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Old Testament Lesson 2: This is My Work and My Glory

There is quite a bit of deep doctrinal information in this chapter, so I had to pick and choose which pieces to focus on for my children. I boiled it down to: God has a body, we have bodies that look like God’s. We are God’s children. I also included the story of Satan confronting Moses because it seemed too important to pass over. Finally, I wanted to read Moses 1:39 (scripture mastery!) and explain it. That is a LOT to cover in one lesson with wiggly kids.

To Prepare: Read Moses 1. Print off or copy down the abbreviated unfamiliar term definitions below, print a copy of the coloring page for each child participating.

Endure: Stay alive in
Cease: Stop
Behold/Beheld: See/Seen
In the similitude of: Like
Ranted: Yelled and shouted angrily
Gnashing of teeth: Clenching teeth in pain and anger
Immortality: To live forever as a resurrected person
Eternal Life: Exaltation; to live with God and live like God

To Teach: Begin with a prayer. Read Moses 1:1-8 to or with the children. Go slowly, explaining unfamiliar terms as you go, and summarizing that 1. God and Moses talked together just like you are talking together, 2. Moses (and by extension, all of us too!) is a son (children) of God, and 3. Moses saw many wonderful things that God had made.

Then, tell them that after God left Satan came to visit Moses and tried to get him to worship him. Moses said no. Read Moses 1:19-22 and end this section by explaining that when Moses had faith, and called upon God and Jesus Christ, even Satan had to go away. This is a great opportunity to teach them that they are stronger than Satan and can make him go away, too, by praying and asking Heavenly Father for help.

Finally, end by reading Moses 1:39. Help children with their own scriptures mark the verse in red. Explain the difference between immortality and eternal life, and that Heavenly Father’s number one most important job is to help all of us get back to Heaven with him. Hand out the coloring pages, and ask the children to imagine what it would be like to talk face to face with God.

(Go to Lesson 3)

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One thing I really want to accomplish in our homeschooling is to give my children MORE in the way of scripture study. I mean, I have them with me all day. Surely we have time for more, focused, daily scripture study. My kids are young enough that they can’t sit still very long (and those that can are distracted by those that can’t) so what I really needed was some way to hit all the important points, broken up into manageable bite-sized pieces.

Wait a second. Serious course of scripture-based study? Bite-sized pieces? Pre-made lessons? That sounds like Seminary!

Now obviously the lessons have to be adapted a little bit for a six year old and an eight year old, but all of the manuals are online and the resources are there to make a wonderful course of study. We did our first lesson today, and I’m going to share it with you! We started with the Old Testament (manual here) because it just seemed like a good place to make a beginning. Don’t you think?

(Back to OT Junior Seminary overview)

Lesson 1: The Premortal Life and the Council in Heaven

To Prepare: Read Abraham 3:22-28, print off or write out the list of unfamiliar terms (under the heading Understanding the Scriptures) and their definitions, print off a cut and glue activity for each child participating.

To Teach: Begin with a prayer. Have the kids read Abraham 3:22 and 23. Go slowly and stop to read and explain the definitions of unfamiliar terms. For any children with their own scriptures, help them mark these two verses in red. (Abraham 3:22-23 is a scripture mastery scripture!)

You read verses 24-28 to them, slowly, explaining the story as you go along. This is basically the story of the council in Heaven and the preparations to create the Earth, as well as the record of the falling away, so this is a story important for the kids to learn. Summarize it in a way that they can understand and remember.

Next, pull out the cut and glue. (Wait for the cheers to subside, haha.) Explain each step in the Plan carefully, stopping to answer questions and clear up misconceptions. The Telestial Kingdom, in particular, required me to explain that it was still a very nice place and that Satan does not live there.

Let the kids color, cut, and glue. Everyone, ages 3-8, enjoyed this activity.

Pat yourself on the back! You’re done!

(Go to Lesson 2)

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