Archive for category: LivingEd – Youth

Read Together: God sent Moses with only a rod in his hand to deliver Israel from Egypt, the most powerful nation on the earth at that time. With miracle after miracle, God devastated the land of Egypt. The Israelites were so excited to finally leave Egypt! God had told Moses that when they left Egypt, he was to bring the children of Israel to Mt. Sinai. So the children of Israel began to walk to the mountain of God. God told Moses to instruct the people to bathe and wash their clothes in preparation to meet Him! What an eventful meeting that would be!

Read Together:  Exodus 14 – 19:1-14

Discuss:

• Israel faced many problems on the way to Mount Sinai. For example, they ran out of water to drink in the desert and God had to provide for them.  The Israelites were tired and sometimes hungry. Ask your child how they might feel if they were an Israelite. Israel responded by complaining about God and Moses which did not please God. Why should we be careful not to complain?
• Why do you think God instructed the Israelites to bathe and wash their clothes before meeting Him?

Review Memorization:

Exodus 24:3  “So Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, ‘All the words which the LORD has said we will do.’”

Featured Passage: Genesis 21-25

When Abraham was 100 years old, God fulfilled His promise and gave him a son. Amazingly, Sarah was 90 years old! Abraham and Sarah watched and guided Isaac as he grew. As God worked with Abraham, Isaac saw first-hand his father’s example of faithfulness and obedience. Once Isaac was grown, God brought him a beautiful wife from among his relatives. Her name was Rebekah. God blessed Isaac and Rebekah with a family of their own as the blessings God promised to Abraham were passed to the next generation. 

Discuss:

• Isaac’s birth was the fulfillment of a promise God made to Abraham and that it was a miracle.
• Isaac was also being tested when Abraham was to offer him as a sacrifice. Isaac had to be obedient to his father and to trust God as well. 
• Rebekah chose to leave her home to go to a land she did not know to marry a man she had never met. How does this show that she was a brave woman?
• How must have Isaac felt when he saw Rebekah for the first time?Isaac inherited the promises God made to Abraham.God chose to work with Abraham’s family. Why do you think He chose Abraham’s family?

Memory Challenge: 

Genesis 24:60 And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands; And may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them.”

Featured Passage: Genesis 25-27

Jacob and Esau were twins, but never were two people more different. Esau was hairy, but Jacob had smooth skin. Esau was a skillful hunter, but Jacob was a mild-natured shepherd. Esau was the older of the two, but God chose Jacob to inherit the promises. One day Jacob was cooking lentil stew when Esau came in from the fields. He had been hunting and was very hungry. Jacob, whose name means “supplanter” (schemer), offered to give Esau some stew in exchange his rights as the firstborn. Esau agreed because he did not value his birthright. The day came when it was time for Isaac to pass the blessings on to his sons. He wanted to give the greater blessing to Esau. Rebekah and Jacob decided to try to trick Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing. For Jacob to receive the birthright and the blessing would impact the rest of history. 

Discuss:

• The twins Jacob and Esau were very different from each other in many ways. They became the fathers of distinct nations.
• What attitude did Esau display when he sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew? Did Esau appreciate his birthright? Talk about God’s laws concerning inheritance and the responsibilities and blessings of being firstborn in the family.
• What were some of the Commandments that were broken when Jacob and his mother tricked Isaac into giving Jacob the blessing?
• It was God’s intent for Jacob to receive the promises. However, Jacob did not wait for God to give the promises to him. He tried to take the matter into his own hands instead of relying on God. 

Memory Challenge

Genesis 27:29

“Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!”

Featured Passage: Genesis 28-35 

On the way to Haran, God spoke to Jacob in a dream. God promised to be with him and to bring him safely back to Canaan. When Jacob arrived at his uncle Laban’s home he fell in love with Rachel, Laban’s younger daughter. Jacob bargained with Laban to work for seven years in return for Rachel as his wife. When the time came, Laban tricked Jacob and gave him Leah, his older daughter, to Jacob for his wife instead of Rachel!    Jacob had to work another seven years to marry Rachel. Jacob had many more adventures, but eventually he and his family made it back to the land of Canaan just as God had promised. He had twelve sons, who became the foundation for the nation of Israel.

Discuss:

• Laban tricked Jacob just as Jacob had tricked Esau. What lessons did Jacob learned from the way Laban treated him?
• God was with Jacob and protected him from Laban and Esau. What can we learn from how God took care of Jacob?
• God changed Jacob’s name from “Supplanter” to Israel which means “Overcomer with God”. Why did God change Jacob’s name?
• Notice how Jacob received the promises God made to Abraham. His large family was important in fulfilling the promise that Abraham would have many descendants.

Memory Challenge: 

The Sons of Jacob –  
Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin