God's Promises to Abram

40 Pages·2015·2.15 MB·English

1
Ur: God Calls Abram— LESSON
God’s Promises to Abram
Genesis 12:1-9
Old Testament 2
Part 1: Abraham
SUNDAY MORNING
Old Testament 2 Class Attendance Sheet provided in activity sheets (NOTE: The document is
interactive, allowing the teacher to type in the Class, Teacher, and the children’s names.)
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
Genesis 11:10-32; 12:1-9; 13:16; 17:1-8; Hebrews 11:1-10; Acts 7:2-5; Proverbs 3:5-6;
Romans 4:3
MEMORY WORK:
“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the
families of the Earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
SONGS AND FINGERPLAYS (see end of lesson for words):
A song book and audio recordings of many of the curriculum songs are available on the
curriculum Web site.
• “Genesis 12:3”
• “Read Your Bible and Pray Everyday”
LESSON VISUALS AND TEACHING AIDS (note any disclaimers):
• See AP’s Pinterest page for ideas on bulletin boards, visuals, crafts, etc.
[DISCLAIMER: Pins may sometimes need to be adjusted to be scriptural.]
• Abraham & Israel Bible fact cards (provided under “O.T. 2 Bible Facts” on
curriculum Web site)
• Apologetics Press’ Bible Timeline
• “Summary of the Bible” from “Kids Prep” CD by Jeff Miller
• “Genesis Chapter Summary” from “Kids Prep” CD by Jeff Miller
• Betty Lukens’ felt pieces
• Decorate room as a “travelogue” for Abram’s Journey of Faith. Include Ur, Haran,
Shechem, Ai, Bethel, Mt. Moriah, the Jordan River, Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt,
etc. Tell this and each of the following stories from Abram’s life as you move the
children from place to place. Have cutouts of each of Abram’s family and move
them from place to place (Leave “Haran” at Ur and “Terah” at the city of Haran).
Place cutouts of an altar at Shechem and between Ai and Bethel.).
1/13/22 www.apologeticspress.org Page 1 O.T. 2—Part 1: Abraham
• “Map of Abram’s Journeys” (provided in the map section of the curriculum site)
• A Beka Flash-A-Card Series: Abraham and Isaac (DISCLAIMER: use the cards, not
the lesson book)
• Abraham images from freebibleimages.com (DISCLAIMER: some representations may
be biblically inaccurate)
PERSONAL APPLICATION:
I may not always understand what God in His Word asks me to do, but if I study the Bible and try
my hardest to obey, He has promised to bless me, just as He did Abram.
LLEESSSSOONN SSTTAARRTTSS HHEERREE
INTRODUCTION: (YOUNGER CHILDREN)
Have you ever been on a trip? (Discuss) What did you pack? We are going to study about a man
that moved to a new home just because God told him to! His name was Abram. (Later his name
was changed to Abraham.) How does God talk to us? We can’t hear His voice like Abram, but we
can study and obey the Bible just like Abram obeyed God.
INTRODUCTION: (OLDER CHILDREN)
What is faith? How do we show we have faith in God? (We obey His commands.) We talk a
lot about faith and obedience. Sometimes it’s hard to understand these words. To have faith in
someone means to trust him. The best way to understand faith and obedience is to see them in
action. This lesson teaches us about the meaning of these words by showing the actions of Abram
who would later become Abraham. He is known as the “Father of the Faithful” because of his
great faith in God.
POINTS TO EMPHASIZE:
1. For younger children: The teacher should focus on God telling Abram to move to the land of
Canaan. He and Sarai moved and obeyed God. Focus on the three promises made. It would
be good to have an object to represent each promise (baby or child figurine, picture of land of
Canaan, and picture of Jesus). Focus on how we can obey God like Abram.
2. Eight generations after the Flood (about 300 years), there was a man named Terah who lived in
the land called “Chaldea” (later known as Babylon), between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.
Terah had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran (Haran died in Ur. Nahor married his niece,
Milcah, had eight children, and remained in Mesopotamia).
