Malainen Bible Lesson Plan 2019

Bible story: The Creation
Scripture Reference: Genesis 1:1-2:3

Suggested Emphasis or Theme: There was nothing until God began his work of creation.
Memory Verse: “In the beginning God created the sky and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1. ICB)
Way to Introduce the Story:
Everyone close your eyes tightly and put your hands over your eyes. Now, what do you
see? Nothing. Even though you see nothing when your eyes are closed you can still hear, smell and
feel things. But in today’s story we are going to learn about a time when there was absolutely
nothing. And I mean NOTHING!
The Story:
Did you know that a long, long time ago there was nothing? No trees, no people, no buildings, not
even sound or smell? Darkness was everywhere. That is what it was like before God decided to
make our world. God created our whole world in six days. He made something different on each of
the six days and then on the seventh day God was finished and rested. But, first, let’s go back to the
very beginning!
Let’s look at the very first verse in our Bibles. “In the beginning God created the sky and the earth.
The earth was empty and had no form. Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit was moving over
the water.” Genesis 1:1-2 (ICB)
(Day 1)
Bible Verses: “Then God said, ‘Let there be light!’ And there was light. God saw that the light was good.
So he divided the light from the darkness. God named the light ‘day’ and the darkness “night.” Evening
passed, and morning came. This was the first day.” Genesis 1:3-5 (ICB)
So God simply spoke and light appeared. And this was not just sunlight. After all, the sun had not
even been created yet. Can you make light just by saying, “Let there be light”? No, but God can.
(Day 2)
Bible Verses: “Then God said, ‘Let there be something to divide the water in two!’ So God made the air
to divide the water in two. Some of the water was above the air, and some of the water was below it.
God named the air ‘sky’. Evening passed, and morning came. This was the second day.” Genesis 1:6-8
(ICB)
Water was everywhere. On the second day of creation God separated the water above the earth
from the water on the earth, placing the sky between the two. For the first time ever, the earth
would have experienced an atmosphere and things like clouds, wind, waves and evaporation.
(Day 3)
Bible Verses: “Then God said, ‘Let the water under the sky be gathered together so the dry land will
appear.’ And it happened. God named the dry land “earth.” He named the water that was gathered
together “seas.” God saw that this was good. Then God said, ‘Let the earth produce plants. Some plants
will make grain for seeds. Others will make fruit with seeds in it. Every seed will produce more of its
own kind of plant.’ And it happened. The earth produced plants. Some plants had grain for seeds. The
trees made fruit with seeds in it. Each seed grew its own kind of plant. God saw that all this was good.
Evening passed, and morning came. This was the third day.” Genesis 1:9-13 (ICB)
Now there were mountains, valleys, boulders, springs, rivers, waterfalls, caves, beaches, gravel, clay,
sand. And because there were plants the earth, for the first time, contained roots, stems, leaves,
grass, pollen, bark, vines, fruits, vegetables, flowers and more.
(Day 4)
Bible Verses: “So God made the two large lights. He made the brighter light to rule the day. He made
the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars. God put all these in the sky to shine on the
earth. They are to rule over the day and over the night. He put them there to separate the light from
the darkness. God saw that all these things were good. Evening passed, and morning came. This was
the fourth day.” Genesis 1:16-19 (ICB)
With the sun came light, heat and warmth, UV rays, sunrises, sunsets, dawn, dusk and even eclipses.
God knew that the earth would need the sun to survive.
And then there was the beauty of the night sky for the first time. Sometimes the moon is full and
round and sometimes it is shaped liked a crescent. When the moon appears very thin some people
even call it a “toe-nail moon”. Of course the stars are amazing because they are bright and sparkly
and even appear to twinkle in the sky.
(Day 5)
Bible Verses: “Then God said, ‘Let the water be filled with living things. And let birds fly in the air above
the earth.’ So God created the large sea animals. He created every living thing that moves in the sea.
The sea is filled with these living things. Each one produces more of its own kind. God also made every
bird that flies. And each bird produces more of its own kind. God saw that this was good. God blessed
them and said, ‘Have many young ones and grow in number. Fill the water of the seas, and let the birds
grow in number on the earth.’ Evening passed, and morning came. This was the fifth day.” Genesis
1:20-23 (ICB)
In the sea there are fish, swimming mammals such as whales and dolphins as well as sponges,
jellyfish, clams, oysters, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, starfish, sea lilies, lobsters, worms, snails, and
many more. And on this day God created all sorts of birds to fill the skies. When God created birds
he created feathers, beaks, wings and claws.
(Day 6- Animals)
Bible Verses: Then [on the sixth day] God said, “Let the earth be filled with animals. And let each
produce more of its own kind. Let there be tame animals and small crawling animals and wild animals.
And let each produce more of its kind.” And it happened.
So God made the wild animals, the tame animals and all the small crawling animals to produce more
of their own kind. God saw that this was good. Genesis 1:24-25 (ICB)
Think of all of the animals that live on the ground (wild animals and tame animals): amphibians,
reptiles, mammals and even some birds that do not fly. God is amazing because every single kind of
animal was his idea and his creation.
(Day 6- People)
Bible Verses: Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And let them rule
over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky. Let them rule over the tame animals, over all the earth
and over all the small crawling animals on the earth.” Genesis 1:26-27 (ICB)
Then the Lord God took dust from the ground and formed man from it. The Lord breathed the breath
of life into the man’s nose. And the man became a living person. Genesis 2:7 (ICB)
On the same day God made the animals he made a man. The man was called “Adam”. Adam was
different from the animals because, when God breathed life into Adam, God gave him a soul. Adam’s
soul gave him the ability to think, love and worship. Adam could make choices. Adam could talk to
God. Adam was a special creation.
God brought all of animals before Adam and gave him the honour of naming them. But Adam knew
that he was different from the animals. God did not want Adam to be lonely.
Bible Verses: So the Lord God caused the man to sleep very deeply. While the man was asleep, God took
one of the ribs from the man’s body. Then God closed the man’s skin at the place where he took the rib.
The Lord God used the rib from the man to make a woman. Then the Lord brought the woman to the
man. Genesis 2:21-22 (ICB)
Adam was so happy when he woke up and saw the woman. Now he was not alone. He called the
woman “Eve”. The creation of mankind was now complete. Adam and Eve were beautiful and pure.
They experienced no shame or need to cover up with clothes.
(Day 7)
Bible Verses: So the sky, the earth and all that filled them were finished. By the seventh day God
finished the work he had been doing. So on the seventh day he rested from all his work. God blessed the
seventh day and made it a holy day. He made it holy because on that day he rested. He rested from all
the work he had done in creating the world. Genesis 2:1-3 (ICB)
God was not resting because he was tired. God rested because he was finished with some very
important work! He was satisfied that he had done a very good job. And God had told Adam and
Eve that they also had a job to do. They were to take care of the garden.
How about you? How do you take care of the beautiful earth that God made
Bible Story: The Fall of Man
Bible Verse: Genesis 3
Suggested Emphasis or Theme: God loves us and makes rules that will help us to be
happy. Satan wants bad things to happen to us so he tempts us to disobey God.
Memory Verse: “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.” James 4:7, NIV

Ask the children to name all of the rules that they can think of. These can be rules at home,
school, traffic, libraries and hospitals, or any others that you can think of. Talk about which
are easy to obey and which are difficult. “Children, when Adam and Eve lived in the Garden
of Eden God gave them a rule. He told them they could eat anything they wanted except for
one thing. Just one rule! Do you think that would be hard to obey? What do you think that
Adam and Eve did? Let’s find out as we listen to the story.
The Story:
Adam was the first man who ever lived. God created him from the dust of the earth and
breathed life into him. God knew that Adam would be lonely by himself so he had a plan to
create a partner for him. But before he did that God showed Adam all of the animals so that
Adam could name them. While he was naming the animals Adam noticed that every animal
had a partner. Would there be a partner for Adam?
God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep so that he could remove one of his ribs. From
Adam’s rib God formed a woman. This woman was called Eve and she was the very first
woman who ever lived. Adam and Eve worked together in taking care of the Garden of
Eden as God commanded. They were so happy in the garden that they did not even feel
embarrassed that they wore no clothes.
God took good care of Adam and Eve. He gave them many trees with good fruit to eat. God
said, “The fruit on these trees is for you to enjoy. But do not eat the fruit from the tree in the
middle of the garden. If you do, something terrible called death will happen to you.” Adam
and Eve did not even know what death was because no one had ever eaten the fruit so no
one had ever died.
One day Eve was walking through the garden alone when she heard a strange voice. Eve
started looking around to see who was talking to her. While she was looking at the tree in
the middle of the garden, she saw a snake. Eve was surprised that a snake was talking to
her! What Eve didn’t know was that it was really Satan who was talking to her through the
snake.
“Did God really say you should not eat the fruit from any tree in the garden?” the snake
asked.
“God said we may eat the fruit from any tree, except for the one in the middle of the
garden,” Eve said. “God said something terrible would happen to us if we ate any of the fruit
from that tree.”
“Nothing terrible will happen to you,” the snake hissed. “In fact, God knows that if you eat
some of that fruit, you’ll be like Him! You will know the difference between right and
wrong.”
Eve looked at the fruit on the tree and thought, “The fruit is beautiful. It looks like it would
taste good too. Besides, if it will make us wise like God, nothing terrible could happen to
us.” So she picked some of the fruit and ate it.
Then Eve also gave some of the fruit to Adam.
When Adam saw the beautiful fruit Eve h ad brought him, he took the fruit from her and ate
it. Suddenly Adam and Eve began to feel unhappy. Nothing seemed as beautiful or as nice as
it had before. Adam and Eve knew that something terrible had happened: they had
disobeyed God.
When they heard God in the garden, they ran away and hid.
“Adam!” God called. But Adam didn’t answer.
God called again, “Adam! Where are you?”
Finally, Adam said, “I heard You calling, and I was afraid. So I ran away and hid.”
God knew what Adam and Eve had done, but He wanted them to tell Him, so He asked, “Did
you eat from the tree I told you not to eat from?”
“Eve gave the fruit to me,” said Adam.
“But the snake told me to eat it,” said Eve.
How sad God was! “You have disobeyed Me,” He said. “Adam, you and Eve must leave the
garden. From now on things will be harder for you. You will have to plant your own
gardens for food and you will not be as happy as you were here.”
Adam and Eve were sad too. Something terrible had happened to them, just as God had said
it would. Adam and Eve knew they had done wrong and deserved to be punished. So they
put on the clothes God gave them, which were made from animal skins instead of leaves,
and walked slowly, sadly out to the beautiful garden that had been their home. They were
never allowed to come back to the garden.
Review Questions:
1. What was the name of the place where Adam and Eve lived? The Garden of Eden
2. What was the one rule in the Garden of Eden? Do not eat from the tree in the middle of the
garden.
3. Who told Eve that she should eat from the tree? Satan (in the form of a snake)
4. What did Eve do after she ate the fruit? Gave some to Adam.
5. What did Adam and Eve do after they knew they had disobeyed God? They hid from God
6. When God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden, what did He say would be different out
there? Things would be harder and they would have to make their own gardens for food.
7. What did God give Adam and Eve when they left the garden? Clothes made of skin.
Bible Story: Cain and Abel
Scripture Reference: Genesis 4:1-16, 25
Suggested Emphasis or Theme: God wants us to always do our best when we serve Him
just like Abel did.

