Archive for year: 2020

Author: Janth English

Read Together: Noah had warned the people, but they would not listen. After Noah and his family entered the ark, God closed the door and sealed it. The rain poured down from the sky, and the waters under the earth were opened up. For forty days and nights it rained, and the waters covered the entire earth. No animal that lived on land survived. After being on the water for five months, the ark came to rest on top of Mt. Ararat, which is in modern-day Turkey. Noah, his family, and all the animals stayed on the ark for another seven months while they waited for the waters to recede. Noah had been on the ark for a year, but the first thing he did upon leaving the ark was to make a sacrifice to God and worship Him. God decided that He would never again destroy everything because of man’s wickedness. God made a covenant with Noah, all his descendants, and every living creature that He would never again destroy the earth by flood. The sign God gave in remembrance of the covenant is the rainbow.

Read Together: Genesis 7:16–24; 8:1–22; 9:1–17

Parents:

• Some people believe that the flood was just a local flood somewhere in the Middle East. Explain to your child it was worldwide. (Hint: God said He would destroy “from the face of the earth all living things” [Genesis 7:4], and that “all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered” [Genesis 7:19], and that when the water receded “the tops of the mountains were seen” [Genesis 8:5]).
• Ask your child what would it be like for Noah and his family to stay aboard the ark for a year. What would they eat? Where would they sleep? Where would they get fresh water for themselves and the animals? Building the ark was no small task, and it took a lot of planning.
• Point out that God gave Noah, his sons, and their wives the same command that He gave Adam and Eve. Can he or she point out what that command is?
• Ask your student if he or she has seen a rainbow. Explain that whenever a rainbow in seen in the sky, God wants us to remember that His promise is still in effect. Ask, what was that promise?

Review memorization:  

Genesis 6:9 “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.”

Printable PDF – L2.11

 

Author: Janth English

Read Together: Did you know that Noah’s name means “rest”? His name showed the hope his father had that God would use Noah to bring deliverance to His people. And of course, that’s what God did. God used Noah to preserve the human race. When Noah and his family left the ark, God commanded them to be fruitful and multiply. This means God wanted them to have large families. All nations, races, ethnicities, and cultures–all people today can trace their lineage back to Noah. Noah saw many of his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren because he lived for 350 years after the flood. He lived a total of 950 years, which was common for people in the pre-flood era. However, after the flood, the length of most people’s life began to shorten. Within about five generations after the flood, people were living less than two hundred years. Noah also lived to see, just as God had said, that man’s heart is inclined toward evil (Genesis 8:21). People did not learn from the problems of the pre-flood world. Not long after the flood, the human family was again walking contrary to God.

Read Together: Genesis 5:28–29; 9:18–29; 10:1–32

Parents:

• Help your student to see how families are the structural building blocks of society.  Notice that families grown large became nations.
• Point out to your child the care that God took to record the descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth and where they lived. One reason for this is so that we can identify modern nations by their ancient names.
• Noah was a preacher of righteousness before and after the flood (2 Peter 2:5). He also was the elder and leader (“patriarch,” which means the male head of a family or tribe) of his growing family. Discuss with your child why people did not listen to Noah. Explain that human beings have freedom of choice, but that Satan the devil influences their decisions.
• The people did not listen to the wisdom of Noah who was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet 2:5). Ask if this is a common problem in families today. Think aloud with your child about Proverbs 1:7–8; 10:21. Ask your child if they can think of an incident in which things went wrong because someone failed to listen to their elders.

Review memorization:

Genesis 6:9 “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect [upright, blameless, or wholehearted] in his generations. Noah walked with God.”

Printable PDF – L1.11

Printable PDF – L1.9-L1.12

Author: Janth English

Read Together: God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Israel’s descendants lived in Egypt and grew into a great nation. But the Egyptians enslaved them and put them to hard labor. God worked many miracles to free Israel from slavery. After the death of all the firstborn in Egypt, God led Israel out from Egypt under the leadership of Moses. They miraculously walked on dry land through the Red Sea, and God protected His people from the Egyptian army. God told Moses to bring the children of Israel to Him at Mt. Sinai after they left Egypt (Exodus 3:12). A few weeks after leaving Egypt, the children of Israel were encamped near Mt. Sinai, the mountain of God. God called Moses and told him to offer the people of Israel a special agreement, called a covenant. Israel would obey Him, and in return, He would make them His special people. The people agreed. God instructed the Israelites to clean up and wash their clothes, and “consecrate” themselves (which means to prepare themselves to meet with God). They were getting ready to meet their Creator!

