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Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 27 “Abraham and Sarah Have a Son”

Read Together:  Abraham and Sarah were very sad that they had no children. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, and that his descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore. Yet Abraham and Sarah were old—too old to have children. Even so, Abraham and Sarah believed God would keep His promises, and He did. When Sarah was 90 years old and Abraham was 100, Sarah gave birth to a little baby boy! They named him Isaac as God instructed. After waiting 25 years, their promised son had finally arrived. You can imagine how happy they were to meet their new baby!

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Read Together: Genesis 17-21 (Read selections as desired)

Discuss:

  • Ask your child if it is easy to wait on something that you want badly. Can they think of anything they really want but haven’t received as yet? Help them to imagine how Abraham and Sarah might have felt waiting for a child to be born.
  • Help your child to understand that God does things when it is the right time to do them. We have to learn to be patient and wait for God to fulfill His promises just as Abraham and Sarah waited.
  • Ask your child what they think Isaac was like since his name meant laughter.
  • Explain to your child that Abraham had other children, but only Isaac was the son that God promised. Though the other children received different gifts and blessings, God told Abraham that He would pass on His covenant through Isaac.

Review Memorization:

Genesis 22:18  “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 26 “God’s Promises to Abraham”

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Read Together: God had promised to make Abram a great nation and that all the nations of the earth would be blessed through him. God showed Abram all the land of Canaan and promised it to his descendants. Abram had wandered throughout the land for 24 years, and now he was 99 years old. God had promised that his descendants would be as numerous as the dust on the earth, but Abram still did not have any children. It was at this time that God appeared to Abram and made even greater promises. He told Abram that he was going to make him a father of many nations and that some of his descendants would be kings. Even though they had no children, he and his wife had faith that God would keep His promise.

Read Together: Genesis 12:1-3; 17:1-16

Discuss:

  • Explain to your child what a descendant is.  Give an example by tracing your lineage and showing that it extends to your child.  Help them to understand that many people today are Abraham’s descendants.
  • Explain to your child that Abraham means father of a multitude or father of nations, and that Sarah means mother of nations. God names things what they are and the new names reflected that God’s promises are true.
  • Talk with your child about how Abraham was still hopeful even though many years had passed since God made the promises. Be sure to emphasize that God cannot lie and His word is true, and that Abraham understood this.

Review Memorization:

Genesis 22:18  “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”

Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 25 “Abram Leaves for Canaan”

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By Janth English

Read Together:  Abram was born in the city of Ur in Chaldea which was near the Middle Eastern country of modern day Iraq. He was the son of Terah, who was a descendant of Shem. Shem was one of the three sons of Noah, and lived through the Flood. Abram married his very beautiful half-sister Sarai, but they had no children. Terah left Ur for Canaan and took Abram, Sarai, and Lot, his grandson, with him. For a period of time, Terah and his family lived in Haran, where the Bible tells us that Abram became a very wealthy man. He had gold, silver, livestock and many servants. In time, Terah died, leaving Abram as the leader of the family. His life would change dramatically, however, when, God told Abram to take Sarai and leave Haran. Where was he supposed to go? God told Abram that He would guide him to the right place. In return for his obedience, God promised to make Abram a great nation and to bless all nations through him. At this point in his life, Abram was already 75 years old and had a home and great wealth in Haran. He made the right decision, however, and obeyed God. He took his wife, his nephew Lot, all their possessions and left Haran just as God commanded.

Read Together:   Genesis 11:26-32; 12:1-9.

Discuss:

  • Show your child where Abram lived and where he traveled   (There are many maps available over the Internet.) Talk about how different it would have been to travel over long distances in those days, in comparison to today. People walked and used animals like camels to travel instead of cars!
  • Help your child to understand what Abram was willing give up in order to obey God. For Abram and his family, Haran was home. Yet God asked them to leave everything they knew behind.
  • Explain to your child that it took faith for Abram to obey God.  All he had was God’s word to believe that things would work out.

Review Memorization.