3. From Stephen’s comments in Acts 7, and Moses’ account of these events in Genesis 11 and 12,
we learn that God spoke to Abram while he was in Ur of the Chaldees and told him to leave his
family and his country behind and to go to an unknown land—a land that God Himself would
show Abram. Abram took his father Terah and his nephew Lot with him. They went as far as
Haran, into another idol-worshipping civilization. Abram would have been considered a very
unusual man to worship the one true God in that place, at that time.
Ur: God Calls Abram—God’s Promises to Abram Page 2
RECOMMENDED READING FOR TEACHERS: See the articles “How Old was Terah
when Abraham was Born?” and “Terah Begot Abraham—When?” by Eric Lyons on
the Apologetics Press Web site for responses to alleged Bible contradictions regarding
the birth of Abraham.
4. After some time, Terah died and Abram left Haran, continuing on his journey. He was 75 years old
when he, his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, and their servants left Haran. Abram and his family left
a very civilized area of the world to move from place to place for almost 25 years (Discuss what it
must have been like to leave a house to live in a tent, and to leave the conveniences of a “modern”
city for deserted areas, etc.).
5. God made Abram three very special promises, which would be repeated by God to Abram at least three
times, then later to his son Isaac and his grandson, Jacob. The three promises were:
A. God would give him many descendants (children, grandchildren, etc.).
B. God would give him a special land for his descendants (Canaan).
C. God would bless everyone in the world through one of Abram’s descendants: One who
would be the Savior of the world.
RECOMMENDED READING FOR TEACHERS: See the article “The Predicted
Messiah” by Kyle Butt on the Apologetics Press Web site for further study on O.T.
predictions about the Messiah (i.e., Jesus).
6. Abram believed God’s promises and responded in faith, doing just as God asked him to do, even
though it would be many, many years before the promises were fulfilled.
7. They journeyed southward to Shechem, then to a place between Bethel and Ai. At each place, Abram
built an altar to worship the Lord.
8. There are some commands God has given us in the New Testament that we may not understand, but
it is very important to obey, no matter what we think or feel. We must trust God. What is trust? Trust
is having faith and confidence in someone else and what he says. Trust gives us a feeling of safety
and security, without fear. If we believe and trust God, we will choose to obey (Example: baby birds
or ducks following their mother).
Pre-ClAss ACTIVITIes/leArnInG CenTers (To be used As ChIldren Are
ArrIVInG—before ClAss, And uP To The fIrsT fIVe mInuTes of ClAss; or As homework):
• Click here for complete Activity Book and Answer Key.
Ages 2-5:
• “The Story of Abram Coloring Sheet” (provided in activity sheets)
• To illustrate trust, teacher leads blindfolded (or have them close their eyes) children around the
room.
• Have adults come and act out the story (especially Genesis 11 and 15:1-21). Or let children act out
story.
• Bring a suitcase and clothes or items you would take on a trip and let children pack the suitcase.
Page 3 O.T. 2—Part 1: Abraham
The teacher could ask simple review questions and each time a child answers correctly, he or
she could put something in.
• Cut a suitcase out of construction paper and cut items out of magazines that you would take
if you were moving like Abram. Have children pick items to put in their suitcase or glue on
it. The four and five year olds could cut their own out of magazines. (suitcase provided in
activity sheets)
• Laminate a donkey body cutout or glue it to a piece of cardboard, and let children color and
attach clothespins to the donkey as legs so it will stand. Attach a paper to the donkey that
says, “I am the donkey Abram rode the day when he listened to God and obeyed.” (Donkey
cutouts provided in activity sheets: Color, Black and White)
1st-2nd Graders:
• To illustrate trust, teacher leads blindfolded children around the room.
• Have students act out the story, especially Genesis 11 and 15:1-21 (or ask adults to come
do it).
• Have students lean back and fall into another’s arms (or something similar) to illustrate
trust.