Read Together: Exodus 1:1–14; 14:5–31; 19:1–11

Discuss:

• Explain that even though they had witnessed God’s miraculous interventions, Israel had not been obedient since leaving Egypt. They complained about the water and food (Exodus 15:22–25; 16:2–3). They broke the Sabbath (Exodus 16:26–29). And they complained against Moses (Exodus 17:2–3). Explain that experiencing miracles does not make it automatic that a person will respond by having faith in God.  We still have to choose to obey and respond to Him.
• Ask your child why he or she thinks God told Israel to bathe and wash their clothes. What preparation would one make to visit the Queen of England? Use this as an opportunity to emphasize why we dress up for Sabbath services.
• Discuss what it means to be “consecrated,” which means “set apart for holy use.” Explain that the Church is the Israel of God and that we are set apart by God’s Holy Spirit. Help your child understand that if our parents (or parent) is baptized and in the Church, that means that we have a chance to have a relationship with God that we otherwise wouldn’t have (Acts 2:38–39, 1 Corinthians 7:14)

Review Memorization:

Exodus 20:1–17 The Ten Commandments (long form)

 

Printable PDF – L3.13

Author: Janth English

Read Together: The people on the earth had become very wicked before the flood. In fact, the Bible says that they were thinking bad thoughts all the time! People were hurting other people, and the suffering was very great. When He saw how bad things were, God was sorry that He made man.  It was painful for Him to see people treating each other that way. He decided to destroy all the wicked people by sending a flood to cover the earth. God who is merciful did not want to destroy the good and obedient people with the wicked. So, He looked for someone on the earth who was obedient to Him, and He found Noah.

Read Together: Genesis 6:1–12

Discuss:

• Talk to your child about what it means to be disobedient to God. Explain to them that disobedience can lead to “wickedness” and how this way of life hurts people.
• Ask your child to picture what it would be like if you were the only people in your neighborhood who were being good, and all the other people were naughty. Remind them that only one person was left who was really obeying God!
• Ask your child how God must have felt to see all the people he created being bad. Relate it to a situation they have experienced. (Example: “How does Mom feel when you are naughty and doing things you shouldn’t be doing?”)
• Take this opportunity to explain the Great White Throne Judgment period (Revelation 20:11). One day, God will give everyone who has ever lived a chance to obey and follow Him, and be blessed for obedience.

Review Memorization:

2 Peter 2:5 “And [God] did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly.”

Printable PDF – L1.13

By Janth English

Read Together: The people began to put their faith and trust in Nimrod, and Nimrod began to feel very proud of himself. The name Nimrod can mean “rebel,” and Nimrod was truly a rebel. Nimrod is known in history to be a ruler who turned people from the true worship of God and caused religious confusion. According to some historical sources, he began to gather people together in cities rather than encouraging them to spread out over the earth as God wanted. Initially, the reason for keeping people together might have been for protection. But it soon became clear that Nimrod wanted the people together so he could be a powerful ruler, and he became a cruel tyrant over them. Nimrod set out to establish a world-ruling kingdom and his first city was Babel. He also founded Erech, Accad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar which is near modern-day Iraq. He also took lands in Assyria that were occupied by the descendants of Shem, which included Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah, and Resen. This was likely not done peacefully, and it is probable that Nimrod introduced war again to the human family after the Flood.

Read Together: Genesis 10:6–12

Discuss:

• Help your child identify ways in which history suggests Nimrod rebelled against God.
• Nimrod was born in the third generation after the flood. Discuss with your child how short the time was before mankind forgot the lessons of the Flood. This is a good opportunity to discuss the fact that people who don’t learn from their mistakes are often doomed to repeat them.
• Nimrod was a “mighty hunter” who helped the people in the beginning. But history says he had pride and credited himself for his accomplishments. Ask your student how humility might have helped Nimrod. Take this opportunity to talk about servant leadership.

Review Memorization:

Genesis 11:9 “Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.”

 

Printable PDF – L2.14