Unit 2: Abraham Scripture: Lesson Goal...Attention Getter: Baby Names Bring a baby book with names in it. Generally these books tell you what different names mean. Let the students

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OT2.7 Birth of Isaac ©Beverly Wilson 2017

Unit 2: Abraham OT2. 7 Birth of Isaac Lesson

Scripture: Genesis 17-18; 21

Lesson Goal: Abram is called "father Abraham" because he was the forefather of both the Jews

and the Arabs. He was also the father of the family in whom Jesus the Savior of the world would be born. In this lesson we learn how God fulfilled His promise to send a son to Abraham and Sarah.

Introduction: This is the seventh lesson in Unit 2: Abraham. In this lesson we learn how God fulfilled His promise to send a son to Abraham and Sarah. The lesson is found in the first book of the Bible called Genesis. The word "Genesis" means beginning. Genesis is the first book of Law. The books of the Law are the first five books in the Old Testament. Let's say the books of Law together. Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy.

Attention Getter: Baby Names Bring a baby book with names in it. Generally these books tell you what different names mean. Let the students look up their names to learn the meaning. Say: "When a baby is born the parents choose the baby's name. Sometimes they name the baby after a relative, or they might choose a name because of what it means. For example, Lydia means a "noble woman of honor." It comes from the Bible name Lydia who was a lady that sold purple dye. She was a great Christian in the early church. The most common name for girls is Mary which means "wished for" or "beloved." People usually think of Mary the mother of Jesus when they hear this name. David is a name that means "beloved" and is found in the Bible. It is a name that remembers the great king of Israel, King David. Do you know what your name means? It is fun to research the meaning of names. In this lesson we are going to learn about a baby whose name has a funny meaning. He was the baby that was born to Abraham and Sarah."

Opening Prayer: Dear Father in Heaven, Thank you that we know that you always say what is true. You never lie. We know that you will keep your promises. Thank you that you have promised to love us and never leave us. You promised that if we believe and trust in You that you will take us to heaven someday to live with you. In Jesus name, we pray. Amen.

Memory Verse: Our memory verse Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/L7kP5IVgAQU In the book of Genesis there were only a few people that followed God and one of these was Abram. God chose Abram to become the father of a strong nation of people who would teach people everywhere about God. He wanted a man who worshipped God and obeyed Him. God also promised to bless the whole world through his family and give him a great land. God told Abram that if he would leave his homeland and his family that he would bless him by making his children into a great nation. Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot and followed God's call to move to the land God has promised. When they arrived in the land of promise, God told Abram, "This is the land that I will give

https://youtu.be/L7kP5IVgAQU

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to you and your children. Abram was so happy to have arrived in the Promised Land. It was also called Canaan because the Canaanite people lived in it. Abram and Sarai lived for many years in the land of Canaan. They lived in tents near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron. All along the way Abram built altars and offered sacrifices and worshiped God. Abram's offerings pleased God very much, and God heard his prayers. Abram had real faith and dependence on God. God told Abram again and again that he would have many children and become a great nation. God said that his children would number more than the dust of the earth and that is too many to count. This was an amazing promise because Abram was over 75 years old and he and Sarai did not yet even have one child. The Bible says that Abram believed God! He had faith in Him! God blessed Abram and he was a very rich man. He had many servants, many flocks and herds, and much silver and gold. So did his nephew Lot. In fact they had so many animals that they had trouble finding enough grass for them. Finally Abram and Lot decided to separate. Selfishly Lot chose first the rich fertile plain where the wicked cities were. Abram took the land in the mountains that had less grassland. His camp was far away from the sin of the Canaanites. When Lot got in trouble Abram had rescue him and his family. Soon after his return home Abram had another vision from God. Once again God told him that he would have many children. This time God said that they would number as many as the stars in the sky! The Bible says that Abram believed the Lord and God counted his faith in him as righteousness or salvation. Even though God had promised a son fifteen years had passed and Abram and Sarai still did not have any children! They began to be impatient and tried to solve the problem by themselves. Because she was too old to have children Sarai convinced Abram to have a child by her servant girl Hagar. That proved to be a terrible situation. And caused them many troubles. Hagar was bitter toward Sarai and Sarai treated Hagar very badly. When Hagar's son was born Abram named him Ishmael but he was not the child God had promised! When Abram was 99 years old the Lord appeared to him once again. God said, "I am the Lord Almighty. Walk before me and be blameless and I will confirm my promise to increase your family to great numbers. Abram fell down and worshipped the Lord. God then said, "You shall be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram, your name will be Abraham. I will make many nations from your family." To show His approval God was changing Abram's name to Abraham which means "Father of Many Nations." God also said, "As for Sarai your wife you are no longer to call her Sarai. Her name will be Sarah. I will bless her so that she will become the mother of many nations. Sarah's new name means "Princess." This was an amazing promise since she was ninety years old and past the age of having children. Abraham laughed and said, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old with a wife that is 90 years old?" God replied, "Yes you will have a son and you are to call him Isaac. He will be born to Sarah. I will bless Ishmael with many children but Isaac will receive my promise." Then God went up from Abraham. Later one hot day about noon the Lord appeared to Abraham again as he was sitting in his tent near the great trees of the Mamre. Abraham looked up and he saw three men standing nearby. When he

