God makes a promise
key words
biblical reference
Genesis 8:20 – 9:19
lesson objective
To help the students have the certainty that when God makes a promise, we can be sure that he will fulfill it
memory verse
“The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving” (Daniel 9:9a, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
I was one of those lucky children because I knew that if my parents promised me something, they would do it unless they could not because of extreme circumstances. Being truthful was an emphasis in our home, and that was put into practice by both mom, dad, and us the children. I feel sad for those children who constantly hear “I promise,” and then discover that they are meaningless words. It is a very weak foundation for those who wish to trust in God.
“Promise” is the subject of this session. As you teach this last lesson on Noah, keep in mind that there will be children in your group who know from their own experiences what unfulfilled promises are. Even when a well-meaning father breaks his promises, his children cannot understand.
Throughout this session, remind children that God is different from any other person who makes promises. He is God, and there is not anything that limits him or prevents him from fulfilling what he promised. He kept the promise he made to Noah for thousands of years. And he has also kept the promises made to mankind. No matter what the children have experienced with the promises made to them, they can trust that God loves them so much that he will always keep his promises, both those he made to them and to others.
biblical commentary
At the conclusion of the story of the flood, we see that God made a promise and sealed an covenant with Noah. A covenant is a commitment between God and people. God initiated the covenant and defined both the terms of it and the blessings. In a covenant, human beings agree with the terms and promise to obey. The covenant is sometimes compared to a contract or a testament; although there are some differences. A covenant is based on interpersonal relationships and requires commitment and loyalty between the parties.
The promises God made to Noah affect us all equally. God promised that he would never again curse the earth because of the wickedness of people (8:21). Although the plants survived the flood, there is no doubt that they would have suffered during that time. But the most important thing is that God promised never again to destroy “living creatures” (v.21). He declared his intentions with poetic beauty:
“As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease”(v.22).
God promised that he would never again send another flood of such destructive magnitude upon the earth. For that reason, he placed something in the sky to remind us of it. The rainbow would be a reminder to Noah, and to every human being who lived after him, of what God had promised. It would also remind God himself. “Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind.” (9:14-15).
During the years between Noah and us, God has kept his promise. Never again has he sent a universal flood to destroy living beings. That does not mean that God ignores the evil that men continue to commit. He promised not a flood, but fire the next time. “By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:7). History testifies, and the second coming will finally prove what Christians know and believe: that God keeps his promises.
Here are some other promises of God in which we can meditate and believe:
“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5).
“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one” (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but may have eternal life” (John 3:16).
“Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:4).
introduce the lesson
Who does what he promises? (21 letters and a question mark)
Make dotted lines on the board before this activity begins (21 for English “Who does what he promises”). If you want you can put a letter in the middle of each word. For example: _ _ O _ _ E _ _ _ A_ H _ _ _ _ M _ _ _ _? (Who does what he promises?) Place the question mark.
Divide the group into 2 or more teams. Start with the first child of the first team. She will have to say a letter of the alphabet. If the letter is part of the question, write in the letter and the child will earn 10 points. If it appears more than once, she will earn 50 points. Then goes to the second child and so on. Continue until a student says a letter that is not in the question. Then go to the next team and continue child by child, etc. until one team discovers the question. Then discuss that question.
Who does what he promises? (Children will talk about their parents, teachers, or God.)
Ask: “How do you feel when someone keeps the promises he or she made?” And then: “How do you feel when someone does not keep the promises they made?” Today’s story is about someone who kept his promise. That person was God. Listen to what the promise was.
teach the lesson
One year and ten days is a long time. During that time we have (name the holidays that are in your country). We celebrate one more year, we are bigger, we go to school, we finish the school year, Christmas arrives, and the New Year, Easter, and other holidays. All that and much more happens in a year and ten days. Noah and his family were in the ark during all that time. They waited and waited for the day to come when they could leave the ark and begin their new life on earth. At last that wonderful day arrived! One year and ten days after Noah, his family and many animals entered the ark and God had closed it! When that special day arrived, God spoke with Noah and said, “Get out of the ark. Take your wife, your three son: Shem, Ham and Japheth with their wives and all the animals. Get out of the ark and start living on the earth.”