Collect pairs of objects of which one is new or in good shape and the other is old or
worn (one nice and one faded and torn shirt, one nice apple and one scarred or
bruised one, (if you dare!) one clean sock and one dirty one, etc.) Show the first pair
to the children. “If you were coming to my house to eat, which one of these apples
would you like to eat? The nice one or the rotten one?” (Let the children answer.)
“Why wouldn’t you want the rotten apple?” Now use another pair of objects. “If you
were going to wear your socks when someone very special walked by, which would
you rather wear?” Go through each of the objects. “If we were to give something to
God should it be second best or should it be the very best? (Let children answer) In
today’s lesson we are going to learn about two brothers who gave God gifts. Only one
brother gave his very best.”
Collect pairs of objects of which one is new or in good shape and the other is old or worn
(one nice and one faded and torn shirt, one nice apple and one scarred or bruised one, (if
you dare!) one clean sock and one dirty one, etc.) Show the first pair to the children. “If you
were coming to my house to eat, which one of these apples would you like to eat? The nice
one or the rotten one?” (Let the children answer.) “Why wouldn’t you want the rotten
apple?” Now use another pair of objects. “If you were going to wear your socks when
someone very special walked by, which would you rather wear?” Go through each of the
objects. “If we were to give something to God should it be second best or should it be the
very best? (Let children answer) In today’s lesson we are going to learn about two brothers
who gave God gifts. Only one brother gave his very best.”
The Story:
After Adam and Eve were told to leave the Garden of Eden they found a place to live where
they could grow crops and raise animals. They had children. The name of one son was Cain,
and the name of another son was Abel.
When the brothers grew up Cain became a farmer who worked in the fields. Abel took care
of sheep.
In those days people showed their devotion to God by bringing gifts and laying them on a
platform called an altar. Cain brought some of the vegetables that he had grown and placed
them on the altar.
But Abel’s heart was different from Cain’s. He did not place just anything on the altar. Abel
had faith and he placed the very best of the best of his lambs and placed them on the altar.
God was pleased with the offering that Abel made. Why do you think that was? Perhaps it
was because he saw that Abel loved God so much that he wanted to give his very best.
God was not pleased with Cain’s offering. When Cain saw that God was more pleased with
Abel he became very angry. God saw how angry Cain was and said, “Cain, why are you so
angry? If you do right, I’ll accept you. But if you don’t do right, you will sin.” God knew that
if Cain did not stop being angry and jealous, he would do something terribly wrong.
When he heard this Cain should have stopped and told God he was sorry but he was so
angry he did not think about doing good things. He did not control his anger but only
thought about how God approved of Abel more than him.
Cain did not control his anger and jealousy. He became more and more angry that all of his
anger just “boiled up” inside.
Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out in the field.” While they were in the field, Cain
attacked Abel and killed him.
When God came to Cain he asked, “Where is your brother Abel?”
Cain answered, “Am I my brother’s keeper? Is it my job to keep track of him all the time?”
Cain killed his brother when he thought no one was watching but we know that God sees
and knows everything that happens.
God knew what Cain had done and he knew that Cain must be punished. “Your brother’s
blood is still on the ground. Your punishment is that nothing you plant in the ground will
grow. You will just wander around the earth finding food wherever you can.”
Cain was upset by this. “My punishment is more than I can bear,” said Cain. “I will wander
around and whoever finds me will kill me.” So God put a special mark on Cain so that
anyone seeing the mark would know not to kill him. And then Cain went away from his
family and his home.
After the sad story of Cain and Abel Adam and Eve had another son. This son’s name was
Seth.
Review Questions:
1. What were the names of Adam and Eve’s first sons that are mentioned in the bible? Cain
and Abel
2. What were Cain and Abel’s jobs? Cain-farmer and Abel-shepherd
3. What does it mean to give God a sacrifice? To give something valuable to God
4. What did Abel offer God as a sacrifice? The firstborn of the flock (one of the lambs born first
because they were the best ones)
5. What did Cain offer to God? Some of the fruit from his crops
6. Which brother gave his sacrifice because he had faith in God? Abel
7. What did Cain do to Abel when God liked Abel’s sacrifice better? He killed Abel
8. What was Cain’s punishment? He had to leave his family and wander around the rest of his
life.
Bible Story: Noah’s Ark
Suggested Emphasis or Theme: God keeps His promises.

Talk about times when it has rained. Ask the children how they felt when they had to stay
in the house day after day without being able to go out to play. Ask each one how long they
could stand it. “In today’s story we are going to find out how Noah and his family spent a
very long time inside the Ark, waiting for the rain to stop. Can you imagine watching it rain
for over a month? That’s what Noah did. Even when it stopped raining, did you know that
Noah was still not allowed to go outside for a long time? Let’s learn what the bible says.”
The Story:
It rained for many weeks. The Ark floated on water high above all the land, many feet
higher than the highest mountain peak! Then after forty days and nights, the rain stopped.
Little by little the water began to subside. Noah and his family and all the animals had
floated safely in the ark for one hundred and fifty days.
God sent a great wind over the earth and the waters gradually began to evaporate and dry
up. Soon the Ark came to rest on top of Mount Ararat.
After another forty days Noah opened the window and sent out a raven. The big, strong
bird flew quickly across the water. However, it did not find a place to rest. Since there was
only water, the raven returned to the Ark.
Seven days later Noah took a dove and let her fly out the window. The dove flew about for a
short time, but she, like the raven, could not find anywhere to rest. She too, flew back to the
Ark.
Noah waited another week and then sent a dove out of the window again. Noah and his
family waited anxiously. At last the dove came to the window of the Ark. In her beak was an
olive leaf which she had picked from a tree. Seven days later, Noah sent out the dove again.
This time she did not come back. She had found good food and a place to live.
Noah and his family no doubt wondered when they could leave the Ark. God had shut the
door, and only God could open it again.
Then one day, when the sun was shining very brightly, Noah heard a creaking sound. The
door was slowly opening and swinging back wide. God had opened the door. Eight happy
people left the Ark and began walking on dry ground again. Then all the animals left the Ark
too.
What a sight that must have been! Elephants and hippos came lumbering out. Lions, tigers,
sheep, dogs and cats came bounding down the ramp, bumping into each other in their
eagerness to leave. There was a whirring of wings as eagles and other great birds flew off
into the sky. And there must have been a lot of noise. Horses neighing, lions roaring, dogs
barking, happy to be free at last!
All the animals came out of the Ark and hurried away to make new homes for themselves.
Noah and his family built an altar, and Noah made a special offering to God, thanking Him
for saving their lives.
God gave Noah and his family a promise. “Never again will I send a great flood to destroy all
living things.” Suddenly the sky was lit by a beautifully coloured rainbow. The colours were
brilliant red, orange, yellow, green, blue and violet. “This is a sign to remind you always of
My promise,” God said. “Whenever you look up and see a rainbow in the sky think of My
promise to you.”
Each time we see a rainbow, we can remember God’s many promises to us. What a loving
God He is!
Review Questions:
1. How long did the rain last during the time of the flood? 40 days and nights
2. What mountain did the Ark come to rest on? Mount Ararat
3. What two birds did Noah send out to see if the land was drying up? A raven and a dove
4. What was the total amount of time (flood and waiting for the land to dry out) that Noah and
his family and the animals were on the ark? One year and ten days.
5. What was the first thing that Noah did when he got off of the ark? He offered a sacrifice to
God
6. What was the rainbow a sign of? God’s promise that He would never destroy the world by
flood again.
Bible Story; Tower of Babel
Scripture Reference: Genesis 11:1-9
Suggested Emphasis or Theme: We should not have an unhealthy pride.

As the children arrive, have blocks or legos available. Guide the students in building a tower
as tall as they can. Older children might want to play a round or two of “Jenga” or build a
house of cards. “Today we are going to read about a time when some people decided to
build the tallest tower that had ever been built.”
The Story:
After the flood people had to begin all over again. Noah’s sons had large families and there
were soon many people. Sadly, the people began to forget about God. God wanted them to
move to other places but they decided to stay together in one city instead.
As time went by they began to forget about God and only think about what good builders
they were. They were so proud of themselves! The people wanted to build something to
show how good they were. They wanted to be famous. They decided to build a very tall
tower.
Do you know what the word “pride” means? Actually, pride can have a good meaning or a
bad meaning.
Good Pride is when you feel good about yourself because you have done a good job or you
are part of something good that makes you feel happy. You might feel proud of the way you
have learned something new at school or you may be proud of your family. God likes it
when we feel this kind of pride.
Bad Pride is when you think TOO well of yourself. You might think you are better than you
really are if you have bad pride. You might look down on other people and think you are
better than them. God does not want us to have this kind of pride.
The people who were building the tower had a bad kind of pride. They thought they were
so good that they were even better than God. They never even said “thank you, God”. They
thought they didn’t need God to make the best city and the tallest tower. They thought they
could do it all on their own. In fact, they thought so much about themselves that they didn’t
even think about God very much at all.
Finally, God decided that he had to put a stop to this pride. He wanted the people to think
about him and not about a tower. He wanted to people to start moving to new places and
not all live in one big city.
So God caused something amazing to happen. God confused the people’s languages so that
they could no longer understand each other. When someone talked it just sounded like
strange noises or “babbling.”
It became impossible to work together on the tower. Everyone just got mixed up. The
people stopped working together. The town became known as “Babel” because of all of the
different languages. Everything in the city was so confusing that the people started moving
away into smaller places where they could learn to talk together better. Now they stopped
having so much bad pride. They learned an important lesson about pride. They learned that
they were not the best after all. God is the best!
Review Questions
1. Did God want Noah’s sons and their descendants to live in one place? No
2. Why did the people of Babel begin building a tall tower? To make a tower so good that they
would be famous and so that everyone would want to live in one place—their city.
3. How did God stop the people from building the tower? He caused them to speak different
languages.
4. Why was the city called “Babel”? Because the different languages sounded like babbling.
5. What does a good kind of pride cause us to think about? God (and what He has done for us)
Bible Story: Sodom and Gomorrah
Suggested Emphasis or Theme: Sin is a word, thought, or act against God.
Memory Verse: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own
understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

Bring fishing line or thin string to class today. Unwind it and let the children “tangle” it all
up. When it seems to be a hopeless mess then ask them to untangle it. Ask them how long it
would take to untangle the string before it could be used for fishing. Discuss the option of
just buying new string. “In today’s bible story we are going to learn about two cities whose
people kept sinning over and over again so much that they became tangled in sin just like
this string. They were so tangled up in sin that they would not even listen when people
talked about God. Guess which city that was? It was the city where Lot had moved to. In this
story we are going to learn how Lot was very sorry he had ever chosen to live in a place
where there was so much sin.
The Story:
The three visitors who came to Abraham with such good news also had other news. It was
not so good. One of the three visitors was the Lord. As the men turned to go to Sodom, the
Lord stayed to talk to Abraham. He told Abraham that the people in Sodom were so wicked
and evil that He had come to see for Himself if what they were doing was really true. God
hates sin very much. Sin is what it means when a person does, says, or thinks something
that is against God. The sins of the people in Sodom made God very sad and unhappy.
Abraham did not want the Lord to destroy the city where his nephew, Lot, lived. There
must be some good people in the large city. “If there are fifty good people in Sodom, would
you please let everyone live?” Abraham asked the Lord.
The Lord said, “Yes, Abraham, if there are fifty good people in Sodom, I will not destroy it.”
“Will you keep Sodom safe if there are only forty-five good people?” Abraham begged.
“If there are forty-five good people in Sodom, I will not destroy it.” The Lord answered.
Abraham kept asking the Lord to spare Sodom if there were forty, thirty, twenty, and finally
ten good people in the city of Sodom. Every time the Lord agreed to spare Sodom.
“Yes,” said the Lord, “if I find just ten good people, I will not destroy Sodom.”
The Lord stopped but the two angels continued on to the city. As the two angels came to
Sodom they saw Lot, Abraham’s nephew, sitting by the gate. When he saw the two men
approaching, he jumped up and asked them to come to his house for tea. The men went
with him and rested at his house. Lot was kind to them. The men realized that Lot was not
wicked like the other people living in the city. And, because he was Abraham’s nephew,
they told him of their plans. The men told him to take his family and leave Sodom, because
they were going to send fire and destroy the city.
When it was close to morning, the men told Lot and his family to leave the city as quickly as
they could. Lot tried to get others to stop being wicked. He wanted to save them, too, but
they just laughed at him. They did not believe anything would happen to them.
The angels took Lot, his wife, and two daughters by the hand and led them from Sodom.
The angels told them they MUST NOT look back to see what was happening to the city.
They must run and run as fast as they could to get away. Lot and his family hurried away
from the wicked city. They ran to a small city named Zoar. As the sun rose over the land, the
Lord sent burning fire over Sodom. It came down like rain on the city. He destroyed all the
cities of the plain because He hated the sin of the people. Even the city next to Sodom was
destroyed. That city was called Gomorrah. As the fire rose and smoke filled the air, Lot’s
wife looked back toward Sodom. She did not listen to the words of the angels. She
disobeyed and was turned into a pillar of salt.
God destroyed the wicked cities because He hates sin so much. When people do or say or
think bad things, it makes the Lord sad and angry. He wants people to be sorry when they
do bad things. He wants to forgive people when they sin. The people of Sodom and
Gomorrah sinned so much that they stopped listening to good people like Lot. They did not
trust in God. They only wanted to do things their own way.
God will help us do good if we listen to Him. We should read our bibles and learn more and
more about Him. The bible tells us how to do good things and make God happy.
Review Questions:
1. Why did God want to destroy Sodom? Because there was so much sin in the city.
2. What is sin? It is a word, thought, or act against God.
3. God said He would not destroy Sodom if there were how many good people in the city? Ten
4. Who told Lot to leave Sodom? The two angels
5. What happened to Sodom and Gomorrah? They were destroyed by fire that came down like
rain.
6. What happened to Lot’s wife? She turned into a pillar of salt when she looked back at
Sodom.
Bible Story; God calls Abraham
Suggested Emphasis or Theme: We should have living faith, the kind that involves both
trust and action.
Memory Verse: “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James
2:17 (NIV)