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saw them Abraham hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground to greet them. This was a way to show them honor and respect. "Come into the shade," he said to them. "We have plenty of water to wash your feet, and you can rest here under this tree. You must be hungry and tired from your journey. Please, please sit down, and I'll get some food ready for you." "Very well, we will stay," they answered. Abraham was delighted so he made his guests comfortable and ran into the tent to get Sarah. Quick," he said, "get plenty of fine flour and knead it and bake some bread." Abraham then ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calf and gave it to a servant who hurried to prepare it. Abraham then brought some butter and milk and the roasted beef that had been prepared and set it before the men. While the men were eating, Abraham stood nearby under a tree. "Where is your wife?" they asked. "There, in the tent," he said. Then the LORD said, "I will work a miracle in Sarah's body and although she is too old to have children, your wife Sarah will have a son by this time next year." This son was the one God had promised to Abraham. And, best of all, through him would come God's promise of a Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ. Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Both Abraham and Sarah were very old. Abraham was 99 years old and Sarah was 89 so she was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my husband is old, how could I possibly have a child?" Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?'

14 Is anything too hard for the LORD ? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and

Sarah will have a son." Sarah had waited 90 years and now she was going to have a baby. How unbelievable is that! Sarah was afraid that she would be discovered, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh." But she did laugh, and now she told a lie to cover up the truth. But the Lord said, "Yes, you did laugh." Sarah learned that you can never hide anything from God. He sees everything, He hears everything, and He knows all that we even think. Nothing is hidden from Him. The men got up to leave and Abraham walked along with them to see them on their way. The Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham's descendants will become a great and powerful nation and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. I have chosen him and the Lord will bring about all He has promised to Abraham. The Lord told Abraham, "You are to direct your children and your household after you to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just so that the promise can be fulfilled!" What excitement Abraham must have felt! Within a few months of the visit of the three men to Abraham, the Lord was kind to Sarah and kept His promise. Miraculously Sarah in her old age became pregnant! And the next year just as God had promised, Abraham and Sarah had a son! Abraham who was now one hundred years old, gave his new born son the name Isaac. Isaac means "he laughs." .Abraham remembered how he had laughed and how Sarah had laughed in disbelief at the announcement that this son would be born.

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Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me! Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a child." Indeed God had truly performed a miracle! They were so thankful that God had given to them little Isaac. They knew that all the promises of God were wrapped up in this little son that was God's miracle child. Isaac must have made them laugh many, many times. And every time they laughed, Abraham and Sarah must have remember that God ALWAYS keeps His promises. It was in Isaac's family that Jesus our Savior was born. He was the One through whom the whole world would be blessed! He was the Promised Messiah that would take away the sins of the world by dying on the cross! Jesus is our only hope of heaven and eternal life. Abraham and Sarah learned that God's promises in His Word are always true. After years of waiting and despite how old they were, God's promise had come true! God's Word is true for us today, too. Remember--Every day, no matter where we are or what happens to us we can trust God to keep all of His promises to us. God is a Promise Keeper!

Review Questions: Star Cards Materials: one index card and one envelope per student. Procedure: Draw a star on one index card. Place it in an envelope. Place each card in an envelope. Children are to sit in a circle. Give each child an envelope. Children pass envelopes around the circle as you play "Father Abraham" on a CD or cassette. After several minutes stop the music. Children stop passing the envelopes around the circle. Each child opens the envelope he has to look for the star card. The child with the star card answers one of the questions below or choose another child to answer. Repeat several times. 1. What promise did God make to Abram when He called him from the land of Ur to go to the

Promised Land? (He said that he would make him the father of a strong nation of people who would teach people everywhere about God, give him a great land, and bless the whole world through his son.)

2. When Abram, Sarai, and Lot arrived in the Promised Land where did they first live? (They lived in tents near the great trees of Mamre at Hebron.)

3. How did God bless Abram and Sarai at first in the land of Canaan? (God blessed Abram and he was a very rich man. He had many servants, many flocks and herds, and much silver and gold.)

4. What problem arose between Lot and Abraham? (They had so many sheep and cattle that they could not find enough grassland and their servants began arguing among one another.)

5. Where did Lot decide to move? (He chose the fertile plain where there was much more grassland but it was also near the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah.)

6. What problem did Lot soon have that he needed help from Abram? (He and his family was captured by a warring king and Abram had to take his own trained men and go rescue him.)

