grade kids bible study guide unit 2, session 1: god’s covenant with abraham … · 4th-6th grade...

4th-6th Grade Kids Bible Study Guide Unit 2, Session 1: God’s Covenant with Abraham

2012 LifeWay Christian Resources 1

TEACHER BIBLE STUDY To understand today’s story, it is important to know that Abram, a descendant of Noah’s son

Shem (Gen. 11:10-26), came from a family who were pagans. Unlike Noah, they worshiped other

gods. (See Josh. 24:2.) God communicated with Abram, who became the next person to take a

very prominent role in God’s plan of human redemption.

In Genesis 12, God spoke to Abram, calling him to leave behind his family and his lands to go to

a place God would show him. God promised to make Abram into a great nation and to make his

name great. By faith, Abram obeyed.

Genesis 15 starts with God’s promising a great reward to Abram. Notice Abram’s response:

“What can You give me, since I am childless?” That’s when God made a great promise to Abram:

Your offspring will be as numerous as the stars.

God also promised to give Abram land, and God gave specific instructions to Abram for

confirming the covenant. In Abram’s time, when a covenant was made between two people, the

animals would be split and both parties would walk through them as to say, “If I do not hold up

my end of the covenant, may I be like these dead animals.” What is different about this covenant?

Only the smoking fire pot and flaming torch passed through, symbolizing that God alone would

be responsible for upholding the covenant.

Years passed and Abram still had no children. God was serious about the covenant. In fact, He

changed Abram’s name, which means “The Father Is Exalted,” to Abraham, which means “Father

of a Multitude.”

Show kids how Jesus fulfilled God’s promise to Abraham. Jesus would bless all people by

causing them to turn away from their sins. (See Acts 3:25-26.)

LESSON OVERVIEW/SCHEDULE Session Title: God’s Covenant with Abraham

Bible Passage: Genesis 12:2-3; 15:1-21; 17:1-9

Big Picture Question: Why did God choose Abraham? God chose Abraham to be part of His covenant

plan to send Jesus to earth to bring us salvation.

Key Passage: Genesis 17:7

Unit Christ Connection: Jesus is the true Son of promise whom God provided as the ultimate sacrifice for

sin.

Transition Time

Welcome time

Activity sheet/Table Centers

Session starter (10 minutes)



Lesson

Countdown

Introduce the session (2 minutes)

Timeline map (3 minutes)

Big picture question (1 minute)

Tell the Bible story (9 minutes)

Key passage (4 minutes)

Discussion starter video (5 minutes)

Sing (5 minutes)

Prayer (1 minute)

Table Time

Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes)

Key passage activity (5 minutes)

Activity choice (10 minutes)

Prayer (5 minutes)

THE BIBLE STORY/OVERVIEW

God’s Covenant with Abraham

Genesis 12:2-3; 15:1-21; 17:1-9

There was a man named Abram who lived with his wife, Sarai. Abraham was a descendant of

Noah, and he and his family had spread out in the earth. God chose Abram and promised Abram

three things: He would make his name great, Abram would have a big family, and he would be

blessed. God visited Abram in a vision and said, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your

reward will be very great.”

This was a good promise, but Abram was sad. He didn’t have any children to inherit his

blessing. “One of my slaves will be my heir,” Abram said. But God had a better plan. He took

Abram outside. “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you can,” God said. Abram couldn’t count

the stars. There were too many! “Your offspring will be that numerous,” God promised. Abram

believed God, and God was pleased.

God also promised that Abram’s family would keep the land they were living in. Abram asked,

“How can I be sure?” So God confirmed His covenant with Abram. He gave Abram very special

instructions to bring a cow, a goat, a ram, a turtledove, and a pigeon. Abram did as God asked,

and a deep sleep came over him. While Abram was sleeping, God told him what would happen in

the future. He said that Abram’s family would be slaves in another country for 400 years before

God would judge the nation and bless Abram’s family. Despite this, Abram would live a long,

peaceful life.

