Lot makes a decision
key words
biblical reference
Genesis 13:5-18
lesson objective
To enable the children to learn that God is pleased when we make good decisions.
memory verse
“[Abraham was] fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised (Romans 4:21, NIV*).
prepare yourself to teach
Abraham and his family went through a problem common to most families: They did not have enough space!
God had blessed Abraham and his nephew Lot after they moved into the land of Canaan. Their families were very prosperous, and they had many animals and belongings. Their herds were so large that the pastures were not sufficient for them, and the shepherds quarreled with each other.
Abraham was worried. He did not want to have problems with his nephew, so they decided to separate and to live in different areas. Lot chose to live on the fertile plain of the Jordan, while Abraham settled in Canaan, the place where God had sent him.
Abraham always trusted in the promise of God, and he lived in that place. He knew God would continue to prosper him.
During this stage of their development, children learn to make simple decisions. For instance: Which color will I use to color the picture? In what chair will I sit? Often, some people feel ashamed to express their opinions. Allow your classroom to be a place where your children can experience making some decisions with freedom. Help them understand that decisions, whether good or bad, always have consequences. Every decision gives us the opportunity to grow and learn.
Preschoolers have to make constant decisions. Watch them while they decide during class. Do they feel confident or insecure when deciding? Some decisions are more important than others. That is why they should learn during the course of this lesson that God can help them when they do not know which decision is right.
God is powerful and wise; He knows what is best for us. When we trust in His will and ask for help, we can be more confident in making right decisions.
introduce the lesson
My animals
Before class, gather Play-Doh or modeling clay. Ask the children to use the clay to shape their favorite animals. They can make as many animals as the materials allow.
When everyone has their animals ready, ask them: “What would happen if there were so many animals that they occupied the whole space of the table?” (They would have to take some animals to other tables.)
Say, “In today’s story, there is a problem about the number of animals that Abraham and Lot’ owned. They must make a choice about what to do.”
teach the lesson
These activities will help children learn biblical truth.
Where will you hear the story?
Have the children sit in the place you want them to. Say, “Today’s story is about making choices that please God. Today I will give you the choice of how you want to listen to the story. You can sit on a chair, sit on the floor, or stand up. Each person can make his or her own choice. Listen to for the story” (they can sit on the chairs, on the floor, or stand up, if they prefer).
Pause while the children take their position to hear the story. Tell them that the story they will hear is about the choices that Lot and Abraham had to make about where they would live.
Monolog
Ask a man who is good at telling stories to study the Bible passage and present this story in first person (either as Abraham or Lot). If he can arrange to have a simple biblical costume, that would be good.
Lot’s decision
Abraham and Lot owned many sheep and goats. These animals feed on grass, and, being so many, there was not enough grass for all the animals to eat. The shepherds of the flocks of Abraham and Lot often complained. The shepherds fought over the pastures.
Abraham decided to speak with his nephew, Lot. Abraham said, “Lot, you and I have many animals. You are part of my family. You are my nephew, and I love you. Our workers cannot continue fighting. We can no longer live in the same place. We need to have some space between us. You can choose first where you want to live. If you go to the left, I will go to the right; but if you go to the right, I’ll go left.”
Lot and Abraham looked at the land around them. Lot looked toward a valley to the east near the Jordan River. It was very large, and it was full of grass and trees and water. Lot said, “I will go and live in the plain of the Jordan River.” Then Lot took his family, his laborers, and his animals, and he brought them to the new land they would inhabit.
Abraham respected the decision of his nephew and stayed in Canaan. He knew that God would fulfill his promise to take care of him and his family. God was very pleased to see the faith of Abraham.
Again, the Lord spoke to him and said, “All the land that you see I will give to you and your descendants forever. I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth, so that if anyone can count the dust, then your offspring could be counted. Go, walk through the length and breadth of the land, for I am giving it to you.” (v. 15-17). Abraham trusted God to do what he promised.
connect the lesson
Lot makes a choice
Before class, prepare Student Activity Sheet #23-A and #23-B. You may need to cut out some of the figures for this lesson in Student Activity Sheet #23-B. Gather glue for the children to attach the figures to SAS #23-A.
Hand out the activity sheets. Have the children attach the contrasting lands from Student Activity Sheet #23-B to Student Activity Sheet #23-A. Ask, “What were the choices Lot could make? Which land did Lot choose? Why did Lot choose first? Abraham was older, and he should have chosen first. Instead, he gave the first choice to Lot.”
Tell the children to draw a line from Lot to the land he chose. Let the children color Lot’s tunic.
Fruit basket
Before class, cut plain sheets of paper into four equal parts. On each piece of paper, draw a different fruit or glue a picture of a different fruit. (If possible, have two papers for each kind of fruit in case two children want the same fruit. Place the papers on a table or other flat surface so the children can see all the papers.
Call the children by name to choose a paper. If the child chooses a fruit that she or he does not recognize, tell the child the name of the fruit.
When all the children have a fruit, begin to call out one or two fruits at a time. Those children can sit in the fruit basket. When all children are inside the fruit basket, say, “Each of you had to make a choice. It was not between a good or bad choice. It was not a right or wrong choice. It was just a choice for what you liked best.
In our story today, Abraham allowed Lot to have the first choice of the land. Lot chose what he thought was the best land. Abraham was kind to Lot by allowing him to choose first.
Give your children the work they did during class time, and ask them not to miss next week. Encourage the children to take home their activity sheets to share the lesson with their families and friends.
practice the memory verse
Pass the ball
Have the children form a circle. Give them a ball or other soft object that they must pass from hand to hand while you make a sound. Use a tambourine, bells, music, etc. When the music is over, the child holding the ball in their hands should stand up and lead the class in saying the memory verse. Continue the game until everyone has participated or you run out of time.
wrap-up
Pray
Pray and include all the requests the children brought that day. Thank God for each child who came to class today. Ask God to help the children to make good choices this week. Remind them to ask God for help when they have to make difficult decisions.
Encourage
Thank the children for working so diligently on their Bible verse. Encourage them to make good choices during the week. Encourage them to allow others to choose first.
Invite
Tell the children that they can invite relatives or friends to come with them to class. They will hear more about Abraham and what happened to him.
* 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.™