Abraham believes in God
key words
biblical reference
Genesis 15:1-5; 17:1-5, 15; 18:1-12; 21:1-7
lesson objective
To help the children learn to trust more in God.
memory verse
“And the people said to Joshua, ‘We will serve the Lord our God and obey him’” (Joshua 24:24, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
In today’s complex world, it is often difficult for children to know who to trust.
Your children need to be reassured that God keeps his promises. Unfortunately, perhaps some of them live in homes where promises are not fulfilled. It may be difficult for them to understand that God fulfills what He promises.
Elementary children learn easily to trust and distrust. If someone they love fails, it is often difficult for them to trust again without hesitation. It is therefore important to teach them through this lesson that, despite the circumstances, God is faithful and always keeps his promises.
biblical commentary
Read Genesis 15:1-5; 17:1-5, 15; 18:1-12; 21:1-7.
It is likely that it was difficult for Abraham to trust that God would fulfill his promise, especially after so many years. The religions of that time worshiped false gods that demanded nothing from their followers. They did not require that they be patient, committed, faithful or loyal.
However, Abraham continued to live according to God’s will, expecting him to fulfill his promise.
The years passed, and Abraham and Sara still did not have children. Doubt began to seize their hearts and their faith needed to be strengthened. Then Abraham cried out to God, asking for a sign to be sure that everything He had told them would be fulfilled. God, showing him the stars, told him that his offspring would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. God used an element of daily life to remind Abraham of his covenant.
Through time, this man’s faith was tested with fire. Many years passed before the birth of Isaac, and during that period, God reminded Abraham that only he is in control of situations, and that his time is perfect. Regardless of Sara’s age or the adverse circumstances, God was faithful to His promise and fulfilled it, just as he had said.
Think of a time in your life when God fulfilled one of his promises, and thank him for that. As you teach this lesson, remember and express the joy you felt on that occasion.
introduce the lesson
Stars
For this activity, you will need a figure in the form of a star for each child, gold glitter and glue. If you do not have glitter, provide colored pencils.
Get posters or illustrations that show the night sky. Ask your children to identify the moon, stars, constellations, etc.
Then, distribute the stars, glitter and glue so that the children can decorate their stars. As they work, tell them that today they will talk about a covenant (promise/agreement) that God made with Abraham, using the stars of heaven as an example.
When they finish decorating the stars, stick them around the room to represent the sky.
How many stars are there in the sky?
Before the session, draw or stick many stars on a piece of cardboard or black paper.
Show your children the paper, and ask them to count the stars.
Tell them: “In today’s Bible story, God told Abraham to count the stars in heaven to teach him an important lesson.”
teach the lesson
God keeps his promise
Eleven long years had passed since God promised Abraham that he would make a great nation from him. Could God have forgotten his promise?
Abraham was already starting to get discouraged. But one day God told him, “Do not be afraid. I’ll take care of you and give you a wonderful gift.”
“But, what can you give me, Lord?” Abraham replied. “I have no children and my servants will inherit everything I have.”
Then God took Abraham outside and told him, “Look at the stars of heaven; can you count them?”
“No, Lord, I cannot,” replied Abraham. “There are too many!”
“Well, so will your descendants be on earth. They will be so numerous that no one will be able to count them,” replied God.
Abraham believed in God’s promise, but many more years passed, and he and his wife still had no children.
One day it was very hot and Abraham was resting outside his tent. Suddenly, he saw three men approaching him.
“I will bring you water to wash your feet and rest,” he said. “I will also bring you something to eat.”
Abraham and Sara planned to share a special meal with the visitors, and chose the best foods they had. Sara used the finest flour to prepare bread. Abraham had a servant cook some special food. Then, he attended to the visitors, offering them a delicious meal.
“Where is your wife Sara?” asked one of the visitors.
“She’s here in the tent,” Abraham replied.
Then the man said to him, “Within one year of this date, your wife will have a child.”
Abraham knew that God had sent the visitors to reaffirm His promise.
Sara, who had heard everything from the tent, laughed. “I’m too old to have a baby,” she thought. “Abraham is also old. How can something so wonderful happen?”
But after a year, God fulfilled his promise, and Sarah had a beautiful baby whom they named Isaac.
connect the lesson
I can also believe in God!
Distribute Student Activity Sheet #204-A and #204-B. Have the children cut out the picture of baby Isaac and glue it in Abraham and Sarah’s arms.
Then, tell them to fold the page in half along the solid line and read the verse together: “Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God...” (Deuteronomy 7: 9a).
Talk about the importance of believing that God will always keep his promises.
practice the memory verse
Hand out paper and pencils to your children. Ask them to write the memory verse without seeing or copying it. Review their work and help those who need it. Allow time for each to decorate their paper to their liking, and stick them on the wall of the room.
Encourage them to use the Verse of the Month Club card to study the verse at home.
wrap-up
Pray
Ask the group to tell their prayer needs. Then intercede for them.
Encourage
Sing some songs that give thanks to God for being faithful and always keeping his promises. Ask the group to tell their prayer needs. Then intercede for them.
Invite
Remind the children that their attendance next week is very important because they will study what happened when the baby Isaac grew up.
* Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com The “NIV” and “New International Version” are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™