Bring some sand to class today. Use a magnifying glass to see the individual grains of sand.
Have the children count out ten grains of sand. Then have them count out twenty or any
other number. Have fund estimating the number of grains of sands in a teaspoon, cup,
bucket, etc. “Did you know that God once told a man that he would have so many children,
grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on that their number would be greater than the
grains of sand on entire seashore? That man’s name was Abram and we are going to be
learning about him today and in the weeks to come.”
The Story:
Once there was a man named Abram who loved God very much and had faith in
Him. Abram and his wife, Sarai lived in the city of Haran. Many of Abram’s relatives also
lived in this city. Sadly, Abram and Sarai could not have children. It must have been sad for
them to think about how they would never have grandchildren and great-
grandchildren. But this did not stop Abram from having faith in God.
God loved Abram and Sarai but God also loved all of the other families in the world. So God
made a plan to bless everyone. His plan was that he would use Abram and Sarai to begin a
family that would become very very big. Their family would be so big that it would be a
nation. This nation would help the world. Everyone in the world would someday be
blessed through Abram’s family.
So one day God told Abram to leave his country and his relatives and to go to a new land
that he would show him. God did not say where the new land was. He just told Abram to go
and that He would show him later.
Faith means believing something to be true even if you can’t see it. Abram had faith in God
even though he could not see him. In the Bible book of James we read, “If faith does
nothing, then that faith is dead.” James 2:17. Some people might say that they have faith in
God but be too afraid or disobedient to obey him. That kind of faith is like a dead faith.
But Abram had a living faith. He trusted in God and was willing to do what he said. Abram
and his wife, Sarai, began packing up everything they owned. Abram’s nephew, Lot, and all
of Abram’s servants and helpers also joined them.
Everyone would have been very busy for many days. They would have packed up all their
things, loaded the big, heavy objects onto their camels. Their servants and helpers would
have gathered all of Abram’s sheep and cows and donkeys for the trip. Finally everything
would have been ready! Abram and his relatives left their home country forever. Now they
would live in tents and travel around wherever God told them to go.
In the land of Canaan God told Abram to have a good look around. Other people lived there
but someday Abram’s children and grandchildren would own this land. They stopped in a
placed called Shechem so that Abram could build an altar of stones and worship God. Later
they stopped in a place called Bethel and did the same thing.
Later they would go to other places, like Egypt. Abram was not a perfect man who did the
right thing every single time but he continued to have a living faith in God. And God kept
his promises to Abram and protected him. God had a special plan for Abram.
And remember how Abram and Sarai had no children? God promised that that would
change someday. God wanted Abram to have a family that would bring blessing to
everyone. God would start a great nation from Abram.
In the future God would say to Abram, “I will surely bless you and make your descendants as
numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take
possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will
be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”
Review Questions:
1. Who was Abram’s wife? Sarai

2. Where did Abram live when God told him to go to a new land? Haran
3. How many descendants did God say that Abram would have? As numerous as the stars in
the sky and grains of sand on the sea-shore.
4. Did Abram know where he was going when God told him to leave his home country? No
5. If faith does nothing, what kind of faith is it? Dead
6. Quote “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” James 2:17 (NIV)
Bible Story: Isaac and Rebecca
Suggested Emphasis or Theme: It is important to marry a person who worships God.

Bring wedding photos to class today and share them with your pupils. This lesson
emphasises the importance of two Christians marrying. You might want to invite a
Christian couple with a strong marriage to bring their wedding photos to show. “We have
been learning about Abraham and his son, Isaac. When Isaac was a grown man Abraham
wanted him to marry someone who believed in God. In today’s lesson we will learn about
how Abraham helped his son find a wife.”
The Story:
Abraham was a great man of God. God had promised Abraham that someday he would have
grandchildren and then they would have children and then they would have children. God
promised Abraham that he would have many many descendants. God wanted Abraham’s
descendants to love him just as much as Abraham did.
But Abraham’s son, Isaac was not even married yet. Abraham knew it was time to find a
wife for Isaac.
But not just any woman would do. Abraham wanted Isaac to marry a woman who believed
in God. Then Isaac and his wife could have children and teach them to love God too.
Abraham thought about all the women who lived nearby in Canaan. They did not love God.
They worshiped false gods and bowed down to them. Abraham did not want Isaac to marry
a woman from Canaan. He remembered when he used to live in Haran. Many of Abraham’s
relatives still lived near Haran in a place called “Nahor”. His relatives believed in God. This
would be the perfect place to find a wife for Isaac.
So Abraham called in his most trusted servant and said, “Promise me that you will find a
wife for Isaac. Make sure that she is not a Canaanite. Go to my home country, to my
relatives, and find Isaac a wife there.”
The servant did as Abraham asked. He took along camels loaded with gifts to give to the
father of whoever the bride would be. The servant traveled a long time before he came to
Haran, the place where Abraham’s family lived.
When the servant arrived he decided to go to a place where the young women of the city
went every day. He took his camels and waited beside the spring of waters where the girls
came to get water for their families.
He prayed, “O Lord God, be kind to me and to Abraham today. I’m going to stand here to
watch the young women come to get water. I will say, ‘May I have a drink.’
May the one who answers, ‘Have a drink and I will water your camels too,’ be the one You
have chosen for Isaac’s wife.”
The servant had not even finished his prayer when a beautiful and kind girl named
Rebekah came to the well to get water.
The servant said, “Please, give me a drink.”
“Of course, take some of my water.”
Then Rebekah saw his thirsty camels and said, “I’ll get water for your camels too.”
It was hard work but Rebekah ran back and forth to the well to get water for the thirsty
camels. Finally, all the camels had plenty of water to drink.
Abraham’s servant was so happy! God had answered his prayer. He knew Rebekah was the
right wife for Isaac. The servant gave Rebekah two gold bracelets and a gold nose ring.
“Whose daughter are you? Is there room for my camels and me to stay overnight at your
house?” he asked.
“My father is Bethuel the son of Nahor. Yes, there is room at our house. I will go and tell my
family.”
How thankful the servant was. Of all the people he could meet on his journey God had led
him straight to Abraham’s relatives!
The servant went to Rebekah’s home and explained who he was and why he was there.
Rebekah’s father, Bethuel, and brother, Laban, listened carefully to the servant explain how
God had led him to their house and to Rebekah. Everyone was amazed at this.
And they were also happy when they heard how God had blessed their relative, Abraham.
He had left them long ago and they were so happy that he still loved God like they did.
Then the servant asked an important question, “Will you let Rebekah travel with me back
to Canaan to marry Isaac?”
Bethuel agreed that this was what God would want so they said “yes”. Abraham’s servant
wanted to leave right away but Rebekah’s family did not want her to go yet. They finally
said, “We will let Rebekah decide.”
Review Questions:
1. Why didn’t Abraham want Isaac to marry a Canaanite woman? Because Canaanites did not
believe in God.
2. Where did Abraham send his servant to find a wife for Isaac? Back to Haran where their
relatives were living.
3. How did Abraham’s servant know which woman was the right wife for Isaac? He prayed
that the woman who gave him water and offered to water his camels also would be the
right woman.
4. What was Isaac’s wife’s name? Rebekah
Bible Story: Jacob and Esau and the birthright
cripture Reference: Genesis 25:19-34 and chapter 27 and 28:1-5
Suggested Emphasis or Theme: Deception is wrong and leads to hurt and anger.
Memory Verse: “Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his
neighbour, for we are all members of one body.” Ephesians 4:25

Let children take turns being blindfolded. In each round one blindfolded child should sit in
a chair. The other children can take turns standing in front of the blindfolded person and
holding out one hand. The blindfolded person has to guess which person it is by feeling
their hand. You could change each round and have the blindfolded person guess identities
by feeling an elbow, knee, foot, etc. “In today’s story, a blind man tried to recognize his son
by feeling his hand.
The Story:
God promised Abraham and later his son, Isaac, that a great nation would come from
them. They would have many descendants.
Isaac and Rebekah were married for twenty years before they had children. Finally,
Rebekah became pregnant. And guess what. She was going to have twins!
But there was a problem. Rebekah could feel the twins fighting inside of her. She did not
like that at all so she asked God about it.
The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will
be separated; one people will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the
younger.” Genesis 25:23, NIV
When the twins were born they were very different from one another. The first boy was
red and very hairy when he was first-born and they named him Esau. Isaac liked Esau the
best.
The second boy was born right after the first one (in fact he was holding his brother’s heel
when he was born!) and his parents named him Jacob. Jacob’s skin was very soft and
smooth. Rebekah liked Jacob the best.
Parents should love each of the children and not have favourites. But Isaac and Rebekah
were not good parents in this way. As he grew Esau loved to be outside and was a very
good hunter. His father, Isaac, loved to eat the tasty meat from the animals Esau caught.
Esau was his father’s favourite son. Jacob was quieter and enjoyed working around home.
His mother, Rebekah, loved him best.
One day Jacob was home cooking some stew. Esau had been out hunting and when he
returned, he was very hungry.
“Jacob, give me some of that red stew,” begged Esau. “I’m starved!”
“Not unless you sell me your birthright,” said Jacob.
“Birthright? If I die, my birthright won’t do me any good,” said Esau. “And I’m just about to
die! Sure, I will give you my birthright if you will give me some stew.”
So, after Esau promised to sell his birthright to Jacob, Jacob brought him bean stew, bread,
and something to drink. Esau thought he had made a good trade but really Jacob was the
one who got the better deal. Jacob had played a mean trick on his brother.
Because he was the oldest, Esau would have received special treatment when his father
died. To have the birthright was a very special privilege and duty. He would be in charge of
many things. But Esau did not take this seriously. He gave all of that away for some stew.
Esau had given up his birthright to his younger brother but there was something else that
was very special in a family. The father of the family would give a special blessing to his
son. In the blessing the father would say who would get the most respect and who would
be the leader of the family. He would give good wishes of wealth, power, and safety for his
son’s future.
When Isaac was very old he called Esau, his oldest and favourite son, to him and said, “I am
going to give you the special family blessing today. Go and hunt for some wild game to
cook the tasty food that you and I like to eat so much. We will eat together and then I will
bless you.” So Esau set off to go hunting.
But someone else overheard what Isaac was saying. Remember how we said Esau was
Isaac’s favourite son and Jacob was Rebekah’s favourite son? Well, Rebekah did not want
Esau to have the blessing. She wanted her favourite son, Jacob, to get the blessing instead
of Esau. Rebekah decided to trick (or deceive) her husband.
She called Jacob to her so they could make a plan together. Jacob should have stopped his
mother but he went right along with the plan. Rebekah told Jacob that he they would trick
Isaac. They needed to fool him into thinking that Jacob was Esau so that he would give him
the blessing instead.
Here’s how the plan would work. First, she told Jacob to go and kill two goats so that she
could prepare them just the way that Isaac liked. Isaac would eat the goats and think they
were the wild game that Esau had hunted.
Next, they had to make Jacob’s smooth skin feel like his harry brother’s skin. Rebekah put
goatskins on Jacob’s arms and neck so that Isaac would feel them and think it was hairy
Esau. She also put Esau’s clothes on Jacob. All of this should fool Isaac because Isaac was
old and blind.
So, when Jacob went into his father’s tent his father could not see that it was Jacob. He
wasn’t sure so he asked to feel Jacob’s hands. When he felt the goat skin he thought it was
Esau’s hairy hands. When he tasted the goat meat he thought it was wild game that Esau
had hunted. When he smelled Esau’s clothes on Jacob he really thought it was his oldest
son. Isaac had been tricked!
So Isaac gave the blessing to Jacob. This was so important that, once the blessing had been
spoken, it could not be taken back.
In his blessing he said, “May nations serve you and peoples bow down to you. Be lord over
your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you
be cursed and those who bless you be blessed.”
Isaac had just finished giving his blessing to Jacob when Esau came in from hunting. He
fixed some tasty food just like his father had asked and took it to his father so that he could
receive the blessing.
“Who are you?” asked his father.
Then he realized he had been deceived. “Someone else has already hunted an animal and
brought it to me. I blessed him and the blessing cannot be changed.” Isaac was very sad
and angry. His own son had deceived him.
“Esau became very angry and begged his father to bless him too. “Jacob tricked me two
times,” Esau cried. First he took my birthright and now he has taken my blessing.” Esau
was so angry that he decided to kill Jacob once his father died.
When Rebekah heard about Esau’s plans, she sent Jacob to stay with her brother Laban
until Esau calmed down. She told Isaac that Jacob could find a wife there.
Everyone in the family was hurt because Rebekah and Esau decided to lie and trick
Isaac. Tricking someone is called deceit. This is what the Bible says about deceit.
“So then, get rid of all evil and all lying. Do not be a hypocrite. Do not be jealous or speak evil
of others. Put all these things out of your life.” 1 Peter 2:1 (ICB)
Review Questions:
1. Who were Isaac and Rebekah’s sons? Esau and Jacob
2. How were Esau and Jacob different?
3. What was the thing that Esau traded his birthright for? A bowl of stew.
4. To which brother was the family blessing supposed to have gone? Esau
5. How did Rebekah and Jacob trick Isaac into giving the blessing to Jacob?
6. What did Esau want to do to Jacob? He wanted to kill him.
Bible Story: Joseph sold by his brothers
Scripture Reference: Genesis 35:23-26; 37:1-36
Suggested Emphasis or Theme: We should love and appreciate our siblings and try to live
at peace with them.
Memory Work: Memorize the names of the twelve sons of Jacob—Reuben, Simeon, Levi,
Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Gad, Asher, Dan, Naphtali, Joseph, Benjamin.

Ask each student to draw a picture of their family. Let each one stand up and explain their
picture. Let everyone count to see how many children in each family. Who has the
most/least sisters, brothers, etc? Note things that are different and things that are the
same. Do you and your brothers/sisters ever argue? “In today’s story we are going to learn
about a family that had twelve boys and one girl. The twelve boys did not get along very
well.”
The Story:
In families fathers should love each of their children equally and all of the children should
love each other. This is not what happened in the family in today’s story.
Jacob had twelve sons but Joseph was his favourite. Joseph was the son of his favourite
wife, Rachel. Everyone knew that Jacob loved Joseph the most. He even gave his favourite
son a beautiful coat. Joseph’s brothers were very jealous!
Joseph also used to tell his father when he thought his brothers did bad things. Joseph’s
brothers thought he was a “tattle-tell” and did not like him very much.
Then Joseph told his brothers about the dreams he was having. He said that he dreamed all
twelve brothers were working in the grain fields together tying the sheaves of grain. In the
dream Joseph’s sheaf of grain rose up and all of his brother’s sheaves of grain bowed down
to his. “What?” they asked, “Do you think we are ever going to bow down to you?”
The brothers were getting angrier at Joseph and were even beginning to hate him. Even
though they were angry Joseph kept having more dreams and telling his brothers all about
them. He dreamed he saw the sun, moon and eleven stars bow down to him.
His brothers had had enough! And even his father, Jacob, told Joseph off for this
dream. “Joseph, are you saying that the sun and moon represent your father and mother
and that even WE will bow down to you?”
Sometimes Joseph’s brothers would travel very far taking care of their father’s
sheep. Joseph had stayed at home so his father told him to go and find his brothers and
check on them. Joseph traveled all the way to Shechem because he thought his brothers
were there. But someone told him that his brothers were in far away Dothan. Joseph set
out to find them.
When his brothers saw Joseph coming in the distance they said, “Here comes the
dreamer!” They began thinking about how much they hated him. They hated him so much
that they even wanted to kill him. Reuben, the oldest brother, said, “No, we should not kill
him. We should just throw him into that old cistern to teach him a lesson.” So all of the
brothers grabbed Joseph and threw him into an old, dry cistern.
Later, when Reuben was gone, a caravan heading for Egypt passed by. Judah, one of the
brothers, thought of a way they could get rid of Joseph for good and also earn some
money. “Let’s sell him to the men in the caravan as a slave!”
So Joseph’s brothers sold him to the men on the caravan and they took him all the way to
Egypt to be a slave there.
When Reuben came back and found out what his brothers had done he was very
upset. “What will we tell our father?” he cried.
So the brothers took Joseph’s beautiful coat and they soaked it in blood from a goat. When
they went back home and showed their father he believed that Joseph had been killed by
wild animals.
Jacob was so, so sad! He cried and even tore his own clothes because he was so sad. And,
even though they watched their father cry and miss Joseph, the eleven brothers did not tell
their father the truth. They just decided to act like it had never happened.
All of this was happening back home but, meanwhile, Joseph was on his way to
Egypt. What do you think will happen to Joseph there?
Review Questions:
1. How many sons did Jacob (Israel) have? 12

2. What two dreams of Joseph’s made his brothers angry? Their sheaves of grain bowing
down to his and the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing down to Joseph.
3. Joseph’s brothers wanted to kill him. Instead what did they do? Sold him as a slave.
4. What did the brothers tell their father about Joseph? They dipped Joseph’s coat in goat’s
blood and told Jacob that they had found it. Jacob thought that a wild animal had killed
Joseph.
Bible Story: Birth of Moses
Scripture Reference: Exodus 1:1-2:10
Suggested Emphasis: Family members love and protect each other.

Older children could look up Egypt on a map. Bring books from the public library or
National Geographic Magazines to show pictures of the Nile River. Discuss what it would be
like on the edge of a river. There would be squishy mud and reeds. Ask younger children if
they have ever been to a river or if they have ever stepped in mud. “Today’s story from the
bible takes place right beside a river.”
The Story:
Many years ago God’s people lived in tents in Egypt. At first they had moved to Egypt as
special guests of the Pharaoh. Their ancestor, Joseph, had saved the whole country of Egypt
from Famine.
But now, 400 years later, the memories of Joseph and the old Pharaoh had faded. The
current Pharaoh did not like it that there were so may Israelites living in his country. He
thought, “What if we are attacked by enemies? There are so many Israelites that they might
take the side of the enemies and fight against Egypt.”
So Pharaoh thought of a plan to make the Israelites weak. He told his leaders that the
Israelites were now going to be slaves in Egypt. They would have to work very hard but
never get paid. The Israelites were forced to carry large stones and build huge buildings.
They were treated very badly.
Even though they were treated so badly Pharaoh’s plan to make them weak did not work.
Still the population of the Israelites increased. More and more children were born.
Pharaoh was so angry that he thought up another plan to stop the number of Israelites
from increasing.
Two women were midwives who helped the Israelite mothers when they were having
babies. Pharaoh called the women before him and said, “Every time when you are helping a
mother and she gives birth to a boy, I want you to kill the baby boy right away.”
“Now I will stop the boys growing up to fight against me,” Pharaoh thought to himself.
But, once again, the plan did not work. The midwives tricked Pharaoh and told him that
they could never make it there in time to kill the baby boys.
Pharaoh was furious! He now made a new law that was terrible. He told everyone in Egypt
that, if they saw a baby boy among the Israelites, they were to take the baby boy and throw
him into the Nile River so that he would die.
Of all the times to have a baby boy this was probably the worst. But this is when Jochebed
and her husband, Amram, gave birth to their third child. He was a boy and his name was
Moses. Amram and Jochebed loved Moses. His big sister, Meriam, and big brother, Aaron,
loved Moses too.
They did not want anyone to take him and kill him! For three months they hid baby Moses
so no one knew that they had a baby boy. But babies cannot be hidden in a house for long.
A baby cries and crawls and soon the neighbours would know he was there.
So Jochebed had her own plan to protect Moses. She made a basket out of papyrus (the
plants that grow by the river). Then she covered the basket with thick tar so that it would
be waterproof. She was making a basket that could float.
Jochebed put the baby in the basket at the edge of the river. Moses’ big sister, Meriam,
stayed nearby. Maybe no one would find the baby hidden in the reeds.
But someone did find Moses. Of all the people who might find him it was the Pharaoh’s own
daughter. Her handmaid brought the baby to her. Little Moses was crying and she felt sorry
for him.
She knew the baby was an Israelite but, even though her father had commanded everyone
in Egypt to throw Israelite babies into the Nile river, she wanted to keep him.
Moses’ big sister, Meriam, was watching as all of this happened. Bravely, Meriam
approached the princess and said that someone would need to take care of the baby since
he was so small. Meriam asked if the princess would like her to go and find an Israelite
woman to be like a caregiver or nurse to the baby.
Pharaoh’s daughter thought that this was a good idea. The princess said she would like to
pay a woman to do all of that work. When the baby got older he could come and live in the
palace with her. So who do you think Meriam brought back to the princess? It was their
very own mother!
God helped Moses’ family take care of him and protect him. Moses stayed in their house
with them until he was big enough to live in the palace with the princess.
Even though Pharaoh had all kinds of plans to hurt God’s people God knew that someday
Moses would be a great leader of his people. Even though there was danger everywhere
else, Moses grew up safely in the very palace where the Pharaoh lived.
Review Questions:
1. Why did the new Pharaoh hate the Israelites? Because there were so many of them and he
thought they might join with Egypt’s enemies.
2. How did the Pharaoh treat the Israelites? He made them slaves and made them work very
hard. He was cruel to them.
3. What did the Pharaoh tell everyone to do if they saw a baby Israelite boy? They were to
throw them into the river to die.
4. What were the names of Moses’ family members? Amram (father), Jochabed (mother),
Aaron (brother), and Miriam (sister).
5. How did Moses’ mother hide him? Put him in a woven basket that was made to float in the
reeds beside the Nile River.
6. Who found the basket with baby Moses inside? The Pharaoh’s daughter.
7. What did Pharaoh’s daughter do? She adopted Moses and raised him in the palace.
Bible Story: Moses escaped from Egypt.
Scripture; Exodus 2:11-25; Acts 7:22-29.
The Story:
LOOK at Moses running away from Egypt. Can you see the men chasing him? Do you know
why they want to kill Moses? Let’s see if we can find out.
Moses grew up in the house of Pharʹaoh, the ruler of Egypt. He became a very wise and
great man. Moses knew that he was not an Egyptian, but that his real parents were Israelite
slaves.
One day, when he was 40 years old, Moses decided to go to see how his people were getting
along. It was terrible how they were being treated. He saw an Egyptian beating an Israelite
slave. Moses looked around, and when he didn’t see anybody watching, he hit the Egyptian,
and the Egyptian died. Then Moses hid his body in the sand.
The next day Moses went out to see his people again. He thought he could help them so
they wouldn’t have to be slaves anymore. But he saw two Israelite men fighting, so Moses
said to the one who was in the wrong: ‘Why are you beating up your brother?’
The man said: ‘Who made you our ruler and judge? Are you going to kill me just as you
killed that Egyptian?’
Moses now became afraid. He knew that people had found out what he had done to the
Egyptian. Even Pharʹaoh heard about it, and he sent men to kill Moses. That is why Moses
had to run away from Egypt.
When Moses left Egypt, he went far away to the land of Midʹi·an. There he met the family of
Jethʹro, and married one of his daughters named Zip·poʹrah. Moses became a shepherd and
took care of Jethʹro’s sheep. For 40 years he lived in the land of Midʹi·an. He was now 80
years of age. Then one day, while Moses was taking care of Jethro’s sheep, an amazing thing
happened that changed Moses’ whole life. Turn the page, and let’s see what this amazing
thing is.
Review Questions
1. Where did Moses grow up, but what did he know about his parents?
2. What did Moses do when he was 40 years old?
3. What did Moses say to an Israelite man who was fighting, and what answer did the man
give?
4. Why did Moses run away from Egypt?
5. Where did Moses run away to, and whom did he meet there?
6. What did Moses do during the 40 years after he fled Egypt?
Bible Story: The Lord speaks from the burning bush
Suggested Emphasis: We should obey God without complaining.
Memory Verse: “Do everything without grumbling or arguing.” Philippians 2:14, NIV

Discuss jobs that parents and teachers ask us to do. What excuses do we offer to try to get
out of them? Do we ever complain about work? “In today’s story, God asked Moses to do
some work. Let’s find out what Moses did.”
The Story:
Because Moses was adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh, he grew up in the palace where he
received education in all of Egyptian knowledge. Moses was brought up as a prince, and he
could have lived in comfort all of his life. But Moses knew that he was actually a member of
a Hebrew family. Being a Hebrew means that you are a Jew. You are a descendant of
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Remember that Jacob’s other name was “Israel?” If you were a
Hebrew (Jew) then you were called a child (or grandchild, or great-grandchild . . .) of Israel.
You were an Israelite.
Moses saw the Hebrew people unfairly treated. One day, when he had become a grown
man, he was watching his people as they worked for one of the Egyptian taskmasters.
Moses saw one of the Egyptians beating a Hebrew. Moses killed the Egyptian and buried
him in the sand. But Moses had been seen! When the word was spread about the killing,
Pharaoh heard it and planned to have Moses killed. Moses was afraid and realized he would
have to run away.
Moses fled to the land of Midian, where he rested by a well. The seven daughters of the
priest of Midian came to draw water from the well for their father’s flocks. Some shepherds
drove the girls away from the well, but Moses came to the daughters’ rescue. He helped
them water their flock. The girls told their father, Reuel, about the man who had helped
them. Moses was invited to their home. He stayed, and eventually married Zipporah, one of
Reuel’s daughters. For forty years Moses was a shepherd.
Back in Egypt, the people of God were crying out for help because of their slavery. God
heard their cries, and He remembered His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. They
would be a great nation and would have their own land. God was planning to choose
someone to lead His people to freedom!
One day as Moses watched his father-in-law’s sheep, he saw a bush on fire. The fire seemed
to come up out of the middle of the bush, but the bush didn’t burn up! It just kept burning
and burning. Moses went to the bush. As he went nearer to the bush, a voice called, “Moses!
Moses!”
“Here I am,” said Moses, even more surprised.
“Do not come any closer,” the voice said. “Take off your shoes. This is holy ground. I am
God.” Moses did what the Lord told him to do.
“I know all the trouble My people are having in Egypt,” God said. “I want you to ask the king
to let My people leave Egypt and go to a new land I have for them.”
“Oh, no,” cried Moses. “I can’t do that! I am nobody. How can I talk to the king?”
God said, “I will go with you, Moses.”
“But what will I tell the people? What if they want to know who You are?” Moses asked.
“Tell them that I sent you to lead them out of Egypt. Tell them ‘I am who I am’,” God
answered.
When Moses was worried that the people would not believe the things he said, God
answered, “See the staff in your hands? When you throw it down it will turn into a snake.
When you pick it up by the tail it will turn back into a staff.” Then the Lord told Moses to
put his hand into his cloak and pull it out again. Moses’ healthy hand had turned into a
diseased hand with leprosy. When the Lord told him to put it back in his cloak the hand
became well again.
“Moses, if they still don’t believe you then take some water out of the Nile River and pour it
on the ground. The water will turn into blood. They will believe you then.”
Even though the Lord had answered all of Moses’ questions, Moses still had another excuse.
“But I can’t talk well,” Moses said.
“Moses, who made your mouth? I did! I will help you talk,” said God.
Finally, Moses said, “Oh, Lord, please send someone else!”
The Lord was angry with Moses. Moses was only offering excuses to not do what the Lord
said. “I will tell Aaron, your brother, to help too. I will tell you what to say. Aaron will help
you say it.”
Moses didn’t understand all that God wanted him to do. He thought it was too hard for him,
but God had promised to help him.
What do you think Moses did next? Moses obeyed God and prepared to make the long trip
back to Egypt.
Review Questions:
1. What is a Hebrew? Hebrew is another name for Jews or Israelites.

