Tag Archive for: Youth Bible Lessons – Level 3

  Sweet Publishing | FreeBibleImages.org

By Janth English

Read Together:  As God delivered Israel from Egypt, they witnessed miracle after miracle! The children of Israel walked through the Red Sea on dry land with walls of water on both sides. They watched the Egyptian army get swallowed up by the Red Sea as God allowed the water to crash down on them. But they still complained to God!  When they had no water, they complained. When they had no food, they complained again. It’s understandable that they were hungry and thirsty, but instead of asking God for help, they accused Him of bringing them out into the wilderness to die. Again and again, they said “Let’s go back to Egypt”. When Moses went up to the top of Mt. Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments from God, the Israelites made a golden calf to worship. They bowed down to it and called it their god, even though they had just promised to obey the real God who had brought them out of slavery! When Moses sent the spies to scout the land of Canaan, they came back with a bad report even though the land was full of delicious fruit. All the spies, except Joshua and Caleb, said they should not enter the promised land because they saw the giants who lived there. They had no faith that God would deliver them, so the people refused to go in and inherit the land God had promised.  For this, and for all their constant complaining and faithlessness, God sentenced them to wander in the wilderness for forty years. This was one year for each day the spies were in Canaan, until everyone of that generation had died.

Read Together:  Ex. 15:19-24, 16:2-4; Num. 11:1-10; Ex. 32:1-8; Num. 13:17-33, 14:1-4, 26-35

Discuss:

• Point out to your child that three days after Israel came through the Red Sea they were complaining about water.  Israel had forgotten God’s power very quickly.  Discuss why this would happen.
• Have a discussion with your child about faith. The Israelites knew God was real, but they lacked faith.  Israel proved that witnessing miracles does not guarantee faith. Include James 2:18 in the discussion.
• Talk with your son or daughter about the Israelites’ tendency to complain.  Do we have the same characteristic?  How does God feel about complaining?  What is the antidote for complaining?

Review Memorization:

Deut. 30:15-16  “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess.”

Printable PDF – L3.17

Sweet Publishing | FreeBibleImages.org

By Janth English

Read Together: The children of Israel had been busy preparing to come before God for three days. As God approached the mountain, there were thunder and lightning strikes; the mountain quaked and the ground where they stood shook. There was an awesome display of God’s power as He descended to the mountain! Even Moses, who had been in God’s presence before, was so afraid that he too trembled! The top of the mountain looked to be on fire as God thundered the Ten Commandments from its midst. The display was to show the Israelites how mighty and powerful God is, so that they would remember and obey Him. Sadly, the Israelites were so overwhelmed by the power of God that they pleaded with Moses to ask Him not to speak to them directly anymore, because they feared they would die. God asked the Israelites to keep the Ten Commandments so He could bless them, and they agreed.

Read Together: Exodus 19:12–25; 20:1–26

Discuss:

• Explain that the Ten Commandments are still in effect today (Matthew 5:17–18).
• Why is the Sabbath Commandment important?
• Explain that the Ten Commandments were given by God for our good; they are not a burden (1 John 5:3).
• Discuss the beneficial effects of the Ten Commandments. What would the world be like if no one told lies, or if no one took what didn’t belong to him or her? How would the world be transformed if everyone put God first and loved Him?
• Discuss the relationship between obedience to the Ten Commandments and the peace humanity desires. Help your child understand that it is breaking God’s laws that leads to the unhappiness mankind experiences. Use an example like stealing or lying to demonstrate this.

Review Memorization.

Exodus 20:1–17 – The Ten Commandments (long form)

Printable PDF – L3.15

Mohammed Moussa, Mount Moses, CC BY-SA 3.0

Author: Janth English

Read Together: God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Israel’s descendants lived in Egypt and grew into a great nation. But the Egyptians enslaved them and put them to hard labor. God worked many miracles to free Israel from slavery. After the death of all the firstborn in Egypt, God led Israel out from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. They miraculously walked on dry land through the Red Sea, and God protected His people from the Egyptian army. God told Moses to bring the children of Israel to Him at Mt. Sinai after they left Egypt (Exodus 3:12). A few weeks after leaving Egypt, the children of Israel were encamped near Mt. Sinai, the mountain of God. God called Moses and told him to offer the people of Israel a special agreement, called a covenant. Israel would obey Him, and in return, He would make them His special people. The people agreed. God instructed the Israelites to clean up and wash their clothes, and “consecrate” themselves (which means to prepare themselves to meet with God). They were getting ready to meet their Creator!

