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Old Testament Lesson 11: Abraham 2, Genesis 12
To Prepare: Read Abraham 2 and Genesis 12; print a copy of the activity below for each child participating and be sure you know where scissors and glue are (cut and glue!)
To Teach: Begin with a prayer. Summarize Abraham 2:1-5 by telling how Abraham married Sarai, and the famine in Ur was getting worse. Abraham took his wife, his nephew Lot, and his father (because of the famine, his father repented for trying to sacrifice Abraham, and I guess Abraham forgave him!) to find a new home in the land of Canaan. On the way they stopped in a land called Haran, and there was so much food there that Abraham’s father decided to stay there and went back to idol worship. (Aw, man!)
Take a look at Map 9 of the Bible maps and help find Ur, Haran, and Canaan. Remind the kids that the Old Testament takes place in the Middle East and places like Egypt, Jerusalem, and Iraq (Babylon).
Now we get to the covenant that the Lord made with Abraham. Read verse 6 and verses 9-11. Find the promises that the Lord gives Abraham. See if you can find the responsibilities he is given. Be sure to discuss that Abraham was promised so many descendants that it would be easier to count the grains of sand on a beach or the stars in the sky than his posterity. Make a note that Abraham and Sarai did not have any children. Also teach that not just his descendants, but anyone who receives the Gospel is counted as belonging to the family of Abraham. (That’s us!)
To finish up, summarize the story of Abraham 2:22-25 and Genesis 12:14-20. During the famine, Abraham and Sarai went to Egypt, but before they entered the Lord warned Abraham that the Egyptians would kill him so they could take his wife because she was beautiful. He was told to tell the Egyptians she was his sister instead of his wife, and they wouldn’t kill him. The plan worked, and Sarai was taken into Pharaoh’s house. The Lord sent a plague to Pharaoh’s house and the Pharaoh realized Sarai was being protected and sent Abraham and his wife away.
Help kids get a better understanding of the Abrahamic Covenant by cutting out the phrases on page 2 of the activity sheet and organizing them into ‘blessings’ and ‘responsibilities’ of the covenant. You’re done!
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