2. What were some of the excuses Moses gave to God? I am a nobody, they might ask your
name, they won’t believe me, I can’t speak well, (and finally) send someone else.
3. What powers did God give Moses? Knowing the right words to say, staff turned to snake,
hand turned leprous, Nile River water to blood.
Bible Story: Let my people go
Suggested Emphasis: We should have a soft heart that wants to obey God.

Cut a heart shape out of a dry flat sponge. Pass the sponge heart around to all of the
children and let them feel it. They can bend it and squeeze it because it is soft. Now pass
around a stone on which you have previously drawn a heart with waterproof marker. Talk
about how hard the rock is.
Place the sponge heart and the rock heart in a shallow pan on the table. Hold up a glass of
water and say, “This glass of water is like God’s word. God wants to pour his word into
people’s hearts.” Slowly drip one drop of water at a time and then pour faster. Compare
how the soft heart soaks up God’s word while his word just slides off of the hard heart. Talk
about which heart lets the word of God inside.
“What kind of heart do you want to have? ” In today’s story we are going to learn about
someone who had a very hard heart.
The Story:
For four hundred years God’s people had been slaves in Egypt. Being slaves meant that
even though they had to work hard and do everything that the Egyptians said, the
Egyptians never had to pay them any money. Even though they had been born in Egypt,
God’s people were not called Egyptians. They were called “Israelites”. The Israelites did
not follow the gods of the Egyptians. They followed the one and only true God.
In Egypt (in those times) a king was called a Pharaoh. The Pharaoh was a harsh leader. He
had a very hard heart and he was mean to the Israelites. Pharaoh did not believe in the God
that we read about in our Bibles. Pharaoh and the rest of the Egyptian people believed in
the many “gods” of Egypt. They made statues to these “gods”. Some were shaped like frogs
while others were shaped like a crocodiles or even a geese. Pharaoh thought these “gods”
could keep Egypt safe but he was wrong.
God had a plan for his people. He wanted them to live in their own country where they
could worship him. He did not want them to be slaves! So God chose Moses to lead them
out of Egypt. God told Moses that he had a message for Pharaoh. The message was
“Pharaoh, let my people go!”
Moses did not feel like he would be a good leader so God told him that Aaron, his brother
would be his helper. They would go to Pharaoh together.
What a shock Pharaoh must have had when Moses told him to let the Israelites leave Egypt
and worship their own God. Pharaoh said, “No! the Israelites cannot leave Egypt!”. He was
so angry about it that he made the Israelites work even harder. He told them they had to
make bricks but he didn’t give them enough straw to make them with.
When this happened the Israelites began to wonder if leaving Egypt was a good idea after
all. Maybe they should just stay and keep being slaves. So Moses prayed to God. Was God
sure about this? God’s answer was YES! He told Moses not to worry. He would perform
mighty “wonders” and soon everyone would know that He was more powerful than
Pharaoh and any of Egypt’s “gods”.
So Moses and Aaron went back to Pharaoh again. Pharaoh wanted to see a miracle. Moses
and Aaron knew exactly what to do next (because had already prepared them). Aaron
threw down his staff (the long stick that he carried) and it turned into a snake. Everyone
was amazed!
But then Pharaoh called his sorcerers and magicians in and they were able to do the same
thing using their tricks and “secret arts”. The sorcerers and magicians thought they were
really clever until Aaron’s snake swallowed their snake up. But, even though God’s power
was evident, Pharaoh’s heart remained hard and he would not let the people go.
Plague 1- Water to Blood: The next time Moses came to the Pharaoh he repeated the same
message, “Let My People Go!” He warned Pharaoh that if he didn’t agree then God’s power
would make the Nile river turn to blood. In fact all water, even water that had already been
poured into jars, would become blood.
Pharaoh refused so Aaron took his staff and stretched his hand over the Nile. All the water
turned to blood. All around Egypt the people would not have had water to drink. The blood
also made the fish die so the air smelled like dead fish.
Pharaoh’s magicians gave it a try and turned water to blood too. But that didn’t really help
matters to have even more blood. But, even with all of the dead fish, bad smells and thirsty
people, Pharaoh’s heart remained hard. He would not let the people go.
Plague 2- Frogs: Next, God sent a plague of frogs. Hundreds of frogs came out of the Nile
River and hopped everywhere. The frogs got in peoples’ beds and in their ovens and on
their tables. Once again Pharaoh called his magicians and they produced even more
frogs. Well, the problem was not solved. They did not need MORE frogs. They needed
FEWER frogs. So Pharaoh asked Moses to make the plague stop. Even after Moses made
the frogs go away Pharaoh still refused to let the Israelites leave Egypt.
Plague 3- Gnats: Next, God told Moses to tell Aaron to use his staff to strike the dust of the
ground. When he did this the dust turned into gnats. Gnats got all over the people and the
animals. The magicians tried to do the same but they could not turn dust into gnats. When
they saw how many gnats there were they said to Pharaoh, “Moses and Aaron are not doing
tricks. This is really the power of God!” But Pharaoh would not even listen to his own
magicians. He would not let the people go.
Plague 4-Flies: Once again Moses came to Pharaoh with God’s message and said, “Let My
People Go!” When Pharaoh said, “no” hundreds of flies invaded Egypt. Flies were almost
everywhere in Egypt. The only place there were not flies was in Goshen. Before, when
Pharaoh said “no” bad things happened to everyone. This time a bad thing happened to the
Egyptians but nothing bad happened in the part of Egypt called “Goshen” where the
Israelites lived.
Pharaoh finally said he would let the people go out into the desert and worship God so
Moses prayed to God and the flies left. But guess what? Pharaoh changed his mind and
said, “No, the people cannot leave”.
Plague 5-Death of Livestock: Moses visited Pharaoh again and warned him that he must let
the Israelites go or the next plague would cause the Egyptians’ animals to die. So horses,
donkeys, camel, cattle, sheep and goats belonging to the Egyptians died but not one animal
belonging to the Israelites died. Still Pharaoh’s heart remained hard.
Plague 6-Boils: Next, God told Moses and Aaron to toss soot from a furnace into the air in
front of Pharaoh. This would spread through Egypt causing the Egyptian people and their
animals to break out in big sores called “boils”. People could not even stand up because of
the sores on the soles of their feet. Still, Pharaoh did not relent.
Plague 7-Hail Storm: God had already sent six plagues but Pharaoh’s heart was still
hard. He refused to change his mind. But God would never give up. He would make sure
Pharaoh knew how powerful he was and how much he loved his people.
Moses and Aaron once again gave God’s message to Pharaoh. When Pharaoh said “no” this
time God told Moses to stretch his hand toward the sky to bring on the worst hail storm
that had ever hit the nation of Egypt. Some of the Egyptian people who overheard began
believing what Moses was saying. A few of them brought their families, servants and
animals into shelter.
But the others did not listen. Hail is like balls of ice that rain down hard from the
sky. Many people and animals died when the hail hit them. And most of the food crops
were destroyed by the hail. Only Goshen remained untouched.
When Pharaoh saw this he confessed he had sinned and that he had been wrong not to let
the people go. But, guess what? Once again, as soon as Moses stopped the hail, Pharaoh
changed his mind. He would not let the people go.
Plague 8-Locusts: Now Moses and Aaron warned Pharaoh that a swarm of locust insects
(like flying grasshoppers) worse than anyone in Egypt had ever seen would eat anything
that was left of the crops and trees in Egypt following the hailstorm.
Pharaoh’s officials begged him to let the Israelites go but Pharaoh refused. Pharaoh said,
“Maybe I’ll just let the men go but keep all of the women and children in Egypt.” This would
not do! When Moses stretched out his hand God caused the East wind to bring in an
invasion of locusts. They destroyed everything that was still growing.
Once again, Pharaoh said he was sorry but changed his mind as soon as Moses prayed and
the locusts left. Pharaoh really did have a hard heart!
Plague 9-Darkness: Now God caused darkness to fall over all of Egypt. For 3 days there
was no light in Egypt. It felt like night-time all of the time. There was only one part of
Egypt that had light. Guess where that was? There was light in Goshen where the Israelites
lived.
Pharaoh tried to trick Moses again and say that the Israelites could leave but had to leave
their animals behind. But Moses knew how hard Pharaoh’s heart was. He told Pharaoh
that God wanted all of his people (men, women, old people, children and babies) and even
all of their animals to leave Egypt together.
Pharaoh became extremely angry and had Moses and Aaron thrown out of the palace.
Pharaoh told Moses that he never wanted him to come to the palace again and ask that the
people go. Well, Pharaoh would get his wish. Moses would never come and ask again. The
next time Pharaoh will see Moses it will be Pharaoh begging Moses. The very last plague
was just about to happen.
Plague 10-Death of the Firstborn: Every plague had caused pain and suffering but the tenth
(and last) plague was the most devastating of all. The Egyptians would find out that,
without God’s protection, even their own children would not be safe from death. Pharaoh
had a hard heart toward God. He thought he was the most powerful but he was
not. Pharaoh, the magicians and sorcerers and the Egyptian people thought that their gods
would protect them but they did not. Through the 10 plagues God showed that he was the
most powerful and only he could protect and save his people.
God loved his people then and God loves us now. What kind of heart do you want to have?
A hard heart like Pharaoh or a soft heart that loves and obeys God?
Review Questions:
1. What did the Pharaoh do to the Israelite slaves when Moses and Aaron first asked him to
let them leave Egypt? He told them to make more bricks but he took away the straw that
they needed to make them.
2. What happened when Aaron’s staff turned into a snake? Pharaoh’s magicians made their
staffs turn into snakes. Then Aaron’s snake ate theirs up.
3. What were the 10 plagues on Egypt? 1-Water to blood, 2-Frogs, 3-Gnats, 4-Flies, 5-Death of
Animals, 6-Boils, 7-Hail, 8-Locusts, 9-Darkness, 10-Death of the firstborn.
4. What happened each time that Pharaoh said that the people could go? His heart hardened
and he changed his mind.
Bible Story: Crossing the Red Sea
Scripture Reference:
Exodus 13:17-14:31 and Exodus 15:1-21
Suggested Emphasis: God is powerful and He can change the laws of nature to protect His
people.
Memory Verse: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory
in Christ Jesus.”