When it got dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch representing God passed between the

animals. This showed that God would be responsible for keeping His promise.

Many years passed and Abram still didn’t have the promised son. God hadn’t forgotten, though.

He appeared to Abram again and reminded him, “I am God Almighty. Live in My presence and

be blameless. I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you greatly.”

God was so serious about His promise that He changed Abram’s name to Abraham, which

means “Father of a Great Multitude.” God told Abraham that he would be the father of nations,



and even kings! “I will keep My covenant between Me and you, and your future offspring

throughout their generations, as an everlasting covenant to be your God and the God of your

offspring after you,” God said.

And God promised to give Abraham and his offspring all of the land of Canaan where they

were residing. “I will be their God,” He said.

Christ Connection: God chose Abraham to be the father of the nation in which Jesus would be

born. In this way, Abraham would bless all nations, as God had promised. God also saw

Abraham’s faith in God’s promises and counted it as righteousness. It is our faith in Jesus’

perfect righteousness that brings salvation to God’s people.

TRANSITION TIME Session Title: God’s Covenant with Abraham






sin.

Welcome time As kids arrive this is a great time to collect the offering, fill out attendance sheets, and help new

kids connect to your group. Continue getting to know the kids in your group by asking them if

they have ever been camping or to a summer camp.

Activities/Table Centers • Table Centers (Miscellaneous Activities)

• “Key Passage Maze”/”Stars in the Sky” activity sheet, 1 per kid

• pencils

• Bibles

Lead boys and girls to complete the maze on the “Key Passage Maze” and the stars on the “Stars

in the Sky” activity sheet.

Say • Our key passage is a promise God made to Abraham. God’s promise to Abraham was an

everlasting covenant.

• A generation is a group of people who were born and lived at about the same time. All of you

are a part of a generation of people. Your parents are a part of another generation. Your

grandparents are another generation.

• In our world today, people will give each generation a special name to help everyone

understand which generation they are talking about.

• God told Abraham that the covenant would last through many generations.



Session starter (10 minutes) Option 1: Family tree • paper

• pencils

• crayons or markers

Guide kids to draw their family trees. Instruct each kid to list her name and the names of her

siblings, parents, grandparents, and any other family members (people, not pets). Encourage boys

and girls to draw a tree around the names of the people in their families.

Say • Today we will hear about a man, Abraham, whom God promised would be the father of

many nations of people.

• His family would become so large that we could never fit the names of all of them on our

papers.

• Abraham’s family would even include Jesus.

Option 2: Knot game • 10-foot length of rope, 1 per team

Tie five knots in each rope. Instruct each team to work together to untie the knots in its rope.

Each team member may only use one hand to play the game.

Say • When God makes a covenant, He is always faithful to His covenant.

• We can untie the knots in this rope, but we cannot untie God from a covenant He makes.

Because God cannot lie, He will always keep His covenant (Numbers 23:19; Psalm 12:6).

• Today we are going to hear about a special covenant God made with a man named Abraham.

• His covenant was fulfilled when Jesus came to earth to live and die to rescue us from sin.

Transition to large group

LESSON Session Title: God’s Covenant with Abraham






sin.

Suggested Theme Decorating Ideas: Use sleeping bags to create an area on which your class can sit as

you teach. Build a campfire site with wood logs. If you have space, set up a small tent on one side of your

teaching area. Set up a folding table and chairs or a picnic table and place a cooler on the table. Create a

sign that says “Campsites 1–12” and an arrow pointing one way. Create another sign that says “Campsites

13–25” with an arrow pointing the opposite direction from the cabins sign. Post a sign that warns “Beware

of bears,” or “Please do not feed the bears.”



Countdown • countdown video (Insert provided DVD with Lesson Videos and Worship)

Show the countdown video as you clean-up table centers, set up classroom chairs for lesson, and

set it to end as large group time begins.

Introduce the session (2 minutes)

[Dress in camping appropriate attire. Wear a flannel shirt and hiking boots or athletic shoes.

