone.

Prayer:

Pray that the children will understand how important choices are.

Lesson:

After Rebekah and Isaac got married, they were very excited to find out that they were going to have a baby! When the time came for the baby to be born, there wasn’t one, but two! Rebekah had twins! She named them Jacob and Esau.

How many of you have a brother or a sister? Do you always get along? Do you fight sometimes? Jacob and Esau seemed to fight all of the time from the day they were born. Their mom even said they fought when they were still inside her tummy.

Esau grew up to be a strong man. He was very hairy, and he was also a great hunter. Jacob grew up to be a good cook. He stayed around the house and helped his mom and dad with household needs. Even though they were twins, the two men were very different.

Esau was the oldest in the family by a few minutes. In this day, the oldest son received a great amount of money and goods as an inheritance from his father. Even though Jacob was also Isaac’s son, he was not the heir. He would get some things, but not as much as Esau. This privilege was known as a “birthright.”

Jacob was Rebekah’s favorite, but Isaac favored Esau. This made Jacob jealous. One day, when Esau came in from hunting, he was very hungry. Jacob had just made a tasty stew. I can imagine Esau could smell it cooking and was just dying to have a bite. “Quick,” he said, “Let me have some of that stew! I’m dying of hunger.”

Jacob offered him the stew, but he said, “First, give me your birthright.” This meant that Esau was giving Jacob the right to the huge inheritance he would get when Isaac died.

What would you have said? Would you have given all of those riches away for a bowl of soup? Sounds crazy, but that is just what Esau did. Instead of valuing the gift he had been given by God and his own dad, he sold it for one meal.

This was a choice, and it was a choice that Esau could not change. He chose not to value the gift he had been given, and God was not pleased.

But Jacob is also going to make a bad choice in this story.

When Isaac knew he was about to die, he called his sons and told Esau to go hunting. He told him to prepare a meal for his father, and that over the meal he would give Esau his blessing.

While Esau was out hunting, Rebekah told Jacob, her favorite, to trick his father into giving the birthright to him, not Esau. Jacob should have said, “no way, that is not the right thing to do,” but instead, he followed the plan. The two of them made the meal, and then Jacob disguised himself by putting animal hair on his arms. Isaac could not see, but he knew that his son Esau was hairy, so this is how they tricked him.

The trick worked, and Isaac gave the blessing to Jacob. When Esau came back from hunting, he was very, very angry to find out what had happened, even though he had sold that birthright to Jacob.

These choices, first Esau’s and then Jacob’s, tore the family apart. Esau was so mad that he wanted to kill his twin brother, and Jacob had to run away. He never saw his father again, and it was many years before he saw his brother too. These two men made bad choices, and their entire family suffered for it.

That’s kind of like the thing we did at the beginning of class. Your classmate picked a box, and you (got a candy/had to watch him get a candy). His choice affected everyone in this room! That’s true in life too. God cares about the choices we make, and often they affect everyone, not just you. The next time you have a choice to make, stop and think about how it affects those around you, and pray that you will make the right one.

Craft/Game:

Make a clay bowl so the children can reenact the part of the story when Jacob offers Esau the soup in return for the birthright.

Memory Verse:

Play Memory Verse Balloon Game to help the children learn Proverbs 4:26. Talk about making the choice to avoid evil, like the verse talks about.

Dismissal:

Remind the children to make careful choices in the coming week.

Lesson Objective

The children will understand that all of the good things God gives us still belong to Him.

Scripture:

Genesis 22

Arrival:

As the children arrive, have the word “Sacrifice” written on the board. Sing some songs with them, then discuss what the word means. They may or may not have an idea of what it means. The definition is “to give something up.” Ask them if someone has ever sacrificed for them. Lead them to thinking about how their parents work hard to make money, yet they spend most of it on their kids. That is an example of a sacrifice.

Prayer Time:

Pray for wisdom and clarity as you teach.

Lesson:

Has your mom or dad ever told you to do something, and you didn’t understand why? Maybe they told you that you could not play with the marker on the desk. You love to color with markers, so you did not understand why. There was a reason, though. Maybe you were in your clothes for church and they did not want you to get them dirty. Perhaps the marker was a permanent marker that would stain your skin.

In this example, what should you do when your parent tells you not to touch the marker? (Obey) Should you ask why? (No) Sometimes it is OK to ask why, but only after you have obeyed. We need to obey even when we do not understand, but that is really hard.