Use books from the Public Library to show pictures of Egyptian armies. You will find
chariots in many of them. Just have fun discussing life in Egypt in general. Talk about how
that it would have been a lot different living in Egypt as a slave instead of royalty. Discuss
what the Israelites might miss and what they might not miss from Egypt as they left.
The Story:
God’s people, the Israelites, had been slaves in Egypt for 430 years! Now they were finally
free to leave and go make a home in their very own land.
God had chosen Moses as their leader so they packed everything they owed and followed
him of Egypt. Over a million Israelites set off. Moses always knew which direction go
because God put a big tall pillar of cloud in front of them to point the way. At night they
followed a big tall pillar of fire. They never got lost because God always showed the correct
way to go.
Eventually, the pillar stopped by the water called the Red Sea. The Israelites camped by
water and waited for what God wanted them to do next.
Meanwhile, back in Egypt, the Pharaoh and his officials began thinking about how all of the
Israelites had left. God had proven, through the ten plagues, that he was more powerful
than the King of Egypt and all of the Egyptian gods. At that time Pharaoh and the people
had told the Israelites to leave Egypt but now they were having second thoughts. If all the
slaves left Egypt, they thought, then who would do all the work?
So Pharaoh decided to chase after the Israelites and make them come back. He sent all of
his horses and chariots and all of his horsemen and troops. He must have thought, “NO ONE
would be able to stop this army!” When God’s people saw the Egyptian army approaching
in the distance they became very afraid. There was nowhere to go to get away. The army
was behind them and the Red Sea was in front of them. They were trapped!
The people complained to their leader, Moses. They said, “Why did you lead us out of Egypt
into the desert to die? We would have been better off to have stayed in Egypt!”
But Moses said, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see how God will save you today.
The Egyptians can never win because God will fight for you.”
Now amazing things began to happen right before their very eyes. The people had thought
that they were trapped because of the water. But they were about to see that God is so
powerful he can do anything!
An angel of God had been travelling in front of the Israelites and he moved back behind
them along with the pillar of cloud. They cloud blocked the view of the Egyptians and they
could only see night and darkness.
But the cloud provided light for God’s people so they could see everything. They could see
the Red Sea in front of them and wished they could get across the sea to safety.
At God’s command Moses stretched out his big staff (stick) over the water and it began to
change.
A strong wind blew the water up into two walls so that there were walls of water on each
side and dry land down the middle. God had provided a way to cross the sea to the other
side!
When the Egyptians saw the dry land they followed the Israelites. Do you think they caught
up with them? No, they did not. Strange things began happening to them. The wheels of
their chariots began falling off and it became very difficult to drive. By the time the
Egyptians realized God was fighting against them it was too late.
Now that the Israelites were all safely on the other side God told Moses to stretch his staff
over the water again. Soon all of the Egyptian army was drowned in the water.
The people were so happy that God had save them from their enemies. Moses wrote a song
about what happened and everyone sang it. And Moses’ sister, Meriam sang another part
of the song. Then she got a tambourine and began to dance. Soon all of the women were
dancing with joy for all God had done that day. If you were one of the people there would
you join in the celebration?
Review Questions:
1. After the tenth plague, did the Egyptians want the Israelites to leave Egypt? Yes
2. How did the Israelites know which direction to go when they left Egypt? They were led by a
pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night.
3. How did the Israelites get across to the other side of the Red Sea? God told Moses to hold
his staff (shepherd’s rod) over the sea. Then God caused a strong wind to hold back the
water so they could cross.
4. What happened when the Egyptian army tried to cross the sea? They became confused, the
wheels fell off their chariots, and the water came down on them and drowned them.
Bible Story: The Ten Commandments
Scripture Reference: Exodus 19:1-20:21; Exodus 24:1-24; and Exodus 31:18
Suggested Emphasis:God gives us rules to live by because He knows that they will help us
be happy.
Memory Work: Memorize the Ten Commandments over the next few weeks.

Find pictures of traffic signs. Hold these up and let the children talk about what each one
means. Discuss why it is important to obey these rules. What would happen if people did
not obey the rules? “Sometimes rules can help us all be safe. If people disobey some of the
rules then it makes all of us unhappy. God knew that His people needed rules so that they
would know how to worship Him and how to treat other people.”
The Story:
God’s people had been travelling on their journey from Egypt for over two months. They
arrived at the foot of Mount Sinai. The Israelites spread their camp in the desert in front of
the mountain. Moses went up onto the mountain to speak with the Lord.
Moses remembered this place because this is where he used to be a shepherd for his father-
in-law. This was the same place where he had seen the burning bush. Moses remembered
how God had promised to lead Israel out of Egypt. Moses knew that the Lord always did
what He said He would do.
On the mountain God spoke to Moses and gave him a message for the people of Israel.
Moses called the elders of the people and told them what the Lord had commanded him to
speak. This was the message: “If you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all
nations you will be my treasured possession.”
When the people heard God’s message, they responded: “We will do everything the Lord
has said.”
The Lord gave special instructions to Moses for the people. They were to wash themselves
and their clothing and be ready by the third day. On that day the Lord was going to come
down on Mount Sinai. The people were not to touch the mountain. Anyone who touched the
mountain was to be put to death.
On the morning of the third day, the people were assembled before the mountain, dressed
in their newly-cleaned clothes. As they gazed at the mountain, they saw God’s power
demonstrated once more.
A thick cloud was on the mountain. Lightning flashed and thunder rolled down its slopes.
Then fire burst out of the mountain and there was a loud trumpet blast. The people
trembled with fright when they saw this awesome display of God’s power. The trumpet
sound kept getting louder and louder. Then God spoke to Moses. He gave Moses Ten
Commandments that He wanted His people to obey.
These are the Ten Commandments from the Lord:
1-You shall have no other gods before me
2-You shall not make for yourself an idol
3-You shall not misuse the name of the Lord
4-Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy
5-Honour your father and your mother
6-You shall not murder
7-You shall not commit adultery
8-You shall not steal
9-You shall not give false testimony
10-You shall not covet
God gave these Commandments to His people because He knew they needed a plan for
living. He was preparing the Israelites to become a great nation. God knew that a nation
could not be great unless there were good laws. The laws would guide them in the way they
were to worship God and in the way they were to treat other people. If the people would
obey the laws then they would be happy and they would show the other nations that the
nation of Israel followed God.
God’s rules were also a symbol of the important agreement or covenant God had with his
people. They would obey him and he would take care of them. God wrote this agreement
on stone so that Moses could take it down the mountain and show the people.
Review Questions:
1. What was the name of the mountain where God gave the people the Ten Commandments?
Mount Sinai
2. Who did God give the Ten Commandments to so he could tell the people? Moses
3. What did God later write the Ten Commandments on? Tablets of stone
Bible Story: 40 years in the wilderness
Memory Verse; And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them
as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried” (Zechariah 13:9).
The Story:
The Israelites lived at Mount Sinai for a year. Then the cloud went away from the
tabernacle. The Israelites followed the cloud into the wilderness. The priests carried the
ark of the covenant in front of them. God said he would lead the Israelites to the promised
land.The Israelites followed Moses. They did not like the wilderness. They were not happy.
They were sorry they had left Egypt.God sent them manna. The people got tired of eating
manna. They wanted some meat. God sent some quails for them.The Israelites came to the
land of Canaan. It was the promised land. Moses sent twelve spies into the land of
Canaan.The spies came back. They brought many kinds of fruit. They said the land was very
good. But some of the spies were afraid of the people of Canaan. The people were big and
strong. They lived in big cities with walls around them.The Israelites listened to the spies.
The Israelites were afraid. They thought they could not capture the land of Canaan. They
were angry at Moses. They wanted to go back to Egypt. They did not have faith in God.God
was angry at the Israelites. He told Moses he would not help them anymore. Moses asked
God to forgive them. God forgave them. But he would not let them go into the promised
land. He told Moses to take the Israelites back into the wilderness.God said they must live
in the wilderness for forty years. The older Israelites did not have faith in God. They would
die in the wilderness. Their children would grow up and go into the promised land. The
Israelites went back into the wilderness.One day the Israelites were very thirsty. There was
no water to drink. They told Moses they wanted water.God told Moses how to get water.
Moses hit a rock two times with his rod. Water came out of the rock. The people drank the
water.Moses led the people in the wilderness for forty years. He taught them the
commandments of God.When Moses was 120 years old, God told him to go to a mountain.
Moses saw the land of Canaan. It was the land God had promised the Israelites. Then God
took Moses
Bible Story: Balaam and His donkey
Scripture Reference: Numbers 22-24
Suggested Emphasis: God does not want us to say bad things about His people but to say
things that build them up.
Memory Verse: “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what
is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who
listen”. Ephesians 4:29

Draw a very simple donkey outline on large paper (or chalk/white board). Provide “tails”
and a piece of blue tac for each child. Blindfold the children one at a time and let them tac
the tail on the donkey. See who gets the closest. “In today’s story we are going to learn
about a man who had a donkey. Who knows what sound a donkey makes? (Let the children
answer) The donkey was able to do something no other donkey has ever done.”
The Story:
The children of Israel were a mighty nation. As they wandered through the wilderness and
the desert, many other nations came to fear them. They fought and won many battles. They
captured cities and conquered the enemies of God who attacked them. One of the nations
who wanted to hurt Israel was known as Moab. When the Moabites saw the great number
of people and heard of the victories they had won, they became very worried. The Moabite
King was named Balak. He decided to do something about the Israelites.
In those days, people believed in magic and evil spirits and curses. King Balak believed in
these things. He knew of a sorcerer, named Balaam, who cursed people. That meant that he
would say bad things and wish for bad things to happen to them. Many people believed that
terrible things happened when Balaam cursed anyone.
King Balak sent men to ask Balaam to curse God’s people. The king’s men offered Balaam
lots of money to come with them to the Israelite camp and curse them. Balaam really
wanted the money so he told the king’s men that he would ask the Lord. Balaam probably
did not really believe in the Lord but he wanted the men to believe that his curses really
worked. Balaam must have been very surprised when the Lord really did answer him! The
Lord told Balaam not to take the money from King Balak. He did not want Balaam to ever
say bad things about the Israelites. Balaam did not take the money and he did not go with
the king’s men.
When the King heard about this, he told the men to go back to Balaam and offer him even
more money. This time the Lord told Balaam to go with the men. The king’s men thought
Balaam would curse the Israelites but God had a special plan for Balaam. He wanted to
show Balaam that the Lord is more awesome than magic or the evil spirits that Balaam said
he believed in.
Balaam put a saddle on his donkey and began riding toward the Israelite camp. As Balaam
and his donkey were travelling along, an angel stood in front of the donkey. Balaam could
not see the angel but the donkey did. The donkey walked off of the path so she would not
run into the angel. Balaam became angry so he beat the donkey with a stick.
After that Balaam got back on his donkey and started riding again. Balaam’s donkey saw
the angel again but Balaam still could not see it. The angel had a sword in his hand and the
donkey pressed against a wall to try to get out of the way. Balaam’s foot got caught against
the wall and was crushed. He was even angrier at the donkey so he beat her again.
Then Balaam got back on his donkey and rode on until they came to a narrow place in the
road. The angel appeared to the donkey again. This time there was not room to go
anywhere so the donkey just sat down in the middle of the path. Balaam could not believe
it! What was wrong with his donkey? He was just about to hit the donkey again when an
amazing thing happened. His donkey began to talk to him!
“What have I done to make you beat me three times?”
Now the angel appeared to Balaam too and said, “Why do you keep beating your donkey? If
she would not have kept stopping, I would have killed you by now.”
Only God could make a donkey talk and an angel appear! Balaam realized that the Lord was
angry with him. Now he would do exactly what the Lord said to do.
When Balaam met King Balak at the Israelite camp he did not curse the Israelites. He only
said good things about them. He blessed them and talked about how good the Lord was. He
did not say one bad thing. He even had alters built so he could worship the Lord. King Balak
was angry. This is not what he had planned at all! He wanted Balaam to say bad things but
Balaam only said good things.
King Balak was unhappy but the Lord was pleased. He loves His people and he wants
everyone to say good things about them.
Review Questions:
1. Who was the king of the Moabites who wanted to hurt God’s people? Balak
2. Who did Balak try to pay to curse the Israelites? Balaam
3. What did Balaam’s donkey see in her path? An angel with a drawn sword
4. What did Balaam do every time his donkey tried to get out of the way of the angel? He beat
her
5. What did Balaam’s donkey do that no other donkey has ever done? She talked to him
6. Did Balaam curse God’s people like King Balak wanted him to? No, he blessed them
Bible Story: Rahab help the spies
Scripture Reference: Joshua 1-2
Suggested Emphasis: Even someone with a sinful past can change and be an important
part of the Lord’s work