Carry a backpack or a hiking pole as you greet campers.] Tip: Wear what is comfortable for you to teach in that also supports the theme. Kids will not accept a camping theme

if you are wearing a Sunday suit and tie.

Leader • Hello, campers! Are you all ready for our very first campfire Bible story? We are going

to have such an adventure camping for the next few weeks. How many of you have been

camping before? Did you sleep in a tent or a cabin? Did you see any bears? As long as we obey

the rules about keeping our food secure so the bears can’t get into it, and if we don’t try to offer

food to the bears, we should be OK. I hope you packed enough socks to keep your feet warm

on the cold nights up here at Covenant Campground. This is one of my favorite places to camp

in the great outdoors. Just think, only a few weeks ago we were learning about how God

created the world, and now we are camping in the middle of His beautiful creation. Let’s

review all the Bible stories we have learned so far on our adventure into God’s story.

Timeline map (3 minutes) • timeline map (Posted on wall in classroom. Additional copies provided for Table Time Review)

Leader • Does anyone remember where our journey started? Our journey started at Big Picture

Airlines. We learned all about how God created the world. Do you remember what happened

after God created the world and gave Adam and Eve one rule to follow? Yeah, they broke the

rule. They sinned and now, we all sin. But God promised to send Jesus to pay the price for our

sin, and that is exactly what He did. Who else did we learn about at Big Picture Airlines? Cain

and Abel, Noah, the people at Babel, and Job. We learned a lot about the consequences of sin

and the importance of knowing and loving God.

Are you all ready to hear whom we will learn about now? He is a special guy. The Bible talks

about him in the Old Testament and the New Testament. He is known for being faithful to

God’s plan. He is also called the father of many nations. Any guesses? Abram or Abraham is

the right answer. Abram and Abraham are both names for the same person. We’ll hear today

why sometimes we call him “Abram” and sometimes we call him “Abraham.”

Big picture question (1 minute) • 11x17 poster provided

Leader • I just told you that Abraham was faithful to God’s plan. Do you want to know what part

of God’s plan Abraham was a part of? Well, that’s our question today at Covenant

Campground. Why did God choose Abraham? I think God must have chosen Abraham for

something super special. Today we are talking about why God chose Abraham for His special

plan. I think it’s time to open your Bibles and join me around the campfire to find the true

answer to our big picture question. Today’s campfire circle Bible story starts in Genesis 15. Is

Genesis in the Old Testament or New Testament? Right, Genesis is in the Old Testament part

of the Bible.



Tell the Bible story (9 minutes) • “God’s Covenant with Abraham” video

• Bibles

• big picture question : Why did God choose Abraham? – 11x17 poster provided

• Bible story picture – 11x17 poster provided

Tip: During the rest of the unit, you may need to continue reminding kids that Abram and Abraham are the same

person.

Tip: Remember to pause and allow kids to share the answer to the big picture question.

Open your Bible to Genesis 15. Choose to tell the Bible story in your own words, or show the

Bible story video “God’s Covenant with Abraham.”

Leader • Our question was Why did God choose Abraham? Do you all know the answer? Tell me

why you think God chose Abraham. Are you ready for the answer? God chose Abraham to be

part of His covenant plan to send Jesus to earth to bring us salvation.

The Bible says Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. That

means that Abraham was seen by God as being right and good because of his faith. The New

Testament Book of Romans says that “He [Abraham] did not waver in unbelief at God’s

promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully

convinced that what He had promised He [God] was also able to perform” (Romans 4:20-21).

Abraham believed that God could do anything that He promised to do. Even though Abraham

and Sarai were old and did not have any children, Abraham believed God’s promise that his

family would be as numerous as the stars in the sky.