Genesis 22:18. “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”


Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 24 “The Exodus and the Days of Unleavened Bread”

Read Together:  The Lord told Israel to be prepared to leave when they ate the Passover. He knew that Pharaoh would tell the Israelites to get out of Egypt after the death of their firstborn children. The Egyptians also wanted the Israelites to go away.  Before leaving, the Israelites asked the Egyptians for gold, clothing, and things of value, and the Egyptians gave it to them. To prepare for the journey, the people were organized according to their families and tribes, and their armies. Other non-Israelites who had believed Moses and escaped the tenth plague joined with Israel to leave and serve the true God. God also at this time established the Days of Unleavened Bread to commemorate His deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt. For seven days, Israel was commanded to eat unleavened bread and not have any leavened food in their homes. The night they left Egypt was to be remembered forever as a night of solemn observance. They had to leave so quickly that they did not have time to let their bread rise, so they only had unleavened bread to eat which was in keeping with God’s command. God’s people continue to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread and the Night to Be Observed as ordained by God. Israel left Egypt with their flocks and their herds, with their silver, gold, and clothing; they left with a high hand. However, God had one more judgment to pass on Egypt. Pharaoh’s heart was hardened  and he sent his army to capture Israel and bring them back. With the army coming, mountains on both sides, and the Red Sea at their backs, Israel thought they were trapped, but God opened a path on dry land through the sea for Israel to escape. When Pharaoh’s army attempted to follow the Israelites through the Red Sea, God caused the waters to come over them, and they drowned. God’s judgment was complete just as He had promised Abraham long ago.

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Read Together: Exodus 12–14

Discuss:

  • Ask your child how it would feel to walk on dry ground with walls of water as tall as skyscrapers on either side.
  • Help your child to understand that it was God who delivered Israel.
  • Help your child think about the miracles God worked to free Israel. God destroyed their economy, devastated their military, and reduced their status as a nation.  Egypt has never recovered to the status they had before God’s judgment on them.
  • Ask your child what he knows about keeping the Days of Unleavened Bread.

Review Memorization:

The Ten Plagues: (1) Waters turned to blood, (2) Frogs, (3) Lice, (4) Flies, (5) Pestilence on the Livestock, (6) Boils, (7) Hail, (8) Locusts, (9) Darkness in the land, (10) Death of the Firstborn

Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 23 “The Passover and the Death of the Firstborn”

Read Together: After God sent the first nine plagues on the Egyptians, the crops had been destroyed, most of the livestock was dead, and Egypt was suffering. But Pharaoh would still not let the Israelites go free. God decided to bring one more plague on Egypt. This plague would be so great that Pharaoh would demand that Israel leave Egypt. God was going to put to death the firstborn of man and beast in all of the land of Egypt. However, God planned a way to save the Israelites. God told Moses to have each Israelite family select a perfect lamb from their herd. Four days later, just after sunset, they were commanded to kill the lamb, placing its blood on the doorposts of their home. Then, they were commanded to roast and eat it. Every home that had blood on the doorway of their home was protected from the last plague. The Egyptian homes, with no blood on their doorways, would suffer the death of their firstborn as the death angel passed over their house.

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This was a dramatic and terrifying night. Throughout Egypt, many people died. But the Israelites were kept safe by the protection of God, and the blood of the lamb. And they were released from their Egyptian taskmasters, as the Pharaoh commanded the Israelites to leave Egypt.  

God commanded Israel to remember what had happened in Egypt, how He had protected the children of Israel, and to keep it as a memorial forever. That is why the name of this memorial is Passover. The Passover lamb pictured the sacrifice that Jesus Christ would make by shedding His blood for the salvation of all mankind. The Church of God still observes the Passover every year as God commanded, but with bread and wine instead of a Passover Lamb.

Read Together: Exodus 11:1; 12:1–14, 24–30; John 1:29; Mark 14:14, 22–24

Discuss:

  • Help your child to understand that every household in Egypt was affected by the tenth plague. Help them identify all the people in their family who are firstborn.
  • Ask what would happen if an Israelite family did not obey Moses’ instructions.
  • Ask your child to explain why this memorial is called Passover.
  • Discuss what it might be like to have a lamb living in in your house for four days. Explain that the sacrifice of the lamb was symbolic of Jesus Christ’s future sacrifice.
  • Explain to your child that the Church of God still keeps the Passover, but with different symbols which Christ taught. Help them understand what the new symbols(wine and bread) represent.