• “Map of Abram’s Journeys”: Let students put praying hands stickers on the map to indicate
places Abram built altars. (map provided in map section of curriculum Web site)
• “The Story of Abram Crossword Puzzle” (provided in activity sheets)
• Books of the Bible Bingo. Can give students a blank bingo board [5 squares across and 5
squares down for a total of 25 squares] and have them choose which books of the Bible
they put in their blanks—this way everyone’s board is different. Then have each book of
the Bible written on a slip of paper, put the slips in a container, and draw them one at a
time for the bingo game (Can reduce number of choices by only using first half of OT or
NT books only, etc.). (Bingo card provided in activity sheets)
3rd-4th Graders:
• Have the students read Genesis chapter 12 (and chapter 11, if they did not do so last week).
[This could be assigned Sunday, to be completed by Wednesday.]
• Have the children read “Abraham Leaves a City to Go Camping” from Discovery magazine
(April, 2017) [NOTE: Advanced Bible Reader quizzes exist for many issues of Discovery
magazine]
• Have the children read pp. 32-35 of Noah and the People of Faith, Contemporary Bible
Series, Scandinavia, Contemporary English Version (DISCLAIMERS: p. 8—change “give
life to” to “bring forth”; p. 13—remove “before the day is over” from the last sentence; p.
20—change “destroy” to “rule over”; p. 24—change appropriate sentences to “every kind of
land animal…” and “Noah took males and females of every…”).
• Have the children read any of the following books:
• The Story of Abraham, by Maxine Nodel, Great Bible Stories, Baronet Books
• Abraham: Friend of God, by Penny Frank, The Lion Story Bible, Lion Publishing
• Have students act out the story, especially Genesis 11 and 15:1-21 (or ask adults to come do it).
• Have students lean back and fall into another’s arms (or something similar) to illustrate trust.
• “Map of Abram’s Journeys”: Make multiple-choice questions over Abram’s journey. (map
provided in map section of curriculum Web site)
• Make flashcards with the following words: Terah, Abram, Nahor, Haran, Lot, Sarai, Ur,
promises. Have students draw a card from a box/sack and tell what it had to do with the story.
Ur: God Calls Abram—God’s Promises to Abram Page 4
• “The Story of Abram Crossword Puzzle” (provided in activity sheets)
• Books of the Bible Bingo. Give students a blank bingo board (5 squares across and 5 squares down
for a total of 25 squares) and have them choose which books of the Bible they put in their blanks—
this way everyone’s board is different. Then have each book of the Bible written on a slip of paper,
put the slips in a container, and draw them one at a time for the bingo game. (Can reduce number
of choices, by only using first half of OT, NT books only, etc.). (Bingo card provided in activity
sheets)
SONGS:
“GENESIS 12:3”
Author: Jeff Miller
(Tune: See “Hidden in My Heart” CD)
“READ YOUR BIBLE AND PRAY EVERYDAY” (Click to Hear)
Author: Unknown*
If you read your Bible and pray everyday, you’ll grow, grow, grow. (REPEAT)
Grow, grow, grow, grow,
Grow, grow, grow.
If you read your Bible and pray everyday, you’ll grow, grow, grow.
(Make hand movements as if reading, praying, and like a child growing.)
If you neglect your Bible and forget to pray, you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink.
(Make hand movements as if closing Bible, head gesture saying “No,” and like a child shrinking.)
(REPEAT)
Shrink, shrink, shrink, shrink,
Shrink, shrink, shrink.
If you neglect your Bible and forget to pray, you’ll shrink, shrink, shrink.
(Make hand movements as if closing Bible, head gesture saying “No,” and like a child shrinking.)
So read your Bible and pray everyday, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.
(Make hand movements as if reading, praying, and like a child growing.) (REPEAT)
Grow, grow, grow, grow,
Grow, grow, grow.
So read your Bible and pray everyday, and you’ll grow, grow, grow.
(Make hand movements as if reading, praying, and like a child growing.)
*Author Unknown: Please contact us through the feedback button for this lesson if you are aware of any
copyright information for this song.
*** IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS PERTAINING TO THIS LESSON, PLEASE CLICK THE
“SUGGESTION” BUTTON BESIDE THE BUTTON FOR THIS LESSON ON THE
CURRICULUM WEB SITE.
Page 5 O.T. 2—Part 1: Abraham
Ur: God Calls Abram—God’s Promises to Abram Page 6
1
Ur: God Calls Abram— LESSON
God’s Promises to Abram
Genesis 12:1-9
Old Testament 2
Part 1: Abraham
WEDNESDAY EVENING
Old Testament 2 Class Attendance Sheet provided in activity sheets (NOTE: The document is
interactive, allowing the teacher to type in the Class, Teacher, and the children’s names.)
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
Genesis 11:10-32; 12:1-9; 13:16; 17:1-8; Hebrews 11:1-10; Acts 7:2-5; Proverbs 3:5-6;
Romans 4:3
MEMORY WORK:
“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the
families of the Earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3).
SONGS AND FINGERPLAYS (see end of sundAy’s lesson for words):
A song book and audio recordings of many of the curriculum songs are available on the
curriculum Web site.
• “Genesis 12:3”
• “Read Your Bible and Pray Everyday”
LESSON VISUALS AND TEACHING AIDS (note any disclaimers):
• See AP’s Pinterest page for ideas on bulletin boards, visuals, crafts, etc.
[DISCLAIMER: Pins may sometimes need to be adjusted to be scriptural.]
• Abraham & Israel Bible fact cards (provided under “O.T. 2 Bible Facts” on
curriculum Web site)
• Apologetics Press’ Bible Timeline
• “Summary of the Bible” from “Kids Prep” CD by Jeff Miller
• “Genesis Chapter Summary” from “Kids Prep” CD by Jeff Miller
• Betty Lukens’ felt pieces
• Decorate room as a “travelogue” for Abram’s Journey of Faith. Include Ur, Haran,
Shechem, Ai, Bethel, Mt. Moriah, the Jordan River, Sodom and Gomorrah, Egypt,
etc. Tell this and each of the following stories from Abram’s life as you move the
children from place to place. Have cutouts of each of Abram’s family and move
them from place to place (Leave “Haran” at Ur and “Terah” at the city of Haran).
Place cutouts of an altar at Shechem and between Ai and Bethel.).
www.apologeticspress.org Page 7 O.T. 2—Part 1: Abraham
• “Map of Abram’s Journeys” (provided in the map section of the curriculum site)
• A Beka Flash-A-Card Series: Abraham and Isaac (DISCLAIMER: use the cards, not the
lesson book)
• Abraham images from freebibleimages.com (DISCLAIMER: some representations may be
biblically inaccurate)
PERSONAL APPLICATION:
I may not always understand what God in His Word asks me to do, but if I study the Bible and try my
hardest to obey, He has promised to bless me, just as He did Abram.
INTRODUCTION/POINTS TO EMPHASIZE:
• Abraham & Israel Bible fact cards (provided under “O.T. 2 Bible Facts” on curriculum Web site)
• Review Sunday’s lesson (see O.T. 2 Review Questions for example questions)
Pre-ClAss ACTIVITIes/leArnInG CenTers (To be used As ChIldren Are
ArrIVInG—before ClAss, And uP To The fIrsT fIVe mInuTes of ClAss; or As homework):
• See Sunday morning’s lesson
*** IF YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS PERTAINING TO THIS LESSON, PLEASE CLICK THE
“SUGGESTION” BUTTON BESIDE THE BUTTON FOR THIS LESSON ON THE
CURRICULUM WEB SITE.
Ur: God Calls Abram—God’s Promises to Abram Page 8
2
Jordan River Valley: LESSON
Abram Is Unselfish Toward Lot
Genesis 13:1-14:16
Old Testament 2
Part 1: Abraham
SUNDAY MORNING
Old Testament 2 Class Attendance Sheet provided in activity sheets (NOTE: The document is
interactive, allowing the teacher to type in the Class, Teacher, and the children’s names.)