One day, a long time after Abraham lived, God would send His Son Jesus to be a part of

Abraham’s family here on earth. Jesus was one of the numerous offspring God promised

Abraham. It is because of Jesus that all people would be blessed through Abraham. Does

anyone remember why Jesus came to earth? Jesus came to earth to live a perfect life and to die

for our sins. All people who trust in Christ are blessed because Jesus provided salvation from

sin. Why did God choose Abraham? God chose Abraham to be part of His covenant plan to

send Jesus to earth to bring us salvation.

As time allows review how to become a Christian:

• God rules. God created and is in charge of everything. (Gen. 1:1; Rev. 4:11; Col. 1:16-17)

• We sinned. Since Adam and Eve, everyone has chosen to disobey God. (Rom. 3:23; 6:23)

• God provided. God sent His Son Jesus to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. (John

3:16; Eph. 2:8-9)

• Jesus gives. Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again so we can

be welcomed into God’s family. (Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 3:18)

• We respond. Believe that Jesus alone saves you. Repent. Tell God that your faith is in Jesus.

(Rom. 10:9-10,13) Tip: Anytime you share how to become a Christian in a large group environment, try to have teachers available to

meet one-on-one with kids. Make sure kids know who they can talk to and when they can talk.

Key passage (4 minutes) • key passage poster: Genesis 17:7 (provided)

• Worship Song: “I Will Keep My Covenant” (on provided DVD)

Leader • Do you remember how long God said His covenant with Abraham would be? The

answer is in our key passage. Does anyone have a guess? Good guesses. Let’s read our key

passage to find the answer.

Lead kids to read the key passage. Form two groups and lead each group to say every other word



of the key passage. (Group A says the first word, Group B the second word, Group A the third

word, and so forth.)

Leader • God told Abraham the covenant would be an everlasting covenant. The covenant would

last forever. Remember in the Bible story when a smoking pot and a flaming torch passed

between the animals? Back in that time, when two people made a covenant they would both

walk between the animals as a sign that they were promising to keep their part of the covenant.

When God made a covenant with Abraham, the smoking pot and flaming torch passed through

the animals—not Abraham. This was a sign that God was going to keep His covenant promises.

Our key passage song can help us remember God’s covenant with Abraham.

Guide kids to sing “I Will Keep My Covenant.”

Discussion starter video (5 minutes) • “Left Out” video (on provided DVD)

Leader • What is our big picture question and answer for this week? Why did God choose

Abraham? God chose Abraham to be part of His covenant plan to send Jesus to earth to

bring us salvation. Have any of you ever been chosen to be a part of something special? You

have? It felt really awesome, didn’t it? Watch this video and think about how awesome it felt to

be chosen.

Show “Left Out.” Ask kids to share how they would respond.

Leader • How does it feel to be left out? Have you ever left someone out? Do you ever wonder if

God has a plan for you?

Allow kids to think about God’s plan for them and share their ideas with the group. Thank kids

for sharing their thoughts.

Leader • No one knows every detail of God’s plan for his or her life. God’s plan for us may not

include having many offspring like Abraham, but you do have a part in God’s story. Part of

God’s plan is for people to believe and trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior. When people

trust Jesus as their Lord and Savior, they become a part of God’s family. Why did God choose

Abraham? God chose Abraham to be part of His covenant plan to send Jesus to earth to

bring us salvation. Galatians 3:29 reveals that when we become a Christian, we become a part

of Abraham’s family; we are one of his descendants spiritually, not physically. We should

worship God for giving His Son Jesus to bring us salvation.

Sing (5 minutes) • Worship Song: “Promises” (on provided DVD)

Sing “Promises.”

Leader • God always keeps His covenants and promises. When Abraham chose to believe God, he

surrendered his life to God’s plan. When we trust Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we surrender

our lives to follow God’s plan and all of His ways.

Prayer (1 minute) Leader • You have been great campers this week. Why did God choose Abraham? God chose

Abraham to be part of His covenant plan to send Jesus to earth to bring us salvation. I can’t

wait to see you again at our next campfire circle to learn more about Abraham, his family, and

the covenant.

Close in prayer.

Dismiss to small groups for Table Time



TABLE TIME LEADER Session Title: God’s Covenant with Abraham






sin.