Review Memorization:

The Ten Plagues:  (1) Waters turned to blood, (2) Frogs, (3) Lice, (4) Flies, (5)Animals die, (6) Boils, (7) Hail, (8) Locusts, (9) Darkness, (10) Death of the Firstborn

Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 22 “Moses Encounters Pharaoh and Pharaoh Encounters God”

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Read Together: As the Israelites suffered as slaves in Egypt, Moses spent 40 years tending his father-in-law’s sheep. But God was not finished with Moses. As Moses passed by Mount Horeb, he was amazed to see a bush furiously burning – but not being burned up! This was God’s way of getting Moses’ attention, and it worked. As Moses approached the bush, He heard God speak plainly to him. God told Moses that it was time for him to lead the children of Israel out of bondage. At first, Moses was not happy with God’s command. He gave one excuse after another about why he was not the man for the job. In the end, Moses humbled himself and obeyed God’s instructions, leaving for his old home in Egypt. Moses and his brother Aaron went to Pharaoh and announced to him that he must let the children of Israel go to worship God in the wilderness. What do you think Pharaoh said? He basically said, “No way!”

Here are his exact words. “Who [is] the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.” (Exodus 5:2)

But Pharaoh would come to regret his disrespect and disregard of the true God. God sent one plague after another upon Egypt–each one attacking one of their gods. In the first plague, their sacred river was turned to blood. But Pharaoh would not let the people go. In the second plague, frogs appeared everywhere. Still, Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let the people go. Nine times, in plague after plague, Pharaoh started to soften, then hardened his heart toward Israel and the true God. Finally, after the 10th and last plague, Pharaoh let Israel go.

Read Together: Exodus 3-10

Discuss:

  • Help your child to understand that God gave Moses specific instructions on what to do. Moses was not deciding what to do on his own.
  • Ask your child how the Israelites might have felt when they were not delivered after Moses’ first meeting with Pharaoh.Instead of being set free they were made to work harder.
  • Help your child identify each of the plagues as you read about them and discuss what each might have been like for the Egyptians.
  • Explain that God brought these things about to show Egyptians and Israelites that He is God and there is no other.

Review Memorization:

The Ten Plagues: (1) Waters turned to blood, (2) Frogs, (3) Lice, (4) Flies, (5)Animals die, (6) Boils, (7) Hail, (8) Locusts, (9) Darkness (10) Death of the Firstborn

Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 21 “Moses – Up from Egypt”

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Read Together: The descendants of Abraham, now called the children of Israel, were living as slaves in the land of Egypt just as God had foretold. Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, commanded that all infant boys be killed, but Amram and Jochebed wanted to save their newborn son. Jochebed placed her son in a basket of reeds and put him in the river to be protected from the Pharaoh’s order. The Pharaoh’s daughter found the basket among the reeds in the river and was moved to rescue the baby inside. The thought came to her to raise him as her own son! She named him Moses, and brought him into Pharaoh’s palace. The name “Moses” was perfect since it means “to draw or bring out of the water”. He grew up in the palace, as if he were a prince of Egypt, but he knew that he was really an Israelite. Then one day, Moses went out to see how his brethren were doing. When he saw an Egyptian beating a fellow Israelite, he lost his temper and killed the Egyptian. When the Pharaoh found out he was very angry, so Moses decided to run away. He escaped to the land of Midian, and eventually married a woman named Zipporah. Meanwhile, the children of Israel continued to suffer in slavery. Little did they know that God was planning to use Moses, the prince of Egypt, to free them from the Pharaoh.

Read Together: Genesis 15:1314; Exodus 1:817; 2:125

Discuss:

  • Explain to your child in a way they can understand that Pharaoh had absolute power over life and death of everyone under his authority.
  • Help your child to see the bravery that the midwives, and Moses’ mother, father, and sister showed in hiding Moses from Pharaoh.
  • Ask your child what they think it might have been like to grow up in Pharaoh’s palace with servants and riches.
  • Help your child to understand that the Israelites were powerless to free themselves from Egypt. Only God could set them free!