Bring some flax leaves or stalks to class and show the children. You could also show them
some items made from flax. If flax is not available, find pictures in books to show. “Flax is a
very useful plant. Its leaves are soft and moist when they are growing on the stalk. When
the stalks and leaves are dried they can be used to make baskets and all sorts of things.
People have been doing this for many years. Long ago, people who lived in cities used to
put flax stalks out on their roofs so the sun would dry them. The roofs back then were flat
and you could easily walk on them. In fact, some people even went up on the roof to sleep
when the weather was hot. In today’s bible story we are going to read about a woman in
the city of Jericho who put flax stalks up on her roof to dry. It was a good thing because that
flax saved the lives of two people!”
The Story:
Joshua was the new leader of God’s people. He knew that he must lead the Israelites into
the land that God had promised them. They were tired of wandering around in the desert.
They were ready to build homes and have farms. The new land was beautiful and good. It
was the perfect place to live. Joshua knew that because he had been there as a spy forty
years ago.
The new land was on the other side of the Jordan River. There were people living in the
land but they did not believe in God. God wanted His people to have the land.
Joshua chose two men to go and explore the land. They were to sneak into the large city of
Jericho and see how strong the enemy was. The men pretended to be ordinary travellers.
Once inside Jericho they looked for a place to stay. The two spies found their way to the
house of a woman named Rahab. She had been a bad woman in the city but she had heard
about the Israelite people and she decided to let the spies stay with her.
Rahab knew that the King of Jericho would want to hurt the spies so she decided to hide
them. Where could she hide them? She remembered that she had put stalks of flax on her
roof. They were spread out to dry. That would be the perfect hiding place! She told the
spies to go onto the roof and hide under the flax stalks. No one would see them there.
The king had been hearing all about the Israelites. He knew they might attack his city. He
told everyone to watch out for strangers. He knew the Israelites might send spies.
And he was right! Someone told him that the spies were staying at Rehab’s house. The king
sent soldiers to find them. When they reached Rehab’s house they banged on the front door
shouting, “The king demands that you bring out the two men that are staying here. We
know they are spies.”
It was a good thing that Rahab had hidden the spies. She hurried downstairs to open the
door for the king’s men. She said, “Yes, two men were here but they have just left. If you
hurry you should catch them.”
“They’ll have gone toward the river,” shouted a soldier and they set off in pursuit.
The Israelite spies lay very still in their hiding place. Soon Rahab returned. The two men
asked her why she had risked her life to protect two foreign enemies.
“I will tell you why,” she said. “I know the Lord has promised you this land and most of my
people are afraid of your people. We have heard how God divided the sea for you and
brought you throughout the wilderness.
“When you attack this city promise me that you will save my life and the life of my family.”
The men agreed. “If you tell no one about our visit we will see that you and your family are
not harmed.”
By then it was night and the city gates were shut, but Rehab’s house was built on the city
wall. She brought a rope and fastened it to the window and the spies climbed down to the
ground outside the city wall.
“Escape to the mountains,” she advised them. “Hide there for three days until the search is
over.”
Before they left, the spies said, “You must tie a piece of scarlet red cord in this window so
we will know your house from a distance when we march against the city. Whoever is
inside the house will be saved.” The spies were glad that Rahab saved their lives. Even
though Rahab had been a bad woman in the past, now she was helping God’s people! Rahab
and the spies did not know it yet but, in the future, Rahab would marry an Israelite and her
descendants would follow God. In fact, hundreds of years later, one of her descendants
would be Jesus Christ.
When the two spies returned to Joshua they gave their report. Joshua knew that it was now
time to enter the land.
Review Questions:
1. What was the name of the city where Joshua sent two spies? Jericho
2. Whose house did the spies stay in? Rahab
3. What did Rahab do when the King sent soldiers to arrest the spies? She hid them in the flax
that was drying on her roof. She told the soldiers that the spies had already left.
4. How did the spies get out of Jericho? They climbed down a rope that Rahab put out of her
window.
5. Why did Rahab put a red cord in her window? So that the Israelites would know where she
lived when they came back to conquer Jericho. Everyone in her house would not be hurt.
6. Years later, who was one of Rehab’s descendants? Jesus
Bible Story: Scripture Reference: Joshua 3-4; 5:10-12
Suggested Emphasis: We should remember the things the Lord does for us.
Memory Verse: “Remember your Creator in the days of your youth . . .”
Ecclesiastes 12:1

Bring a few keepsakes to class today. These could be special gifts that someone has given
you or an item that belongs or belonged to someone special (a book, photo, letter, an old
ticket stub, jewellery, toy, etc.) Talk about how you remember that person or the event
every time you see the item. Ask the children to share some of the things that help them
remember someone. “We have been studying about the Promised Land for many weeks,
now. Today we are going to read about the people finally entering the land. It was a very
special day that the people would remember for a long time. God wanted to make sure they
would remember so He had the people build something to remind them. Every time they
saw the item they would remember the day. Does anyone want to guess what the item was?
(Let them guess) All right, let’s listen to the story and see if we can find out.”
The Story:
There was only one river to cross and the Israelites would finally be in the land that God
had promised them. Joshua was a good leader and he knew that God would take care of
them. He knew that the new land would be very good. Sometimes people called the land the
land of “milk and honey” because they loved to drink milk and eat honey. They thought that
would be a good way to describe the land.
It was harvest time when Joshua told the people that it was time to cross the river. At
harvest time the Jordan River was always so full of water that it overflowed its banks. The
people could look across the river and see the beautiful land of Canaan with its green grass
and its tall trees and its fields of golden grain. But they could not cross the river because it
was too deep and too swift.
The Lord told Joshua His special plan. He told Joshua to gather the priests together and
have them carry the ark of the covenant and walk straight into the Jordan river! The people
were to follow them. This must have seemed really scary for everyone but they obeyed
God. They remembered how He had always taken care of them. He would take care of them
today!
The priests picked up the big gold box—the ark of the covenant—and started walking
toward the water. The water was fast and looked very dangerous but they just kept
walking. Then an amazing thing happened. As soon as the priest’s feet touched the water,
the water stopped flowing. The river dried up wherever the priests walked. It was just like
when the Red Sea parted for Moses. They took the ark and carried it to the middle of the
Jordan River and then stopped. While the priests stood with the ark, all of the people
passed through to the other side. They didn’t even get wet.
God wanted the people to always remember how He stopped the Jordan River. He told
Joshua to choose twelve men (one from each tribe). The men went to the middle of the
river, where the priests stood, and gathered one large stone each. The men carried the
twelve stones over to their camp beside the river and put them into a large pile. The Lord
told the people that, from now on, when anyone saw the pile of twelve stones, they would
remember the special day that the Lord helped them cross the Jordan River into the
Promised Land.
After everyone was finished crossing the river (the people and the soldiers) the priests
came up out of the river. As soon as their feet touched the dry ground on the bank of the
river then the water all rushed back and the river began to flow again. The water was just
as fast and deep as it had been before.
The Israelites made camp at Gilgal where they had put their stones. As everyone looked at
the stones they must have thanked God and thought about what He had done for them.
Review Questions:
1. Which river did the Israelites have to cross to enter the Promised Land? Jordan River
2. What did the Priests carry when they crossed the Jordan River? The ark of the covenant
3. What happened to the rushing water of the Jordan when the priests stepped into it? It
stopped
4. What did the Israelites pick up from the middle of the Jordan River? 12 stones
5. Why did the Lord tell Joshua to have the men pile the twelve stones together? So they
would see it and remember what the Lord had done for them.
Bible Story: Fall of Jericho
Scripture Reference: Joshua 5:13-6:27
Suggested Emphasis:We should obey God even if we don’t understand.

Bring lollies or treats to class today. “I have a lolly for everyone who will make a silly face.”
(Or something similar). After giving out the lollies to all of the children then ask them why
they did such a silly thing. “You probably did such a silly thing because you knew you
would get the lolly. You really wanted that lolly. Sometimes we think that our parents ask
us to do things that are silly (let them name some— cleaning their room, using manners,
etc). Even though we don’t always understand why they ask us to do things, we do them
because we want to obey them. We want them to be happy with us. Sometimes God
commands people to do things that they do not understand. Why would someone obey
God? (Let them answer). We want to make God happy too. We know that He has a good
reason when He asks us to do something. God commanded Joshua to do something. Others
thought it was silly but Joshua did it anyway.”
The Story:
The Israelites were now in the land that the Lord had promised to them. Joshua was happy
that they were in the land but he knew that his job was not over. The people in the new
land did not believe in God. They did not want God’s people to live there. Joshua knew he
must fight the people before the Israelites could live there. The first big city was Jericho.
There were tall walls around the whole city. The walls were strong and the only way to get
into the city was through the city gates. The people in Jericho would never open the gates
to the Israelites!
As Joshua was thinking about how he would conquer the city of Jericho, he noticed a man
standing nearby. The man had a sword drawn as if he was ready to fight.
“Or you on our side or on our enemies’ side?” Joshua asked.
“I am not for the enemy or for you. I am on the Lord’s side!” The man told Joshua to take off
his shoes because he was on holy ground. Joshua knew that this was not just a man. This
was the voice of the Lord! The Lord gave Joshua special instructions on how to win the
battle of Jericho. The instructions were very unusual but Joshua listened and then he left
and did exactly as the Lord commanded.
First, Joshua told all of the army to line up. Then he told the priests to pick up the ark of the
covenant and carry it behind the army. Seven priests were to walk in front of the ark of the
covenant with big trumpet horns. Joshua told all of the people and some more fighting men
to follow last, behind the ark.
So everyone lined up. First the army, then the seven priests blowing trumpets, then the
priests who carried the ark of the covenant, then the people and a guard of fighting men. All
of them marched one time around the city of Jericho. The army and the people did not
make any sound.
The people inside the city of Jericho must have laughed at the Israelites! They probably
thought the Israelites were crazy. Why were they marching around the city? They would
never win any battles that way. Even though it seemed an odd thing, Joshua and the people
did exactly what the Lord commanded. They marched around the city one time, every day,
for six days.
On the seventh day, the Lord commanded the Israelites to march around the city seven
times, not just once. The people knew that after the seventh time, when they heard the
trumpets, they were supposed to shout as loud as they could. That is exactly what they did.
When the priests blew the trumpets, the people shouted at the top of their voices. Guess
what happened? All of the strong walls of Jericho broke into small pieces and fell down!
The people must have been very excited. Now they could enter Jericho and win the battle!
There were many rich things in Jericho. There were gold and silver and other riches. Joshua
told the Israelites not to keep anything for themselves. Any riches that were found would
belong to the Lord. They put it into the treasury in the tabernacle of the Lord.
Joshua remembered that the woman, Rahab, had protected the spies when they had come
to Jericho. She had put a red cord in her window just as the spies had told her. When the
Israelites saw the cord, they let Rahab and her family leave the city safely. They were the
only people to escape Jericho alive.
Review Questions:
1. Who told Joshua how to win the battle of Jericho? The Lord—a “man with a sword”
appeared to Joshua.
2. Why was Jericho so hard to fight? A strong wall surrounded the city
3. How many days did the Israelites march around Jericho? Seven
4. On the seventh day what did the Israelites do? Marched around 7 times, blew trumpet, and
shouted.
5. What happened to the walls of Jericho? They broke into pieces and fell down
6. What did the Israelites do with the riches from Jericho? They put it in the treasury of the
tabernacle of the Lord.
7. Who was saved in the city of Jericho? Rahab and her family?
Bible Story: The Sun Stand Still
Scripture: Joshua 9:1 – 27, 10: 1 – 14 or pages 186 – 188 in The Golden Children’s Bible
Target Age Group: 1st through 6th grade
Welcome the children to the classroom and chat with them about their week as they
gather around the table.
Pray and ask God to teach the children not just head knowledge, but also heart knowledge.
Bible Lesson:
Have the children open their Bibles to Joshua 9 or page186 in The Golden Children’s Bible.
(Read the story to the children because at this age some of the children do not read
smoothly, which hinders comprehension for the whole class.)
Discussion:
 Why did the kings west of the Jordan wage war against Joshua and Israel? They
heard about how they had destroyed Jericho and Ai.
 The people of Gibeon decided not to attack Joshua. What did they decide to do
instead? To trick Joshua into making a treaty with them.
 How did they trick him? They put on old torn clothes and patched sandals, and packed
their bags with old dry, moldy bread to make it look like they had been on a long
journey. They said they were from a distant country.
 Why would it have been bad to make a treaty with them if they were from the
promised land? God had told them to wipe out all the inhabitants of the land. (If the
children ask why God told them to do that, explain that He didn’t want the Israelites to be
influenced to worship false gods and idols. Talk about how important it is to choose
friends wisely to avoid having bad influences that would lead us away from the Lord.)
 What did Joshua and the Israelites forget to do? They didn’t ask the Lord before they
made the treaty to let them live.
 What should you do before you make a decision? Pray and ask for God’s guidance.
 What did the Israelites find out 3 days later? The Gibeonites were their neighbors!
 Why didn’t they attack them? Because they had made a oath not to. If they broke the
oath, they would make God angry.
 What did they do instead? They made them their servants.
 What did the other kings decide to do when they found out that Gibeon had made a
treaty with Israel? They decided to attack Gibeon.
 Did Joshua let them kill the Gibeonites? No. They came to fight for them.
 Why? They had made a treaty with them.
 What did the Lord say to Joshua? “Do not be afraid of them; I have given them into your
hand. Not one of them will be able to withstand you.”
 Why did Joshua march his army all night from Gilgal? To surprise and confuse the
armies attacking Gibeon.
 How did God help them? He threw down large hailstones on them, which killed more of
them than the Israelites killed.
 What did Joshua ask God to do? to make the sun and moon stand still until the battle
was completely won.
 Did God do that? Yes.
(How God did this is not possible for us to know. All we need to know is that God created
the world and that He is all powerful and can do anything. Read Revelation 22:5 “There
will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the
Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.” Colossians 1:17 “He is
before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Psalm 74:16 “The day is yours, and
yours also the night;you established the sun and moon.” Jeremiah 32:17 “Ah, Sovereign
Lord, you have made the heavens and the earth by your great power and outstretched arm.
Nothing is too hard for you.”)
 Let’s pray and ask the Lord to help us to always ask him for guidance before we
make decisions and to trust him to do great and mighty things for us…
Bible Story; Birth of Jesus
Scripture Reference: Luke 2:1-20
Suggested Emphasis: God sent Jesus from heaven to earth in the form of a little baby. We
should thank God for His gift to the world.