7. What promise did God make to Abram about his children? (God said that Abram and Sarai would have as many children as the dust of the earth and the stars in the heavens.)

8. How did Abram respond to God's promise? (He believed and it was counted as righteousness or salvation.)

9. Because Abram and Sarai did not have a child for a long time, what did they do in desperation? (Sarai convinced Abram to have a child by her hand maiden Hagar.)

10. Why did their plan not work? (Hagar felt she was better than Sarai and there developed a bitter rivalry between the two. Both were treated each other very badly.)

11. What was the name of the child born to Hagar? (Abram named him Ishmael.) 12. When God appeared to Abram what did He do to show him that Abram and Sarai would have a

son of promise? (God changed Abram's name to Abraham and Sarai's name to Sarah.) 13. What was the meaning of "Abraham"? (Abraham means the father of many nations.) 14. What was the meaning of "Sarah"? (Sarah means the "Princess.") 15. Who came to visit Abraham and Sarah to tell them the news of the coming birth of Isaac? (The

Lord appeared along with two men.)

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16. What did Abraham do for the three visitors? (He gave them water to drink, washed their feet, gave the butter and milk, killed a young calf for a feast, and had Sarah bake some special bread.)

17. What special message did the Lord have for Abraham and Sarah? (Next year Sarah would give birth to a son whom they were to call Isaac.)

18. What did Sarah do when she was in the tent and overheard the men talking about the promise? (She laughed in disbelief and then lied about it when the Lord confronted her about laughing!)

19. Why was Abraham and Sarah having a son such a great miracle? (They both were too old to have children so God had to make a miracle happen to have Isaac born.)

20. What does the name Isaac mean? (The name Isaac means "he laughs." 21. What long did God delay in bringing to pass the promise of a child? (Abram and Sarai were in the

land of Canaan for over 25 years before they had a child. Abram was 100 and Sarai was 90.) 22. What important lesson about God does this story teach us? (God always keeps His promises and

we can trust in Him to be faithful.) 23. What does the memory verse teach us that we can trust God for? (Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold on

to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." We can trust Him to give us salvation.)

Bible Memory Verse Activity: Bible Promises (Grades K-3) Our memory verse is Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Just like God was faithful in keeping His promise of a son to Abraham and Sarah so will our heavenly Father keep His promise to give us salvation. Have students locate the verse in scripture and repeat again together. Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." Preparation: Print the following Bible promises on index cards with markers and place them in a large container. Bible promises are "God hears me pray"; "God helps me do good"; "God love me"; "God is with me"; and "God promises to save those who trust in Him." Inflate and tie several shapes of balloons (round and long). Procedure: Children line up on one side of the room. Place container and cards on the opposite side of the room. Give the first two children in line a long balloon. Toss a round balloon in the air. Children are to use the long balloons to bat the round billon back and forth to each other across the room and then to the container. One child chooses a card and then reads it aloud and then tells a time that we can be glad to know that promise. The team then repeats the memory verse aloud together. Children then bat the round balloon back to the starting line and give the long balloons to the next two children in line. Repeat activity until each child has had a turn.

Group Learning Activity: "Frustration" (Grades K-5) Purpose: To have students understand why developing patience in frustrating situations is important Say: "Abraham had to have patience while he was waiting for a son. We are going to try some activities that can be frustrating. Let's see if you can do them without become frustrated!" Lead students to try to complete a variety of frustrating physical activities such as: Be sure to choose an activity appropriate for the age of your students.)

Balance a book or something on your head and let them walk in a straight line.

Touch their noses with their tongues.

Do jumping jacks.

Jump rope tricks such as crossovers (cross your hands to form a loop in your rope as it passes over your head), or double-unders (two rope turns in a single jump).

Rotate a hula hoop around your waist.

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Say: "How did you do with these challenges? Did it get frustrating? Do you think that Abraham was very frustrated when God was taking so long to give him a child? How would that feel? Remember God had a purpose with delaying the promise. He was developing faith in Abraham to trust Him even when the situation seemed humanly hopeless. That is when we know that only God could accomplish the impossible. We need to learn to give Him the glory and praise."

Group Learning Activity: "Promise Books" (Grades 3-5) Materials: one printed sheet of the Promise Book template below for each child; colored markers; scissors; stapler Procedure: Ask children to fold their printed Promise Book page in half and then cut on the solid lines to separate pages. Fold their pages to make books. Staple book along edge of page. On each blank space children can draw pictures or write sentences to show or describe situations in which it would be good to know the promise written on the page. As children work, move around the room to help them read the promises as needed. Say: "When as someone made a promise to you? What was the promise? Read Hebrews 10:23. This verse tells us that God always keeps His promises. We can trust Him! What has God given to you to show His love for you? When is a time you need to remember that God has promised to love you? When do you talk to God? What can you ask God for? What can you thank God for? When might you need God's help? what has God helped you learn to do? Where is some place you go? Who has God given to you to care for you at these places?" Help children find and read promises in their Bibles. (Joshua 1:9; Psalm 120:1; and John 3:16. Then encourage each child to choose a promise he or she wants to remember. Child use a bookmark in their Bible to help them remember the verse.