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES:
Genesis 13:1-14:16; 1 Peter 3:8-9; Romans 12
MEMORY WORK:
“Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others”
(Philippians 2:4).
SONGS AND FINGERPLAYS (see end of lesson for words):
A song book and audio recordings of many of the curriculum songs are available on the
curriculum Web site.
• “Oh, Be Careful, Little Eyes, What You See”
LESSON VISUALS AND TEACHING AIDS (note any disclaimers):
• See AP’s Pinterest page for ideas on bulletin boards, visuals, crafts, etc.
[DISCLAIMER: Pins may sometimes need to be adjusted to be scriptural.]
• Abraham & Israel Bible fact cards (provided under “O.T. 2 Bible Facts” on
curriculum Web site)
• Apologetics Press’ Bible Timeline
• “Summary of the Bible” from “Kids Prep” CD by Jeff Miller
• “Genesis Chapter Summary” from “Kids Prep” CD by Jeff Miller
• Betty Lukens’ felt pieces
• A Beka Flash-A-Card Series: Abraham and Isaac (DISCLAIMER: use the cards,
not the lesson book)
• “Map of Abram’s Journeys” (provided in the map section of the curriculum site)
• Figures glued or taped to popsicle sticks to stick in a large piece of Styrofoam as you
tell the story, or Fisher-Price “Little People” and animals to use in a sandbox scene.
(“The Story of Abram Cutouts” provided in activity sheets)
• Abraham images from freebibleimages.com (DISCLAIMER: some representations
may be biblically inaccurate)
1/14/22 www.apologeticspress.org Page 9 O.T. 2—Part 1: Abraham
PERSONAL APPLICATION:
I cannot always have my own way or have the best for myself. I should always be willing to
share what I have. I should also always consider the effect of my decisions from a spiritual,
rather than earthly, perspective.
LLEESSSSOONN SSTTAARRTTSS HHEERREE
INTRODUCTION: (YOUNGER CHILDREN)
Last week, we talked about God telling a man to leave his home and move to a new place. Do you
remember that man’s name? (Abram) Abram was a very good man. Today, we are going to study
about Abram making a good choice.
INTRODUCTION: (OLDER CHILDREN)
Review last week’s lesson.
Last week we talked about faith and trust in God, and how important it is to obey Him. Today we
are going to learn that Abram made a very good choice. He chose not to be selfish.
POINTS TO EMPHASIZE:
1. Review the meaning of the word “faith” and how Abram showed his faith.
2. In Bible times, a person’s wealth was determined by how much livestock he had. Abram and
Lot were both very wealthy men. Genesis 13 tells us that they each had so many animals that
the area of land where they were living at that time could not provide enough food for all the
animals.
3. Because there was not enough pasture for all the animals, the herdsmen of Abram and Lot
(the servants who took care of all the animals in the fields) quarreled a lot. To keep the peace,
Abram suggested that he and Lot no longer live in the same place. God had promised to give
Abram all the land of Canaan, but he was willing to share with Lot.
4. Abram was Lot’s uncle; he was the leader of the family. So, he had the right to choose the best
land for himself and send Lot to whatever land was left.
5. Not only was Abram willing to share, but he let Lot choose the land he wanted. Lot chose the
very beautiful, well-watered land around the Jordan River Valley and moved toward the cities
of Sodom and Gomorrah, south of the Dead Sea.
6. Abram moved to the town of Hebron and built another altar to worship God. He did not
complain or have bad feelings toward Lot because Lot chose the best land. Abram was a
happier man because he was unselfish and because he trusted God to take care of him.
7. Lot did not make a wise choice about where he should live. The Bible says that when he left
Abram, he moved “toward Sodom.” Eventually he was living in Sodom. Sodom and Gomorrah
were very wicked places. They were definitely not good places to raise a family. Sometimes
what we think is the “best” thing to have or do is not really the best when we think about it
spiritually!
Jordan River Valley: Abram is Unselfish toward Lot Page 10