Remember the story of Abraham? What did God promise him? (He would become a great nation through his children) Did Abraham have children when God made this promise? (no) Do you remember how old Abraham was when he finally had a son? (100) What did he name his son? (Isaac)

Isaac means “to laugh,” and I can imagine that Sarah and Abraham spent many hours laughing at their son as he grew up. He was the “son of promise,” and they loved him very much. After many years, Isaac was a young man, and Abraham was a very old man. Abraham really loved his son, probably more than anything else in the world. What is something that you treasure more than anything else you have? (take responses)

Now, imagine someone wanted to take that from you. How would you feel? (Take responses) Would it be easy to give that up?

Abraham’s most precious treasure was Isaac, and one day God came to him and asked him to sacrifice Isaac. Sacrifice means to give something up, and in the Old Testament, a sacrifice to God meant that the thing being sacrificed was killed or burned up.

Can you imagine how upset Abraham must have been? God had promised him a son, and finally after such a long time, he had that son, and now God wanted him back!

Abraham was upset, but he remembered something very important. Even though Isaac was his most precious treasure, Isaac ultimately belonged to the God who created him. Everything we own, no matter how we got it, really belongs to God, and God can do with it what He wants. Abraham also knew that God was good and would not forget His promise. The Bible does not tell us what Abraham thought God would do. Maybe he thought God would raise Isaac from the dead. Perhaps he thought God would intervene. Regardless, Abraham prepared for the trip. I am sure there was tremendous sorrow as he did.

Abraham prepared for the trip to the spot where God told him to sacrifice his son. Isaac went with him, but wondered where the lamb was for the sacrifice. Abraham simply told him “God will provide a lamb.” They traveled for many days, and finally they arrived at the location. Then, Abraham had to tell Isaac that he was the sacrifice.

Can you imagine what Isaac must have thought? Here, his father who loved him was going to kill him! Isaac was a strong young man, and Abraham was an old man. Isaac could have easily fought back and run away, but he didn’t. He lay down on the altar and let Abraham tie his hands and feet.

Just as Abraham was about to plunge the knife into Isaac, God spoke. He said “Do not lay a hand on the boy, do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Abraham lowered his hand and untied Isaac. Then, they looked in the thicket next to them, and there was a ram. They offered the ram as a sacrifice instead.

God wanted to know that Abraham loved Him more than anything, even his only son. Do you love God more than your most prized treasure? Remember, God gave you His only Son to die on the cross for your sins. He deserves our deepest love!

Memory Verse:

Help the children memorize the second half of Genesis 22:12

Craft/Game Time:

This lesson will likely take a while, and the children will probably have some questions. Instead of a game or craft, download this coloring page and have them color it.

Dismissal:

Remind the children that Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac is an example to us of God’s willingness to send His Son to die on the cross. Have the children thank God for this gift as they go about their week.

Lesson Objective:

The children will learn that God always keeps his promises, even when we don’t see how it is possible (the second part of a three-part lesson)

Scripture:

Genesis 12-20

Arrival:

As the children arrive, sing with them. Sing “My God Is so Big!” and “Nothing Is Impossible.”

Prayer Time:

Thank the Lord that He knows what is best for His children and His timing is always perfect.

Lesson:

(Review with the children the story of Abraham with the following questions)

Why did Abraham leave his home country? (Because God told him to)

What was the promise God gave Abraham? (He would have many children)

How many children, grand children, and so forth would Abraham have? (As many as the stars in the sky)

After God gave Abraham this promise, many years went by. As Abraham and Sarah, his wife, started getting older, they began to doubt. After all, old ladies don’t usually have babies, do they? One day Sarah told Abraham to marry her servant girl in order to have a son that Sarah could adopt. Instead of trusting God, they took matters into their own hands. The servant girl’s name was Hagar, and she had a son whom they named Ishmael. Abraham thought he had “helped” God with keeping His promise.

However, when Abraham was 99 years old, God sent three angels to him. They told him that one year later, Sarah, who was 90 years old, would have a son. Can you imagine? Having a son at 90 years old. Do any of you have a grandma or great-grandma who is 90? Can you imagine her having a little baby? Sarah couldn’t imagine it either, so she laughed when she heard what the men said. The men told her not to doubt God. God could do whatever He wanted to do!