Review Memorization:

The Ten Plagues: (1) Waters turned to blood, (2) Frogs, (3) Lice, (4) Flies, (5) Animals die, (6) Boils, (7) Hail, (8) Locusts, (9) Darkness , (10) Death of the Firstborn

Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 20 “God Confuses the Language”

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By Janth English and LivingEd Staff

Read Together: God came down to see what the people were doing at Babel. When He saw the city and the tower He was not pleased with what the people were doing. God saw how mankind was working together to rebel against Him, and decided to confuse their language so that the people could not communicate with each other. The word “Babel” means confusion, and there was plenty of confusion when suddenly the people working together could no longer understand one another. The work on the tower and the city soon stopped. God separated the people’s languages by families. People naturally came together with those they could understand, and began to move into the lands that God had given them. The tower no longer exists, but to this day, Babel remains a symbol of mankind’s rebellion against God.

Read Together: Genesis 11:5–9; Zephaniah 3:9

Discuss:

  • Discuss the meaning of Genesis 11:6 with your child. God has given mankind brilliant minds. We are to use our knowledge and abilities to serve and worship God.
  • Ask your child Imagine you are playing with your friend when suddenly they start saying things that don’t make any sense! You try to ask them to tell you what they mean, but you realize they can’t understand what you are saying either!”  This is what happened to everyone when God confused the languages at the tower of Babel.
  • Point out to your child that being able to communicate with others is an important part of life. God wants people to understand one another.  This is why He will restore a pure language to mankind in the Millennium (Zephaniah 3:9). This would be a good opportunity to talk about what it might be like in the Kingdom when everyone in the world can communicate with and understand everyone else.

Review Memorization:

Genesis 11:7 “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 19 “The Tower of Babel”

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By Janth English

Read Together: Babel, the first city that Nimrod built, was the beginning of his kingdom. The people all spoke the same language, so it was easy for them to share ideas and work together. But instead of working together for good, they began to rebel against God. Even though God had commanded them to fill the earth with their families, the people refused. With Nimrod as the leader, the people built a huge tower in the city of Babel. The city they built, with its towering fortress, made the people very proud of themselves and what they had done. They were so proud that they believed they could defy God. But the people did not know the amazing miracle that would happen next.

Read Together:  Genesis 10:9–10; 11:1–4

Discuss:

  • Explain to your child that Noah and Shem could tell the people about the flood and what happened before the flood. (According to the genealogies contained in the Bible, they were still alive during the time that Nimrod built Babel.)
  • The people knew what they were doing was wrong. Noah was a preacher of righteousness (2 Peter 2:5), and he would have continued to preach after the flood. Explain to your son or daughter that the people were being disobedient and wanted to do things their own way, regardless of what God said.
  • Help your child to understand that there is never a time when we can rebel against God. Still, when we do something wrong, we can ask God to forgive us, and He will. God loves us, and we can rely on Him to provide for us and protect us.

Review Memorization.

Genesis 11:4 “Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’

Children’s Bible Program – Level 1: Lesson 18 “Nimrod”

Read Together: After the flood, people began to raise families, and gradually moved further and further away from where the ark had come to rest. The Bible tells us about the families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and how they began to populate the earth. We read about one man who became famous as a great hunter. This man’s name was Nimrod, and he was the grandson of Ham, one of Noah’s three sons. As his fame grew, he was idolized by many. In fact, some people began to look to Nimrod instead of God for protection and leadership. They called him “the mighty hunter before [“instead of” or “in place of”] the Lord” (Genesis 10:9). Remember, God had commanded the sons of Noah to fill the earth (Genesis 9:1). But proud Nimrod rebelled against God, building cities and a kingdom. One of the cities he built was the famous Babel, where the people began to build a giant tower, reaching into the sky.

Read Together:  Genesis 10:6, 8-12

Discuss:

  • Help your child to understand that the people were looking to Nimrod as their provider and protector and not looking to God.  Remind your child that God is our ultimate provider and protector.
  • Nimrod was setting up a kingdom for himself to make himself the ruler over the people. You may want to take this opportunity to explain that in God’s government, men do not choose to be in charge themselves. God selects the leaders.
  • Explain to your child that moving people into cities as Nimrod did was not what God intended. Imagine and discuss what cities may be like in the wonderful world tomorrow and how they will be much different than the cities of Nimrod or of today
  • Help your child to understand that Nimrod was leading the people away from God.

 

Review Memorization:

Genesis 11:6  “And the LORD said, ‘Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.’”

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