Genesis 12: 1-8
Monthly Bible Verse: 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.
Monthly Theme: Go and be obedient
Weekly Focus: God told Abraham "Go to a place you do not know"
Learning objectives: The things we want the kids to understand when they go home are:
1. God told Abraham to go to a place you do not know.
2. Abraham was obedient and left his fathers house.
Check in activity: See the on going theme activity post right before this for your opening activity. You may also want to have a volunteer keep a rhythm with an instrument if you have one... you can easily make one by putting rice in a little jar or plastic storage container. You might want a couple and to have the children take turns.
Lesson warm up: I am going on a Trip. Have the kids sit in circle clapping their knees and saying: I am going on a trip.. Kids repeat:I am going on trip .. I am going where God tells me (Kids repeat) What are you going to bring with you.... do this until each kid says something. Pretend to pack it as you go. The kids know how to play this but ask me to demonstrate if my description is confusing.
LESSON :Again see previous post for lesson routine if you need it.
Lesson Time:
For your research: copied with cross references and foot notes from http://www.biblegateway.com/ NASB version
Genesis 12
Abram Journeys to Egypt 1Now (A)the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; 2And (B)I will make you a great nation, And (C)I will bless you, And make your name great; And so (D)you shall be a blessing; 3And (E)I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse (F)And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."
4So Abram went forth as the LORD had spoken to him; and (G)Lot went with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their (H)possessions which they had accumulated, and (I)the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; (J)thus they came to the land of Canaan.
6Abram passed through the land as far as the site of (K)Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanite was then in the land.
7The LORD (L)appeared to Abram and said, "(M)To your descendants I will give this land " So he built (N)an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.
8Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with (O)Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and (P)called upon the name of the LORD.
Cross references:
Genesis 12:1 : Gen 15:7; Acts 7:3; Heb 11:8
Genesis 12:2 : Gen 17:4-6; 18:18; 46:3; Deut 26:5
Genesis 12:2 : Gen 22:17
Genesis 12:2 : Zech 8:13
Genesis 12:3 : Gen 24:35; 27:29; Num 24:9
Genesis 12:3 : Gen 22:18; 26:4; 28:14; Acts 3:25; Gal 3:8
Genesis 12:4 : Gen 11:27, 31
Genesis 12:5 : Gen 13:6
Genesis 12:5 : Gen 14:14; Lev 22:11
Genesis 12:5 : Gen 11:31; Heb 11:8
Genesis 12:6 : Gen 35:4; Deut 11:30
Genesis 12:7 : Gen 17:1; 18:1
Genesis 12:7 : Gen 13:15; 15:18; Deut 34:4; Ps 105: 9-12; Acts 7:5; Gal 3:16
Genesis 12:7 : Gen 13:4, 18; 22:9
Genesis 12:8 : Josh 8:9, 12
Genesis 12:8 : Gen 4:26; 21:33
For The Children:
(It would be helpful to bring in a suitcase or back pack and put in it either the real thing or pictures of: A tent, clothes, a camel , a sheep, a goat, food, pots and pans... anything you might need for a long trip. As you take it out... tape it to the wall or set it against the wall. )
Pretend you are Abraham. Tell the children: " My name is Abraham. God has important things in store for me. I am going to tell you about a time God asked me to do something that was very hard to do. One day. God Asked me to pack up a bag of things. He told me to take my lovely wife Sarah and my nephew Lot and to move away from my comfortable house with warmth and food and to leave my family. Well I asked God where I was going and he just wanted me to be obedient. He told me just to go and he would tell me where I was going... so I did... I packed up my bag (Put all your stuff in your bag) and we were on our way. Now I am an old man...75 years old and I walked for a while. Finally I arrived at a place named Caanan. And God said this is the land that I will give to you and your family because you are obedient. And it was. I went on to raise children here.... but that is another story.
Questions:
What did God tell Abraham to do? ..... Go away to a new land
Did Abraham leave is family?.... yes
Why?.... because Abraham was obedient.
Did God provide for Abraham?... Yes
What does obediant mean?.... To do what we are told
Are you obediant?....
What can we do to be obediant?
Craft: Trip Collage.. I will bring in some magazines. Have the kids cut out pictures of things they would pack and glue on paper. Write: Abraham was obedient on them.