You know what? One year later, Sarah had a baby. They named him Isaac, which means “he laughs.” God kept His promise, even when it seemed impossible. God always keeps His promises, but He does it in His own time, not ours.

Have you ever had a time in your life when you wanted God to do something, but He didn’t seem to be doing it? Remember, God promises to give us all that we need, but sometimes we need to wait. Sometimes the item is not right for us. We need to learn to trust that God knows what is best!

Memory Verse:

Continue working on Psalm 36:5. Have a small reward (small toy or treat) for any children that can quote the verse from last week.

Game Time:

Make lots of cutouts of stars and scatter the on the floor of the classroom. This game reinforces the “as many as the stars in the sky” concept. Give the kids 30 seconds to scramble around the room and try to step on all of the stars. Then cut the time to 20 seconds and 10 seconds. There is no winner to this game. It is simply a chance to let them get their wiggles out.

Dismissal:

Remind the children that they can trust God no matter what happens in the coming week.

Lesson Objective:

The children will learn that God always has a perfect plan, even when we can’t see the details.

Scripture:

Genesis 24

Arrival:

As the children arrive, greet them and have them sing. Sing songs that focus on God’s desire to give us good things. “God Is so Good” is a good choice.

Prayer Time:

When you pray, thank the Lord for being the provider of great gifts.

Lesson:

(Start the lesson with review questions)

What promise did God give the Abraham? (A big family)

Did Abraham have children when God gave him this promise? (No)

Did God fulfill His promise? (Yes, by giving Abraham Isaac)

Remember, Abraham had been asked of God to move away from his homeland. When his son Isaac was old enough to start his own family, Abraham wanted him to have a bride from his own people, not the people of the land where they were living. So he sent his trusted servant, Eliezer, back to his hometown to find Isaac a wife. The only instructions he gave the servant were to find a wife for Isaac from Abraham’s own people. He sent the servant with many beautiful gifts for the young lady’s family.

After traveling for many days on camel, the servant finally arrived. His camels were thirsty. He stopped at a well for a drink of water. While he was at the well, he prayed. He told the Lord to show him who the right young lady was. He said, “Lord, when I ask the young woman you have chosen for Isaac for a drink, show me she is the one by having her offer to pour water for my camels too.”

Now, drawing water from a well for a bunch of thirsty camels is NOT easy. It is not like refilling your dog’s water dish at home. Camels drink a lot of water after a long trip, and the young woman who offered to do this would have to draw many, many, many jars of water from the well and pour them in a trough for the animals. It was a lot of hard work!

Soon after Eliezer prayed this, some young women came to the well. He asked one for a drink, and she willingly offered to water his camels too.

Eliezer was so excited. He asked the young woman her name and she said “Rebekah.” It did not take long for him to find out that she was, indeed, in Abraham’s family. She was the one God had chosen for Isaac to marry. He told her who he was and asked her if he could meet her family. He placed beautiful jewelry on her. I am sure she was quite impressed and curious about this stranger.

Once he met her family, Eliezer explained what his mission was. Can you imagine how scared Rebekah must have felt? She was being asked to leave her family and all the people and things she loved to go marry a man she had never even heard of! What if Isaac was ugly or mean? What if he didn’t like her?

In the morning, the servant wanted to leave right away. He was so excited that his mission had been a success! Rebekah’s family was not quite ready, though. They realized that they might not ever see her again, and they wanted some time to say goodbye. The servant insisted on leaving, and so the family asked Rebekah what she wanted to do. She chose to trust God and leave with the servant.

I am sure she was scared. It was a long trip to Abraham’s home. When they were finally getting close, Rebekah saw a handsome man in the distance. She asked the servant who he was, and he answered, “this is my master.” She loved him the minute she saw him. Isaac loved Rebekah as well, and soon they were married.

This story shows us how God knows exactly what we need. The servant did not know how he would find the right young woman for Isaac. Rebekah did not know anything about the man she was going to marry. Yet God had a perfect plan, and the story ended up being a beautiful love story between Isaac and Rebekah. God’s plan is always perfect!

Memory Verse:

Begin working on learning the books of the New Testament.

Game/Craft:

Do the Eliezer maze activity with the children.

Dismissal:

Remind the children that God’s plan is always best, even when they do not know what is going to happen next.