Bible story review & Bible skills (10 minutes) • Bibles

• Timeline - small group visual pack

Lead kids to open their Bibles to review the Bible story. Highlight Abraham’s location on the

timeline in the small group visual pack.

Form two or three teams. Award one point to the team that provides the correct answer first.

Award two points to the team that provides the verse(s) that the answer is found in first. The same

team may earn all three points for a question.

1. God told Abram, “I am your ______________.” (shield, Genesis 15:1)

2. What was Abram’s response when God said he would have a great reward? (He had no

children to inherit the reward, Genesis 15:2-3)

3. How old was Abram when God reaffirmed the covenant and changed his name? (He was 99

years old, Genesis 17:1-5)

4. What did God change Abram’s name to? (Abraham, Genesis 17:5)

5. God promised what land to Abraham and his family? (the land of Canaan, Genesis 17:8)

6. Bonus question: Why did God choose Abraham? God chose Abraham to be part of His

covenant plan to send Jesus to earth to bring us salvation.

7. Bonus question: It is our _______ in Jesus’ perfect righteousness that brings salvation to God’s

people. (It is our faith in Jesus’ perfect righteousness that brings salvation to God’s

people.)

Review how to become a Christian using this guide:

• God rules. God created and is in charge of everything. (Gen. 1:1; Rev. 4:11; Col. 1:16-17)

• We sinned. Since Adam and Eve, everyone has chosen to disobey God. (Rom. 3:23; 6:23)

• God provided. God sent His Son Jesus to rescue us from the punishment we deserve. (John

3:16; Eph. 2:8-9)

• Jesus gives. Jesus lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again so we can

be welcomed into God’s family. (Rom. 5:8; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Peter 3:18)

• We respond. Believe that Jesus alone saves you. Repent. Tell God that your faith is in Jesus.

(Rom. 10:9-10,13)



Key passage activity (5 minutes) • key passage poster (provided)

• white board

• dry erase marker

Gather the boys and girls together, form a circle and sit down. Read the key passage and review

the word covenant. Explain that the word offspring means children, grandchildren, and future

generations of children.

Write a blank space line on the dry erase board for each letter in the key passage. Allow kids to

take turns guessing letters to fill in the blanks. For a twist, use only a phrase or section of the key

passage. Once all the blanks are filled in, challenge kids to share the missing portions of the key

passage.

Say • God’s covenant was not only for Abraham. The covenant was also for Abraham’s offspring.

• The next couple of weeks we will be learning about the offspring Abraham would have and

which of his children and grandchildren the covenant would also be given to.

• Why did God choose Abraham? God chose Abraham to be part of His covenant plan to send

Jesus to earth to bring us salvation.

Activity option (10 minutes) Option 1: Three-legged obstacle course

• bandanas or other similar strips of cloth, 1 per pair

Form teams of two and assist kids in safely tying one of their legs to one of their partner’s legs.

Inform kids that this race does not involve any running. Create a course that has a few obstacles

for kids to navigate around such as a chair, table, or stack of books. Partners must stay together

during the obstacle course.

Say • Why did God choose Abraham? God chose Abraham to be part of His covenant plan to

send Jesus to earth to bring us salvation.

• During the game you were connected to your partner, and you could not leave him. God’s

covenant with Abraham meant that God would be with Abraham and his family. They

were connected to God because of the everlasting covenant.

• When we become Christians, instead of being separated from God because of our sin, we are

connected to God forever because of our faith in Jesus’ perfect righteousness.

Option 2: Dry erase plates • plastic plates

• dry erase markers

• paper towels

Tip: Don’t allow dry erase marker to stay on the plate more than a few minutes or it will be hard to

remove.

Option: Use regular paper plates and markers. Place a strip of masking tape across their drawings for kids to write

God has a plan for me.

Encourage boys and girls to use dry erase markers to draw pictures on their plates of their dreams

about what they want to be and do in life. As they draw, talk about how God chose Abraham to

be a special part of His plan. Explain that sometimes God’s plan for us changes our plans.