(Make a poster using baby photos from the children and others in the church – both young
and old. Be sure to include your own. Some photos of teens of the congregation would be
interesting to the children also.) Let children guess who each of the babies are. Name the
Father and Mother of each one mentioned and possibly where they were born. “Today we
are going to learn about a very special baby. This is a baby who was sent especially by God.
His mother’s name was Mary. Can anyone guess who his Father was? This baby was the Son
of God. Today we are going to learn about how God sent his own son as a special gift to
everyone in the world.”
The Story:
A young girl named Mary was going to have a baby. An angel had come to Mary and told her
that her baby was going to be a boy. Mary knew that her baby would be different form all
other babies because he did not have a father that lived on the earth. The father of Mary’s
baby was God. The angel told Mary to name the baby “Jesus”.
Joseph was a carpenter who made things out of wood. Joseph cared very much for Mary.
The angel came to Joseph and told him all about Mary’s baby. Joseph decided to marry
Mary and be like a dad to her baby. So Joseph and Mary got married.
Joseph and Mary lived in a town called Nazareth. They were happy and loved God very
much. One day, the ruler of the country, called Caesar Augustus, sent a letter to Nazareth
saying that all the people had to go to the city where their families came from. Every person
in the family had to be counted. This was called a census. He wanted to know exactly how
many people there were because he wanted everyone to pay taxes.
Joseph and his family had come from a little town called Bethlehem. Bethlehem was a long
way from Nazareth. Of course there were no planes or cars back then. People had to walk
or ride animals. Because Joseph and Mary wanted to do what the King commanded, they
packed up their things. Mary rode a donkey, while Joseph walked beside her. They began
their trip to Bethlehem.
When they arrived, they found the roads very crowded with people. They looked and
looked for a place to stay, but all the inns were full. It was growing very late. Mary was
tired. It was almost time for her baby to be born. Joseph was also tired and needed a place
to rest.
God had not forgotten Mary and Joseph. Joseph saw a place kind of like a shed or barn
where the animals were kept. He led Mary where it was warm and safe. They were glad to
find a quiet place to rest from their long journey.
During the night a wonderful thing happened. Mary had her baby. Mary was so happy. It
was a son just as God had promised. He was the Son of God. Joseph and Mary gave him the
name of “Jesus”. Joseph looked for a place to put the newborn baby. He found a box full of
straw. This was the kind of box that farmers put hay in so the animals could eat from it. It
was called a manger. Mary fixed the straw and put a piece of cloth on it. Then she wrapped
the baby up tightly and placed Him in the warm straw.
Outside the city, some shepherds were watching over their flocks of sheep in the quiet
night. Suddenly, a great light filled all of the sky. They had never seen anything like it
before. In the middle of the light they saw an angel. The angel spoke to them. He said, “Do
not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the
town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to
you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
All of a sudden, there was not just one angel but also many other angels and they were
praising God, saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his
favour rests!”
When the angels went away, the shepherds left their sheep and hurried into the town of
Bethlehem. The angel had said that the baby would be in the town of David. Everyone knew
that another name for the town of David was Bethlehem!
The shepherds found Joseph and Mary and the baby just as the angels had said. They told
Mary and Joseph all about the wonderful sight of the angels in the middle of the great light
and the wonderful words they said. The shepherds were glad they found this special baby
whose birth made even the angels happy.
Of all the gifts that anyone could every give, the shepherds knew that God’s gift was the
best. God had given this little baby to the world.
Review Questions:
1. Who was the mother of Jesus? Mary

2. Who was Mary’s husband? Joseph
3. In what city was Jesus born? Bethlehem
4. Why did Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem? To register for the census
5. What did baby Jesus have for his first cot? A manger
6. To whom did the angels tell the good news of Jesus’ birth? Shepherds
Bible Story; Wise men and the Star
Scripture Reference: Matthew 2:1-15
Suggested Emphasis: Give honour to Jesus.
Memory Verse: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that
whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Before class gather together some items that could be given to a baby at his/her birth
(nappies, rattle, baby powder, soap, etc.) Let the children talk about gifts they would give to
a baby. “In today’s story we are going to talk about some gifts that Jesus received. One of
the people who gave Jesus gifts was a very wise man. Today we are going to let him tell us
about what happened.” (Cover your head with a sheet or blanket and put on some
“expensive” jewellery or scarves. Lower your voice into a man’s voice and tell the story as if
you are one of the wise men. Another option is to ask a man of the congregation to dress up
and tell the story in first person.)
If you have a visual aid then you might just say that you have some nice photos of
everything that happened. Ask if they would like to see the photos. Show the visual aid as
you tell the story.
The Story:
People consider me to be a very wise man. In my country they call me a Magi. I study stars
and science. I have to tell you something very sad about my country. In my country we do
not believe in God. I did not believe in God but something so amazing happened to me that
now I think that there really must be something to this God thing.
Anyway, here’s what happened. You see, I always studied the stars, so I know all about
them. One night I saw something very new in the sky that had never been there before.
There was one bright star. After looking at the star, I knew that I should travel to the town
of Bethlehem. I do not know exactly how I knew, but I knew that I would find the new king
of the Jews in Bethlehem. I wonder if God put that in my mind. Anyway, I could hardly wait
to see the new king. I wanted to give him gifts and praise like a king deserved.
Other magi travelled with me. When we came to Jerusalem we came to the palace where
the king of the Jews lived. His name was Herod. We asked King Herod where the new king
was. He seemed puzzled and said he would have to answer us later. We didn’t know it at
the time but, while we waited, King Herod went and asked his advisors what they knew
about this. They told him that the prophets said long ago that the Messiah, the real King of
the Jews, would be born in Bethlehem. When the Messiah came, he would be more
important than King Herod.
King Herod did not want anyone to be more important than him! He was king and he liked
himself a lot. He knew he had to find out where this new king was. He had to get rid of him.
So Herod came back to us and tried to trick us. He told us to go and find the newborn king
so he could go and worship him and give him honour like we were doing. King Herod didn’t
really want to worship the new king – he wanted to kill him! He just wanted to follow us so
he would know where the new king was.
The star shone again so we followed it to a house. We found Joseph and Mary along with
Mary’s little boy, Jesus. They told us how Jesus had been born in a stable. They told us all
about the angels singing to the shepherds when they announced his birth. The other magi
and I were amazed! We knew that this little boy was truly the new King of the Jews. We
gave him very expensive gifts from our country. The gifts were gold, incense and myrrh. We
chose those gifts because those are the kinds of gifts that people give to a king. We wanted
to give Jesus special honour.
When the other magi and I went to sleep we all had a dream. In the dream we were warned
not to go back to Herod’s palace. Do you think I listened to my dream? Well, I’m not called a
wise man for nothing! I knew that King Herod would try to hurt this little boy if we told him
where to find him. So we did not go back to the palace. We travelled back to our home a
different way.
Joseph also had a dream. An angel appeared to him and said, “Get up, take the child and his
mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you. If you don’t go then Herod will
search and find your son. Then he will kill him.”
So Joseph got up at that very moment. In the middle of the night he took his family on the
long trip to Egypt. They were safe.
It was a good thing that Joseph did act quickly. When the other Magi and I did not return to
King Herod he got very angry. King Herod ordered his soldiers to kill every single little
Jewish boy under the age of two. He did not know that Jesus was already gone so he
thought that he could kill him this way. What a sad day.
But God kept Jesus safe! Jesus was God’s special gift to the world. We wise men knew that
Jesus was special so we wanted to give him special honour. You can give Jesus special
honour by obeying him and telling him how much you love him. Have you given Jesus
honour today?
Review Questions:
1. Where did the wise men that brought gifts to Jesus come from? The East
2. What is another name for wise men from the east? Magi
3. Who was the King who wanted to kill young Jesus? Herod
4. What led the Magi to Jesus? A star
5. Name the three gifts that the Magi gave Jesus: gold, incense (or frankincense), and myrrh.
Bible Story; Boy Jesus visits the temple
Scripture Reference: Luke 2:40-52
Suggested Emphasis: As Jesus grew, he continued to develop mentally (wisdom),
physically (stature), socially (favour with men), and spiritually (favour with God.) We
should also grow in these areas.

Blue-tac a long strip of adding-machine tape (or any long strip of paper) to the wall. Mark
off measurements. Measure various people (older and younger than your class) before the
children arrive and mark the heights on the paper. As children arrive measure them and
mark their heights on the paper. Show them how they are taller than children younger than
them. Point out how much they will probably grow by the time they reach the age of the
older children or adults you have measured. You could do the same thing with scales and
weigh the children in class.
How else do we grow? We grow in how much we learn and how much we know. We grow
in our understanding of God and Jesus. We grow in the way we get along with other people.
Jesus was a baby but then he grew. Today we are going to learn about something that
happened to Jesus when he was twelve years old.
The Story:
When Jesus was a little boy his family moved to the town of Nazareth. Jesus grew up doing
the things that little boys do. He played games with his friends and he went to school.
Joseph was a carpenter so Jesus learned how to help him make things from wood.
Every year Jesus travelled to Jerusalem to attend the Passover Feast. This was a religious
holiday and a special ceremony. Joseph always took part in the celebration. Jesus knew that
someday he would be a grown man like Joseph. Someday he would go to Jerusalem and
visit the temple where the teachers were.
Finally, the time had come. Jesus was twelve years old. This meant that he could go to the
temple and take part in the Passover Feast like the other men.
Jesus and his family travelled all the way to Jerusalem. It took many days to get there.
Sometimes there were robbers on the roads so Jesus’ family travelled along with lots of
other families to be safe. Jesus probably liked walking with his friends and cousins. He
might have played games and talked with them as they walked along the way to Jerusalem.
Jerusalem was a beautiful city! Jesus and Joseph enjoyed the Feast. Jesus liked visiting the
temple and listening to the teachers talk about God. In fact, Jesus enjoyed it so much that he
kept listening to the teachers when his parents left to go back home to Nazareth! He didn’t
even know they had left!
At first Joseph and Mary did not notice Jesus was missing. They probably thought he was
walking with his friends. They had been travelling a whole day when they finally realised
he was not there. After looking everywhere, they knew that he must still be back in
Jerusalem.
Joseph and Mary spent one whole day travelling to Jerusalem and another whole day
looking around the city for their son. Finally, they found him. Guess where he was? He was
in the temple courts still listening to the teachers tell people about God. Jesus was asking
questions because he wanted to know more. Everyone there was amazed at how much this
boy understood God’s word.
Joseph and Mary had been very worried about their son. Mary told Jesus they had been
searching and searching. She wanted to know why he was still there at the temple.
Jesus surprised them with his answer. “Why were you searching for me?” he asked, “Didn’t
you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” Jesus knew that God was his father and that
the temple was God’s special house.
When Mary and Joseph heard this they knew that Jesus was growing up. They knew that it
would not be long before he was a man. But he was not a man yet! He was only twelve
years old. Jesus travelled back to Nazareth and he obeyed his parents in everything they
said. He made his mother and Joseph very happy.
Jesus grew in four ways: 1) He grew in wisdom. That meant that he learned things at school
and from studying. 2) He grew physically. That means he ate good food and exercised so he
could grow big and strong. 3) He grew spiritually. That means in the way he knew and
loved God. 4) He grew socially. That means he learned how to make friends and how to
treat people nicely.
Jesus grew in all of these ways because he knew that someday he would do a special job for
God.
Review Questions:
1. How old was Jesus when his parents travelled with him to the temple? Twelve
2. What city was the temple in? Jerusalem
3. What are the four ways that Jesus grew? 1)Physically, 2)in wisdom-mentally, 3)in
knowledge about God-spiritually, 4)in getting along with other people-socially

Malainen Bible Lesson Plan 2019

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Malainen Bible Lesson Plan 2019

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Bible story: The Creation

Scripture Reference: Genesis 1:1-2:3

Way to Introduce the Story:

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1. Who was Abram’s wife? Sarai

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1. How many sons did Jacob (Israel) have? 12

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Scripture; Exodus 2:11-25; Acts 7:22-29.

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1. What is a Hebrew? Hebrew is another name for Jews or Israelites.

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1. Who was the mother of Jesus? Mary

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