Group Learning Game Activity: "Laughing Handkerchief" (Grades K-3) Purpose: To help students remember that Abraham and Sarah named their son Isaac which means "one who laughs." Materials: Handkerchief Procedure: Choose one child to be the leader. The other children stand around the leader, forming a circle. The leader has a handkerchief, which she drops as a signal for other players to laugh. All children must start laughing as soon as the leader lets go of the handkerchief and stop, when it touches the floor. A player is out if they do not laugh the whole time the handkerchief is falling or if she continues laughing after it has landed. The last player left in the game wins. Have students use different laughing sounds such as "ho, ho, ho" or "hee, hee." Gradually make the laughing sequences more difficult.

Say: "Abraham gave his new born son the name Isaac. Isaac means "he laughs." .Abraham remembered how he had laughed and how Sarah had laughed in disbelief at the announcement that this son would be born. Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me! Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a child." Indeed God had truly performed a miracle! They were so thankful that God had given to them little Isaac. Isaac must have made them laugh many, many times. And every time they laughed, Abraham and Sarah must have remember that God always keeps His promises."

Group Learning Game Activity: Star Banner or Garland (Grades K-5) Procedure: Post a large sheet of dark blue or black butcher paper on the wall. Have children paint stars on the paper. You can also have stars printed on blue poster paper for them to cut and glue to the banner. Or you buy a package of star stickers and have the children put these up on the paper--as many as they can!

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Star Garland: You can tape gold glittering stars to long strings and hang them from the ceiling in your classroom. Stars can be made from gold wrapping paper and glued to poster board before cutting. Decorate with glitter. Say: "God promised Abraham that he would have as many children as the stars in the sky. God gave Abraham a name which means the "father of many nations." Abram is called "father Abraham" because he was the forefather of both the Jews and the Arabs. He was also the father of the family in whom Jesus the Savior of the world would be born. In this lesson we learned how God fulfilled His promise to send a son to Abraham and Sarah. Close this activity by singing the action song, "Father Abraham."

Craft Learning Activity: "Joy Sticks" (Grades K-3) Materials: cardboard tubes (paper towel); hole punch, scissors, yarn, ruler, jingle bells, and markers. For each child, punch four holes near one end of a cardboard tube and cut four 8-inch lengths of yarn. Make a sample "joy stick" Procedure: Give each child a cardboard tube and four lengths of yarn. Child is to tie one or more jungle bells to one end of each length of yarn. Help each child thread the yarn through the hole in the cardboard tube and tie the yarn in place. Students are to use colored markers to decorate the tube. Play "Promises" or "He Who Promised" or "Father Abraham" on CD while children tap or twirl or shake their music sticks. Say: "When was there a time someone made a promise to you? Repeat memory verse: Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful." We can ask god to help us trust His promises. What promise did God make to Abraham and Sarah? What are some promises God has made to us in the Bible?" Have students look up Joshua 1:9; Psalm 120:1 and John 3:16.

Group Learning Activity: Baby Memory Game (Grades 3-5) Materials: Eight to ten baby care items (bottle, pacifier, baby wipes, diaper pin, small blanket, onesie for infant, diaper, bib, etc) Procedure: Place the baby care items on the floor and cover with a small blanket. Say: "In our lesson today we learned that Abraham and Sarah had a new baby to care for. Under this blanket are some things we use to care for babies." Remove the blanket and give the children a brief time to look at the items. Cover the items again. Volunteers tell items they remember. Secretly remove one or more items, uncover the items and then challenge children to tell what's changed. Repeat several times. Say: "Abraham and Sarah were very happy to have a new baby son. They named him Isaac because it means "he laughs." They were glad that God kept His promise to give them a child even in their old age. What a miracle to have a child born to parents who are 90 and 100."

Life Application Challenge: Showing Hospitality Abraham showed kindness to his visitors. What would you do if you a visitor came to your house? Would you help your mother set the table? Could you help by cleaning up the table and stacking the dishes? Could you put the dishes in the dish washer? What would you cook or prepare for the visitor? If God came to visit you, how would you show your kindness? Would you show Him your prayer list? Could you tell Him your favorite Bible story?

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God Promises Abraham a Son

Hebrews 10:23 "Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering,

for He who promised is faithful."

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God loves me. God listens when I pray.

God is always with me.

God

keeps His

promises.

Documents

Unit 2: Abraham Scripture: Lesson Goal...Attention Getter: Baby Names Bring a baby book with names in it. Generally these books tell you what different names mean. Let the students