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Old Testament Lesson 13: We will be combining Genesis 18 and Genesis 19.

To Prepare: Read Genesis 18 and Genesis 19 (don’t worry, we are going to be omitting a lot of material about sexual sins that is inappropriate for Primary children); print a copy of the activity below for each child participating.

To Teach: Begin with a prayer. Remind the children that Abraham had been promised many descendants, and explain that he and his wife Sarai had grown old. God told Abraham that Sarai would have a son and that her name should be changed to Sarah. Abraham was a little skeptical, since Sarah was 90 years old and too old to have children, but God told him to have faith in his promises. (Genesis 17:15-19)

Later, three angels (they were men, angels are messengers sent from God) came to visit Abraham and Sarah, and repeated the promise that Sarah would have a son. They also told Abraham that God was going to destroy the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah because of the terrible wickedness of the people who lived there. After they left, Abraham was very worried. He prayed, and asked the Lord if he would spare the city if fifty righteous people lived there. Explain how Abraham asked for mercy on the people of Sodom, eventually getting a promise that if even ten righteous people were found there, he would spare the city from destruction. (Genesis 18:24-32)

Read or summarize Genesis 19:12-29. Tell the children that the angels who visited Abraham came to see Lot. For some reason, Lot was living in Sodom with his wife and daughters. I don’t know about you, but I wouldn’t want to live in the same city whose wicked king I was captured by, a city full of wicked people! That seems like it might have been a bad decision on Lot’s part. The angels warned Lot that the city was going to be destroyed, and told him that he should warn anyone he cared about to leave the city. Lot tried to warn his daughter’s husbands, but they just laughed at him.

The next morning, the angels repeated their warning to leave, but Lot was dragging his feet. The angels actually grabbed his hand, and the hand of his wife, and his two daughters, and pulled them with them out of the city. They warned Lot and his family not to look back, and told them to run to the mountains. Lot was afraid that the mountains were too dangerous, and asked if he could take his family to a small city that was separated a ways from Sodom. They told him he could, and that’s where he took his family.

Read verses 24-26. Explain that probably, Lot’s wife didn’t just look behind her, but instead wanted in her heart to go back to wicked Sodom, and possibly even went back, where she would have been destroyed with everyone else. I drew parallels between her and Laman and Lemuel, who continually “looked back” to Jerusalem and their possessions. I asked the kids what we should do when we needed to be obedient and stop doing something we weren’t supposed to, or go somewhere we didn’t want to. (Don’t look back in your heart!)

Have kids draw their interpretation of the destruction of Sodom. Several of my kids also included a pile or pillar of salt (one helpfully labeled it ‘Mom.’ That’s attention to detail!) You did it again! Great job!

(Go to Lesson 14)

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Old Testament Lesson 12: Genesis 13-14

To Prepare: Read Genesis 13-14; print a copy of the activity below for each child participating. The maze is available in 3 difficulty levels to match different skills and ages.

To Teach: Begin with a prayer. Explain that in the Old Testament, sometimes people changed their names through their lives. Abram is another name that Abraham used, so when it says Abram we’re still talking about Abraham.

Abram and Lot left Egypt and settled together in the land of Canaan. Read Genesis 13:6-7 and explain that there wasn’t enough land to support both Abram and Lot’s cattle. Ask what they think Abram and Lot will do. Read Genesis 13:8-9 to see what they decided to do. Talk about how even though Lot took the most fertile land in Jordan with the best grass and water, Abram didn’t fight with him. He decided it was more important to be a peacemaker than to take the best place, so he left with everything he had and settled in the land of Canaan.

Lot pitched his tent close to the city of Sodom. Today, Sodom is remembered as a very, very wicked city. Explain that the people of Sodom were at war with neighboring kingdoms, and they captured Lot and all of his people. Read or summarize Genesis 14:13-16. One of Lot’s people escaped and reached Abram to tell him about Lot’s capture. Abram armed hundreds of his servants and chased them, and in the night time they attacked, rescuing Lot, his people, and his wealth.

After this rescue, Abram was met by two of the kings. One king, the righteous king Melchizedek (sound familiar?), offered him a blessing, which Abram accepted. The wicked king of Sodom, on the other hand, attempted to strike a bargain. If Abram would return Lot and all his people to the king of Sodom, he would allow Abram to keep all of Lot’s wealth, making him even richer. Abram refused to take this bargain. Why do you think Abram accepted something from one king but not the other? What would you have done if you were Abram?

Let kids complete the maze to finish up the lesson. That’s it, you’re done!

(Go to Lesson 13)

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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!

(Go to Lesson 12)

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