Read Together: Exodus 1:1–14; 14:5–31; 19:1–11

Discuss:

• Explain that even though they had witnessed God’s miraculous interventions, Israel had not been obedient since leaving Egypt. They complained about the water and food (Exodus 15:22–25; 16:2–3). They broke the Sabbath (Exodus 16:26–29). And they complained against Moses (Exodus 17:2–3). Explain that experiencing miracles does not make it automatic that a person will respond by having faith in God.  We still have to choose to obey and respond to Him.
• Ask your child why he or she thinks God told Israel to bathe and wash their clothes. What preparation would one make to visit the Queen of England? Use this as an opportunity to emphasize why we dress up for Sabbath services.
• Discuss what it means to be “consecrated,” which means “set apart for holy use.” Explain that the Church is the Israel of God and that we are set apart by God’s Holy Spirit. Help your child understand that if our parents (or parent) is baptized and in the Church, that means that we have a chance to have a relationship with God that we otherwise wouldn’t have (Acts 2:38–39, 1 Corinthians 7:14)

Review Memorization:

Exodus 20:1–17 The Ten Commandments (long form)

Printable PDF – L3.13

Sweeting Publishing | FreeBibleimages.org

Author: Janth English

Read Together: God promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. God said that Abraham’s descendants would be as many as the sand on the seashore!  Yet Abraham and Sarah were getting old with no heir. In spite of their old age, Abraham and Sarah believed God would fulfill His promises, and He did. Isaac was born when Sarah was 90 and Abraham was 100 years of age. Abraham had waited 25 years from the time God first made the promise that he’d have a son. Ishmael and his mother were sent away, but God promised to make his descendants grow into nations as well. Just as Isaac began to mature as a young man, God told Abraham to sacrifice him on Mt. Moriah. Abraham set out early the next morning to do what God said. No wonder Abraham is called the father of the faithful! Abraham began to carry out God’s instructions, and Isaac, in obedience to his father, allowed himself to be tied up. When Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, God stopped him and provided a ram for an offering instead. By Abraham’s act of faith, God knew that Abraham would always obey Him no matter what. Because of Abraham’s faith, God made His promises to Abraham unconditional. That means they would happen no matter what.

Read Together: Genesis 18:1–15; 21:1–21; 22:1–19; Romans 4:3; Hebrews 11:11–12, 17–19.

Discuss:

• Point out to your child that Ishmael is the forefather of Arab people today.
• Ask how long did it take for Abraham and Isaac to reach Mt. Moriah. What was Abraham thinking during that time? Did his faith waiver? Explain.
• Discuss with your child Isaac’s role in this story. What does his attitude say about him?
• Ask how Abraham became a friend of God. Discuss how we can become God’s friend (John 15:14), and what it means to be a friend of God.
• Faith works. Abraham believed God so he did what God said. Ask your child to think of an example in which faith was demonstrated by actions.

Review memorization:  

Genesis 18:19 “For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

Printable PDF – L3.11

Featured Passage: Genesis 11:10–32; 12:1–4; Hebrews 11:8–10

After the flood, the earth began to be repopulated by Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Abram was born 292 years after the flood, the youngest son of Terah, who was of Shem’s lineage. An interesting fact is that Noah and Shem were still alive during Abram’s lifetime. Abram was born in the city of Ur. He married his half-sister Sarai. His father Terah left Ur for Canaan and took his family, including Abram, with him. They stopped in Haran where Terah died, and perhaps Abram would have remained there. However, God spoke to Abram and told him to leave his family and go to an undisclosed place. God promised to make Abram a great nation and his name great. He promised to bless those who blessed Abram and curse those who cursed him, and that all nations would be blessed through his seed. Abram believed God, and without hesitation, he left Haran.

Discuss:

• Explain to your child that marriage between relatives was common in the earlier years after the flood. Remember, everyone was closely related initially. However, God forbade such relationships later (Leviticus 18:6–18).
• Point out that God’s promises to Abram were conditional. He first had to obey God.  Remind them that obedience must always come first.
• Abram was already quite wealthy; he had servants and animals. He was comfortable where he was. Ask your child if they could see themselves leaving the comfort of home to embrace the unknown? Point out that Abram had a very difficult choice to make, but he did it without hesitation.
• Explain that the promise to bless all nations through his seed is stating that the Messiah would come from Abram’s lineage. Clearly God taught Abram the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Memory Challenge:

Genesis 18:19

“For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the LORD, to do righteousness and justice, that the LORD may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”