(If you left the mural without the water in the last session, ask the children to now place the figures of Noah, his family, the animals, etc.) With great pleasure, Noah, his family and all the animals obeyed God. Imagine that you were with Noah all that time. What would be the one thing you would want to do the most back on dry land? (Allow the children to respond).
Noah knew that God had kept his promise to protect him from the terrible flood. That’s why his heart was full of gratitude and praise to God. The first thing Noah did was build an altar to worship God. He looked for rocks and placed them in a large pile. (Children can draw and color large rocks, to place them as an altar, others can draw firewood and color them, some can draw and color some sheep for the offering.) Then he killed some of the clean animals and birds that God had determined and offered them as sacrifices. Noah gave an offering to show God his love and gratitude.
God was happy with Noah and said in his heart, “As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease”(v.22).
Then God said to Noah, “I want you and your sons and their wives to have children. I want the birds and all animals to reproduce. They must fill the earth again. From now on, Noah, you can eat meat from animals and birds. You can also eat from the plants. You must never murder another person. I will punish anyone who murders another person.”
Then God promised Noah and his family that the next promise was for them, and for their offspring that would come after them. This was also for the animals and birds that were in the ark.
(As you continue to tell the Bible story, give the children the opportunity to place a rainbow of different colors on the mural, over the ark and stone altar. They can be strips of paper, cut in a semicircle that they themselves have colored. They can add glitter if you wish.)
While God spoke, suddenly, something beautiful appeared in the sky. It was a semicircle with beautiful colors. While Noah and his family looked at the rainbow of colors, God told them, “I will never curse the earth again with a flood, nor will I destroy every living thing again, as I have done. I have put the rainbow in the sky ... sometimes when I bring clouds over the earth, my rainbow will be seen and then I will remember my covenant with you ... and there will be no flood of waters to destroy every living being. I will keep this promise forever.”
Noah believed in God’s promise. He had fulfilled all his promises he had made. He had protected Noah and his family. He had made sure that the ark floated and that water did not get inside it. He took care that people and animals were not afraid. Can you imagine if a stampede of animals had begun inside the ark? God had taken into account every detail. He took care of the plants, allowed the wind to blow so that the earth would dry out. God had protected them until the day he told them to leave the ark. Without a doubt, Noah could continue to trust that God would fulfill all his promises.
connect the lesson
Mobile: Rainbow with promise
Guide the children in making the mobile from Student Activity Sheet #248-A and #248-B. This craft will help them remember God’s promise for all humanity. Encourage them to tell the beautiful story of Noah’s obedience in their homes, stressing that God always keeps his promises when people love and obey him.
practice the memory verse
Memory verse race
(Repeat of this game from last week.) After several repetitions of Daniel 9:9, divide the group into 2 teams and ask them to form 2 rows. (It is better to do this activity in an open courtyard). When you say “Go”, the first child of each team, with their pennant in hand, must run to the other end (use something to mark the spot), and say in a loud voice the text of Daniel 9:9 and the biblical reference, run back to their team, hand over the pennant to the next child and so on. Pay attention to the repetition of the text. Help those who have problems.
Play until one of the teams - the winner - has finished. Conclude by repeating the memory verse together.
Sweet verses
You will need: Student Activity Sheet #214-C and #248-C, a (candy) jar, scissors, construction paper larger than the jar, and colored pencils or crayons. Throughout the year, you will find additional cut-out sections, such as the memory verse for each unit, in candy or candy forms with the verses written on each one. When a child has memorized the memory verse, allow him/ her to cut out the candy from that unit and stick it inside or around the jar. At the end of the year, they will be able to take the jar with “sweets” to their homes. That way they can repeat to their families the verses they learned.
wrap-up
Pray
All together give thanks to God because he always keeps his promises.
Encourage
Have an activity to thank God for his promises. Encourage the students to tell the whole story of Noah’s life. Perhaps it can be a time of meeting with the children’s parents. Let the children tell their parents what they learned during this unit. If possible, they can have a snack previously planned so that children and parents can share together.
Invite
Be sure to motivate the children to attend the next session and begin the new unit. Remind them that this is a good time for others to join the group.
* 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.™