Say • What is a plan you have had in the past that was not God’s plan? (Examples: a plan that

involved disobeying; a plan that hurt someone’s feelings.)

• Abraham chose to believe God’s plans. He believed God could do anything God promised to

do.

• Why did God choose Abraham? God chose Abraham to be part of His covenant plan to send

Jesus to earth to bring us salvation.

Lead boys and girls to erase their drawings and write God has a plan for me.

Missions Connection (optional video, 5 minutes) • Xtreme Missions: Brad Lartigue Missions Video (on provided DVD)

Xtreme Missions: Brad Lartigue Missions Video (Brad Lartigue, with the help of college

students called innovators, ministers to over 4,000 annual workers at Yellowstone National Park)

Prayer and Clean-Up (5 minutes) Encourage boys and girls to share any prayer requests they may have or to share some praises to

God for all He has done. They may wish to include a thank You to God for choosing Abraham to

be a part of His plan to send Jesus to earth to bring us salvation.

Invite one or two children to pray aloud.

Clean-up room.

Dismiss

God’s Covenant with PeopleUNIT 2 • Session 1 • Older Kids Activity Pages

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ : _

Key Passage Maze

G

E

N

E

N

N

G

E

E

E

S

S

S

I

I

IS

S

2

2

1

7

7

9

Start

Finish

Instructions: Solve the maze to discover the key passage.

Use your Bible to � nd the key passage and read it with a

friend.

•covenant: a promise two people make, or a promise a person and God make

•redeem: to pay a price in order to get something back. Jesus’s death on the cross

redeemed from sin people who trust Him as Savior and Lord

•offspring: children, can also refer to grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and so on

005508648_2012_FA

L.indd 113/15/12 12:43 P

M

Instructions: Find Matthew 1 in

your Bible to locate the names of

some of Abraham’s descendants.

List the missing names from each

of the three sections in the stars.

Draw a fourth star and write your

name inside.

Star 1: Abraham,

Isaac, ___________,

Judah, Perez, Hezron, _________,

____________, Nahshon,

Salmon, ____________,

Obed, __________,

_____________

Star 2: David, _____________, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, __________________,

Joram, Uzziah, __________, __________, Hezekiah, _________, Amon, ____________, Jechoniah

Star 3:

Jechoniah, Shealtiel,

________________, Abiud, Eliakim,

Azor, ______________,

____________, Eliud,

Eleazar, Matthan,

Jacob, ____________,

______________

© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources.

God’s Covenant with PeopleUNIT 2 • Session 1 • Older Kids Activity Pages

005508648_2012_FA

L.indd 123/15/12 12:43 P

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God’s Covenant with PeopleSession Title: God’s Covenant with Abraham


Big Picture Question for preschoolers: Why did God

choose Abraham? God chose Abraham to be part of His

plan.

Big Picture Question for kids: Why did God

choose Abraham? God chose Abraham to be part of

His covenant plan to send Jesus to earth to bring us

salvation.


Christ Connection: God chose Abraham to be the father of the nation in which Jesus would be born. In this way, Abraham would bless all nations, as God had promised. God also saw Abraham’s faith in God’s promises and counted it as righteousness. It is faith in Jesus’ perfect righteousness that brings salvation to God’s people.

© 2012 LifeWay Christian Resources.

OK TO PRINT

Give each family member �ve star stickers or cutouts. Find a map or globe, and encourage

each person to put a sticker on a place as a reminder to pray for the people there to see God’s

covenant plan to send Jesus. Repeat each day. Share some of those prayers below.

Family Journal Page

TM

TM

God’s Covenant with People

I will establish my covenant between me and

you and your offspring after you throughout

their generations for an everlasting covenant, to

be God to you and to your offspring after you.

Genesis 17:7

grade kids bible study guide unit 2, session 1: god’s covenant with abraham … · 4th-6th grade...

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